Puffin West is a matching funds POWER2GIVE partner for this project sponsored by the Greater Columbus Arts Council.*
The North and South walls of the railroad underpass on Cooke Road between Indianola and I-71 have been an unsightly area at the entry to the Clintonville neighborhood. The Clintonville Historical Society desires to embellish these walls with artist murals depiciting the culture of the Early Woodland Indians who occupied this land prior to the immigration of settlers in the early 1800s. The selection of these murals is significant in that an Adena era fort with mounds was located to the immediate west of the site. Those earth works were removed in 1955. The contents of the mounds are now a part of the Ohio History Museum Collection. The museum is directly to the south of the proposed mural site.
Artist Danielle Poling has designed the sunwall and moonwall murals, a collection of native symbols. We would like to make these murals a reality at the Cooke Road site.
Danielle Poling, artist and art educator, has designed the Sunwall and Moonwall murals. During the design process, Danielle consulted with Dr. Christine Ballengee-Morris, a professor in the Dept. of Arts Administration, Education and Policy at The Ohio State University, and who is Cherokee. The murals will represent artifacts (arrowheads, mica sculpted as a human hand, copper falcons and raven effigies) and earthworks (mounds) left behind by Early Woodland people. It will have the feel of cave drawings on brightly colored backdrops, with large, clearly defined symbols. The symbols painted in white will have glow-in-the-dark paint over top, which will give the murals a different appearance at night. The Clintonville Historical Society feel that the murals will be an enhancement to the area while creating a educational opportunity for residents and visitors of the area.
For questions go to *franklincountyoh@power2giveo.org and you can become a donor to this project. Columbus will become the 20th community to launch power2give.org as a way
