Crowdfunding campaign under way for mural

Greencastle and Putnam County residents may soon be able to enjoy a new mural if a crowdfunding campaign launched this week reaches its fundraising goal of $30,000 by July 15.

The campaign for the Putnam County Mural Project is using the CreatINg Places program sponsored by the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA).

If the campaign reaches its goal, the Putnam County Mural Project will receive a matching grant of $30,000 from IHCDA.

“We are pleased to partner with the Putnam County Convention and Visitors Bureau on this exciting placemaking project,” said Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch, who serves as board chair of IHCDA. “Given the rich agricultural history of Indiana, I can’t think of a more fitting canvas to use than historic silos to demonstrate the heritage and civic pride in Putnam County.”

The funds raised will be used to transform neglected silos into a canvas for public murals. The murals will aim to celebrate heritage, create civic pride and enrich lives through participatory artmaking. The scale of this project is ambitious and will produce one of Indiana’s largest mural sites.

”This project is more than creating one of Indiana’s largest murals, it’s a way to use art as a tool to activate space and engage community,” said Chris Flegal, committee member for the project. “We’ve been very intentional from the beginning of this project about involving the community in the selection process by asking residents to provide input on style and content of the future mural.”

The project is currently seeking artists to design and install the mural in September. Interested artists can apply by visiting www.putnamcountymuralproject.org/apply. The deadline for submissions is June 28.

Since the CreatINg Places program began in 2016, projects have raised in excess of $1,980,000 in public funds and an additional $1,693,000 in matching IHCDA funds.

The CreatINg Places program is available to projects located in Indiana communities. Non-profit entities (with either a 501c3 or 501c4 status) and local units of government are eligible to apply.

Eligible projects must have a minimum total development cost of $10,000, where the recipient will receive $5,000 in IHCDA matching funds should they successfully raise $5,000 through Patronicity. IHCDA will provide matching grant funds up to $50,000 per project.

The project’s details and how to donate to the campaign are available at https://www.patronicity.com/project/putnam_county_mural_project#!/.