I'm Faith Kellermeyer, the Project Manager for On the Mark, For the City. I'm an idea-person, I'm an extrovert (most of the time), and I'm on a not-so-secret mission to make my community a more colorful place. If you'd like to know more about me and my role in this project, read on!
What does a Project Manager do?
Good question! In addition to being a project manager for the mural, I'm also a project manager for my day job at Ball State University and I get this question a lot! Essentially, I make sure the details are covered so that the big picture idea can come to fruition as smoothly as possible. When it comes to the mural project, I organize our meetings, manage our communication efforts, and help designate tasks that align best with the specific talents of each team member (which is easy, because they're all rockstars).
What do you know about art?
My parents kept a well-stocked art supplies cabinet in their house since before I was born, so my childhood was pretty full of creative endeavors (and lots of glitter, glue, yarn, and paint). I took a handful of art classes in high school and earned a minor in visual art studies in undergrad. The summer after my sophomore year of college, I was an intern at a community art center in North Philadelphia. During that summer, I learned about the Mural Arts Program in Philadelphia and got really excited about community-driven public art.
When it comes to my own art-making, I paint watercolors and I'm also a hand-letterer. My work has recently been on display at the Muncie Makes Lab and Savages Alehouse. I like combining my love of patterns and botanical imagery with empowering feminist messages and (sometimes) a cheeky sense of humor. I sell my prints, T-shirts, and greeting cards on Etsy and at a sweet home decor store in Berne, Indiana (my hometown).
So...what do you know about Muncie?
I moved to Muncie in 2013 to pursue my master's in Communication Studies at Ball State. One of the things I immediately noticed about this community was how accessible it is for anyone interested in getting involved. It's big enough that there are resources for getting things done, but small enough that there is room for fresh ideas and new voices. When I graduated in 2015, I took a newly-created position at Ball State's Center for Emerging Media Design and Development and decided to stick around for the foreseeable future.