The Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Art Infusion Mural Committee and Wallpapered City, LLC announce the artists and locations for the five new exterior wall murals that will be installed as part of Art Infusion 2021.
Artists and Art Installations
Returning Featured Mural Artist – David Mark Zimmerman (aka Bigshot Robot)
Wall mural address: 200 S River St
Bigshot Robot is a Milwaukee-based designer with creations that explore curiosity, vibrancy, humor and movement. In his installations there is always a sense of imagination at play with colorful palettes full of energetic patterns. You can see some of his work around Milwaukee at places like Black Cat Alley, Bayshore, Commonplace / Tasha Rae, and Classic Slice. Bigshot participated in Art Infusion 2020 and completed the beloved Dog Bone Mural at the back of the building at 215 W Milwaukee St in Janesville. Most recently and on the heels of a Milwaukee Bucks NBA Finals win, Bigshot was commissioned to create a mural in the Walker’s Point neighborhood of a fierce buck that can be seen from various viewpoints in Milwaukee.
Ivan Roque of Miami, Florida
Wall mural address: Rock River Charter School, 31 W Milwaukee Street
Born December of 1991, Ivan J. Roque is a Cuban-American visual artist from Miami, Florida. Raised in the inner city of the infamous Carol City with a passion for the concepts of birth, death, renewal and social struggles, his influences range from the old masters to the new such as Caravaggio, Marc Rothko, Typoe and Gianni Versace. Roque has been able to accomplish many achievements for his young age, including working with rapper Denzel Curry, collaborating with major brands like Samsung, Becks, Seagram’s Gin, Ultra Music Festival and showcasing alongside established artists such as The London Police, David Detuna, John “CRASH” Matos and many more. He has traveled quite extensively for various exhibitions and murals including shows in New York City, Dubai, and Seoul, and mural festivals such as the Bushwick Collective Block Party and Pow Wow Worcester. Roque also has had three gallery solo shows and one museum solo show at the Coral Springs Museum of Art. He has a Bachelor’s of Art in Visual Arts from the Florida International University.
Nathan Brown, Chattanooga, TN
Wall mural address: Forward Foundation Building, 14 S Jackson Street
Originally from Los Angeles, Nathan relocated to Nashville when he was 11 years old and endured a major culture shock. Embracing the transition between cities through skateboarding also motivated Nathan artistically. In the late 90s he drew inspiration from skateboarding travels, painting graffiti, gradient color palettes in nature, city life and structural lines in architecture, which he eventually transitioned into the studio and on buildings across the U.S. and Europe. Having now produced over 60 large scale commissioned murals for brands such as Red Bull, Wrangler, Patagonia, Top Golf, WeWork, Google, Spotify and more, the goal has always been the same since day one, to bring people, places and communities together through public visual art, transforming and creating new spaces where there were none before. Nathan will be spray painting is creation.
Ruben Aguirre
Wall mural address: Janesville Performing Arts Center, 408 S Main St
Ruben Aguirre is a Chicago based painter who is expanding on the roots of style writing with a non-narrative approach to mural painting. He has produced a number of murals in the Chicago area, across the U.S., and abroad. Aguirre’s work is an intersection of abstract graffiti, formalism, and mural painting. With forms inspired by typography, geographical terrain, and the human body, Ruben’s compositions organically build a visual language that balances subtlety with boldness. His public work is informed by architecture, and plays with re-imagining public space, while investigating pattern, hard edge painting, and color field through the use of the spray can. He has exhibited at the Chicago Cultural Center, the Hyde Park Art Center, and has a forthcoming solo exhibit at The National Museum of Mexican Art. His work has been covered by the Atlantic, and the Washington Post. Aguirre’s public works have been commissioned for clients such as Google, Adidas, Linked IN, Conde Nast, and others.
CJ Hungerman
Wall mural address: Olde Towne Mall, 20 S Main Street (backside)
CJ is a Chicago based mural artist. Originally from Pittsburgh, CJ completed his graduate degree at Northern Illinois University. He has created many public art projects in Chicago and throughout the United States. He was selected by James Rondeau, the Curator of Contemporary Art at the Art Institute of Chicago, for first place in the Art Future 2012 show. That piece was sold from the show to the Chicago artist Maya Romanoff. In 2013 one of CJ’s pieces won the Alice & Arthur Baer Award from the Beverly Arts Center. His most notable piece of public art, funded by the Mayor’s office & the City of Chicago, is a 500 square foot original artwork he conceived and created for the new Chinatown Library in Chicago. That project granted him inclusion in the historic art collection owned by the city with all the famous artists that have done major art pieces for the city of Chicago. Currently CJ is a Finalist for a new library in Chicago and a 10,000 square foot piece in the Phoenix International Airport.
Emily Balsley
Art installation address: My Pet Park, 14 S River St
Emily is an illustrator living in Madison, Wisconsin with her sweet, creative daughter and loving, yogi husband. Her work includes book and editorial illustration, games and puzzles, posters, maps and murals. Her stylized approach is colorful and bold, with a touch of quirk – and her hand-lettering and character-driven illustrations just ooze happy. She is active in the creative community: participating in arts events and gallery shows, as a board member of multiple arts organizations, and occasionally leading workshops and camps.
Leigh Alfredson – Featured Chalk Artist
Sidewalk chalk address: Firehouse Park, 113 N Main St
Leigh grew up in Madison, WI where she attended art school and earned a degree in Graphic Design. She is a professional street painter living in the Orlando, Florida area and has been street painting and teaching this art form for over 25 years. Leigh has traveled all over the United States, Curacao, and Italy to paint, and helps organizations and non-profits hold street painting events as fund-raisers.
Stacey Williams-Ng – Featured Chalk Artist
Sidewalk chalk address: Firehouse Park, 113 N Main St
Stacey has been doing large-scale chalk art professionally for over 10 years. Her chalk installations have won competitions in St Joseph, Michigan; Safety Harbor, Florida and West Bend, Wisconsin. She is the former chalk artist-in-residence at the Bristol Renaissance Faire and has repeatedly been a featured artist at the Museum of Wisconsin Art. Stacey now lives in Memphis, Tennessee.
Mural artists were chosen via a juried process. They will begin working on their designs September 4 and hope to complete them by September 12, 2021 (weather dependent).
Additionally, there will be a chalk art competition for artists of all skill levels, kids age 10 and up and adults. Artists will be competing for cash prizes on September 10 – 12 at Firehouse Park in downtown Janesville.
Spectators are welcome to view all the art as it is being created. The best time to enjoy the art will be September 10 – 12. Depending on the weather the chalk art may look great for up to one month after it’s created. For those that don’t wish to venture out, they can follow the progress of the art on the Art Infusion Facebook and Instagram pages.
New this year, Art Infusion will be incorporating a pet themed art installation for families to enjoy at 14 S River St called “My Pet Park.” The piece will be on display Labor Day weekend through October 2021. Additionally, there will be a variety of other activities happening the week of Art Infusion including music, dance and poetry reading. A community art piece concept is also under development. As part of the project, community members will have an opportunity to create a piece that will be on display at Janesville Mall. More details for the week will be available soon at janesvillecvb.com.
The Art Infusion Committee would like to offer heartfelt thanks to Nigella Ryan and other generous donors and volunteers, the City of Janesville, as well as the local organizations assisting with programming and logistics including Janesville Performing Art Center, Rock County Historical Society, Janesville Art League, Rock County Children’s Museum and Downtown Janesville, Inc.
