Bright red poppies, with winding blue stems and neon green leaves crawl up the side of the Mulberry Cottage in downtown Nashville, backed by a cheerful pink background.
The flowers are larger than life and are the newest addition to the arts scene in the Village of Nashville, and hopes are high this is the first of many downtown murals.
The vibrant mural was finished last week, painted by local artist and Brown County native Kurt Eagleman.
Covering the two-story wall, it’s Eagleman’s biggest project ever.
While it was underway, those passing by stopped and said “Thank you for doing this!” Others stopped and posed in front of it for a photo.
The mural was paid for by the Public Art Activation Grant, awarded by the Indiana Destination Development Corporation (IDDC). The grant seeks to create Indiana-specific public artwork throughout the state of Indiana. Public artwork created in partnership with artists will feature the new IDDC tourism campaign, “IN Indiana.” It is a non-matching grant of up to $5,000 to fund public art projects. IDDC plans to fund at least $150,000 worth of Indiana public art projects this year.
The grant was brought to Eagleman’s attention by Jane Ellis, former executive director of the Brown County Convention and Visitors Bureau, who left the position in July. Eagleman’s mural was one of two to receive a grant from the project; the other is by local artist and Nashville Spice Company owner Mark Schmidt. Schmidt’s mural will be completed soon at the CVB building at Van Buren and Washington streets.
Eagleman’s work has received much positive feedback. Another comment frequently made has been, “I can’t believe the town approved that,” according to Eagleman.
Having to bide by certain color palates for cohesion in the downtown area, it’s not a surprise this comment has been made. But, town governing agencies not only approved the work — they are excited about it. One of those groups is the Nashville Arts and Entertainment Commission (NAEC), which approved the projects.
NAEC President Melanie Voland said her reaction to seeing Eagleman’s completed work was a “big wow” and she hopes that 2022 is the “year of the mural.”
“The accessibility of public art enhances and beautifies our town and county and reminds us of our history as an art colony and how we came to be a viable town and tourist destination,” she said.
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‘Living art colony’
Voland said that public art creates a sense of importance for the arts to the rest of the town, especially for young people, tourism, economic development and the lasting impact on the county’s legacy.
The NAEC also funded a mural that will be completed by October at the Brown County Community Foundation (BCCF) building on North Van Buren Street. The BCCF project will be done in conjunction with a pollinator garden. The mural will be along a retaining wall, bringing “additional brilliance,” Voland said.
Another public art project is the INDOT vinyl wrap project, which is in final production and will be installed in the next few weeks on the INDOT boxes at McDonald’s, CVS Pharmacy and in front of the Brown County Courthouse on Van Buren Street.
Voland said she hopes these public art installments are catalysts to see how the community can be creative and think about big spaces in the area that can draw people in by being art pieces in the public eye.
“I think it’s important to realize we might not even be the destination that we are nationwide if we had not had this legacy of being an art colony at the turn of the last century,” Voland said. “It just enhances the quality of life to have art accessible, presentable and acceptable in our community.”
By having public art, Voland said it is playing to the strengths of what is beautiful in Brown County — nature, venues, sunsets, vistas and more.
“We’re not limited to an old style of art, we’re looking for an expression of what is relevant today,” Voland said.
Voland said modern and contemporary art expressions offer opportunities to see beyond the past, into the future, while still embracing the present.
“Making everything more beautiful than we started,” she said. “I think it’s moving in that direction.”
There are 11 cultural districts in the state of Indiana, Voland said, and Brown County is one of them with the official name, “Arts Village Brown County.”
From visual arts, community theater and musical entertainment, Voland said that art and its many forms are a part of daily life in Brown County.
“We are a living art colony, actively doing it every day,” she said.
Making a mark
Eagleman said he knew he wanted vibrant color to be involved with whatever he created. He also wanted to ensure it was something with which people would interact.
“If people didn’t interact with it and it was mundane, I would feel like I didn’t do my job,” he said.
When the poppies came into play, Eagleman said it was a full-circle moment on a bigger canvas.
Growing up in Brown County and entering into the artistic scene, poppies were one of his first subjects that he painted with local artist Patricia Rhoden Bartels.
Eagleman took it upon himself to find the canvas, ultimately deciding on the two-story cinderblock wall on Honeysuckle Lane, belonging to local business Mulberry Cottage on West Main Street.
When Eagleman approached the owners of Mulberry Cottage to be the canvas. Ashley Day, business owner, said it was an “easy yes.”
“Of course that’s our kind of motto in the store, I want to bring happiness to town, I want everyone that comes into our store to be happier than when they came in,” she said. “I love when they get that happiness before they even step foot in the store, so it’s the perfect reflection of our business.”
Day said it’s not just about their business, but it’s about the town and bringing a new kind of art style to town. She said she hopes more businesses follow suit, embracing colorful murals in the future.
“We kind of get boxed into this fall leaves, shades of brown and tan,” she said. “The fact that it’s something so bright and colorful, I think that it’s exciting for Nashville. … If I had more walls I’d give them to him in a heartbeat. He’s a bright cheery person as well so whatever he designed would be beautiful,” she said. She also said he picked the biggest wall in town.
“It’s nice to see the town going in a new direction and bringing more vibrancy in to let the state of Indiana know that we’re more than just the fall. We’ve got more to offer.”
In keeping with the grant guidelines, the title of the piece given was “Happiness in Color — IN Indiana.”
To create a large vibrant piece in the middle of his hometown, Eagleman said he has been encouraged by the response.
“People have thanked me, stopped and said ‘good job,’” he said. “It’s fun to be a part of a change in a positive way.”
He also sees it as a reminder for visitors and locals that not just the community’s history is that of an art colony, but there is a current and thriving arts and culture community.
“People are walking through town and can see art taking place in front of them,” he said. “This is going on right now, it’s an active demonstration in front of them.”
Eagleman had a pop-up shop in Nashville in the fall of 2020, EeOhLay Gallery and said that projects like this are a way for him to give back to the community and help move it forward.
“It means a lot to me, it’s putting my stamp on the community,” he said.
Fall is often a main attraction for visitors to Brown County, which is exactly why Eagleman avoided the use of traditional fall tones.
“It’s important to remind people that we’re not just fall,” he said. “Nashville is a destination all times of the year.”
He pushed the envelope with his color choices, feeling a bit more freedom to do so with the mural on a back alley, he said.
He sees it as a sort of sign of a new generation, turning a page in a good direction. But he said he could not have done it without his boyfriend Anthony Gaugler who helped him with the entire mural. He also credited Ellis and the Mulberry Cottage with making it happen.
He wanted the piece to have a positive reflection of the town and wanted people to see that.
If any other business in town has a wall they’d like to see covered with art, Eagleman said he’s ready to keep going.
“If anybody wants an artist, absolutely contact me,” he said. “I would love to keep going. Maybe this is the first installment of many.”
He also advised businesses or other interested groups to take their time and think about what kind of piece they imagine and to make sure the building owner is in contact with an artist.
“This town is full of artists, use the resources that are here, the artists that have something to say or have a design,” he said. “Don’t just do your own business logo, use it as an opportunity to beautify the community.
“We are an artist community but we don’t have any public art. As long as it’s done in a tasteful way it can benefit the community. People have wanted this and have been waiting.”
More art
Kurt Eagleman has a solo show at I Fell Bloomington. Learn more at his website at kurteagleman.com. Follow Eagleman on social media at his username @kurt.eagleman.
