What is the Community Montage Project?
This project brings together local businesses and meaningful town landmarks into one detailed, hand-illustrated artwork. The finished piece becomes a visual time capsule — capturing what the town looks and feels like right now.
Who creates the artwork?
The montage is illustrated by artist Bruce Loeschen. His community montages are known for their intricate detail and have become keepsake pieces for the towns they represent.
You can view local samples here.
You can view local samples here.
How This Project Began
The Community Montage Project started with a simple idea at The Lytle Auditorium: create an event where people could gather, slow down, and connect through art. While planning, I remembered a detailed pen-and-ink drawing I had once seen that beautifully captured a neighborhood’s small businesses and history.
After a year of searching for the artist behind that piece, I unexpectedly found his work hanging on the wall while photographing a wedding in Andersonville. That moment led to a conversation with artist Bruce Loeschen — and to commissioning the first Downers Grove Community Montage.
What began as an idea for a creative community night has grown into a larger mission: celebrating local businesses, supporting working artists, and creating meaningful public art that reflects the town we love.
→ Read the full story of how this project came to life
After a year of searching for the artist behind that piece, I unexpectedly found his work hanging on the wall while photographing a wedding in Andersonville. That moment led to a conversation with artist Bruce Loeschen — and to commissioning the first Downers Grove Community Montage.
What began as an idea for a creative community night has grown into a larger mission: celebrating local businesses, supporting working artists, and creating meaningful public art that reflects the town we love.
→ Read the full story of how this project came to life
How are businesses included?
A limited number of businesses are selected to be illustrated as part of the town’s official montage. Participation is confirmed through a Featured Business Print Package, which includes:
Participation in the Featured Business Print Package is $150. This includes the prints and signed artist copy listed above. Businesses appreciate being part of a project that celebrates the community while also receiving artwork they can proudly display or share.
Businesses often frame, gift, or retail their prints. Suggested retail price: $30 per print.
- 15 montage prints of the finished artwork (16×20)
- 1 signed & numbered artist print
- Inclusion in the permanent illustrated town montage
Participation in the Featured Business Print Package is $150. This includes the prints and signed artist copy listed above. Businesses appreciate being part of a project that celebrates the community while also receiving artwork they can proudly display or share.
Businesses often frame, gift, or retail their prints. Suggested retail price: $30 per print.
Is this advertising?
This is not a traditional ad. Businesses are illustrated as part of the town’s story — a permanent artistic record of the local community at this moment in time. Many businesses appreciate both the commemorative value and the visibility that comes from being part of a widely shared local artwork.
Will prints be sold to the public?
Prints are distributed through the featured businesses included in the montage. This keeps the project locally centered and gives participating businesses the opportunity to share the artwork directly with their customers.
Wholesale options are available to businesses for 16x20 or 8x10 prints.
Wholesale options are available to businesses for 16x20 or 8x10 prints.
How many businesses are included?
To maintain detail and artistic balance, each town montage includes no more than 80 businesses.
The artwork moves into final illustration once at least 30 businesses have confirmed participation, ensuring a strong cross-section of the community is represented.
If you know another local business that should be part of this visual time capsule, you’re welcome to share this page with them.
The artwork moves into final illustration once at least 30 businesses have confirmed participation, ensuring a strong cross-section of the community is represented.
If you know another local business that should be part of this visual time capsule, you’re welcome to share this page with them.
Availability
Because space in the artwork is limited, participation is first-come, first-served.
If this feels like a good fit for your business, we’d love to include you in this visual snapshot of the community.
If this feels like a good fit for your business, we’d love to include you in this visual snapshot of the community.
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