Written by Julie Uram | August 2025
We are thrilled to share the expansion of the Audubon Mural Project in Northern Illinois. Three murals were completed this summer, weaving together public art and conservation awareness. Murals include:
- “The Last Watcher” painted by Brett Whitacre, located at 511 Blackhawk Blvd, South Beloit, IL
- “Where the Grasses Grow” painted by Justin Suarez, located on the Nature At The Confluence shed at 306 Dickop Street, South Beloit, IL
- “Legs for Days” painted by Justin Suarez and located at Frosted Farmhouse 112 Hawick Street, Rockton IL
The Audubon Mural Project is a public-art initiative of the National Audubon Society and Gitler &_____ Gallery that draws attention to birds threatened by climate change. This national public art project features birds that have been identified by the National Audubon’s Survival By Degrees report. According to the report, climate change will impact 389 species of birds by 2080. Climate change is one of the most critical challenges facing our world and the artistic movement to confront climate change has steadily gained momentum. Art can serve as a powerful tool to increase awareness and beautify our communities! The Rock River Current reports, “The Audubon Mural Project has painted 128 buildings, walls and other locations across the country since launching in New York in 2014. The Sinnissippi Audubon Society brought the effort here in 2019, starting with an oriole mural by Brett Whitacre in downtown Rockford that was done in conjunction with the CRE8IV transformational art festival.” This environmental art project now connects approximately 17 miles north of Rockford, in South Beloit.
Brett Whitacre is a Rockford-based artist who travels the country adding bright colors to big cities and small towns. His work, “The Last Watcher,” features a Whooping Crane in a wetland alongside native prairie plants that were inspired by the flowers in bloom at Nature At The Confluence during the mural’s creation. Brett describes the image: In this mural, a tall white bird stands quietly in a glowing marsh at sunset. It looks calm, but there is something heavy in the stillness. It’s been around for millions of years, yet now its species is almost gone. Only a few hundred remain in the wild. The bright colors and bold stripes of the frame make it feel like a dream- maybe a memory, or maybe a warning. The crane doesn’t cry out or complain. It just stands there, proud and alert like a guard watching over what’s left. This mural freezes that moment: a reminder not to look away. The Whooping Crane can’t speak for itself- but maybe the painting does.
Justin Suarez first picked up a spray paint can and got involved in graffiti when he was 17 years old, according to the Beloit Daily News. Justin is based in Rochester, New York and has a professional background in birds of prey rehabilitation, as well as art initiatives with youth. His mural “Where the Grasses Grow” features a variety of migratory songbirds that are threatened by climate change, including a Scarlet Tanager, American Goldfinch, Indigo Bunting, Song Sparrow and Eastern Meadowlark. There is also a Bald Eagle included in the mural, a homage to the eagles who have been known to nest on an island in the Rock River visible from the trails of The Confluence. Justin intentionally uses pinks, purples and oranges to juxtapose the masculine energy often associated with the Bald Eagle.
This project was a collaborative effort between Sinnissippi Audubon, the City of South Beloit, Nature At The Confluence, and artists Brett and Justin. The South Beloit City Council approved $25,000 from hotel/motel tax funds for the Audubon mural projects in South Beloit.
During his visit to Illinois, Justin also painted “Legs for Days” in Rockton. The mural puts a spotlight on the small shorebird called Lesser Yellowlegs, which migrate through this area and are threatened by climate change, habitat loss, and hunting. The mural also includes swamp rose mallow flowers and a freshwater snail. This Rockton mural was funded by National Audubon Society and Sinnissippi Audubon. It is part of a global hemispheric mural project highlighting the Lesser Yellowlegs which is an Orange Alert Tipping Point species due to a population loss of more than 50% in the past 50 years and steep decline in the past decade.
Interested to learn more and see the murals up close? You can request a guided tour of the Audubon Murals in Northern Illinois! Please contact info@sinnissipiaudubon.org.
“The Last Watcher” painted by Brett Whitacre, located at 511 Blackhawk Blvd, South Beloit, IL
“Where the Grasses Grow” painted by Justin Suarez, located on the Nature At The Confluence shed at 306 Dickop Street, South Beloit, IL
“Legs for Days” painted by Justin Suarez, located at Frosted Farmhouse 112 Hawick Street, Rockton IL
