Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
PAOLI – In a state with hundreds of small towns, Paoli was chosen to represent Indiana in an ambitious public art project.
Virginia artist Cheyenne Renee Marcus is traveling the country to paint a mural in 50 small towns across all 50 states. She is in Paoli this week painting a mural that will be installed as part of the town’s upcoming Square Arts Festival.
Marcus launched the 50-in-50 Project in 2022 and hopes to be finished by the end of 2025. She just completed a mural in Maine; Indiana will be the 15th mural she has painted. In addition to the murals, she is also filming each community for a documentary about small towns.
The reactions so far to the murals “have been really wonderful,” she said.
“One of the things I’m trying to highlight is that when you travel to small towns, the best part is the people you meet,” she said. “And the people I’ve met in each location have proved that point.”
Marcus spends about a week in each town. For the Paoli mural, she is working out of the old Tomato Factory, now home to the Black Vulture Project. With input from the community, the mural will incorporate local elements, including the Pioneer Mothers Memorial Forest, music and local growers. On Friday, the mural will be installed on a building on the south side of the Paoli square. On Saturday, during the Square Arts Festival, the public can meet Marcus and get photos of the mural.
Shannon Cangey, board member of Possibilities in Paoli, the town’s Main Street organization and organizer of the Square Arts Festival, said PiP was thrilled that Paoli was chosen, although it remains a mystery as to who nominated Paoli.
The Square Arts Festival will bring music performances, including sixth-grader Zaden Cave, poetry and a gallery showing of art created by Orange County children and a collection of works by artist Annemarie Mahler to the square.
Possibilities in Paoli is working to revitalize downtown. The group sees public art as one way to spark creativity and pride in residents.
“When Possibilities in Paoli painted windows downtown that first time, the effects on the community were shown right away. It was a simple thing, but people stopped and asked what we were doing. On a bigger scale, having an artist like Cheyenne come and put a mural up, that makes a statement and shows that people care and are making things happen,” said Cangey.
For towns looking to add art, murals have become a popular and affordable option. Marcus works full-time as an artist, and painted 50 murals in 2023.
“It’s been the most successful thing I’ve tried in the art world,” she said. “Public art benefits local artists and it makes the environment more pleasant to live in.”
By focusing on small towns, she hopes to highlight the scenic beauty, small businesses and local people who live and invest in their communities.
“I’m not doing this to say, ‘Look what I’ve accomplished,” she said. “It’s about these communities. I get butterflies before I go to these locations because I’m really excited to see their towns.”