How the Community Montage Project Began
Sometimes the best community projects start by accident.
Last year, I was planning a creative event at The Lytle Auditorium in Downers Grove and had an idea to host an adult coloring night featuring a detailed line drawing of the town. I remembered a pen-and-ink illustration I had once seen when we lived in Chicago — a piece that beautifully captured the small businesses and historic character of the Andersonville neighborhood.
It felt like the perfect concept: art that celebrates a place and the local businesses that give it life.
There was just one problem — I couldn’t find the artwork or the artist.
I searched online, asked friends, and even walked through shops in Andersonville hoping to spot it again. Months passed with no luck, and I eventually set the idea aside.
Then, by chance, I found it.
While photographing a wedding in Andersonville, I turned around and there it was — the very artwork I had been searching for, hanging on the wall behind me. After a year of looking, I had stumbled upon it unexpectedly while doing another job I love.
I tracked down the artist’s contact information and reached out. After a few attempts, I finally connected with the artist, Bruce Loeschen. He shared that he had stepped away from his work during COVID, when many small businesses were closing and projects slowed to a halt.
I asked him, “Do you want to be retired?”
His answer came quickly: “No — I love drawing.”
That conversation led to The Lytle Auditorium officially commissioning Bruce to create a community montage for Downers Grove. What began as a search for a piece of art became a partnership and friendship built around a shared passion for celebrating local communities.
Today, the Community Montage Project combines two things we care deeply about: public art and supporting small businesses. Each artwork becomes a visual time capsule — preserving the storefronts, landmarks, and character of a town at a specific moment in time.
We’re honored to help bring this project to life in communities we love, giving people another reason to feel connected to the places they call home.
— Michelle Lytle
The Lytle Auditorium
Last year, I was planning a creative event at The Lytle Auditorium in Downers Grove and had an idea to host an adult coloring night featuring a detailed line drawing of the town. I remembered a pen-and-ink illustration I had once seen when we lived in Chicago — a piece that beautifully captured the small businesses and historic character of the Andersonville neighborhood.
It felt like the perfect concept: art that celebrates a place and the local businesses that give it life.
There was just one problem — I couldn’t find the artwork or the artist.
I searched online, asked friends, and even walked through shops in Andersonville hoping to spot it again. Months passed with no luck, and I eventually set the idea aside.
Then, by chance, I found it.
While photographing a wedding in Andersonville, I turned around and there it was — the very artwork I had been searching for, hanging on the wall behind me. After a year of looking, I had stumbled upon it unexpectedly while doing another job I love.
I tracked down the artist’s contact information and reached out. After a few attempts, I finally connected with the artist, Bruce Loeschen. He shared that he had stepped away from his work during COVID, when many small businesses were closing and projects slowed to a halt.
I asked him, “Do you want to be retired?”
His answer came quickly: “No — I love drawing.”
That conversation led to The Lytle Auditorium officially commissioning Bruce to create a community montage for Downers Grove. What began as a search for a piece of art became a partnership and friendship built around a shared passion for celebrating local communities.
Today, the Community Montage Project combines two things we care deeply about: public art and supporting small businesses. Each artwork becomes a visual time capsule — preserving the storefronts, landmarks, and character of a town at a specific moment in time.
We’re honored to help bring this project to life in communities we love, giving people another reason to feel connected to the places they call home.
— Michelle Lytle
The Lytle Auditorium