Photo courtesy of the Putnam County Mural Project
Loud music reverberated through downtown Greencastle on Friday afternoon, September 23rd. Tucked away among the shops on Washington Street, people gathered around a colorful mural that read, “Welcome to Putnam County.” One of several murals placed in the local community, this eye-catching design was the centerpiece of the 2022 Putnam County Community Mural Festival.
Cameron Moberg, aka Camer1, was chosen to paint the wall at the Putnam County Visitor Center in the heart of Greencastle. In the heart of the block party of the mural party, the mural was taken over by an artist who grew up in love with all kinds of art.
“I have been making art for as long as I can remember. It’s my first memory. I would draw bugs, butterflies, cars, planes, really anything and everything I could,” Moberg said.
Moberg quickly discovered that other people shared his love for his work. During his school years, Moberg would participate in design competitions. His parents played an integral role in the journey of the rising artist.
“My mom and dad always supported me. My dad scribbled with me here and there and always encouraged my work,” Moberg said. “I remember in second grade my mom framed my work for me and had my first art show in a coffee shop.”
In 1992, Moberg’s brother showed him a graffiti magazine. Instantly, Moberg started drawing letters.
“I was hooked and still am,” he said.
Nearly a decade later, Moberg began combining some of the graffiti skills he learned with the images he drew growing up. Over the next few years, Moberg started small side gigs to bring his passion for art to the public. Here, his artistic career began to take off.
“Slowly, my work went from being text-centric to predominantly image-based. In 2015, I won a reality show called Street Art Throwdown. That gave me the confidence I needed and a bit of a nest egg to jump into art full time,” Moberg said.
Much of Moberg’s work includes font-based work with bright images. When the Putnam County Mural Fest sought artists, Moberg was chosen to create a focal point for the Greencastle community that was exciting. Along with the words “Welcome to Putnam County,” the mural features the peony, the state flower, as well as monarch butterflies.
Alexandra Chamberlain, one of the founding members, explained the meaning of the artwork.
“Our hope for Cameron Moberg’s ‘Welcome to Putnam County’ mural was to create a space of immediate pride and recognition of a place that many of us call home,” he said.
Ever since Moberg was a child, he drew butterflies. Not until later in life did Moberg come to understand that they had a deeper meaning. While in the chrysalis, butterflies experience pain. Moberg incorporated this new understanding into his work.
“We will all experience pain, but what will we allow ourselves to become? How can we bring beauty, love and joy to the world?” Moberg said.
Despite living in San Francisco, Moberg fell in love with Indiana when she started painting in the state seven or eight years ago.
“It’s just a different pace of life and people have always been very welcoming and appreciative,” she said. “I love it so much that I ended up acquiring a small property in Rensselaer, Indiana, where I host the mural festival called RenArtWlk.”
Chris Fegal, former community engagement coordinator for DePauw’s art department, co-founded the Putnam County Mural Project as a committee of five with Chamberlain and others. Beginning in 2019 with the painting of the Veterans Memorial Highway silos, the project intends to activate unused spaces, engage the community and bring the community’s voice to the process.
“We’re very intentional about bringing the voice of the community into the art process and having the artists play with what the community shares with us,” Fegal said.
With live music from a local band, food vendors, drinks, bounce houses, pumpkin painting and a 360 camera booth, Fegal and the committee designed the block party to engage around the works of ‘art and bring the community together.
“The block party was just one way to set the tone for the space’s future. It’s also a way to have fun and celebrate with a community that helped support it,” Fegal said.
Chamberlain’s favorite part about the block party was seeing the community come together.
“Seeing people breathe happiness into their community, that’s the power that community art can wield,” Chamberlain said.
The Putnam County Mural Project has big goals for art in the community. In a small town like Greencastle, the project aims to reach all parts of the community.
“For me, it’s about equity in the arts. We are a rural community, so fairness means a lot. I think for Putnam County it’s about reaching places in the community that wouldn’t otherwise experience art,” Fegal said.
With plans to host another mural festival in 2024, the project is far from over.
“We believe art can spark a lot of civic pride and conversation about who we are as a community and hope it inspires the next generation of mural makers and art admirers,” Fegal said.
