Festival adding to Putnam County's 16 murals

Putnam County Mural Festival is bringing new artwork to buildings and walls over the course of two weeks in September.

Artists from across the country are working on new murals. The locations include:

Moose Lodge wall (212 W. Franklin St., Greencastle) – Arlin Graf

Three G Bowling Alley wall (1250 S. Jackson St., Greencastle) – Jenna Morello

The Bodega wall (16 S. Jackson St., Greencastle) – Miss Birdy

Shady Dale Chic Boutique wall (9 Market St., Cloverdale) – Christina Hollering

According to a post by the festival on its Facebook page, a significant amount of funding for this year’s festival was secured through grants, in addition to more than $50,000 that was raised from the Putnam County community. The festival received a record-breaking response to its call for artists, which attracted more than 230 applications from artists across the country and around the world, demonstrating growing national and international interest in Putnam County as a destination for public art.

“We are excited to see the Putnam County Mural Project continue to grow -– not just in the number of murals that are being created, but in the enthusiasm and investment we’re seeing from the community,” said Kristen Fuhs Wells, one of the members of Putnam County Mural Project. “This year’s incredible response from artists around the world shows that people are paying attention to what’s happening here, and the support we’ve received from local residents, businesses and funders makes it possible for us to keep bringing that talent to Putnam County. These murals belong to the community, and we’re excited to see that community come together again to watch them take shape.”

The community is invited to ribbon cuttings and celebrations at each of the walls. Shady Dale will be having a festival from 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 24 and The Whisk will be having a celebration in connection with the mural unveiling on Saturday, Sept. 25 from 6 to 10 p.m. For more details, visit the Facebook pages of those businesses.

Funding came from individuals and businesses, as well as grants from the Putnam County Community Foundation, MIBOR, the Indiana Arts Commission and the Efroymson Family Fund. A significant amount of funding came from a match from CreatINg Places, a program of the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA), which supports projects that activate public spaces and strengthen community identity.

A fifth wall will be completed by an artist to be named at a later date due to complications with the original artist’s schedule.