Since its inception, Art This Way has enlivened a 99-block district, attracting visitors, supporting local businesses, enhancing safety, and strengthening the city’s cultural fabric.
A volunteer-based, grassroots organization, Art This Way operates under the umbrella of the Fort Wayne Downtown Improvement District and the organizations impressive list of completed projects are on private property.
The purpose of the project is to help bring people into these spaces and change the way these locations are seen and used.
As of 2026, the Broadway corridor is now officially part of Art This Way’s new area programs so the original 99 blocks have now expanded by about 40% making a much bigger brighter district.
Here WBOI’S Julia Meek and its founder and director Alex Hall discuss the amazing assortment of murals, music, art, and community-centric fun on the Festival horizon and how the community can continue to benefit in the next decade
Event Information:
Art This Way Fest
Friday and Saturday October 2 - 3
Broadway between Jefferson Boulevard and Swinney Avenue
Free Event ~ All Ages Welcome
Find more information and a complete listing of events at the Art This Way website.
Here is the transcript of our conversation:
Julia Meek: Alex Hall, welcome.
Alex Hall: Thank you for having me.
Julia Meek: Now, Art This Way on our public art scene. A decade of doing it. First off, can you believe it?
Alex Hall: No, I think it's a shock to look back and realize I've been at this for 10 years.
Julia Meek: A good shock or a bad shock?
Alex Hall: Oh, it's got a combination of both.
Julia Meek: And before we look at that whole art-centric transformation, you continue to work in that 99-block district. Can you describe what it was like there before all of this started?
Alex Hall: So downtown has changed quite a lot in 10 years. We have seen a lot more infill of empty buildings, empty parking lots. There's a lot of zones that have completely changed. New walls to paint have been
built.
Julia Meek: This is something we're always looking for, yes.
Alex Hall: But in general, I would say there was, there was a bit of a foundation that started with buildings like the Wunderkammer Company, where they had started to put murals up.
We had Pint and Slice that worked with Joseph Zimmerman and the Fort Wayne Museum of Art on a few projects. So we had like whispers of what it could look like to have street art in our community, and I think that early foundation was key to what we could become.
Julia Meek: And still is.
Alex Hall: Yes, absolutely.
Julia Meek: Now, stay in that time zone for a tick. What was the hardest part of launching this whole massive major movement?
Alex Hall: I think it was getting over some of the misconceptions of what public art could mean, especially more contemporary work like murals or even temporary artwork installations.
And a lot of that had to do with convincing property owners who maybe didn't have in their head or in their life experience the general idea of what we were trying to achieve.
We had to kind of create the vision and sell that vision to those people who give us permission to put artwork on their properties.
Julia Meek: Fair enough, and really a big challenge, as you explain it. So, on the other end of the spectrum, what was the easiest?
Alex Hall: See, one of the things we dicsovered was the hidden talent. The artist that lives right here in the region, people that maybe hadn't had an opportunity to do a mural before, but are absolutely capable once given the opportunity.
So finding that talent sometimes a challenge, but in the case of the early years of Art This Way, they seem to just pour out from everywhere, and it was it was lovely to tap into what existed already in Indiana.
Julia Meek: And tap in, you really, really did. What kind of feeling was that, had never been done before. You must
have been wishing you could do it. Now you could. What kind of a power, what kind of a feeling was
that?
Alex Hall: It felt like you weren't alone anymore as a creative, because I think something that we sometimes feel
in Fort Wayne is that you are a solo artist. But there's a huge community here, and and I think putting that public art out there really helped to identify us as being here, being present, and it helped connect all of us together.
Julia Meek: A game changer, as you're describing it.
Alex Hall: Yes.
Julia Meek: Okay. In that well begun is half done mindset, what did it take to really kick it into high gear and up to
the next level, and how long was that incoming?
Alex Hall: Oh, it's still incoming.
