Artist: Sarah Shaffer

Project Title: To Bloom and Fly

Location: Riverside & Tillotson

Project Statement: I am passionate about community engagement through the arts. As an art instructor and a local artist I have seen art touch lives while working with people of all ages. Art creates conversation, promotes new ideas, and serves to better our community. I have seen the power of art as a therapy and hope that my own work provokes thought and feeling to those who view it. This design is an expressive, eye-catching painting to engage community conversations and beautify Muncie. It features a field of peony flowers with a cardinal flying through the air. Beyond being beautiful, the peony is Indiana’s state flower. While creating a public art piece for Muncie, it is important to include notes of Indiana. The cardinal represents both Indiana and Ball State, visually alluding to the new slogan, “We Fly”. The subjects are expressively painted in bright, vibrant colors.

Artist Bio: Sarah Shaffer is currently the Education and Marketing Coordinator at Cornerstone Center for the Arts. She is also owns Sarah Shaffer Designs. She earned her BFA in Metalsmithing from Ball State University in 2007. I have experience creating public art in a large scale. At the age of 16, I began participating in the Main Street Chalk Walk in Fort Wayne, Indiana. During this public art event, artists from all over Indiana created chalk art in 8 ft by 8 ft squares on Main Street. The Chalk Walk began my love of creating art in public spaces. This love of large scale public art has persisted nearly two decades. This past January, I participated in the Canvas Project at the Muncie Mall.