LETTER: Individuals work behind the scenes to prepare for upcoming bicentennial mural

Dick's Barber Shop

To the Editor:

As we prepare to celebrate Greencastle’s bicentennial over the next few months, the Putnam County Mural Project wants to thank and recognize more than two dozen individuals who have been working behind the scenes to make sure that we honor the city’s past, present and future in a very unique way.

Over the past few months, two committees made up of community leaders, high school students, historians, business owners and former and current elected city officials have been meeting regarding a new Bicentennial Mural, which will be installed by Dick’s Barber Shop on the Greencastle square.

First, we want to thank the members of the historical ideation committee, which helped gather material for the artist to consider when creating a visual representation of the community’s 200 years: Tony Barger, Jinsie Bingham, Bethany Fiechter, Russell Harvey, Ken Heeke, Emily Knuth, Lisa Mock, Laura Monnett, Sue Murray, Gail Smith, Larry Tippin and Wes Wilson. We are grateful for their historical expertise and various perspectives that will help the artist capture the essence of Greencastle at this moment in time.

Second, we want to thank the members of the artist selection panel, who reviewed more than 35 artist applications and submitted their top choices:

Savannah Black, Derek Chastain, Zoe Cope, Dorian Dowd, Eric Edberg, Dessa Frank, Charity Harvey, Suzanne Hassler, Trevor Homler, Kate Jedele, Jared Jernagan, Danielle Owens, Veronica Pejril, Greg Ruark and Misti Scott. Again, we are grateful for their expertise and interest in choosing an artist that will help ensure that all residents feel represented — from young students to lifelong residents.

We appreciate the time each of them took out of their busy schedules and we hope you’ll ask them about their experience and why they’re excited about the Bicentennial Wall.

This marks the end of the first part of the mural process for this project. We anticipate announcing the artist in the next few weeks, and we will be engaging the community in additional opportunities to view and select design options as well as interact with the artist. The mural will be painted this fall.

You can learn more about the project by following us on Facebook and Instagram, and at www.putnamcountymuralproject.org.

The Bicentennial Mural is a partnership between Putnam County Mural Project and the City of Greencastle.

Sincerely,
Alexandra Chamberlain, Chris Flegal, Kate Knaul, Kristen Fuhs Wells