Mural unveiled on city's south side
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A large crowd of family, artists, and admirers gathered on Aug. 8 in the parking lot of the south Kokomo Jiffy Lube to dedicate artist J.C. Barnett III’s latest work, “The ‘Mo,” a mural commissioned by Indiana Jiffy Lube Manager Isaiah Terrell.
The mural at 3711 S. Reed Road on Ind. 931 celebrates the spirit of the city and is the first mural that Jiffy Lube of Indiana has developed. And according to President of Indiana Auto Care E.J. Williams, the Kokomo Jiffy Lube’s owner, more are planned throughout Indiana.
Other Jiffy Lube franchisees in Indiana have developed similar mural projects, and Williams is planning more for some of his other shops, including the Jiffy Lube location at 1226 E. Markland Ave.
“As Kokomo’s first oil change shop, our family has been a part of this community for 43 years. We wanted to celebrate local artists like J.C. He’s done a wonderful job with this mural welcoming people to Kokomo,” said Williams.
Robin Williams, the Tippecanoe Arts Federation’s Howard County director, who attended the dedication, stated, “We've done a lot of things with JC over this last year or so. We helped to fund his artist series over at IUK. And he also served on our committee for the Miami Indian mural project last year (at Foxes Trail).”
“This is just perfect for him to have the introductory image when people drive into Kokomo. I'm just thrilled and proud to see his continued success, and I look forward to continuing to work with him as we help shape, grow, really enhance what's possible here in Kokomo.”
Barnett said, “Since around the age of 10 -- 28 years ago now -- I've been doing artwork that has really been meaningful to me and impactful to me. And it all has led up to this point. I've wanted to do something of this size for some time.”
Barnett thanked Robin Williams and her late husband, Maynard Eaton, for their support, along with his wife, children, and his family.
“Thank you so much to each and every single one of you who are here to celebrate this dedication of this mural with me,” said Barnett. “And I hope there's so many more opportunities to celebrate more artwork and aesthetically pleasing things here in the community.”