With the installation of 11 murals this summer, Wayne County, Indiana is preparing to celebrate a major arts milestone: 100 murals on buildings across the county.
“The mural festival began in the 1990s – we had to take a break during the COVID era – but we typically have between six and 10 murals painted in our county each year,” explains Nancy Sartain, recreation market manager at the Richmond/Wayne County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
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The program is led by local artist Pamela Bliss, who painted many of the murals. She helped turn it into a competition where artists submit their ideas and designs. This year, 11 murals were selected.
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Richmond/Wayne County, Indiana Convention and Visitors Bureau
“It’s really a positive thing for the community,” Bliss explains. “When public art is created and people start to appreciate their area, it spurs other improvements when they see something beautiful being created. (Then) other people in the area want to continue the beautification.”
It is also good for tourism, says Sartain.
“It definitely brings people to our community,” she says. “People love art, and art expresses itself in many, many ways. These massive illustrations in our community are just awe-inspiring, and we even have a mural trail that people can walk.”
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The murals represent a wide range of ideas and do not have to focus on a specific theme.
“Some artists work very graphically, more like cartoons, and can finish it very quickly, in a matter of days,” says Bliss. “But another artist who works realistically and in great detail and puts in a lot of detail might take a lot longer.”
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Richmond/Wayne County, Indiana Convention and Visitors Bureau
Sartain adds: “Most of them highlight our history because we are a very historic county. Many of them are designed that way, but there are some quirky things as well.”
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The latest batch of murals is scheduled to be completed by Aug. 31, when the county’s total number of paintings will officially reach 100. Sartain says that’s an impressive feat for a community of about 70,000 residents.
“Personally, I love the murals. They are a beautiful way to tell our past and history. They also make people smile and fill the community with pride,” she says.
