Jay Allen is the founder of Belvidere Illinois' Wall Dog Festival. Born, raised, and educated in Belvidere, Jay brought the idea of a Wall Dog Festival to the Belvidere Chamber of Commerce in 1995. As a member of the Wall Dogs, an international organization of muralists and graphic artists, he wanted to bring their Wall-Dog Rendezvous to Belvidere. The first Wall Dog Festival was June 1997, with 300 artist from all over the world assisting in the painting of 6,000 square feet of murals. This festival inspired Jay to create more murals in Belvidere: The Millennium Mural, featuring Miss America, Judy Ford; the Cigar Indian; and the Unity Mural on the Apollo Theater. In 2008, the Illinois Municipal League, in conjunction with the Illinois Arts Alliance, gave the City of Belvidere a first-place ranking as an Arts Friendly Community.
Jay's countless hours of volunteer work have touched many lives. He is an active member of the Mural Miles Association and has served as a director of the Boone County Arts Council Board, hosted summer concerts in the Belvidere Park, and has encouraged our youth to become artists. Mayor Fred Brereton praised Allen for how he has "has brought fame and notoriety to the City of Belvidere ... [and] shared and given freely of his time and his organizational and artistic talents." Belvidere was declared by former Governor Jim Edgar "Illinois' City of Murals" and that is largely due to Jay's passion for the Wall Dog Festival.
