A massive 61 x 47-foot hand painted mural was unveiled for the media during a Sunday afternoon ceremony at the under-construction Sangamon County Transportation Hub along 10th St.

The work, entitled Local Heroes by Brooklyn-based muralist Danielle Mastrion is being painted on site, rather than on studio-created panels. The huge undertaking is getting some able assistance from area high school art students. Around a dozen were on hand at the site working on the mural during the media event. The all agreed its messy but fun work.

A local county mural advisory committee commissioned Mastrion to install the mural that highlights several people who played a significant role in the community the state and nation such as Presidents Lincoln and Obama, Ida B. Wells, Susan Lawrence Dana and Dr. Edwin Lee, , as well as other significant items related to Sangamon County and Illinois, including the state capitol, Lincoln’s Home, Route 66, native flora and the founding year of the county. The mural also features the state bird, tree and insect.

Mastrion expects the work to be completed in around two weeks.

You can learn more about the mural and the people portrayed by going to Sangamon County > theHub > Art at the Hub > 10th Street Mural (sangamonil.gov)