See The Renderings for Downtown Rock Island’s Beautiful Arts Alley

If there's one thing I love in a cityscape, it's colorful murals and Rock Island's Arts Alley is about to get some help from the state of Illinois.

As WVIK reports, the space will be used to host performances, art exhibits, live programs, and will have beautiful murals. The city of Rock Island and the Quad City Chamber received a $267,000 grant to fix up the alley, which is in the 1700 block of 2nd Avenue.

Here's a rendering of what Arts Alley might look like after the work is completed:

Jack Cullen, Director of Downtown Rock Island for the Chamber, and also Quad City Arts Executive Director Keven Maynard agree that public art displays like this can help drive tourism to the area.

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Cullen says that the space has been under-utilized in recent years so it's time to take it to the next level. Here's what he told WVIK:

...and create a tourist attraction, a destination for the Quad Cities, for downtown Rock Island, and beyond. So we believe the new designs, coupled with the plans to program this space, really have the capability to do just that.

The project is expected to begin in the fall and be completed next year.

You can still give your input on Arts Alley to the Quad Cities Chamber if you want by filling out this form. Scroll down to see the pics of what Arts Alley could look like when it's done!