KENDALLVILLE — Local artists have brightened Main Street in Kendallville this summer with eight colorful raised garden beds and four adorable dog — or cat — houses for the annual Art on Main, sponsored by Historic Downtown Kendallville. The sidewalk display is just one way that the Main street organization brings unique and artistic experiences to downtown.
The garden beds and doghouses are placed on Main Street between Mitchell and Rush streets. They are on display until Sept. 6 and are up for bid in an online auction. Here’s the link: www.32auctions.com/2025ArtonMain.
Proceeds from this auction will help Historic Downtown Kendallville to build capacity and support downtown improvement efforts into the future.
The Garden Beds
“Bixler Beauty” by East Noble art teacher Amanda Blackman and advanced painting students Zaylee Davies, Sophia Gregory, Kylie Walz, Helena Weaver, Maddison Bodenhafer and Tayden Getts. The garden box features lake scenes and, decorated with three-dimensional glass discs, sand and stones for texture. The planter took many hours of class time to complete.
“Bugs Galore” by Hannah Bieslski. The artist designed her planter with her love of insects as her inspiration for the concept of bugs on a flower planter. She completed the planter in about two weeks.
“Growing Together” by the preschool students at Kendallville Daycare. Adults helped with the lettering and the weatherproofing, but little hands did the painting with love. The young artists completed the planter in two days.
“In Bloom” by Julia Elizabeth Terry. The artist envisioned the planter as a visual poem about the journey of motherhood. The dark background represents the challenges of early motherhood that gives way to the blossoming of new emotions, unexpected joys and the boundless capacity of a mother’s love. This piece took about nine hours to complete.
“Indiana Lake Life” by East Noble art teacher Amanda Blackman and advanced painting students Carly Gilbert, Aiva Gallup, Mallorie Marshall, Jade Thompson and Kaelyn Graves. Their inspiration was Bixler and Sylvan lakes and the Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site in Rome City. This planter took weeks of classroom time to create.
“Love is Hopeful” by Craig Myers with help from the team at Pride of Noble County, which strives to celebrate love and hope in the community. The planter took several days to complete.
“Outta This World” by East Noble art teacher Amanda Blackman and advanced painting students Melanie Roberts, Allison Hauck, Alexander Froelich, Ava Schultz and Jayden Pierce. The vast galaxy and solar system inspired the planetary motifs.
“Summer Bloom” by Tara Streb. The sunny yellow garden planter is inspired by the visual artist Molly Z, known for her bright and vibrant creations. This planter features abstract motifs of leaves and flowers and took eight hours to make.
The Doghouses
“Paw-ey, Paw-ey Night” by Suzanne Pender. This doghouse has the vibe of Vincent Van Gogh “Starry, Starry Night” but with paw prints as the stars and a pup looking at the moon. A hidden work of art is inside the doghouse. The doghouse took more than 100 hours to complete.
Strange Days Indeed” by Jack Felger. The artist was inspired by the song, “Nobody told Me” by John Lennon from his “Milk and Honey” album. Lennon frames the song as an expression of the contradictory nature of life, absurdities and unexpected situations in the lyric, “Nobody told me there’d be days like these.”
“Thank You for Your Service” by Joatta Sayles. The artist dedicated this doghouse to her sons-in-law, who are veterans of the U.S. Marines and U.S. Army. The rustic red, white and blue colors honor their service, sacrifice and patriotism.
“Untitled” by Carla Lowe. The doghouse honors the artist’s beloved dog, Daisy Mae. The little home has a green lawn and a garden with blooming flowers, a cardinal and a picket fence, and a lantern at the front door.
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