Mural opportunity

Elwood Haynes and the Portland Rockets may be getting some company in the near future.

Portland Main Street Connect is partnering with Arts Place and the city on an effort to bring a mural to the north side of Community Resource Center adjacent to Brick Alley.

The city will be applying for a $10,000 Indiana Destination Development Corporation (IDDC) IN Indiana Public Art Activation Grant. It is part of an initiative to create public art throughout the state.

Arts Place executive director Carolyn Carducci had been looking at another IDDC grant opportunity for her organization when she learned about the possibility of funding for public art and brought the idea to the local Main Street group.

That led to discussion of the possibility of a mural on the north wall of Community Resource Center, which houses Jay County Development Corporation, Jay County Chamber of Commerce and Jay/Portland Building and Planning Department.

“It’s an opportunity again try to continue to highlight the Brick Alley,” said Reda Theurer-Miller of Portland Main Street Connect. “We thought it would also play well with the (historical cultural trail),” which is being developed.

It fits in with the Main Street group’s overall mission: “To give people a reason to want to be in the downtown,” said Theurer-Miller, “to enjoy different aspects of the downtown.”

With that in mind, the organizations partnered on putting out a request for proposals to artists for a concept for a mural on the 112-foot by 13-foot wall. (The mural can be designed for all or part of the wall.)

The grant requires that the mural be representative of the community, be historically relevant and include IN Indiana branding. Beyond those requirements, the city, Portland Main Street Connect and Arts Place left the opportunity for ideas wide open.

“We didn’t want to limit artists on their design,” said Carducci.

Artist proposals, which had to include a resume, biography, concept, size, budget and timeline, for the mural were due Tuesday. A committee made up of Portland Main Street Connect members Kayla Darby, Rusty Inman and Theurer-Miller, Arts Place visual arts director Allison Smiley, Rob Weaver of Jay County Historical Society and city clerk-treasurer Lori Phillips will review the concepts March 7 and select one to be part of the grant application.

Carducci will write the grant application, which is due March 17. She sees the project as an opportunity for Arts Place to reach beyond its Walnut Street home.

“Arts are more than just inside of our physical location,” she said. “And so we want to be more visible in the community and form those collaborations and partnerships. …

“We’re looking for ways to be outside of our four walls.”

State criteria for the grant indicates that projects will be selected based on quality of design, “with preference given to locations in high-view areas that create potential for photo opportunities. IDDC intends to include a diverse group of locations and projects, including urban, suburban and rural settings, large and small communities, and locations in different regions of the state.”

If the city receives the grant, the mural must be complete by October. It would join the Elwood Haynes mural on the north side of the Eagles Lodge and the Portland Rockets mural on the south side of The Ritz Theatre in Portland’s downtown area. Portland Rotary Club also commissioned a mural featuring a crabapple tree and red-winged blackbird on the south side of the J&P Plating building in 2021.

The IN Indiana Public Art Activation Grant follows a grant program last year that saw more than 40 murals and sculptures created around the state. It’s part of an effort to “create IN Indiana artwork and signage in highly-visible locations throughout the state.”

“Indiana is a diverse state that’s full of character, and we plan to showcase that through these works of art,” Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch said in a press release announcing the grant in January. “Through the public artwork, we will have the opportunity to work together with our local communities to show in our state. From the smallest towns to the largest cities, there is something for everyone IN Indiana.”