HCHS students make Harlan better with crosswalk art

 HARLAN — Harlan is even better than it was. Monday, Sept. 9, talented student artists from Harlan Community High School brought something extraordinary to our small town, using their creativity to leave a lasting mark across time, hearts, and streets! Nine students dedicated a full day of work to transform 6 foot by some 50 foot crosswalks of the Harlan Historic Downtown into a vibrant, fun art installation. Their efforts have left behind a unique experience, giving everyone who walks through the downtown a reason to smile.
The Shelby County Wellness Alliance has been planning a second project since the launch of the Community Canvas initiative with the Harlan Movie Theatre mural by local artist Deborah King in the summer of 2023.  Community Canvas is a multi-year initiative to bring public art to Shelby County, led by a core Shelby County Wellness Alliance committee, including Katie Sandquist, Brian Byrnes, Scott Buchanan, Bob Mortenson, Troy Renter, and Gene Gettys. The use of crosswalks originated as a unique way to create more public art.  It took nearly a year of planning, collaborating with schools and the city, obtaining permits, fundraising, and execution. To get youth involvement, the HCSD art teachers were brought in. High school teacher Michaela Kehoe and elementary art teacher Kim Piro selected students who not only embraced the project, but thrived in it.
The murals will leave lasting impressions on the local community and tourists who visit the town, but the greatest impact lies with the students who brought them to life. Here were some of the voices of the artists:
Paul Martz (10th grade) started out the discussion with what art meant to him, “ I believe that art is a religious and political freedom where you can make or create anything the way you want in your own eyes without other people trying to put their own force on it.”
Kennedy Stover (12th) had great points. “I think this gives you a lot of liberty and pride for yourself- I’m still in high school, but I’m doing this. ... I hope [the murals] embrace more change. I’ve noticed that in our town, a small town like any rural town, we like to keep it simple, straight. We don’t go out of our way to make it different from other places. I feel like this will help make us a little bit more unique.”
Paola Salazar Barajas (11th), added about the opportunity, “I definitely think it is a unique experience. Not everyone, especially in high school, gets to make a mural in the city. It’s normally professional artists that get paid to do it. So, it’s unique!”
Marcela Guerrero Luna (12th), who moved from Monterey, Mexico,  shared, “I moved here four years ago... Doing this- wow. I feel sort of finally a part of here. I like it here, and I feel like I’m leaving a little part of me in this town, and it’s amazing.”
Elizabeth Castro added, “I am very prideful of being able to do this for the community. Being able to come back and say- I painted that. I helped put that mural in. I was over there on my hands and knees drawing that.”
Jasond McDaniel (10th) stated, “I think at night, we have lights. In the daylight, the crosswalks will make our town come to life like the lights light the town at night.”
Among the submissions, four murals—Fruits, Stripes, Bubbles, and Daisies—were selected by the Community Canvas group as the first phase of this multi-year project, beginning with two crosswalks at both the northwest and southeast corners of the Historic Downtown Harlan Square. After the success of this initial stage, the committee is energized, looking forward to expanding more public art through the county.
“The Community Canvas initiative is all about using the arts to bring people together,” said Katie Sandquist, board president of the Shelby County Wellness Alliance. “We had fabulous collaboration with the City of Harlan, the Harlan Community School District, and the Shelby County Wellness Alliance. We can’t wait to see where this partnership goes from here!”
On the morning of execution, the team of young artists shivered in the early morning as they measured out gridlines and chalked out the designs. By the time they could finally lay down the paint on the rough, unconventional canvas, they were sweating with the sun beating down as they transformed the town from corner to corner.
Funding for the project was possible thanks to donations from the community. Do-It-Best Hardware in Harlan gave a $400 donation and expertise that allowed the purchase of supplies and paint durable enough for roads. Pizza Ranch, Fareway, and Hy-Vee donated meals, snacks, and drinks to the hardworking team. Michaela Kehoe, Kim Piro, Scott Buchanan, Brian Byrnes, and Bob Mortenson worked with the students throughout the day.
Tatiana Babka (10th) thanked a big influence on her. “I just want to add how Ms. Kehoe is a great art teacher. She brought this to us and said- hey guys design some sidewalks. The next thing you know here we are! There are other people in the equation, but she was the one who brought us in.”
 Things can always be made better- whether it’s an artist refining their work, an individual recognizing their strengths and weaknesses, or a community striving to grow. Harlan’s crosswalks do more than just connect sidewalks; these murals connect people to one another and to their town. Harlan has changed—it is now concretely on the map in the arts. Thanks to the hardworking hands and passionate hearts behind these efforts, this town has become better, stronger, and more united through the power of youth and art.