Dixon council considers $25,000 decor project for chambers

DIXON – The Dixon City Council is looking at spending $25,000 to decorate council chambers with local murals and photos.

Last month, Councilman Mike Venier spoke about incorporating photos and portraits to fill blank space in the room ranging from $2,000 to $7,000, and then upped the project to $25,000 earlier this month.

The project would include metallic photos from Matthew Lennox, marketing director at the Dixon Chamber of Commerce and Main Street, as well as a mural from Philip Atilano, executive director at The Next Picture Show, Venier said Monday.

[ Dixon councilman wants to spend $25,000 to decorate chambers with murals, art installations ]

Venier said it would likely be around $2,000 for each photo display on two walls, $3,000 to $4,000 to ready a wall for local traveling art, and about $13,000 to $14,000 for a city-centric mural on the back wall.

He suggested murals of Ronald Reagan and city founder John Dixon on the front wall along with getting a new U.S. flag to hang in a way that makes it look like it’s blowing in the wind.

The city currently has a framed portrait of Reagan on the wall. Councilmen Chris Bishop and Dennis Considine said instead of murals on that wall, they could just add a framed photo of John Dixon.

Councilwoman Mary Oros said the traveling art wall would be a great opportunity for local artists.

The city’s bicentennial is in about five years, and Mayor Li Arellano Jr. has said they should also consider that in the decoration planning.

The funding would likely come from the city’s $100,000 arts and culture fund, but the council has not voted on the project.