Julia Meek: Oh, that's true. Sorry. [both laugh.]
Alex Hall: No, I think the initial wave of projects in 2018, where we really completed some more larger scale
pieces within the alleyway network that we call the Double Plus in downtown Fort Wayne.
I think that was kind of the turning point where people beyond the property owners, people who just accidentally
found themselves in those spaces, they could start to see the vision, and then as we continue to chip away at it and create more spaces and saturate those zones, we really hit that turning point.
Julia Meek: And do you feel that by now, and of course ongoing, it's a destination? People are going down as
entertainment as an event itself.
Alex Hall: Absolutely, it's a huge tourist draw. It's a draw for locals as well. This idea that you would come down to get your senior portraits taken or your engagement photos anytime you find yourself getting out of your
car and choosing to take a detour on your way to the restaurant just to take a photo with your family? We've succeeded.
Julia Meek: Quite. Okay, so moving forward on your timeline, juggling new ways to share art, celebrate art, make it an organic part of our community. What kind of planning and connecting had to happen before that could happen?
Alex Hall: So I think public art is one piece of what it is that we've been doing as a program. So we have these
outdoor seating areas. We have gamified downtown a bit by adding something like a chessboard, life
size chess pieces.
All of that is done with a level of strategy, but it requires not only winning over the property owners and making sure that all of the administrative boring stuff is handled, but it means that we're looking at Fort Wayne and public space as a space that needs to be enjoyed, as opposed to a space that just needs to be walked through or driven through.
So we are envisioning a downtown that looks and is used differently, and we hope that we are taking more and more community members along with us on that ride.
Julia Meek: More, what might be the right word, more interactive?
Alex Hall: More interactive, more engaging, active spaces as opposed to passive spaces. The idea that you might
stop and read a book in an alleyway as opposed to just bustle through it as quickly as possible.
Julia Meek: And how did public support match maybe enhance the zeitgeist of that decade as you were moving
through it.
Alex Hall: Yeah, I mean, ultimately for us, it was those crowdfunding events, the art crawls, and people deciding
to spend money on a ticket to attend those events that funded every single one of the next and the next and the next.
So every project that we did is really because of a grassroots support from this community.
Julia Meek: Now it was your goal. You knew it was critically necessary to continue. Nonetheless, were you
surprised by the response that you did get?
Alex Hall: Over the years? Yes, it's been, people have come out of the woodwork and chosen to donate large sums of money just to see these amazing projects happen, and it's always a pleasure to work with those people who understand this larger vision.
And we're nothing but grateful for every single community member who stepped up to support this.
Julia Meek: In this case, it has really strengthened numbers exponentially, maybe. Can it even be measured?
Alex Hall: Well, it can be measured with the number you see downtown. It would be great to see more. So I think
anyone else that's listening finds that they are inspired (chuckles) they could come and support us further.
So yearly art this way celebrations. Those crawls have kept the art, the spirit, the anticipation alive and building.
Julia Meek: What else have they done to solidify the really overarching mission of all of this, Alex?
Alex Hall: Right. So the the goal of the crawl was to introduce the public to the creatives of Fort Wayne. So when
you walk into an alley and you see a mural, you don't get to have that personal connection in the sense that you're talking to the artist or you're watching them do it unless you happen upon them when they're actively painting it.
And so the the point of the crawl was to basically reduce all barriers to connecting the public directly with the local talent, and that included bands, that included people who were doing ceramics work, painting.
It really was a celebration of the arts in Fort Wayne that also happened to fund public art,
Julia Meek: So it was business and pleasure truly combined in this case. And let's fast forward to this year's mega
Art This Way Fest. It's crazy two day fun coming up on our horizon. Start here. It's where and when?
Alex Hall: So the Art This Way Fest is Oct. 2 and 3, and it is located on Broadway. So the street Broadway
from Jefferson to Swinney, just by Electric Works, will be completely closed to traffic.
