Post Office Mural - Mt. Carroll IL

City:: Mt. Carroll, IL
Site Type:: Art Works, Murals
New Deal Agencies:: Arts Programs, Treasury Section of Fine Arts (TSFA)
Artist:: Irene Bianucci

Description

The mural “Rural Scenes—Wakurusa Valley” was painted in 1941 by Irene Bianucci as a Section of Fine Arts-funded work. Itwas installed in the lobby of the historic Mount Carroll post office.

Source notes

Originally posted in the New Deal Art Registry: https://www.newdealartregistry.org/

Location Info

211 North Clay Street
Mt Carroll, IL 61053

Location notes: Lobby

Coordinates: 42.100594, -89.97777

At this Location:

Post Office - Mt. Carroll IL

Site Details

created on 2011-07-09 17:44:08 -0700 [email protected] last modified on 2012-02-26 16:41:06 -0800

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2 comments on “Post Office Mural – Mt. Carroll IL”

Penelope Thacher January 9, 2022

Irene Bianucci (1903-1988) was born in Florence, Italy. Her family moved to Clinton, Indiana when she was 6. After graduating from high school there, she studied art at Millikin University, Decatur, IL, and the Art Institute of Chicago. By 1931, she had her own studio doing portrait painting in Chicago and was represented by art galleries there and in NYC.By 1941, she had created murals for a Juvenile Detention Home, the Clara Barton Elementary School, and the Ryerson Elementary School in Chicago and had her mural installed in Mount Carroll’s new post office. Her mural was restored in 1986 by Louis Pomerantz, a conservator for the AIC. Bianucci misspelled the name of the creek flowing through town as Wakarusa instead of Waukarusa. Her work is in the Figge and Smithsonian.

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JLA August 6, 2022

On Aug 5, we visited this post office to take a photo of the mural (my retirement hobby) and had a wonderful visit with the Postmaster. The mural is in beautiful condition, as mentioned above regarding the restoration. She has a real appreciation for the history of the post office, and had pulled out of storage a number of the original pieces of furniture and fixtures. If you visit this post office, be sure to stop at the other two very nearby in Mt. Morris and Oregon.

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2 comments on “Post Office Mural – Mt. Carroll IL”

Penelope Thacher January 9, 2022

Irene Bianucci (1903-1988) was born in Florence, Italy. Her family moved to Clinton, Indiana when she was 6. After graduating from high school there, she studied art at Millikin University, Decatur, IL, and the Art Institute of Chicago. By 1931, she had her own studio doing portrait painting in Chicago and was represented by art galleries there and in NYC.By 1941, she had created murals for a Juvenile Detention Home, the Clara Barton Elementary School, and the Ryerson Elementary School in Chicago and had her mural installed in Mount Carroll’s new post office. Her mural was restored in 1986 by Louis Pomerantz, a conservator for the AIC. Bianucci misspelled the name of the creek flowing through town as Wakarusa instead of Waukarusa. Her work is in the Figge and Smithsonian.

JLA August 6, 2022

On Aug 5, we visited this post office to take a photo of the mural (my retirement hobby) and had a wonderful visit with the Postmaster. The mural is in beautiful condition, as mentioned above regarding the restoration. She has a real appreciation for the history of the post office, and had pulled out of storage a number of the original pieces of furniture and fixtures. If you visit this post office, be sure to stop at the other two very nearby in Mt. Morris and Oregon.