A new public art project aims to honor Mishawaka’s shoemaking history. The city on Saturday unveiled a series of four-by-six-foot fiberglass Red Ball Jets, which will be placed around Mishawaka.
Project Shoe City was overseen by the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council, a group of high school students who learn about city government and complete various community projects.
Youth council communications coordinator Ryan McGuire admitted that he hadn’t even heard of the Ball Band company before he started working on the project, but he’s come to understand how it shaped Mishawaka’s economy and identity. "These sculptures remind us where Mishawaka came from, but they also represent where we’re going," McGuire said. "Every person who walks by them, takes a picture or scans one of the QR codes will learn something about the generations who built this city and the young people who wanted to make sure that story was never forgotten."
Some of the sculptures are large-scale replicas, while others have specific designs. Ironworks Plaza features a “memorial shoe,” with an illustration of the Ball Band factory that once stood there and names of its former workers. At City Hall, the youth council’s shoe recognizes city departments and America’s 250th anniversary. The newly-created Miracle League of Northern Indiana has its own shoe at the renovated Normain Park, while art classes at the area’s three high schools each designed one.
The project also includes a website with an interactive map of the shoes’ locations and information about each one’s design.
The youth council needed to raise $35,000, to unlock a state matching grant for the project. They ended up raising more than $63,000, according to council secretary CJ Vantine.
"It has been an absolute honor to experience what it is like to rush to the finish line with a fundraising goal like this," Vantine said. "We had just a month and a half to accomplish our goal early last year, and we ended up doing more than we even thought imaginable."
Mayor Dave Wood called the Youth Advisory Council his most important initiative. "They learned how government works," Wood said. "They learned how to go in and present projects in a business suit to CEOs in our community. That’s invaluable experience."
One of the students was offered an internship at a local business, while past youth council members have been hired by the city.
