In this story
Most of my drawings find their home on a coffee mug. In Elgin, the artwork found a second home on a downtown wall. What began as a collaboration with local coffee shops grew into a mural in DuPage Court, giving the same hand-drawn celebration of Elgin a place in the city itself.
A mug rooted in local relationships
Working with Kevin and the teams connected with Viator Coffee Co. and Blue Box Cafe made this project about more than drawing a city. It connected the artwork to people who welcome their neighbors every day. Those relationships gave the Elgin Mug a local home and helped open the door to what came next.
That is one of my favorite parts of making community mugs. A drawing becomes more meaningful when it belongs to the people and places it celebrates. In Elgin, the collaboration continued beyond the finished mug.
Elgin, drawn one detail at a time
The mug brings together the Fox River, local architecture, and small details of life in Elgin. On the front, kayakers, a train, a watch face, and the Blue Box Cafe name sit alongside the illustrated river and buildings. The handwritten Elgin lettering ties the scenes together.
I love how a wraparound drawing lets those details unfold as you turn the mug. There is room for both the places that catch your eye and the smaller elements that invite you to look again. Together, they make a familiar city something you can hold in your hands.
From the mug to DuPage Court
The mural came after the mug. With Dream Hall at 51, Viator Coffee Co., and Blue Box Cafe helping bring the project together, mural artist Joel Amore translated my drawings onto a wall in downtown Elgin’s DuPage Court.
Seeing Joel bring those drawings into a public space made this one of my favorite community projects. The artwork could now be part of a walk through downtown as well as a cup of coffee at home. I am grateful to the local partners who helped make that possible, and to Joel for carrying the drawings onto such a different canvas.
One community, two ways to share its story
The mug and the mural share the same beginning, but they reach people in different ways. One travels home with someone who loves Elgin. The other stays downtown, where people can encounter it as part of the city’s everyday life. Both grew out of a collaboration that gave these drawings a life beyond my sketchbook.
You can explore the finished design and find local shop information on The Elgin Mug page. For more about the mural collaboration, read the Chicago Tribune’s coverage of the DuPage Court project.
Ashley Ann
