More than 100 colorful murals await you in Richmond / Wayne County, Indiana

Here’s the mural of the story — Wayne County boasts more than 100 vibrant public works of art scattered throughout this east-central Indiana region, a higher-than-expected number for a county of just 70,000 residents.
The first Wayne County mural installation took shape more than a century ago when Charles Newcomb painted a Renaissance terraced garden scene in 1913.

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1913 Charles Newcomb Mural
Since that time, dozens of other works have joined the mix to make up the Wayne County Murals Trail, open and available to explore year-round. Interested visitors can grab a free passport from the Old National Road Welcome Center that details descriptions, locations and the stories behind each piece for a fun, free self-guided tour. These murals proudly grace the alleyways, walls, streets and buildings throughout the County; a drive across the county on U.S. 40 is an easy way to view a good cross-section of the collection.

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Cambridge City
Between Wayne County’s Gennett Records musical heritage, Underground Railroad lore, honored military history, Model T collectors and much more, there’s plenty of subject material for artists to work with, and for viewers to appreciate. The startlingly realistic scene of an elderly women dropping her cat out the window of a smoking building into the arms of firemen waiting below displayed on the side of the Firehouse BBQ and Blues building in the Historic Depot District is a real eyecatcher.

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Firehouse BBQ & Blues – Richmond
A new Mural Project recently upped the ante even further by adding 11 new murals to the roster, concepted by an international group of artists and completed just this summer. Managed by artist Pamela Bliss, the competition is funded through the Wayne County’s Hoosier Enduring Legacy Program (HELP), the Wayne County Foundation and the Wayne County Convention & Tourism Bureau, Inc. Winners for this round of murals will be announced early October but you can now view all the completed murals by visiting the interactive map.

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Richmond Depot Mural Being Completed
The Richmond Art Museum also got into the spirit of the festival by installing four new WPA-style murals of its own, all painted by alumnus Amy Rheinhardt Jackson, to the walls of McGuire Hall on the Richmond High School campus.

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Richmond Art Museum Murals
For a Mural Trails brochure and suggestions on other artsy local offerings to check out in Richmond and Wayne County, go to visitrichmond.org. And look for the 2024 Visitor Guide publication on racks with more details on local trip ideas, itineraries, activities, events and attractions.