Inspiring Placemaking with Mural Art

About the Program

Category: Arts, Culture and Historic Preservation (Best in Category)

Year: 2021

The arts have much to offer a community. Fairfield County sought to inspire placemaking with mural art to encourage healing when the community suffered a loss of one of its young citizens while he was serving in the military. His mother worked for the county, and the community was heartbroken. The purpose of the project was to promote local talent and engage the community to convert an empty wall into a public canvas with a lasting, positive effect on the community conversations to support gratitude for the military. Employees were engaged in organizational citizenship behavior as they volunteered to help with the project in support of their coworker. Information derived from the project helped improve understanding about public policy to allow for variances in zoning rules, permitting placemaking murals within the historic district directly on the face of a building. As the mural was unveiled, there were community conversations to arise, grounded in gratitude for the service of veterans and inspiring private moments of thankfulness. These conversations were especially appreciated during the pandemic when there were feelings of loneliness and despair. The project helped to inspire intergovernmental cooperation and coordination. There are now additional murals planned.