New mural honors famous Carbondale resident

CARBONDALE, Ill. (KFVS) - Artspace 304 announces a new mural honoring a distinguished Carbondale resident can now be found on the building’s back wall.

According to Carolyn Deane, a spokesperson for Artspace 304, mural artist Maddie Deiters completed the painting in honor of Buckminster Fuller--a well-known architect and former SIU professor.

The mural is titled: The World Through Bucky’s Eyes, and can be viewed along S. University Avenue behind the Civic Center. Graphs and drawings from Bucky’s notebooks fill the lenses, as the glasses float in a mix of geometric shapes and deep space.

Deane says Deiters is already a much sought after artist, having designed and installed murals throughout the region, including the colorful image on the Eurma C. Hayes Community Center. Dieters was drawn to public art in hopes of empowering people to appreciate and participate in creating art.

“I was inspired by Buckminster Fuller and his unique conceptions integrating engineering and architecture. Carbondale is home to the original ‘Dome Home’ that Fuller built and lived in while a professor at SIU,” Deiters said. “His mission was ‘to make the world work for all of humanity’ and inspired inventions, books and a sustainability movement that continues to influence the world. In designing this piece, I thought it would be fascinating to look at the world the way he did, if just for a moment.”

Deiters mural is now part of the Welcome, Carbondale! and Southern Illinois Mural Project (SIMP) portfolios.

SIMP is an Artspace 304 program with the goal of engaging local artists to showcase the history of our region via large-scale, public visual storytelling, according to Deane.

Funds for SIMP are provided by the Illinois Arts Council Agency, the National Endowment for the Arts, the City of Carbondale and Artspace 304.