Evansville is big on school spirit, as an in-progress art installation on the side of a Schalco Garage Doors building in Jacobsville makes clear.
The idea initially took root in 2015, when ECHO Housing Corporation launched a community paint-by-numbers project. As proponents of community service and engagement, Schalco offered the side of its warehouse at 28 W. Indiana St. as the canvas; the east exterior wall is visible from heavily trafficked intersection of North Main and Division streets.
Floral images were projected onto the wall of Schalco’s building, an artist drew an outline, and volunteers were charged with painting 4-by-4-foot sections. “It was gorgeous,” says Mandy Scheessele, who is moving into the ownership role at Schalco Garage Doors as her father, Andy, retires. Andy opened Schalco in 1978.
But water damage caused the exterior of the building to deteriorate. Eventually, the company installed flat siding on the wall, covering the mural.
After Mandy’s 38-year-old brother, Scott, passed away suddenly in October 2020, the family memorialized him by painting angel wings on the building’s front door. But they wanted to do more to honor Scott, who Mandy says spent around 15 years living nearby on Heidelbach Avenue. Within a year or two, “Dad and I sat down and said, ‘Now’s the time to do a mural. Scott would have wanted this mural; it’s his neck of the woods. It’s time,” Mandy recalls.
Andy connected with Michael Smith of Newburgh’s Orange Moon Art Studio, who jumped on board. As fans of area high schools’ sports rivalries, the Scheesseles decided their new artwork would spell out “Evansville, Indiana,” with individual schools represented by uniquely decorated letters. Schools volunteer to paint a letter. “We want to give students ways to stay out of trouble. We’ve heard stories of hours upon hours of students painting these, and it warms our hearts,” Mandy says.
The original plan called for the letters to be white and for people to paint around them, but Smith and the Scheesseles reversed course so the artwork is featured on the letters themselves. Sign Crafters, Inc., cuts each letter and hangs it on the siding. Sherwin Williams donates 10 paint colors, and Schalco covers the cost of the paint cans and brushes. “Everyone put their brains together,” Mandy says. “Without them, we couldn’t have done it.”
Painted letters began making their debut in 2025. “Fight Tigers Fight,” roars Reitz Memorial High School’s “E.” Husky paw prints march across North High School’s “N” painted by the Class of 2025. That year’s graduates from Central High School also left their bear mascot’s claw marks across the letter “L.” Benjamin Bosse High School’s “L” includes nods to its bulldog mascot, extracurricular activities, and the school’s iconic architecture. Castle High School in Newburgh kept its design simple: The “S” features a blue silhouette of a medieval knight’s helmet with a yellow feathered plumage sprouting from the top.
Schools control their letter’s design and have gotten creative with the process. “Evansville Christian School had a competition, voted for a winner, and the entire class got to paint it,” Mandy says. “At other schools, only advanced art students painted it, or they opened it for submissions.” Artwork remains a secret, she adds: “We don’t tell the schools what the others are going to do.”
Two sets of letters exist so that, while a school paints its letter, it still is represented on Schalco’s wall. Mandy remarks that schools not yet participating have taken notice. “Teachers have told us, ‘You have no idea how much impact that had on our students, and they’re begging us to do this,’” she says, adding that nearly all of the letters in “Indiana” have been claimed.
This summer, Orange Moon painted a sunset mural, adding a vibrant backdrop to the installation and turning it into a prime photo op. “We loved seeing prom pictures taken,” says Mandy, a Castle High School graduate. “We’ve gotten a lot of great feedback from the community and teachers. People come by, take photos, and say, ‘Our best friend painted this.’ That’s what it’s for.”
