After six weeks of creative labor at the DuPage Children’s Museum (DCM), Rich Lo’s animal kites now soar with the completion of his “Chinese Kite Festival” mural.
“It’s a sad day today because this kind of finalized the process, and it’s a great day because it marks the completion of this project,” said Lo.
Rich Lo applies final touch-ups and protective coating
On Oct. 17 and 18, Lo finished painting the kite streamers and added the final touch-ups to the mural. Though he said he could have spent more time perfecting the artwork, he knew it was time to pack up the paint.
“You can work on it for years, and it may not live up to your standards. So in this case, being a professional artist, there’s a time to finish,” said Lo.
After completing the painting process, he went back to the museum on Oct. 21 and 22 to apply a protective coating.
“At first, I was alarmed by the dripping. You just keep rolling it, and eventually, the dripping goes away,” said Lo.
As a final send-off, Lo signed his name on the mural before handing it over to the community.
“My ownership of this, it no longer exists. This mural belongs to everybody,” said Lo.
DuPage Children’s Museum mural dedication
To celebrate the completion of the mural, the DCM held a dedication ceremony on Oct. 29, featuring city, Chinese American Women in Action (CAWA), and DCM representatives.
“Rich has been around for a long time, and he’s done a lot of amazing art. But this piece in Naperville is something he’s really proud of,” said Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli.
“Rich has brought so much joy to the museum,” said Kim Stull, Chief of Building and Making at the DuPage Children’s Museum. “We’re thrilled to be able to see some evidence of what we do inside [now on] the outside of the museum as well.”
The DCM is working to feature Lo in the museum’s “Story Time with the Author” series and plans to host a kite-making session in the future. As for Rich Lo, he hopes to continue creating projects that promote culture, traditions, and creativity.
“I’m hoping that this will bring more kids to the museum and that it inspires children to be creative and imaginative, and inspires people to be happy,” said Lo.
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