Body
Murals—art painted on interior or exterior walls—are an ancient art form. From Egyptian tombs to Italian Frescos, we have visible evidence of civilizations. Today murals are experiencing a resurgence in area communities as they serve as great communication tools, often as reminders of an area’s history and heritage. Cambridge Art teacher, Janis Howell, spent a good portion of her summer break painting a mural in Indianola for the Tri Valley Medical Clinic. She researched local history before strategizing how to help beautify the corrugated metal siding of the medical clinic. Howell wanted to honor the Pawnee woman who was wounded during the Battle of Massacre Canyon in 1873 when Sioux warriors killed 69 women and children near Trenton. An Indianola area homesteader found the severely wounded woman who was mourning her child, a victim of the attack. His family cared for the woman until she died a few days later. Originally buried on the banks of Coon Creek, her body was exhumed and reburied in the Indianola Park in 1975. Howell also wanted to depict the World War II German prisoner-of-war camp that was north of Indianola in the mural. Since Indianola is an agricultural community, the artist also paid homage to the beef and corn industries.
