Graffiti News

A third panel still needs city approval

A proposed third panel for “Sycamore’s Story” remained subject to city decisions on September 14, 2026. According to Shaw Local Enewspapers, the Sycamore Beautification Committee was expected to consider on Monday whether to seek permission for another addition to the downtown history mural. A decision to move forward at committee level would still leave the proposal needing approval from the Sycamore City Council.

The mural occupies the west wall of Sycamore State Theatre at 420 W. State St. The committee meeting was scheduled for noon on Monday in the City Council conference room. The report described a proposal awaiting that process, rather than an installation already authorized.

Documents cited by Shaw Local suggested the third panel could be finished in October. That possibility depended on both the timing of city approval and the weather. For anyone planning a visit around the expansion, October should therefore be understood as a possible completion window. The report did not establish a completion date or announce an unveiling.

The existing panels connect the theater and courthouse

The two installed panels give the mural a local history focus through the theater and the DeKalb County Courthouse. Oregon-based muralist Ed Muren installed the first panel in June 2025, paying tribute to the theater’s history. A second panel was added after the City Council authorized it in July.

Rockford muralist Brett Whitacre completed the second panel under a contract with the city. That work centered on the DeKalb County Courthouse. Together, the panels place different local subjects on the same building wall, with separate artists contributing to the developing work.

For people who follow public art, the panel format offers a useful way to read the mural: look at each subject individually, then consider how the subjects relate across the wall. The theater provides both a subject for the first panel and the physical setting for the larger work. The courthouse introduces another part of the city’s story without moving the viewer to another mural site.

The third panel’s appearance was still unknown in the September 14 report. The existing subjects do not establish which building, person or event might come next. Any interpretation of the planned addition needs to leave that visual question open.

The artist and payment remain conditional

Whitacre could be chosen for the third panel, but the assignment had not been decided. Shaw Local reported that no other muralist was named in the Beautification Committee agenda. Being the only artist mentioned in that document does not amount to a confirmed selection.

If Whitacre were selected, he would receive a $12,000 stipend. According to documents described in the report, the city would pay using a 2027 Illinois Arts Council creative projects grant it had been awarded. The reported amount was the proposed payment to Whitacre; the source did not present it as a complete budget for every part of the expansion.

The grant’s year also needs to be kept separate from the possible installation schedule. The report named a 2027 grant while describing a third panel that might be completed in October, subject to approval and weather. There is no basis in the source for moving that possible completion into 2027 simply because of the grant label.

Visitors can use the theater wall as their reference point

The specific location for finding the mural is the theater’s west wall at 420 W. State St. That combination of address and wall direction is more useful for locating the artwork than the theater name alone. The source locates the mural on the building’s exterior, but gives no visitor hours, admission information or accessibility details.

At the report’s publication, the established viewing subjects were the first and second panels. A visit intended specifically to see a finished third panel would require a later check on approval and installation. The source does not support treating the proposed October finish as a guaranteed attraction.

The project also offers a concrete example of a public mural growing in stages. Its history includes individual artists, separate panel subjects and city authorization. Looking at those layers helps explain how a wall can accumulate a local narrative over time, while keeping the distinction between what has been painted and what is still proposed.

Explore other mural locations on the Wallscape map.

Source: Shaw Local Enewspapers