Abstract
Macomb, Illinois is the site of Western Illinois University (WIU), and it is a place in flux. When the first African-American president of the university resigned in July, 2019, following a tumultuous 8 year tenure, there were allegations, inter alia, of a deep-seated racism in the community which forced his departure. His tenure coincided with the Illinois budget impasse under Governor Bruce Rauner, during which state institutions of higher learning received no state funds for nearly two years. This crisis resulted in major lay-offs at WIU, and some local businesses responded by distributing yard signs with messages against President Jack Thomas and, more famously, a theater in the town square posted on its marquee the exhortation to, “Fire Jack, Support WIU.” Such gestures were seen as expressions of the latent racism of a predominantly White community against a Black president. Town and gown still reel from the impacts of the state budget crisis, and Macomb now seeks revivification in a reinvention of itself through its’ portray of the community as inclusive and tolerant, using murals as an expression of the message. Our study investigates the place (re-)making efforts of Macomb through an examination of public art, and the changed demography of the university and the town. We conduct this analysis of race and place in rural America by questioning the efficacy of a mostly performative honoring of diversity through commemorative art.
Presenters
Sunita GeorgeAssociate Professor, Earth, Atmospheric and Geographic Information Science, Western Illinois University, Illinois, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Place-Making, Diversity in Rural America, Public Art
