The side of the building housing Sakura Event Center and Rental Venue in downtown Edinburgh will be transformed with a special eclipse-themed mural designed by artist Chelsie Liberati. The mural is the centerpiece of the town’s Total Eclipse of the Art celebration, featuring a variety of activities and entertainment surrounding the total solar eclipse on April 8.
RYAN TRARES | DAILY JOURNAL
Celebrating a once-in-a-lifetime event properly requires a little imagination and a lot of creativity.
And organizers in Edinburgh are bringing both to commemorate the total solar eclipse set to darken the skies around Johnson County on April 8.
“We have a lot of beauty to share, and for a small town to showcase our creative side and public art and public engagement is a special opportunity for us,” said SaraBeth Drybread, community development director for Edinburgh.
Total Eclipse of the Art is the centerpiece of the art-themed festivities taking over Edinburgh. Residents and tourists that day can see a chainsaw carver create an eclipse-focused piece for the town, and take part in a chalk-art contest. Discussions are in place for a space-themed cookie contest as well.
Food trucks and craft vendors will add to the carnival-style atmosphere surrounding the eclipse.
At the heart of the celebration, the town will help create a new mural for Edinburgh’s historic downtown. Artist Chelsie Liberati, whose previous work adorns the side of Gary’s Dam Bait Shop as visitors drive into the town, has designed a postcard-themed mural.
On April 8, event-goers will put the finishing touches on the piece, creating a lasting memory of the momentous celestial event.
“I’m excited to come back to the community and create some more art,” Liberati said. “It’s really an exciting day, and I’m excited to celebrate it in this way and have everyone come together to have a nice community day.”
Total Eclipse of the Art has been made possible in part through a grant Edinburgh received in late 2023. The town was one of 30 rural organizations to receive funding to host arts and cultural events and programs connected to the 2024 solar eclipse.
Awarded by the Indiana University Center for Rural Engagement, the $2,000 microgrant will help Edinburgh create a collaborative community mural, as well as offer other activities surrounding the eclipse.
In February, Edinburgh organizers started accepting design submissions for the mural. Liberati’s stood out.
“She perfectly captured what we were hoping to have,” Drybread said.
Liberati, a Whiteland resident, has been interested in art for most of her life, and professionally in painting murals since she graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design as a painting major.
She worked as a commercial muralist, creating wall-sized works of art for businesses around the country. Through Indy Mural Fest, Liberati also had the chance to make her own paintings. Local residents and businesses have also asked her to make murals on their properties.
Liberati was chosen by the Johnson County Community Foundation to create a mural in Edinburgh in 2022 as part of the Color the County program. Her aquatic-themed design is a perfect accent to greet people as they cross the Blue River.
When she learned about Total Eclipse of the Art, she didn’t hesitate to submit a design.
“I really enjoyed the last community event in Edinburgh. It was really great to see how excited everyone was to come together and create something nice for the town,” she said.
Liberati will start work on the mural on March 18, getting the design up on the exterior wall of Sakura Event Center and Rental Venue. Her design envisions postcard-style lettering and Edinburgh-specific images inside the town name, such as the Thompson Mill dam, the historic downtown corridor and the eclipse itself.
A cardinal and peonies bracket either side of the name.
“I really wanted it to just be a celebration of the town in general,” Liberati said. “It’s a big event, a big moment in the town that everyone can connect to.”
Because the design is so intricate, Liberati will do a majority of the work prior to the eclipse. Then, on April 8, people will come together to paint some of the background, Drybread said.
“We want people to be able to come and be part of it using a paint-by-number system, to really engage the community and engage visitors,” she said.
Organizers also wanted to use art to recognize another momentous, yet more sorrowful occasion. Edinburgh residents will have to say goodbye to the Thompson Mill dam this year, after the dam burst at the end of 2023. Over the years, the dam has become a symbol of pride for Edinburgh residents.
During Total Eclipse of the Art, the John R. Drybread Community Center downtown will transform into a public art gallery revolving around landmark.
“Unfortunately, the dismantling of our dam that breached at the end of last year. It is one of the most photographed and painted landmarks in the county, so we really want to make that part of the eclipse and be able to celebrate the beauty of the Blue River Dam,” Drybread said. “People can come in and share memories while looking at the art that’s been done over the years.”
And no special event could go without some souvenirs, Edinburgh eclipse organizers are offering items such as specially designed t-shirts and ornaments with the “Edinburgh Eclipse” logo on them.
Planning for the eclipse has been ongoing for years, and to have it only a month away is jarring in a way, Drybread said. But it’s been meaningful to help plan such an important event for Edinburgh, and she hopes that the work going into it makes an already special event even more memorable.
“When there is a special event like this, the communities do try to take advantage of showcasing what makes us special and unique,” Drybread said. “The opportunity to bring in visitors and really show what our community is all about, and do that around the arts, is special.”
