ALTON - Alton Main Street is preparing for the 100th birthday celebration of Miles Dewey Davis, a jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer who was born in Alton, Illinois on May 26th, 1926. In anticipation of the upcoming festivities for one of the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music, the organization has commissioned a new public art project by St. Louis-based artist Peat "Eyez" Wollaeger.
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Eyez has commemorated many notable individuals through their murals all around the country and is known globally for their colorful stencil portraits and large scale murals.
Eyez and their intern Nora Baumgart have been busy installing the 12’ x 12’ portrait on the high-visibility wall behind Hiram’s Bar at the corner of Broadway and State Street. Property owner Hiram Lewis had reached out to Alton Main Street in 2023 to offer the opportunity to place a mural on this wall due to the high traffic count which passes by. “Hosting this incredible work of art on my building makes me feel like I am part of the community, and will be another eye-catching reason for people to visit the Downtown Alton district before or after their drive on the Great River Road,” Lewis said. The new mural is located just around the corner from the existing bronze sculpture commissioned by Pride Incorporated in 2014, which honors Mr. Davis in the heart of the 3rd Street entertainment district.
Alton Main Street is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting historic Downtown Alton through an array of economic and community development activities. Commissioning public art projects which illustrate the identity of the community is an important part of how the group achieves its mission.
“Alton Main Street worked with Miles Davis Properties who granted permission from the family to use the likeness of our hometown hero in this work of art,” said Sara McGibany, Executive Director of Alton Main Street, “Everyone has been so cooperative and generous to help bring this project to life. The City of Alton provided safety equipment, neighboring businesses pitched in to offer power, water, and storage access, and local artist Michael “Kooliverse” Snider has been instrumental with providing tools and production support.”
The current state of the mural as a static portrait is just the beginning, and community members can look forward to the piece “coming to life” in the form of augmented reality via the Artivive app on January 1st 2025. “My stencil work enhanced through augmented reality is a very engaging medium and I enjoy placing art in places where people might not even think about stepping into a gallery,” said Peat “Eyez” Wollaeger, discussing their craft as one of St. Louis’ prolific street artists,” adding, “The city is my canvas, and our goal with this project is to pay tribute to this outstanding musician and contributor to all musical culture by branding Alton as the “Birthplace of Cool”, which is a play on words from Davis’s 1957 album Birth of the Cool.”
This milestone birthday celebration of Miles Davis will draw international attention to Alton, and Alton Main Street aimed to get ahead of the curve by creating this unforgettable experience for locals and tourists alike to help ramp up the excitement. The augmented reality will be available throughout the entirety of 2025 and 2026 through a licensing agreement with Sony Music which owns the publishing rights to Davis’s illustrious body of work.
The newest mural titled “Eyez on Milez” is just one of a growing list of public art installations across Downtown Alton. Alton Main Street expresses gratitude to Downtown resident and property owner Penny Schmidt for her generous donation in support of its mission to beautify and animate through public art which made this project possible. To make your tax-deductible contribution which will help expand the public art program in Downtown Alton, please contact info@altonmainstreet.org.
In 2023, Alton Main Street received an Award of Excellence in Downtown Revitalization from Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton in recognition of the organization’s prolific mural program. A directory of 20 murals and sculptures located in and around the Downtown district is available on the Alton Main Street website. The website features a map as well as artist statements, photos, and descriptions of how each work of art came to be. Follow the artist’s future endeavors on Instagram @Eyez, and to find signature Eyez merchandise, visit www.eyezbrand.com.
Alton Main Street – engaging our community in the continued renewal of our historic downtown district and Mississippi River heritage by cultivating an attractive center of economic and social activity.
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