BELVIDERE, Ill. (WTVO) — There was a creative conversation in Boone County on Wednesday about how to support artists.

The Boone County Arts Council and the Illinois Arts Council Agency (IACA) hosted a roundtable discussion on local programming at Belvidere Park’s Baltic Mill. It included ways to improve artwork post-pandemic and adding more pieces of art around the county.

Joshua Davis-Ruperto, executive director of the Illinois Arts Council Agency, said that it is important for kids to express themselves through art.

“I think if you talk to anybody right now, one of the largest struggles they are seeing in schools is actually mental health coming out of the pandemic, and you want to talk about ways to combat that or to find opportunities to express yourself and the challenges you are facing,” Davis-Ruperto said. “The arts are a great place to start.”

The Boone County Arts Council took IACA members on a bus tour of Belvidere’s murals after the roundtable.