Artist Christina Hollering partnered with the Brown County Community Foundation and the Brown County Pollinators to bring this butterfly mural to life. Submitted photo
The Brown County Community Foundation (BCCF) will host a dedication reception next week for a recently completed mural at its building.
With a large concrete retaining wall selected for their mural, BCCF wanted to find a way to further beautify this area with native plantings. A plan to connect the mural with the landscaping was created and BCCF partnered with Brown County Pollinators (BCP) to construct a garden surrounding the wall.
“When it comes to improving the environment, sometimes you have to start in your own backyard,” a press release said.
That was the approach the BCCF Board of Trustees took with their commitment to native plants to help pollinators on their property at 209 North Van Buren St., creating a “beautiful blend of art and nature,” according to the release.
BCP is a group of Brown County citizens who care about the environment, especially monarchs and pollinators. Their work is inspired by the negative impacts of pollinator habitat loss in Indiana.
The National Wildlife Federation reports eastern monarch butterfly populations have declined 90% from their high in 1969. The reductions have been so dramatic, monarchs now meet the criteria to be listed under the Endangered Species Act. As milkweed and natural habitat are removed to make way for roads, farming and housing, the number of migrating monarchs continues to decline.
For these reasons, BCP has worked to secure nearly 100 acres in Brown County for pollinator habitat restoration and created more than 2,000 milkweed seed bombs in the last year alone.
Working with BCCF, local volunteers, and a volunteer force from Cummins Inc., the pollinator space is a work in progress with hopes to be fully established in the next year.
“We believe this work to be as good for the environment as it is for the community,” said BCCF CEO Maddison Miller.
“We’re eradicating invasive species while making native plants and beautiful public art a part of our downtown property.”
The art portion is now complete with a mural featuring milkweed pollinators by artist Christina Hollering.
Hollering has a history of using native plants and species in her work. She said in a press release that she is excited about the milkweed planting that will surround her work.
“This time next year there will be tons of monarchs passing through,” Hollering said.
“I included a milkweed beetle as well as a milkweed tussock moth caterpillar as a reminder that milkweed plants are an ecosystem in themselves that support a wide variety of insect species.”
A dedication reception is planned for Thursday, Oct. 20 at 5 p.m. at the Brown County Community Foundation.
A dessert reception will follow the ceremony with introductions to local arts organizations, Indiana Arts Commission representatives, IAC Region 8 organizations and elected officials.
“We are excited to host a reception with the artist to recognize her work and to recognize the support of the Nashville Arts and Entertainment Commission (NAEC)” said BCCF Marketing Officer Sean Hildreth.
“The Richard J. Hoffman Public Art Fund, managed by BCCF, was created to provide support to the Town of Nashville to obtain and maintain public art."
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