The tenants of Spruce Village gathered together in August to celebrate the completion of a new mural in their community room. A supportive housing development in Palatine with 44 rental apartments for people living with a disability, Spruce Village opened in the midst of the pandemic which temporarily delayed the project.

Allyssa, a tenant at Spruce Village, spoke during the event about what this project meant to her. “I feel like a part of me is going to live in this painting… ‘I painted this’ and you feel like you’re a part of something other than yourself.”

Guided by artist Colleen Koziara, the Mural Project Leader, the tenants collaborated on what they wanted to see in the mural and took part in painting. The mural shows a landscape that evolves from morning to evening, reflects the four seasons, and includes mountains, a waterfall, green meadows and forests.

A large mural is painted on a wall. It has a landscape that includes mountains, green fields, a tree with pink blossoms, flowers, trees that have fall colors, a waterfall, a rising sun and a full moon. Round tables are in front of the mural with papers and small candies sprinkled on them.
A group of women and men of various ages pose and smile in front of a wall mural that depicts a naturescape with a waterfall, mountains, and a tree with pink blossoms.
A woman with braided hair and wearing a summer dress stands in front of a mural of a landscape with a green meadow and a tree with pink blossoms. She is holding papers in her hands.
People mingling in front of a mural of a landscape. Some people are standing and others are sitting. Bottles of water, papers, and a bunch of flowers are on top of small round tables.
A woman with long blond hair and wearing a black t-shirt with sunflowers smiles as she points to a painted mural on a wall that includes a green meadow and a tree with pink blossoms. Painted into the pink blossoms is a small pink awareness ribbon for breast cancer. The woman is pointing to the painted ribbon.
A group of women and men of various ages pose and smile in front of a wall mural that depicts a naturescape with a waterfall, mountains, and a tree with pink blossoms.
Two women talk with a man wearing a blue t-shirt as they stand in front of a mural of a landscape with green fields and a tree with pink blossoms.
People mingle as they stand in front of a large mural of a landscape with mountains, a rising sun, and green meadows. A woman with long grey-brown hair sits in front of two women who are talking with her.
Three women are talking in a hallway while a group of people stand behind them talking to each other. There are balloons and a table with decorations and paper in the background.