Mural project helps brighten community spaces

<p>Brightly colored kites drift lazily in the cloud-filed sky, while a bespectacled Ben Franklin peers at traffic passing through downtown Franklin.</p><p>The sun rises over farm fields and grain silos in downtown Bargersville, while a massive cardinal soars over Edinburgh. Whiteland’s heartbeat greets visitors to town.</p><p>These and other murals have popped up in cities and towns throughout Johnson County. With each one, local communities get a little bit brighter.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery<p>“Murals and public art are becoming more of an asset to all communities, and people want those things. It’s not just an added bonus; it’s part of the culture that everybody wants,” said Kim Minton, vice president of development for the Johnson County Community Foundation.</p><p>For the past five years, the Color the County mural program has brought local artists and residents together to beautify public spaces. The Johnson County Community Foundation has organized the design and creation of nine murals, with artwork located in Franklin, Greenwood, Bargersville, Trafalgar, Edinburgh and Whiteland.</p><p>This year’s mural will be painted in Bargersville, and the community foundation is again looking to use meaningful art to bring people together.</p><p>“People are excited about it. It definitely has added some quality-of-life elements to the communities where they’re installed. People enjoy them, and I get businesses calling all the time wanting to know how they can get a mural,” Minton said. “We’re happy to be continuing the program and providing this for people.”</p><p>Color the County was created in 2016, as the community foundation looked to celebrate its 25th anniversary. The idea was to connect people through a collaborative process of making murals, transforming public spaces and the identities of neighborhoods.</p><p>Foundation leaders had been examining the grants they’ve awarded and where that money went. They noticed that arts and culture wasn’t always getting the attention it deserved, Minton said.</p><p>“We wanted to create a program that could draw some attention to the arts. We thought we could make an impact here to do something,” she said.</p><p>The first year, three murals were planned in Franklin, Bargersville and Greenwood. The murals would be located in pedestrian-friendly areas, where residents and visitors to Johnson County would encounter them.</p><p>Instead of commissioning an artist to create a mural, organizers thought it would be more meaningful to seek public input on what the mural should look like. Designs submissions were accepted from throughout the area, and when the winning artists were selected, the foundation planned community-wide painting days to bring those designs to life.</p><p>Dozens of volunteers came out to help with the process.</p><p>“We didn’t know what to expect that first year, but we got a lot of submissions, and lots of people came out and painted,” Minton said. “Everyone seemed to enjoy it, so our board decided we wanted to continue to do that on an annual basis.”</p><p>Each year, the program has grown in interest. The first year, organizers received 12 submissions for designs. That number jumped to 60 in 2019. Hundreds of people come out on the community painting days, Minton said.</p><p>The murals have been so successful that other community foundations throughout Indiana have reached out to Johnson County for advice forming their own public art programs, Minton said.</p><p>For 2020, the community foundation is only planning for one mural, to be installed at Taxman Brewing in Bargersville.</p><p>Submissions for mural designs can be submitted through June 19 in an online form at the community foundation’s website. People should also submit a design and how they’d like to see the design on the building.</p><p>The installation and community painting day will then be held in early August, Minton said.</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="At a glance" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p><strong>Color the County</strong></p><p>What: A mural program aimed at creating public artworks that can transform public spaces and neighborhood identities.</p><p>Who: Johnson County Community Foundation</p><p>2020 mural location: Taxman Brewing Co., 89 S. Baldwin St., Bargersville</p><p>When: The mural will be installed by the community in early August.</p><p>How to get involved: The community foundation is inviting local artists and creative residents to submit designs for this year’s mural. Visit <a href="http://www.jccf.org/mural-program/">www.jccf.org/mural-program/</a> to download an entry form and guidelines. Submissions must be received by June 19. Direct questions about the program to Kim Minton at <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>.</p>[sc:pullout-text-end]