Faces of the Fort is a public art project initiated by the Fort Wayne Public Art Commission that shares faces and stories of the community through large-scale murals. This project seeks to elevate civil rights and social justice stories of residents; past and present. The purpose of this initiative is to celebrate the uniqueness, different backgrounds, stories and ideas of fellow residents through the development of murals and throughout the City.
In 2019, Public Art Commission established a Faces of the Fort Selection Committee made up of Public Art Commission members and community representatives who put out a call for artists and conducted community conversations to develop the stories the murals will tell. In early 2021, the committee selected the individuals that would be celebrated during the first phase of installations which were installed in June of 2021 at three locations in the Northeast, Southeast and Southwest quadrants of Fort Wayne. The phase two mural, installed in September of 2022, is located Downtown at 520 West Jefferson Boulevard. The phase three mural is located at the Edsall House Apartments located at 310 W. Berry Street Building B.
Faces of the Fort Murals
Downtown Mural 2
Edsall House Apartments - 310 West Berry Street
Theme: Equal Opportunity
Subjects: Harriet A. Miller and Monica Wehrle
Artist: Lyndy Bazile
Downtown Mural 1
520 W. Jefferson Blvd
Theme: Engage, Serve and Advocate for Fort Wayne’s Youth
Subjects: Ephraim Scott Smiley III & Omowalé-Kétu Oladuwa
Artist: Michael Johnson
NE Mural
1514 St. Joseph Blvd
Theme: Creating an Inclusive Community
Subjects: Glynn Hines & Genevieve Meyer
Artist: Benjamin Duke
SE Mural
4335 South Anthony Boulevard
Theme: Achieving the American Dream
Subjects: Irene Paxia & William E. Warfield
Artist: Kacy Jackson
SW Mural
1818 Bluffton Road
Theme: Breaking Down Barriers
Subjects: Raquel Kline & Thomas Smith
Artist: Mitchell Egly