Conner Prairie to Host Community Mural Event as Part of Fishers 150th Birthday Celebration
During a collaborative project between artist Jeannette Pomeroy Parssi and Conner Prairie, the community will have the opportunity to recreate a painting from the Conner Prairie archives in celebration of the Fishers Sesquicentennial.
Conner Prairie will host a creating party on August 13 and 14 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Come and be a part of history by recreating a 12”x12” piece of the 10’x 8’ mural in your own style and flare. Art supplies will be available for you, your family and friends to draw, glue, cut and color as you interpret a small piece of history. The project is free to the public with Conner Prairie admission. This homegrown, engaging and educational project will allow the community to come together to create a whole.
How It Works
An historical painting, created between 1837-1876 by George Winter, one of Indiana’s best-known artists, will be enlarged to a 10’x 8’ decal. The painting will be divided into 80, 12”x 12” sections. Each participant will create their interpretation of a section of the painting. Once finished, that small piece of art will be placed in its corresponding position on the mural. The mural will be on display through September 11, 2022.
As a recipient of a 2021 Fishers Arts + Culture Commission grant, Pomeroy Parssi saw firsthand how people of all ages enthusiastically embraced this sort of effort during “The Ema Project” at Ignite Studio at the Hamilton East Public Library’s Season of Gratitude. “The joy that comes from offering encouragement to others while being given total artistic freedom is both satisfying and rewarding for everyone involved.”
This project is funded by a grant from the City of Fishers through the Fishers Arts + Culture Commission, part of a program aimed at nurturing creative partnerships within the Fishers arts community.
Spanning more than 1,000 wooded acres in Central Indiana, Conner Prairie welcomes more than 400,000 visitors of all ages annually. As Indiana’s first Smithsonian Institute affiliate, Conner Prairie offers various outdoor, historically-themed encounters and indoor experiential learning spaces that combine history and art with science, technology, engineering and math to offer an authentic look into history that shapes society today. Conner Prairie is a 501(c)3, nonprofit organization – accredited by the American Alliance of Museums – that relies on grants and philanthropic donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations for sustainability and growth. For more information visit www.connerprairie.org.
Jeannette Parssi found her path in 1994 when she left the corporate world to pursue art. The Ohio native has lived in Chicago and South Florida, recently returning to the Midwest. In addition to being a professional artist, Mrs. Parssi is a teacher, a mentor and a supporter of the local arts scene. From 2004-2017, she founded and ran ArtStart, an arts education non-profit organization, delivering programming to underserved areas of Palm Beach County. Currently, in the Indianapolis area, she works as a drawing & painting instructor at Nickel Plate Arts. She was awarded the 2020 Nickel Plate Arts Educator of the Year. She continues to lead workshops at Ignite Studio in Fishers, where she was the artist-in-residence in 2019. Mrs. Parssi teaches privately from her studio. She also teaches painting and drawing, in-person and online, at Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan. www.jpparssi.com