For 18 feet, a series of painted roots rise as part of the community mural that’s now part of the downtown Naperville Township building facade.
Some of the roots may be heavy. Others are a bit tangled. Together they extend to offer a warm embrace with open arms.
The mural, “Our Shared Home,” was unveiled in a ceremony Friday as part of a partnership between Mandala South Asian Performing Arts of Chicago and Art of Inclusion of Naperville.
The 3-foot-by-18-foot mural at 139 Water St. was led by artist Ashmi Mridul, who wanted the work to be abstract enough to be open to interpretation.
Mridul conducted community workshops where residents could brainstorm what home meant to them. Common themes from connection to conflict and warmth to welcoming emerged. Roots were chosen as the central symbol and metaphor for home.
More than 70 residents took part in the workshops held last month. The process allowed participants to reflect on their generational histories, find parallels in their stories, build solidarity and create a shared vision to promote a diverse future for Naperville, Mridul said.
They came together again to paint the mural, adding their brush strokes to the piece.
The project was part of Mandala Arts’ larger initiative to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Immigration and Nationality Act, Mridul said.
The mural represents some struggles that Naperville residents experienced, noting its history of segregation as a sundown town. But the roots expand upward, symbolic of Naperville’s transformation into a multicultural city that is welcoming, inclusive and hopeful, Mridul said.
“One needs to give a little bit of time to engage with the artwork,” she said. “If you want to understand it, see yourself in it, take something from it, you have to spend some time with it. Art is for making meaning. Everybody will make their own meaning. Everyone who looks at it has their own story.”
Saily Joshi, executive director of Naperville Neighbors United, said she sees the entangled roots at the bottom that grow stronger as they climb. She said some of the roots remind her of arteries that lead to the heart.
“It’s the blood flow of life and the yellow background is brightness, light, hope,” Joshi said.
The mural represents a city where people are valued, heard and belong, she said.
Richa Jain, a Naperville resident of about 20 years, attended the brainstorming sessions and helped paint the mural.
“Roots was one word that kept coming up again and again,” Jain said. “People come from all over the world and call Naperville home. We are all together, but unique.
Jain said she believes the mural stands out and is unlike anything else in the city. It’s also open to interpretation, she said.
U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville, said the diversity of Naperville is one of its strengths, noting he enjoys overhearing various languages and dialects spoken during his walks throughout downtown.
“That’s what Naperville is about,” he said. “That is one of the reasons I’m so proud to represent Naperville.”
Tony Andrews, co-chair of the Art of Inclusion, said the brainstorming sessions were packed with people of diverse cultural backgrounds.
“It was really awesome,” he said.
The mural was made possible with grant funding from the city’s Special Events and Community Arts Commission as well as private funding, Andrews said.
The dedication Friday was attended by members of the community and federal, state and local elected officials.
“Art brings people together,” Naperville Councilman Ashfaq Syed said.
Mandala Arts will continue its message of home with a performance of “Homeward: Movement, Memory and Moments that Shape History” at 4 and 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10, at North Central College’s Wentz Hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave.
The free performance examines the meaning of home through expressive movement, blending contemporary, modern, ballet and African diasporic movement with classical South Asian dance traditions.
It also reflects the impact of two pivotal pieces of U.S. legislation: the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which was an outcome of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, artistic director Pranita Nayar said.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.