Julia Meek: For two...
Alex Hall: For two days, and we've got a lot happening on that footprint.
Julia Meek: It's a big footprint. So what can we expect, and why is it the exact right time to kick it up another huge notch now? Besides being obviously the 10-year anniversary?
Alex Hall: We've got a lot of reasons why we're doing it. One, downtown Fort Wayne grew in 2026, so Broadway
corridor is now part of our new area that we program. So originally we were 99 blocks, and we have now expanded about 40% so we're a much bigger district.
Broadway is now part of the fold, and we are welcoming them with open arms. And so that's one step in the in the reason of the location. The other is that we have this really epic gallery scene that's kind of been slowly growing along Broadway corridor, and they host that first Fridays event.
And it's been happening consistently for two years, so it made so much sense for us to also come alongside those small businesses and help amplify their existing event, which is part of why we chose to do the Friday, October 2, because that comes right alongside their first Friday.
And we did the second day because once you've closed Broadway, you might as well. So yeah, and and as it is our 10 year anniversary, we thought, let's go big. So this two -ay event will include the live music, fine art fair, a hip hop dance competition, busking, a fashion show.
McCullough Park will be activated with all ages fun all day Saturday, and a silent disco will return just a few of the highlights.
Julia Meek: And the fine art fair that you're talking about isn't just any fine art fair. This is the one that folks love that usually happens at Jefferson Point.
Alex Hall: That's right. So we've taken the Fort Wayne Arts Festival at Jefferson Point, and it's now moved to the
Fort Wayne Arts Festival on Broadway.
So that same juried fine art fair that people may have enjoyed over there, they can now see on Broadway.
So we have about 60 fine art fair booths with various local and regional artists who have been juried to exhibit their work during the event.
Julia Meek: Sounds like you're going to run out of space, theoretically, before you would ever run out of artcentricity, in this case, accurate.
Alex Hall ; That's accurate, yes, it's a it's a very tightly packed footprint.
Julia Meek: And what a fun one! Of all the things you might have dreamed that you would do, especially in this 10
years, and we're sitting right there on that edge, does this fall into the category of Sure, we'll do that one day?
Alex Hall: Oh, sure! Yeah, I think I've always wanted to be able to bring in a large stage and have the LED screen
and the light show and the music and this is a great time because it is our 10-year celebration and we're reauthorized for another 10 years to do this for another decade.
Almost this calls for celebration. Yeah, so it's not just about looking back at our past, but it's also kind of a kickoff to what we hope to be for the next 10 years,
Julia Meek: With luck and good planning, and again good spirit. Now we can't name all of the bands, but we can
say we've got from wonderfully local and talented to national, and the same.
Alex Hall: Yes, we're happy to invite Tank and the Bangas and the Strumbellas to downtown Fort Wayne.
Julia Meek: Those are big deal and big art celebration. Now this is literally some of every artcentricity beyond the
graphic arts. Again, why must it be this inclusive?
Alex Hall: So Art This Way is supposed to be about place making, changing public space, and it doesn't need to
be a 2D piece or a standalone 3D sculpture that does that. There's room for the spoken word.
There's room for music. There's room for dance. And the hope would be that as we continue to program spaces
and change how we use spaces, that we're celebrating all forms of art in everything that we program
and everything we do.
Julia Meek: So, as a graphic artist and also a dreamer and a visionary, and certainly appreciating all of the arts,
what does it mean to you to be in something or part of something that is this all-embracing?
Alex Hall: Being an inclusive event and saying yes to a poet that wants to share the spoken word, or seeing kids
who might sign up to compete in a hip hop dance competition, or even vend because we have a creative kids market where kids get to sell their handmade goods.
There's just something for anyone who wanted to carve out a way to express themselves during this event. There was an opportunity, and as a person who's a creative in this community, I hope that everyone feels seen and welcome here.
