The Mill Creek Mural Project is the result of a partnership between the HCAC, Mill Creek Elementary Schools, the Town of Clayton and the Leadership of Hendricks County Class of 2022. It serves as a specific venture under the umbrella of the Hendricks County Mural Society.
In 2022, the Hendricks County Arts Council (HCAC) was awarded a matching grant from the Hendricks County Community Foundation to design and install a series of county-wide murals. The Hendricks County Mural Society, an initiative of HCAC, originated with the goal of helping communities in Hendricks County create new murals to build community awareness, pride of place, and unity.
Artist:: Holly Sims
When she is not teaching painting and art history at Anderson University, Holly can be found creating beautiful murals on walls all across Central Indiana. Most recently, Holly was one of five artists selected to participate in the 2022 Putnam County Mural Festival, which received over 130 applicants from around the world. Having taught art at the middle, high school and collegiate levels, Holly’s approach to arts and community engagement is both thoughtful and creative, leaving a lasting impact on any participant. She has a BA in fine art from Anderson University and an MFA in Painting and Drawing from New York Studio School. A native of neighboring Putnam County, Holly’s connections to Hendricks County run deep. Her mom taught at Mill Creek Elementary for seventeen years before retiring. Holly has many memories of visiting Mill Creek while her mom was a teacher and is excited to come back to engage the students in the mural-making process.You can follow her @ hollysimspainting.com
In March of 2023, students at Mill Creek East Elementary met with the artist and brainstormed ideas for the new mural. They also received individual copies of the book, “Hey Wall” by Susan Verde, donated by United Way of Central Indiana.
