April 28, 2024
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Guitar art coming to Joliet

“Ready to Rock” kickoff event will be June 1

By Bob Okon
GIGANTAR hangs lit at the celebratory lighting ceremony at the Illinois Rock and Roll museum. Jan 20, 2023.

GIGANTAR, a 24-foot guitar sculpture, was attached to the Illinois Rock and Roll Museum on Route 66 in Joliet in January. The museum is located downtown, where a "Ready to Rock" project will put 12, 6-foot guitars on display for an interactive street art exhibit this summer. (Gary Duncan)

Downtown Joliet will be decorated with 6-foot guitars this summer.

An “interactive street art exhibit” will put 12 fiberglass, custom-decorated guitars on display, the Joliet City Center Partnership announced.

“Each guitar will be uniquely painted by professional local and regional artists,” according to a news release announcing the exhibit.

The guitar exhibit, called “Ready to Rock,” follows the arrival in January of GIGANTAR, a 24-foot guitar sculpture that was attached to the front facade of the Illinois Rock and Roll Museum on Route 66. The museum, yet to open to the public, also is downtown.

“Joliet has a rich music history and a strong local artist movement,” Priscilla Cordero, executive director of the City Center Partnership, said in the news release. “This project is a perfect opportunity to blend both of those histories while also promoting downtown Joliet.”

The “Ready to Rock” project is a joint effort involving the City Center Partnership, Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and city of Joliet.

The guitar exhibit was planned to showcase downtown and attract visitors, according to the release.

A ribbon-cutting for the exhibit will be June 1 in the plaza at the Joliet Junior College City Center Campus.

At the end of the exhibit, guitars will be available at an Oct. 4 auction at the Rialto Square Theatre. Proceeds from the auction will be used to benefit future downtown art and beautification projects.