Six artists selected for first Putnam County Mural Festival

Internationally, nationally and locally known artists will participate in this fall’s festival

Six artists have been selected to participate in a new mural festival to be held Sept. 11–24 in towns throughout Putnam County.

More than 100 artists submitted proposals for consideration, and the committee selected a mix of internationally, nationally and locally-based artists.

The selected muralists are:

• Alexander Isakov (Berlin, Germany)

• Anna Kell and Jonathan Frey (Lewisburg, Pa.)

• Cameron Moberg (San Francisco)

• Holly Sims (Anderson)

• Harriet Watson (Bloomington,)

The festival is organized by the Putnam County Mural Project (PCMP), which installed one of Indiana’s largest murals in 2019 on a canvas of silos located at 700 Broadway Street in Greencastle. The pivot to this new festival format is a way to expand the impact throughout the county, by adding more murals in Greencastle, Roachdale and Fillmore.

Both the 2019 silo project and this year’s mural festival are part of the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority’s CreatINg Places program, which seeks to enrich and activate communities with arts and placemaking projects.

“We have been blown away by the caliber of artists that applied to be part of our mural festival and by the community’s response to the project,” said Chris Flegal, leader of the volunteer group. “We are thrilled with the slate of artists that will be creating new artwork for residents and visitors to enjoy in our community. And, thanks to the financial support we have already received, we can pay our artists well, celebrate the festival with a community block party and hopefully ensure that there are more mural projects in our future.”

More information on the artists is below. To see the examples of the artists’ works, and to see the buildings they will be painting, follow @putnamcountymuralproject on Facebook and Instagram. Learn more at putnamcountymuralproject.org.

Born and raised in Germany by Ukrainian parents, Berlin-based Alexander Isakov travels the world installing beautiful murals that blend various architectural forms, ornamentation, and patterns that compliment the natural surroundings. He will be painting the largest wall in the festival, the Banner Graphic building in downtown Greencastle.

Anna Kell and Jonathan Frey are both professors of art at Bucknell University. They’ve exhibited their art around the world as solo and group artists. As muralists, they approach their work in a way that incorporates neighborhood context, history and surroundings. They will be painting on the Roachdale alley wall that currently houses the Off the Rails Event Center.

Cameron Moberg (who goes by Camer1sf) will be installing a mural on the Putnam County Visitors Bureau’s wall in downtown Greencastle. Born in Omaha, Neb., and a current resident of San Francisco, Moberg is no stranger to Indiana. He has curated a mural fest in Rensselaer that has installed more than 40 murals — six of which are works of his own. Moberg’s art is highly influenced by nature and community, resulting in murals that aim to bring hope and joy to anyone that experiences them.

Putnam County native (and current Anderson resident) Holly Sims will paint a mural in Fillmore. Holly has installed murals across Putnam County and Central Indiana. A former art teacher at South Putnam High School, Sims is currently teaching painting, drawing and art history at Anderson University. She has a B.A. in fine art from Anderson University and an M.F.A. in painting and drawing from New York Studio School.

Harriet Watson, who was born in Indianapolis, raised in Greencastle and is now based in Bloomington, will be painting the Roachdale Community Park wall. After graduating from Greencastle High School, Watson went on to study art at Ohio Wesleyan and Herron School of Art & Design before finishing up a degree in psychology from Indiana University. In 2020, Watson was one of 18 artists selected to paint the Black Lives Matter street mural in Indianapolis, and was also interviewed/exhibited by the Indianapolis Children’s Museum. She is an active member of the Eighteen Art Collective in Indy and runs her own business selling her art and clothing brand.

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.