Faces of the Fort Launches in Fort Wayne
Three murals featuring faces of local heroes who have championed diversity, history, and culture in Fort Wayne were honored during ceremonies on June 29, 2021.
Faces of the Fort Chair Réna Bradley introduced the Public Arts Commission project by talking about how highlighting these “hometown heroes” can help shine light on the issues the city faces and inspire others to help out. She alater compared the project to Oscar Wilde's concept of “life imitating art.”
“It's a tool to make cities both more beautiful and more just, to communicate to its entire body of citizens that they and their communities are both valued and valuable,” she said.
The heroes selected came from nominations submitted by residents.
Artists took the stories people submitted to make the large murals, which are in three different quadrants in Fort Wayne.
The southeast mural at 4307 S. Anthony Blvd. features Irene Paxia, nominated for her work with Amani Family Services in interpretation services and support for immigrants and refugees, and William E. Warfield, the city's first Black real estate investor and publisher of the city's first Black newspaper, The Vindicator. The mural was created by artist Kacy Jackson.
The southwest mural at 1818 Bluffton Road depicts Raquel Kline, director at Language Services Network of Fort Wayne, and Thomas Smith, co-founder and CEO of Smith Academy for Excellence. It was painted by artist Mitchell Egly.
The northeast mural at 1514 St. Joseph Blvd., created by artist Benjamin Dukes, features City Councilman Glynn Hines, D-at large, nominated for his work in civic engagement and fighting for underserved communities, and Genevieve Meyer, founder of the Resiliency Foundation, who is working to end child marriage across the country.
City Councilman Russ Jehl, R-2nd, said he was thrilled to have the mural on a corner in his northeast district that represents unity. The fact that he, a Republican, was there to honor a Democratic colleague after being invited by the city's Democratic Mayor, Tom Henry, should speak volumes, Jehl said. “I could not think of anyone on council that speaks more loudly and more clearly to our youth and the unity that can come about,” Jehl said of Hines. Hines, who co-sponsored the ordinance that formed the commission with Tom Freistroffer, R-at-large, called the Public Art Commission's first project “brilliant.” “The one message I want to leave for everybody in attendance today is each and every one of you can serve,” Hines said. “Each and every one of you can serve in some capacity for the betterment for our community.”
Meyer has been awarded many accolades for her work on a national level, but Bradley said she was happy to honor Meyer in the city where she founded the foundation. Meyer said more than 10 million people around the world have read her story of being a former child bride. She created the Resiliency Foundation as a direct service provider focusing on mental health and overcoming trauma associated with child marriage, human trafficking and sexual abuse. “It is my hope that anyone who sees this mural will know that they matter, their voice matters, and they are wrapped up warmly in a community who cares about them,” she said.
Each mural features a QR code that takes visitors with smart devices to a page with biographical information and video content about each of the featured heroes. To learn more about the project, go to fwcommunitydevelopment.org/home-faces-of-the-fort.
