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The 2023 Alternating Currents Mural Fest ignited the fuse for a number of enhancements coming to Emerson Place.
The Mural Fest was an activation that the community embraced as seven artists completed the first mural project done during the weekend of Alternating Currents.
The Mural Fest was made possible through the funding support of:
Alternating Currents Presenting Sponsors, Regional Development Authority and Rhythm City Casino and Arts Partner, TBK Bank.
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TONY CAVALLO BIO:
Tony Cavallo was born on May 18, 1984, in Iowa. His artistic journey began in third grade when his teacher introduced the class to a book of great artists. As Tony saw works by Degas, Van Gogh, and Rembrandt, he was intrigued. But it was Hieronymus Bosch's "Garden of Earthly Delights" that truly captivated him. He asked, "Do you mean to tell me that you can spend your life painting the wildest things you can imagine?" Realizing he couldn't begin to call himself an artist without seeing the masters work, he travelled to LA and New York to see the greats with his own eyes. Struck by the sfumato "smoke" techniques of Da Vinci, the realism and perspective of M.C. Escher and the horrific beasts of Hieronymus Bosch, Cavallo is developing his own vision of artistic mastery.
Connect with Tony:
ABOUT TONY’S MURAL DESIGN:
I created an image with some dynamic motion and musical qualities using the color scheme of Alternating Currents. A beautiful lady jamming on the guitar with interesting patterns in the background.
MYA DIABARA
ABOUT MYA’S MURAL DESIGN:
The design I completed is called Vision. The last time I presented this piece was at Quad City Art Chalk Fest 2021 and the process was available to the public temporarily, so I'm very excited to do this again just a little more permanent. It's of a females profile with an old school movie projector and light emerging from the eye. Through it, I like comparing our everyday train of thought to the wheels of a grinding projector producing a narrative for our everyday experiences. We all have our own movie. Everyday we gather more information from our environment that is forever transforming the way we see things. We are all viewers to the ever changing interaction of our inner to outer world.
ERICA DANNER BIO:
Public art is an experience and affects how you think and feel about a space. It can comfort you or make you curious and also make you want to stay just a little bit longer. I like my work to be something you can read and enjoy from far away or also stop and have a moment with up close. I have been an artist my whole life and have started working on more large scale projects in the last few years. I graduated from UI with a BFA in Painting and Sculpture in 2015 and I am currently working as a tattoo artist and florist. I have a special interest in botanical, nature art and garden design and I love using bright colors and bold designs that transfer from tattoos to large scale public work.
Connect with Erica:
ERICA’S MURAL DESIGN:
My design is based on the Alternating Currents theme and the idea that Davenport is not only a tough river and train city with history, but also a vibrant city for arts and music on the river. The design is focused around a big cat with lightning bolts for whiskers which references the festival’s original AC logo with lighting bolts. One side is the winding Mississippi with both Government Bridge and Centennial Bridge and the other side is music notes in the fog to represent the festival and the arts.
KT SIDES BIO:
I'm an artist exploring the multitudes of creative expression through a variety of mediums, styles & themes in my pieces. Currently, I primarily work on various types of wood panels as my canvas; harmonizing elements of my designs with the existing visuals present in nature & the motion within wood grains. Most often, I use traditional fine art materials such as graphite, charcoal, acylic paints, etc, to create mixed media works containing contrasting themes of duality within the human experience. Open to expansion & experimentation, I also take on projects & commissions outside my typical areas of expertise as much as I can; such as murals, installation art, 3D works. This keeps things interesting for me as I am a multi-passionate creator that loves to collaborate with community & grow my skill set.
Connect with KT:
KT’S MURAL DESIGN:
The prompt of "Alternating Currents" inspired me to contemplate the paradox of duality on a spectrum. I began to imagine alternate timelines or dimensions overlapping in time & space within a singular piece. The concept iseach stripe is a different potential reality; I wanted to choose a quintessential image that screams Quad Cities as the focal point, so I chose the bridge (old reality & current) but I believe even a layering effect of a few QC staples could work in lieu of i t. The overall design & color would have a retro or vintage vibe, hence the polaroid photo & 70's style imagery. I'm imagining black & white patterns in some areas but very colorful gradiant palettes in others to differentiate the stripes. This design is slightly outside my usual realm of flora & fauna but I don't like to limit myself to only one style of art. Linework, detail & color gradients are my strengths.
ASHLEY VANDECASTEELE BIO:
I am a Quad Cities-based artist who earned a BFA with honors in art education from Western Illinois University. Throughout high school, I worked for the Quad Cities Arts Metro Arts summer program, where for two years I helped with group murals and my last year I was a senior apprentice for the mixed media program. Since leaving academia I have stayed close to the arts by working for several screen printing shops and having my own printing set up at home. Lately, I have been painting a lot with watercolors and recently participated in a plein air painting event.
Connect with Ashley:
ASHLEY’S MURAL DESIGN:
My design is inspired by music visualizers and both the new and old forms of the I-74 bridge. I wanted to make a bright and energetic piece that represents the fun of music as well as something that ties us together as a community. The background has colorful sound bars dancing around “neon lights” that represent the new bridge on top, the old bridge on the bottom, and the Mississippi across the center.
About the Lead Artists:
Alternating Currents partnered with two local artists, Atlanta Dawn and Heidi Sallows to help bring this project to life.
ATLANTA DAWN BIO
Quad Cities Native, Atlanta Dawn, is a full-time artist serving business owners and the community with colorful hand-painted murals. Her focus is to create murals that revitalize buildings and promote community engagement either with artwork that has a historical aspect or with designs that encompass the town and represent midwestern culture.
Connect with Atlanta:
HEIDI SALLOWS BIO
Heidi attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and graduated with a Bachelors in Fine Arts in 2007. Her focused studies were in the Green and Eco Art Movements, large format painting, Monumental Art Studies and Mural Histories. Heidi has been a part of creating numerous public, private art and mural projects here in the Quad Cities and also in Arizona, Kansas, Wyoming, Iowa, Illinois, Florida, Amsterdam- Holland, Pueblo-México and Virginia, working hard slinging paint for the last 25 + years.
Connect with Heidi:
What's Next:
Lighting improvements and iron archways will be added to Emerson Place in 2024. We hope to continue the Mural Fest in conjunction with Alternating Currents for many years to come. We couldn't bring these visions to life without the generous support of the community, connect with the DDP staff if you’re interested in contributing funding towards future art installations.