Menu
TOP STORY OF THE DAY: ‘In Indiana’ community mural dedicated in time for holidays
A mural featuring some of Clay County’s brightest stars and attractions was officially dedicated Monday morning.
Though temperatures were in the 20s, many gathered for the special event, made possible by a grant and some old-fashioned sweat.
The mural was painted thoughout October by area artist Becky Hochalter, who has created and supported many works throughout the Wabash Valley and the Indianapolis areas.
The host building for such a mural happens to belong to shop owners who were looking to shore up the building’s infrastructure after they found it wanting.
“We knew when we bought the building that, when they tore down the building beside it, they never sealed up the top of the bricks,” A&B Farmhouse co-owner Brandon Sneath said Monday. “So the old mural was falling off, the bricks were falling off. We knew we had to do something.”
Once the work was done, Sneath said, A&B co-owner Andy Stone applied for a grant through the Indiana Destination Development Corporation, a state-sponsored organization “dedicated to promoting, branding and telling Indiana’s authentic story to both attract and retain businesses, talent, students and visitors” to Indiana.
“We had to address the bricks before we could do anything ... so, Cameron Matthews, here locally, we hired him to help us do some brick work. I primed it and we got it all ready for Becky to work her magic,” Stone said.
A&B Farmhouse sits at 525 E. National Ave. Its western side is broad and faces both visitors and residents alike, welcoming them to the community while beckoning for visitors to stop for a photograph.
“That was the purpose: To brighten up Main Street and get people really excited to take a picture with this mural,” Hochalter said. “Hopefully it will do what it was intended to do, which was to create ‘Instagramable’ moments across the state of Indiana. That was the whole ‘In Indiana’ part of the campaign.
“Any time you take a photo of this mural, hashtag ‘IN’ Indiana (#inindiana). We want to build that character reputation to try to get people to visit all of these different murals,” Stone added.
One requirement to receive the grant for which Stone applied was to include a section of the mural which reads “In Indiana,” painted in the same style as other throughout Indiana. Using the hashtag “InIndiana,” visitors can match up with others in the state and find more to visit.
But the mural is about more than that, Hochalter said. It is also about teaching residents and visitors about the area and what is has to offer, and creating an appealing sight for all in order to better beautify Brazil’s historic downtown.
“Even if they don’t (learn anything), it’s just visually impactful when they’re coming into Brazil and being welcomed by the city,” Hochalter said. “That was the goal, to create Instagramable moments across the state, particularly in smaller communities.
Asked what her favorite part of the mural and the process of painting, Hochalter said, “I think they most meaningful (spot on the mural) to me was the tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen — the P-51 Mustang.”
“The one that I had the most fun with was probably the Judy Ledgerwood pattern that I created for the lower portion, and because of the art connection with (Ledgerwood),” she explained. “But the one that was probably the most fun, I’d say, was the upper lefthand corner, which is the tribute to the old Brazil ‘Welcome to Brazil’ billboard, because I remember that.
“When I was a kid, I remember seeing that when we would come into Brazil,” the Terre Haute native continued. “It’s fun because some people know what it is. Some people don’t know, but some people remember that and immediately know what that’s from. It’s kind of neat, in murals where I’m bringing a little bit of history into it — to get people to know something about their community, even if they didn’t intend to. They’ve learned a little bit of something about their community, just by asking: what’s that piece mean? So it’s fun to see people learn, and to have people ask me, “What’s that?”
Stone said Hochalter was their first choice as the mural’s artist when he and Sneath discovered they had been awarded the grant.
“She was our first choice because I am a big fan of all the murals that she has done, and continues to do, and the work that she does is absolutely phenomenal. So we’re excited she was able to do this with us,” Stone said. “I came up with the idea of ‘murals within murals,’ and Becky was like, ‘So what are you thinking?’
“We wanted to make sure it incorporated little bits and pieces of Brazil. What makes Brazil a destination to our city?” he asked. “You’ll see that.”
Other features in the mural relating to Brazil and Clay County include the annual fireworks display on the Fourth of July, the county courthouse, Brazil’s location in Indiana (a star on a sillhouette of the state), a football player meant to represent all sports in Clay County, the city’s name, aquatics, the state flag, the Settler’s Cabin and Bandshell at Forst Park, and tributes to Orville Redenbacher and the city’s old-fashioned movie theater.
But perhaps the most stirring tribute, recommended for inclusion by Hochalter, was one of her greatest influences as an artist — Judy Ledgerwood.
“Judy has made quite a name for herself. She has artwork in the MET (Metropolitian Museum of Art in New York City), to name a few museums. She’s based out of Chicago now,” she said. “She has kind of a style that’s kind of quilt-like in its shapes and designs, but very modern. I thought that was just so cool.”