Visit Dubois County recently received the Indiana Tourism Conference Award for Best IN Indiana Activation, honoring tourism businesses that are creative, innovative, and dedicated to the Indiana tourism industry.
“The Art Loop” project was submitted for the category, which connects and highlights the many works of art located throughout the Heart of Jasper district.
Through the IN Indiana Placemaking Activation grant, two artistic projects were completed in 2023, using the IN Indiana “indicator” in each design of the art transformations completing phases 1 and 2 of the overall project, followed by two alleyway activation projects.
The project outlined the creation of a place by activating the connection between heavy visitor traffic areas to key attractions, such as transporting overnight guests to the Dubois County Visitor Center, Jasper Community Arts / Cultural Center, the vibrant downtown square, and the Spirit of Jasper Train & Depot.
The project scope concentrated on leading visitors to use the recommended walking path and not cross the highway in less safe areas, showcases the ease of walking to the various locations, eventually adding ground markers as in Phase 5, enhancing experiences through the expression of art, and creates Instagram-able locations and builds awareness on social media platforms.
The complete phases of the project are the following phases – 1. River of Dreams Underpass Transformation, 2. Create a Memory Mural, 3. Downtown Activation (connect with existing art installations and the new alleyway activations), 4. Marketing Materials and Branding, 5. Trail Markers, and 6. Instagram and Social Media Passport Development. Judges on the panel commented, “Clever IN Indiana Activation with long-time appeal. Being thoughtful of where these murals are located in order to move people was smart.”
Visit Dubois County’s creative approach to marketing, coupled with the dedication to incorporate creative placemaking and adding additional public art to the communities of Dubois County creates a quality place where people want to live, work, play, and learn.
The future phases of the project are a focus area for Visit Dubois County with continued applications in development.
