Art Alliance Brown County, together with the Brown County Historical Society, is creating a public mural celebrating Brown County’s history, the groups announced today.

The Brown County History Mural will consist of nine individual panels, created by nine different artists/teams of artists.

Each panel will be 4 feet tall by 8 feet wide and will depict one aspect of Brown County’s history. 

All nine panels will be hung together high on the back wall of the parking lot at the corner of North Van Buren and Gould streets in downtown Nashville.

Each panel will be accompanied by a plaque crediting the artists who completed it, a short summary of the historical content, and any sponsors.

One panel will be completed by the gifted/talented art class at Brown County Junior High School. The other eight will be done by artists chosen by a jury of local historians and artists.

Any artist who lives in the county is eligible to apply, as are artists who live outside the county but are members of the Brown County Art Alliance, the Brown County Artisans and various member and co-op galleries in Nashville.

Each artist/team of artists chosen to complete a panel will be provided with a panel to use and up to $500 as compensation for materials and time.

“The goal is to pay the chosen artists $500 per panel,” said Art Alliance President Anabel Hopkins. “Art Alliance is contributing a significant amount of money, and we’ve learned we’ve received a grant from the Brown County Community Foundation toward the project, so we’re very close to that goal.”

The group also has applied for grant money from the Indiana Arts Commission, and is seeking community support.

“We’re looking for a sponsor for each of the nine panels," explained Michele Pollock, Art Alliance member and project leader. "For only $200 per panel, an individual, business, church or community group can have a dedication or acknowledgement on a permanent plaque mounted with each panel.”

Artists will be able to work in their own studio or home to complete the panels over the winter of 2012-2013. Advice from a local expert on outdoor work will be available for consultation if desired.

The panels will be unveiled at the Spring Blossom Arts Festival in May 2013. The historical society now runs this art fair in the parking lot where the mural will be installed.

Proposals, which require a scale sketch of the proposed design and a short description of the historical content, will be due by 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 1.

To download a Call for Artists form, click here.

To get more information about sponsorship, click here.