County accepts $12,000 Illinois Arts Council grant to fund murals at detention center

Peoria County approved a $12,000 Creative Arts Project grant from the Illinois Arts Council to fund five murals at the county detention center.

A county staff member said the grant supports local artists and the county selected painter and muralist Megan Corey for the project. "The grant is for $12,000," the staff member said, and described plans for Corey to work directly with residents through supervised sessions as part of the facility’s behavior-modification program. The project is framed as trauma-informed care intended to support mental-health outcomes.

Staff said Corey has previously completed murals in the facility and is a former Peoria County employee. The murals will be created in supervised sessions with residents; staff said they will send an invitation for an unveiling when the work is complete. The board moved and approved the resolution to accept the grant in open session; the transcript records affirmative votes and no recorded opposition.

The staff member who presented the grant background did not give a personal name in the excerpted transcript. Questions from board members sought confirmation that residents would participate directly; staff confirmed that Megan Corey will work with residents and that supplies and ideas are underway.

Next steps include implementation of the mural sessions in coordination with the detention center’s behavior-modification program and scheduling an unveiling event when the panels are complete.