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2024 Putnam County Mural Festival announces call for artists
Festival will include seven locations and be held in September
The Putnam County Mural Project is seeking local, national and international mural artists to apply for the 2024 Putnam County Mural Festival, which will take place throughout Putnam County between Sept. 7 and 21.
This year’s festival will include seven walls across the county in the communities of Bainbridge, Cloverdale, Greencastle, Reelsville and Russellville. Applications for the call for artists opened on Tuesday, March 25 and remains through Friday, April 26. Interested muralists may apply by visiting www.putnamcountymuralproject.org.
Since 2019, the Putnam County Mural Project has been creating world-class works of art throughout Putnam County, including one of Indiana’s largest murals located on four grain silos at the intersection of U.S. 231 and Veterans Memorial Highway in Greencastle. The September mural festival will be the group’s second mural fest, with the first taking place in 2022.
To date, the group has commissioned nine murals, with an additional seven murals coming this fall. Mural artists from as far away as Australia and Germany have participated alongside national and local muralists to produce a diverse mix of public art styles.
In addition to its focus on public art, the Putnam County Mural Project prides itself on its unique approach to community engagement and arts education through mural-making. Throughout the years, the team has engaged more than 400 students with arts education opportunities, conducted workshops for the public, and hosted multiple community block parties to celebrate each mural project achievement.
“These murals have become pretty iconic and meaningful for our local community,” said Chris Flegal, one of the members of Putnam County Mural Project. “Not only are these murals celebrated by our residents, but they have been proudly featured in publications by Visit Indiana, Indiana Arts Commission and the Indiana Housing and Community Development Association, as well as publications nationally.”
A committee will review the artists and chosen artists will be asked to work with the Putnam County Mural Project team in order to produce work that is reflective of and responsive to the Putnam County community.
In 2023, the Putnam County Mural Project, which also consists of members Alexandra Chamberlain, Kristen Fuhs Wells and Kate Knaul, partnered with the Indiana Arts Commission to publish Indiana’s first public arts guide. The guide has been made available to other communities across the state that are looking to do similar projects within their own communities. In addition, the team continues to consult other nonprofits and civic organizations across the country who have seen the success of the work being done in Putnam County.
The Putnam County Mural Project seeks to enrich lives by engaging the community in participatory mural projects that activate spaces, build artistic capacity and celebrate who we are. Learn more at www.putnamcountymuralproject.org or by following @putnamcountymuralproject on Facebook and Instagram.