Franklin County Courthouse Project
In February 2021 the Council For The Arts creative team toured the new Franklin County Courthouse complex while it was still under construction with a dream of bringing the work of our creative community into the vast new building.
To bring that dream to life, the Council is invited all creatives in Franklin County to get involved and help design and create two unique murals that encompass the spirit of the local community, with a particular focus on the history, culture, industrial and manufacturing heritage and agriculture of the area.
All creatives working in, involved with, or from Franklin County were encouraged to join the project.
Franklin County’s court facility improvement project is one step closer to completion with the installation of two county-themed, community-led murals inside the Franklin County Judicial Center. The murals are the result of a unique partnership between the county and The Council for the Arts that utilized the talents of local artists to bring a sense of community inside the new judicial facility at 14 N. Main St., Chambersburg.
“These murals offer a great visual representation of the spirit of Franklin County and will highlight the very best of our communities to all who enter the Judicial Center for decades to come,” said Franklin County Commissioner Chairman Dave Keller. “Both of these larger-than-life pieces also showcase the extraordinary talents of Franklin County’s art community. We are grateful to The Council for the Arts and all of those individuals who lent their time and talents to create such meaningful works of art.”
Initially, The Council for the Arts approached county leadership with a proposal to provide artwork for the halls and offices of the Judicial Center. Since then the project grew both in size and scope into a community art project to create two two-story murals that depict the essence of Franklin County.
The largest mural, located in the atrium, measures 24 feet tall and 12 feet wide. Its design features a rendering of the county’s iconic courthouse superimposed on a map of Franklin County with each township and borough distinctly identified. A skyline silhouette of prominent structures located in municipalities throughout Franklin County, repeated in three sizes across the bottom of the mural, resembles the flames that burned the courthouse in 1864. Completing the piece is a repetitive circular crosshair design inspired by stonework, believed to be remnants from the torched courthouse, that were uncovered by construction crews during the most recent courthouse renovations.
A second mural hangs in the facility’s self-help center (a resource area for self-represented litigants) and measures 22 feet tall and 6.5 feet wide. Each of the mural’s five panels has a distinct theme, but together they form one cohesive design that tells the story of Franklin
County’s history, culture, agriculture, and industrial and manufacturing heritage. The scenes depicted on the panels were created from a series of photographs, drawings and paintings provided by local artists and members of the Franklin County Photography Club.
Dozens of artists and photographers from across Franklin County contributed to the project, which took 27 months to complete from its initial conception in February 2021 through the murals’ installation in June.
See the history.
Ben is now in the Courthouse.
Phase one.
How it began.
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How It Works.
The collaborative mural will feature the work of many different artists put together to create a larger “tiled” mural. This work will be made up of a number of panels each painted by a different artist.
In order to be selected, artists or designers need to submit a rough concept sketch of what their finished piece might look like.
Each artist who is selected will be producing one small mural (sizes will vary) that will be painted over the course of 3 weeks in late September and early October in the Council for the Arts and additional locations. The murals will be done using materials provided by the Council.
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How to get involved.
To be considered, each artist needs to create a basic design or concept for their painting based on the various themes of Franklin County that we would like to represent in the overall project.
History & Heritage
Community & culture
Industry & manufacturing
Agriculture
(Just a rough concept! We do not need completed paintings!)Designs must be submitted by AUGUST 15th. No designs will be considered after that date.
Email any Questions to : publicart@councilforthearts.net
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Paint it.
Our designs are almost complete.
Once we have approval we will start painting!
If you are interested in helping with the process sign up here!Painting will be done in the Council for the Arts and other local locations from late September through early October. All supplies included, just bring your skills!
All designers and painters will receive a small stipend after the mural is complete. More information about times coming soon.