April 26, 2016 - A new Riverfront Fort Wayne community art project, called Faces of the Fort, gets underway this week. The project allows community members the opportunity to paint oversized beach balls that will be installed on the rivers and hung from bridges in downtown Fort Wayne.

The beach balls will be prepared (blown up and given base coats of paint) on Wednesday, April 27 from 1 to 5 p.m. at Wunderkammer Company, 3402 Fairfield Ave. Media are invited to stop by and take photos/video of the preparation. 

Faces of the Fort is loosely modeled after a similar effort in Los Angeles last year. Three sizes of beach balls (eight feet, four feet and 20 inches) will be painted by area residents, with dedicated opportunities for seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, and children to participate. Community artists will lead the art sessions and guide participants as they paint faces on the more than 200 beach balls. Riverfront Fort Wayne may schedule painting sessions that are open to the public and will announce the dates and times once finalized.

Faces of the Fort is supported in part by the AWS Foundation and Lutheran Health Network and is presented in partnership with Wunderkammer Company, Punch Films, BFA Commercial and Three Rivers Festival. The beach balls will be hung from four bridges (Ewing Street Bridge, Historic Wells Street Bridge, Harrison Street Bridge and Columbia Street Bridge) and floated on the St. Mary’s River from the Ewing Street Bridge to the confluence beginning June 30. The entire community is invited to a party on the Historic Wells Street Bridge on June 30 from 6 to 8 p.m. to celebrate the installation of the art project.

Riverfront Fort Wayne hosts regular programs and events as part of a three-part effort to build support for revitalizing the downtown riverfront. Programming, maintenance and development are all part of efforts to create a downtown riverfront that is a regional destination and source of pride for all of northeast Indiana. Partners in Riverfront Fort Wayne include the City of Fort Wayne, the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne and the Capital Improvement Board. More information is available at www.riverfrontfw.org