Jeffersonville Main Street, Inc. has begun installing its latest art project, a series of billboards affixed to the sides of buildings in the Southern Indiana town’s downtown corridor. These billboards aren’t hocking fast food, gas, or a gallon of milk, however. Rather, the initiative hopes to connect with the area’s history.
In all, 12 of these photo murals are planned as part of the Monumental Memories series. The photos, some as large as 10-feet-by-12-feet, depict historic scenes from the city’s past.
“This project will blend the attributes of public art, placemaking, and history that will create another wonderful reason to visit downtown Jeffersonville,” Jay Ellis, executive director of Jeffersonville Main Street, said in a statement. “We are continuing to work towards the revitalization of our downtown and we feel these murals will imbue the district with a quality that will be both hip and historic—what we call ‘HipStoric.'”
That’s right, HipStoric.
The nonprofit sought historic images from the community earlier this year. The top picks were scanned and printed for the project.
.Jeffersonville Main Street partnered with the Jeffersonville Urban Enterprise Association, the Jeffersonville Public Arts Commission, Indiana Main Street, and the Indiana Office of Community & Rural Affairs for the project. Monumental Memories was funded by a grant from Indiana Main Street and the Indiana Office of Community & Rural Affairs. Organizers plan to rotate new images into the billboards every year or two.
A trolley hop is planned this Friday, June 12 in Jeffersonville, where you’ll be sure to see a few of these murals on display. Follow Jeffersonville Main Street on its Facebook page.
