Residents, city officials and artists toured three quadrants of Fort Wayne during a hot and muggy Tuesday as the murals for the “Faces of the Fort” art projects were revealed.
Faces of the Fort was a suggestion in the city’s Public Art Master Plan and is the first project of the Public Art Commission. The master plan was first revealed in early 2020, with requests for mural submissions being posted early this year. The murals highlight “people who have made contributions to the advancement of civil rights” in Fort Wayne.
Rena Bradley is the chair of Faces of the Fort. She says the goal is to showcase the city’s diversity by telling stories of residents and immigrants… and, literally, showing their faces.
“A city’s art depicts what a city honors, what it finds important, what is foundational to its values, and we just want to make sure that our murals also reflect that, not just the old history but the history that’s being made right now, today,” Bradly said.
The first mural was revealed Tuesday morning on the southeast side. It was done by Kacy Jackson, and features portraits of two figures that left an impact on Fort Wayne: William E. Warfield, the city’s first Black real estate developer and publisher of the Black newspaper The Vindicator; and Irene Paxia, honored for her work with Amani Family Services.
Sharon Tucker is the 6th District Council representative, and attended the unveiling of the new mural in her district. She calls the mural the “beginning of the change” on the southeast side.
"Right here in this area, this is a spot where we’re looking to activate family and community space, and this brings it all together for us,” Tucker said.
Two additional murals were revealed Tuesday; one on St. Joseph Boulevard on the city’s northwest side honoring Glynn Hines and Genevieve Meyer and completed by Benjamin Duke; the other on Bluffton Road on the city’s southwest side by Mitchell Egly, honoring Raquel Kline and Thomas Smith.
