Artist ready to begin Wilmette mural, which should be finished this month

Work on a public mural for Veterans Park in Wilmette is set to begin this week and conclude in September, according to Village Manager Mike Braiman.

Braiman and the Veterans Park Ad Hoc Mural Committee recently got a look at the final design for the project, which is the work of Chicago artist Luis Ramirez. Ramirez, also known as Asend One, was selected earlier this year out of 23 candidates to paint the outdoor mural on a large brick wall on the east end of the small, downtown-Wilmette park.

The image features a child, supported by an adult woman, handing daisies to a service member down on one knee — all on the backdrop of what appears to be a sunny spring day.

The design has been honed since Ramirez first presented it to the committee in April. Committee member Katie Degen said Ramirez was receptive to feedback, including insight from military veterans.

“We both put in a lot of research,” Degen said of the committee and Ramirez. “We asked a lot of questions to ensure (the mural) would meet our standards and what we think Wilmette wants. Luis consciously adapted to our feedback and ultimately came up with a beautiful design that we think will really represent Wilmette Veterans Park and that the town will really be proud of.”

Braiman said Ramirez and his crew will begin priming the site by Friday, Sept. 6, and the project should be done in three weeks.

How we got here

The Village of Wilmette began considering a downtown mural in 2021 when the Sesquicentennial Committee discussed public improvement projects for the Village’s 150th anniversary. Since September 2023, those efforts have focused on a mural at Veterans Park led by an ad hoc committee.

The Village Board voted unanimously in April to award a $38,000 contract to Ramirez’s company, City to City.

The project is funded by donations that were “solicited from the Village’s sesquicentennial celebration — which were intended for some type of public improvement, public artwork project — as well as from the Wilmette Rotary Club,” Braiman previously said.

With the materials being used, the mural can be touched up, covered up or even removed in the future, per the Village of Wilmette’s discretion.

The artist uses acrylic-based paint that is “specifically formulated for outdoor murals,” according to Village documents, and should last for at least 10 years before touchups are needed.

Degen said Ramirez was chosen from a talented pool of applicants and his work on other outdoor murals — such as the renowned “Carnivale” mural in Chicago and his full-building project in Northbrook — stood out.

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