Arts

Wayne County, Ind., celebrates 100 murals

91.7 WVXU | By Tana Weingartner

Published August 12, 2024 at 1:52 AM EDT

two people stand on a lift with a large-scale mural half painted behind them — Wayne County, Ind, is preparing to celebrate the completion of its 100th mural.

With the addition of 11 murals this summer, Wayne County, Ind., is preparing to celebrate a big arts milestone: 100 murals on buildings across the county.

"The mural festival started in the 1990s — we had to take a hiatus around the COVID era — but each year there's usually anywhere from six to 10 murals painted in our county," explains Nancy Sartain, leisure market manager with the Richmond/Wayne County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The program is run by local artist Pamela Bliss, who has painted many of the murals. She helped turn it into a competition where artists submit their ideas and designs. This year, 11 mural designs were chosen.

black and gray paint outlines a mural in progress on a green backdrop of a building. there's a work crane on the viewers right — "Dance Techniques" is being painted at 1014 E Main Street in Richmond. The artist is Anthony Brooks of Groverton, Ind., and Berlin, Germany.

"It's really a positive thing for the community," Bliss explains. "When public art comes in, if people start appreciating their area, it kind of spurs other improvements when they see something beautiful going up; (then) other people around it want to keep the beautification going."

It's also good for tourism, says Sartain.

"It definitely brings people to our community," she says. "People love art, and art is expressed in many, many ways. These towering illustrations in our community are just awe-inspiring, and we actually have a murals trail that people can take."

The murals depict a wide range of ideas; they're not required to center on a certain theme.

"Some artists are very graphic, they're more cartoon-like, so they're going to get those up really quick, within a few days," says Bliss. "Whereas another artist that does realism, high detail, puts in a whole lot of detail — that might take several times longer."

woman sits on scaffolding in front of a mural, with paint and paintbrushes, smiling for the camera — An artist works on the mural at the American House Building, 101 West Main Street, Centerville, Ind.

Sartain adds, "Most of them highlight our history because we're a very historic county. That's what a lot of them are, along with some whimsical ones."

The latest grouping of murals is slated for completion by Aug. 31. That's when the county's tally will officially reach 100. Sartain says that's an impressive feat for a community of around 70,000 people.

"I personally love the murals. It's a beautiful way to tell our past, our history, and the murals make people smile and give the community a sense of pride," she says.