Downtown Fremont Inc. is in the process of creating a River Wall Mural near the railroad tracks by the State Street Bridge heading east. This mural is the first panel of what Downtown Fremont Inc. hopes to be a long term community mural art project. The mural will be a creation of a local artist who was one of many who have a desire to bring life to a stone wall that many drive by daily in hopes to making the mural to expand in years to come.
This River Wall Mural is 35 feet in length by 4 feet in height. The art is designed and will be painted by the chosen artist that will create the vivid mural for walkers and motorists to see for years to come. Emma Lehmann has been chosen to create ‘The Walleye in the Waves’, which is going to be a bright addition to our growing downtown. She is looking forward to the additional artists that will come to the area when the call goes out for more art to be added along the wall.
Emma Lehmann is a self-taught artist with a love of bright colors and whimsical design; here she speaks about her art journey so far in Fremont, Ohio. She is also the co-owner of The Open House at 108 S Front Street which is a collaboration of local art, crafts and unique gifts.
“I’ve always been driven to bring a bit of magic to day-to-day life, it’s like my childhood imagination never really left. I’ve found that life is far too short to try to suppress creativity and attempt to follow trends that do not make you happy. After moving to Ohio about 6 years ago I’ve managed to finally reach my goal of making my artwork, my main work. From my early pet portraits to this new venture at the river wall and everything in between, seeing my work grow has been so inspiring and motivates me daily to keep pursuing this path. I wouldn’t have come this far without encouragement from my awesome husband, Brandon, who has been saying from day one “you should draw more”, so I did exactly that. I’m still looking to give back to the local community with my ‘making spaces brighter places’ project where I’d like to donate art / murals to not for profit communal spaces, indoor or outdoor, in areas that need it. I was very happy with the way my first donated mural turned out at The Village House; it brings a lot of joy to the visitation space it was installed in. I’m looking forward to seeing what next year holds, I have some plans in the works for more installations, paint-a-long classes and possibly some immersive art experiences.’’
The Bellevue Hospital is the supporter of this project through a 2022 sponsorship that was given to Downtown Fremont, Inc. for The Crop Circle Art and Music Event.
All proceeds from The Crop Circle Art & Music Event of 2022 goes towards the Public Arts Program in Downtown Fremont.