Julia Meek: Indeed, and you are really opening up huge new avenues. Now we are proud of our public art and
vibrant skyline, thanks to Art This Way for making that bigger and better and more vibrant.
How does it compare to the rest of the world's attention to and development of this very cause in this very decade
we're talking about.
Alex Hall: So it's interesting because a lot of other places don't need to put this much work into it because they
have kind of an organic scene. But ours is structured, and we've been able to bring really cohesive, large-scale, complete works to the community at a rate that has been fast, and it also puts us on the map.
And we're being quite competitive, to be honest, with other U.S. cities' programs. So I was just at a conference in Toronto where we were representing Fort Wayne as one that should be followed and mimicked when downtowns are looking to approach public art and arts and culture, just because we have created a program that's effective and that does bring a diverse group of art and local and national talent are getting an opportunity to display their work on our walls and in our streets.
Julia Meek: How does that make you feel? You are the spearheader. This is your baby with the help of many other
people, and it's here. What does that feel like?
Alex Hall: It feels overwhelming, and I'm humbled. And I also am so very grateful for every person that said yes
along the way.
Julia Meek: And hope that's never going to change. More yeses in the next 10 years. Okay, your product mission
scope is vibrant, is communal by nature, but certainly is not cheap.
Do you ever worry about where our public arts art this way has been headed, but going forward will be headed?
Alex Hall: Yeah. So there's a there's a problem for all arts and culture organizations across the United States right
now. Funding is becoming a bigger challenge than ever before, and we're needing to argue from a different perspective for the right to funds.
So I think it's challenging, specifically in the United States, for programs like ours to keep going. And I hope to see that change because if it continues at the rate it's going, it's going to be less possible for us to do what it is that we do.
Julia Meek: Still doable, you think at this point?
Alex Hall: Doable at this point, still yes, but it's getting harder.
Julia Meek: Okay, now our world has seen major struggles and upheavals in also the same decade. Alex, how did
art this way publicly respond to COVID, to social injustice, to all of that not-so-happy side of life that has
happened?
Alex Hall: I think one of the benefits of being artists and having art at our fingertips was that we could pivot and
react and be more actionable than other organizations.
So we were able to respond to COVID by putting more colorful outdoor seating into public spaces and adding spaces that people could be safely distanced within.
We were able to respond to social injustice with creative ways to raise the voices of those who are not being heard, and do paintings and specific organization moments where we would bring people together to speak about their work and also create work to help increase awareness as to kind of where we are in the United States and where we we hope to go.
So I would say that not funding, but when it comes to our voice, we are uniquely placed to react to the global events that are happening because we're creatives and because creatives are so tapped into leveraging their talent to create platforms for those conversations.
Julia Meek: It seems to be all part of our cultural tapestry, our weave, our whole structure on which everything we're talking about is built.
Alex Hall; Right, we put public art into space to create conversation, and conversation is sometimes what mends
bridges and solves problems.
And so, yes, I'd like to think that for all of those big things that have come our way, as long as we can empower people with a medium and give them a space in which to create that canvas, can really help us change and change for the better.
Julia Meek: So hope you are right there. And last question, Alex: What should we all be doing now to paint our way into and through that next decade of Fort Wayne's public artwork legacy?
Alex Hall: One thing would be show up October 2 and October 3. Every person that comes is is showing that they
support what we do. We also have an Amplify Art campaign running, so any gift at all, $5, $100--it doesn't matter.
We're happy to take it, and we will put it towards a new work of public art. And in general, if anyone's interested in getting more involved, I strongly recommend they reach out to me, arthithiswayfest.com, and artthiswayfw.com.
Julia Meek: Alex Hall is founder and director of Art This Way, a program of Downtown Fort Wayne. Thank you for
coloring our public art scene vibrant, Alex, keep up the amazing work.
Alex Hall: Thank you, Julia, and I appreciate everything you do to keep this art scene vibrant.
Julia Meek: Thank you.