Approaching the intersection of Grand Avenue and Sheridan Road from any direction, people cannot miss the new six-foot-tall letters brightly painted in four different colors spelling out “Waukegan.”
A closer look reveals that each of the letters standing on the southeast side of the intersection contains artwork created by local artists, with a variety of messages enameled onto each letter.
Rachel Cantin, a planner with the city who oversaw the development of the project and other public art in the city’s downtown, said the design was created through computer technology so it can be changed over the years. She designed the art on five of the letters.
“It’s abstract art that will look good on the letters,” Cantin said. “The second A is a constellation that can be seen in the local sky. You’ll see the Little Dipper and Big Dipper.”
City officials and others dedicated the WAUKEGAN letters on Sept. 16 with a ribbon-cutting at the southeast corner of Grand and Sheridan, adding another piece of art to the city’s downtown and near the entrance to the lakefront.
Unlike the welcome signs at Waukegan City limits which are the same at each location, the large letters came into being as part of a grant from the state in 2023 through the 2021 Illinois Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) and a community-based effort which followed.
Receiving just over $1 million as part of a CEJA Energy Transition Community Grant two years ago, Cantin said $450,000 was earmarked for public art in the downtown area and the rest was used to fund an ongoing lead pipe replacement project. The letters cost $115,600.
Between murals on buildings and on crosswalks throughout the downtown Waukegan area, much of the public art is already on display. Cantin said an Arts Advisory Committee was established with members of city staff as well as the public to help pick ideas and projects.
“We thought the letters would look pretty cool,” Cantin said. “The community liked it. We asked the artists for ideas on how to make them and the colors. We decided we wanted to put art on them.”
Along with the letters, Cantin said the group decided to commission abstract art to be placed on the bottom two-thirds of each letter. She crafted five — the U, K, G, second A, and the N. Waukegan High School senior Fernanda Garcia did the design for the W, while former Waukegan student Tamara Alvarado did the first A and the E.
A primarily self-taught artist — Garcia has taken no art classes — she said a teacher told her the city was offering an art job. She sent samples and was selected. It was the first time she was paid for her art.
“I was excited, but kind of nervous,” Garcia said. “I really like downtown. I thought about the harbor and the streets while I was doing it.”
Electro-Matic Integrated from Farmington Hills, Michigan, was hired to make the letters from hollow metal with support inside. When it came time to paint the letters, Mayor Sam Cunningham said AzkoNobel was the perfect choice. One of the few manufacturers still at the lakefront, the company makes coatings for airplanes and rockets, among other things.
“This is a landmark on a manicured lawn with flowers,” Cunningham said. “This is part of what rebuilding Waukegan is about. It’s at the entrance to our lakefront leading to the beach and the port.”
Located in a strip of land south of Grand in Haig Paravonian Park. south of the new letters are the Walk of Stars honoring six Waukeganites — Ray Bradbury, Jack Benny, Otto Grahamn, Jerry Orbach, Dr. Eugene O. King and artist Phil Austin. Farther south are gardens.
While the letters are not located at the city limits greeting people when they arrive, Cunningham said both have a purpose. The letters give an image of the city through the eyes of artists. Now in his 50s, the welcome signs are primarily unchanged since he was a boy. They were painted with different colors — city colors — a few years ago.
With the letters painted light blue, Cunningham said they contain the city’s motto, “City of Progress.” They are important because with one town bordering another, they let people know when they go from Waukegan to North Chicago, Gurnee, Park City, Beach Park or Wadsworth.
“They should all be the same,” he said. “They show our brand. We are the City of Progress because we have evolved from Little Fort to Waukegan, and have continued to evolve.”