Art on Main 2021

In past years, Kendallville's Main Street has been adorned with brightly and uniquely decorated benches, wheelbarrows, and rain barrels. During summer 2021, downtown will be abuzz with honeybee hives-turned-artworks as part of the 2021 Art on Main project.

Twenty plain, wood bee hive boxes were distributed by the Kendallville Chamber of Commerce in early summer to local groups and individuals to produce works of art. Now, the hives can be seen and enjoyed along Main Street, on sidewalks and in storefronts. On Saturday, September 18, 2021 the hives will be auctioned off at a downtown event to raise money for Experience the Heart of Kendallville's various downtown revitalization efforts.

In conjunction with the art project, the Chamber has also decorated downtown with pollinator-friendly flowers and sandwich boards containing information about bee facts and conservation tips. Honeybees have been a target of recent conservation efforts as ongoing studies show bee colonies have been shrinking and dying off in recent years. Aside from producing honey that humans enjoy eating, honeybees are responsibly for up to 80% of plant pollination, making them an important link in the ongoing survival of many plant species.

This year’s Art on Main project is sponsored by NIPSCO.