CFMC Leads New Public Art Initiative

In 2023, CFMC visited Columbus, Indiana for a day of arts and culture hosted by Indiana Philanthropy Alliance.  You may have remembered the post on Facebook!  We have since partnered closely with the City of Martinsville to find funding for public arts initiatives as the city dips their toes into public art.

There’s a ton of science around the benefits of public art.  Not only does it create a sense of pride for a community, and beautify our town, but it is also proven to reduce crime, slow traffic, and so much more!

Last year, CFMC took a group of community leaders and stakeholders on a tour of art in Putnam County.  You can read about the trip here: https://cfmconline.org/2023/10/cfmc-hosts-mural-tour-for-martinsville-stakeholders-in-putnam-county/.  We’ve been grateful for peers in other communities who have successfully implemented public art and have been reaping from its benefits.

Now it’s Martinsville’s turn!  CFMC asked for an opportunity to sit at the table with Indiana Arts Commission’s annual two-day workshop for communities who are delving into public art for the first time.  We were thrilled when we received the invitation.  CFMC, the City of Martinsville, and two local art teachers who are artists themselves attended this workshop and because of the workshop, will be receiving a $10,000 grant to implement public art in Martinsville.  We hope that these projects will be scalable in other Morgan County communities who wish to do the same.

You spoke, we listened!  CFMC posted a community survey on three Martinsville Facebook pages asking you what kind of public art you would like to see in the city.  We tallied each response and built our project from your answers.  It was plainly clear that residents are looking for interactive art, freely accessible, and honors our rich history.  So, the team braided all these requests together into a public art bench project.  Stay tuned for the renovation of twelve public benches that are already around Martinsville.  We look forward to hiring local artists who have completed a request for information process to engage with the community in creating murals on these benches.  We look forward to celebrating the arts with you!

Artists who maybe interested in curating a bench should keep an eye out for announcements from Martinsville Chamber of Commerce and the City of Martinsville.