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Art is going to the dogs these days · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Art is going to the dogs these days. Written by Tom Collins.
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  This article is being read by an automated voice brought to you
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  by Everlit. Trying to find the dog park on Water Street in
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  Peru? It's easy, just look for the mural featuring illustrations of dogs.
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  Young, and rather talented, artists were dispatched Friday afternoon and Saturday morning
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  to decorate the park north wall with pictures of pooches. Mayor Ken
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  Kulowski and art teacher Julie Jenkins talked it over and decided a
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  mural would be a good addition to the park and a good
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  experience for The nascent artists. I think it looks awesome, Kulowski said,
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  of the illustrations that now pop from the wall. Anytime you can
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  get our kids involved it brings a little energy to the project.
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  Jenkins was just as pleased. The longtime art instructor oversees the art
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  club at LaSalle Peru Township High School and she had no trouble
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  recruiting kids to put their paintbrushes to work. Jenkins had overseen murals
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  in the past and was all ears when Kulowski asked if the
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  dog park was something her club might take on. She was enthusiastic
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  and decided the decorations should, well, go to the dogs. So I
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  tasked the students with drawing their own dogs, or maybe a neighborhood
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  dog, something along those lines, Jenkins said. They jumped at the chance.
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  The only as opposition Jenkins got was from Mother Nature. Friday rainfall
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  kept her students from making much progress and Saturday mornings chill, overnight
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  low, 34 degrees, forced Jenkins to move the painting from an AM
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  to a PM time slot. But neither the rain nor the cold
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  kept anybody from having fun. Ali Baumgarten, an
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  L-P freshman who lives in Peru, set to work rendering an image
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  of her own dog, Indy, and said she was pleased with the
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  finished product. It makes the whole dog park feel a bit more
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  like happy and fun, Allie said, and it just makes the space
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  feel very welcome. Kili Costos, also an LP freshman from Peru, likewise
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  depicted her family pet, a great Pyrenees. She found the experience a
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  new challenge. I haven't really done a mural before, she said, but
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  was nonetheless pleased to leave a stamp on a public place. The
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  project even brought one LP graduate out of out of retirement, so
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  to speak. Jasmine Art graduated in twenty twenty four, but Jenkins easily
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  prevailed upon her to lend her talents to the project. I was
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  off work, so I said why not? Said Jasmine. I do know
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  that I definitely want art to be something for me to do
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  in the future. I love doing community work, even if it's volunteer,
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  it's just good to leave my mark on the community.