(Bloomington, IN) – Main Street Brookville is one of 16 rural organizations around the state that will partner with Indiana University this year for the next round of the Rural Placemaking Studio.
The initiative links IU faculty and students with rural Indiana residents to enrich their communities through innovate public art and design.
The Franklin County organization has been chosen to design two murals to help activate Printers Alley, which is located just off Main Street in Brookville.
One mural will honor the Franklin County Community Foundation and its philanthropy, while the other will celebrate 200 years of local journalism.
Launched in 2024, the Rural Placemaking Studio is a collaborative initiative between the IU ServeDesign Center at the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design and the IU Center for Rural Engagement. The studio collaborates with rural Indiana communities to create vibrant, inclusive and sustainable public spaces that strengthen local identity and community ties through art.
“The IU Rural Placemaking Studio makes community heritage, hopes and dreams visual and tangible,” said IU Center for Rural Engagement Executive Director Denny Spinner. “All rural communities have something that makes them special, and the IU Rural Placemaking Studio helps residents create connection around their unique assets.”
HWC Engineering has pledged $100,000 in support of student engagement in the Rural Placemaking Studio. HWC serves both public and private clients across Indiana through a wide range of services including economic development, planning, landscape architecture, water resources, transportation, and land development.
This funding will support students who work alongside local partners to develop concepts and design plans that fit communities’ visions while bolstering their professional design and community development skills.
“We are thrilled to partner with the IU Center for Rural Engagement in their work to support both IU students and rural communities as they identify and implement impactful quality of life projects,” said HWC Engineering Chairman and CEO Terry Baker. “Our decades-long experience working in rural communities across the state allows us to serve as a resource for IU students in this program and assist in their efforts to create meaningful placemaking projects in rural Indiana communities.”
The selection process for the 2025 Rural Placemaking Studio sought applications from rural communities of 50,000 people or fewer and located within an approximately 90-mile radius of Bloomington.
