Examples of the fluorescent stars that will be hung in downtown Franklin this fall with an art installation to recognize the county's bicentennial. Two hundred stars will be hung in Artcraft Alley with wires and arches, while blacklights will ensure the stars glow at night. SUBMITTED PHOTO
The stars will be shining brightly in Franklin this fall.
Two hundred stars, in fluorescent blues, greens, yellows, pinks and other colors, are being specially painted to glow as pedestrians and visitors to the downtown square walk underneath.
Discover Downtown Franklin and Festival County Indiana have worked together for a unique art installation in celebration of the bicentennials happening throughout Johnson County. The 200 stars will be strung over the alley adjacent to the Historic Artcraft Theatre, to infuse the space with a sense of whimsy and wonder.
With backlighting shining on the fabricated stars, the artwork will radiate vibrant colors throughout the night.
“Through our research, we found that other communities that had similar art installations, it really galvanizes the residents. It’s a source of pride for them, while also being a major draw of tourism,” said Ken Kosky, executive director of Festival Country Indiana, the county’s tourism organization.
The installation was born from a larger effort among Franklin arts leaders to make the downtown area designated as a state-recognized art district, in the same vein as districts in Bloomington, Columbus and Carmel.
The statewide cultural district program was established by the Indiana Arts Commission, which advocates for arts development opportunities across the state, and is a steward for effective use of public and private resources for the arts.
Cultural districts are defined as a well-recognized and identifiable mixed-use area of a community in which cultural assets serve as the anchor.
Both Kosky and Jess Giles, executive directors of Discover Downtown Franklin, serve on the Franklin Public Art Advisory Commission, which coordinates efforts to add arts to the city.
“This (public art commission) has come up with a million ideas for downtown — decorating utility boxes, painting crosswalks, the banner program along the streets, murals,” Kosky said.
One idea that Kosky had come across was called the Umbrella Sky Project, a public art installation that started in Águeda, Portugal and came last year to Batesville, a city southeast of Franklin. In the display, a rainbow of umbrellas were suspended above public walkways for people to pose underneath.
“It’s gone to other cities and areas, and it seems like it was a magnet for people who wanted to visit it and take Instagram photos of themselves under it,” Kosky said. “If you’re looking at art, let’s do something that’s big, bold and would attract a lot of attention.”
While Kosky and Giles loved the idea behind the Umbrella Sky Project, they also wanted to do something that was unique to Franklin. Considering that the county celebrates its bicentennial in 2023, and Franklin recognizes its 200th birthday in 1824, they suggested an overhead art installation featuring 200 stars.
The stars would be multiple colors, to represent the different communities within the county — green for Greenwood, blue for Franklin, etc.,
Giles took the lead in seeking funding for the project. She applied for a grant from Festival County, as well as from the public art advisory commission and the Franklin Development Corporation.
At the same time, Kosky sought out proposals from companies that might be able to complete the project. Expo Arts, an Indianapolis-based design company that specializes in custom prop fabrication, was hired to do the work for under $75,000.
The 200 stars will be suspended in the Artcraft Alley with aircraft cable and arches. Treated with blacklight paint, the installation will provide a different look at night compared to during the day, Kosky said.
Organizers hope that the project will be completed by September, in time for the Artcraft Theatre’s 100th birthday celebration.
The nature of the installation will allow the feature to evolve and change over time.
“The arches and airline cable will be permanent. But the stars could be taken down in the fall and Christmas lights could be put in its place. In a few years, if they want to change out the stars and do something new, that’s a possibility,” Kosky said. “It’s really setting the table for a brighter future for that alley.”
