Paint the Town brightens Morrison’s downtown

MORRISON – Morrison’s downtown was transformed into an outdoor canvas for hundreds of amateur artists of all ages who gathered to paint the town Saturday.

The Children’s Art Preservation Association created the family art event, which debuted in 1994, as a way for the community to participate in the arts together as families and individuals. The focus of the event was painting 5-foot squares on and around Morrison’s Main Street.

The number of squares painted has grown steadily since the event’s debut 30 years ago, when 250 squares were painted. There were more than 1,600 squares painted by more than 2,000 children, families and individuals during this year’s Paint the Town. Annually, more than 6,000 attend the event to enjoy painting, entertainment and food, according to the Paint the Town website.

This year’s Paint the Town shirt design, “Peace, Love, Paint,” was the creation of graphic artist and Morrison native Gracen Harmon.

Harmon, a 2020 graduate of Morrison High School, is a recent graduate of Northern Illinois University who earned a bachelor’s degree in visual communication and marketing. She earned an associate degree in arts from Sauk Valley Community College.

“I have loved Paint the Town ever since I was a little girl,” said Harmon, who would paint a square each year.

Her love for Paint the Town has continued to grow.

“I made it my mission to get more involved in Paint the Town,” she said.

Harmon’s involvement has gone beyond painting a square on the street. Throughout junior high and high school, she joined fellow art class students to design and paint downtown windows, even helping to guide some of the junior high creations.

As her artistic sense was expanding and developing, she was determined to one day design the artwork for the event T-shirt. In 2023, just before graduating from NIU, Harmon joined the Paint the Town board to assist with social media awareness and marketing.

This year, her arts background was front and center as her design was selected as the official event T-shirt to reflect the 2024 Paint the Town theme of “Peace, Love, Paint” as an homage to the 1960s and early 1970s cultural revolution.

“Gracen perfectly captured the vibe we were looking for,” Paint the Town co-chairwoman Barb Bees said. “She made the ‘60s era come alive on Morrison’s historic Main Street. We look forward to working with Gracen’s future designs.”

Harmon is excited about realizing the dream of designing a Paint the Town shirt.

“I was so excited to work with the project and see it come to life before my eyes and I’m so proud of how it came out,” she said.

In addition to her art, Harmon also manages Peanut Butter & Deli in downtown Morrison.