Artist paints mural on wall of closed nightclub

It all started with a bad view.

Cassaundra Huskey said she has looked at the chipping, graffiti-covered back wall of Jake’s Nightclub for years.

The building’s vacant black windows face the street, and a sign on the building lists details about its size and where to direct leasing inquires.  

Once a thriving party hotspot in Bloomington, the exterior of Jake’s Nightclub has slowly deteriorated. After new management remodeled the building into Jake’s Now! Nightclub on Walnut during summer 2012, the bar closed in April 2013.

The back wall was still in bad shape.

Huskey, a member of Cardinal Fitness on College Avenue, was greeted with the same view of the decrepit wall every time she worked out.  

She couldn’t help but feel there was something that could be done about it, according to her summary on Indiegogo, a campaign site where people can raise money for theater, film, small businesses and projects. So she started the project “Paint Jake’s Wall.”

Huskey researched how much such a project would cost. She began looking up mural paintings online to see if she could get a cost estimate from someone.

She eventually got in touch with Miah Michaelsen, assistant director for the Arts in the City of Bloomington, who gave her a list of people the city had worked with before.

“I also contacted other people that I had researched on my own through the Internet,” Huskey said, “and that’s how I got in touch with Laura Brikmanis.”

Brikmanis, an IU graduate, has worked in Bloomington for years. In 2008 she painted the mural on the back of the Bloomington Playwrights Project, which is in the same building as Jake’s Nightclub.

After conducting her research, Huskey decided to bring Brikmanis onboard.

“Of the quotes I got, hers was definitely the best-looking quote,” Huskey said. “It was least expensive and the city liked her because she had done the BPP mural. I thought it would be perfect, she could create a nice transition between the two.”

Jordan Vukas, the owner of Jake’s Nightclub property since 1986, said he heartily approved of the project.

“I was overjoyed that somebody like Cassaundra Huskey undertook this project,” Vukas said. “Once she made the call, I threw my support behind it.”

Vukas said since his time as proprietor, there have been five different owners, none of which took proper care of the back wall. Nothing but minimal advertising and peeling paint have graced the wall since 1986.

“I think, primarily, tenants in that location have used it to basically put their logo or form of advertising on the back,” Vukas said. “I think they have been lax in utilizing that space, so it became an area that attracted graffiti and was not well kept, which
was the responsibility of the tenants.”

Vukas said with the right owners, Jake’s Nightclub has the potential to be a great space, whether it is used as a bar, restaurant or office space. He said he hopes the mural will have a positive affect on the location in general.

BPP, Vukas’ other tenants, share the building with Jake’s Nightclub. However, there is a clear divide between BPP’s space and Jake’s, Managing Director of BPP Jessica Reed said.

She said Brikmanis’ mural has given the entire back of the building a much nicer look.

“When Cassaundra brought her on to paint the back of Jake’s, she kept the design of BPP in mind, so there really is a nice flow,” Reed said.

The theme of the mural revolves around wildflowers. Inspiration for the theme was derived from “Blooming”-ton itself.

Brikmanis said the mural took her about three months to complete.

“The mural is approachable by everyone, wildflowers are approachable by everyone,” Brikmanis said. “They’re not always the most beautiful flowers, but anyone can go out and pick a wildflower. I just wanted it to be something that was approachable to everyone and aesthetically pleasing and calming.”

Huskey said they made the design simple so that it may be maintained over the years, according to her Indiegogo summary . A complex design might have caused complications later on down the road if Brikmanis was not available to do repairs.
Brikmanis signed a contract to maintain the wall for five years, but she said she believes the wall is expected to last much longer.

“The mural next to it lasted for more than five years and it still looks good, so hopefully as long as the surface of the wall maintains, it will be fine,” Brikmanis said.

The project, which took a lot more work than Huskey originally anticipated, cost $6,250 to complete. Huskey received funds from German American Bancorp, BPP, private donors, Vukas, her own contribution and the Zone Arts Grant from the Bloomington Urban Enterprise Association.

A long line of cardio exercise machines stretch down the front of Cardinal Fitness, facing out toward the street.

Allyson Kicmal has worked at Cardinal Fitness for six years.

She said customers work out for long periods of time on those machines and are greeted with a view of the street, passing cars and adjacent buildings, including the back of Jake’s Nightclub.

“Our cardio section has always been there, it’s gonna stay there,” Kicmal said. “I mean, you’re on there for at least 30 minutes at a time staring out. There’s not much change in scenery, so it is nice to have a mural to look at, especially in the winter because it’s so gross outside most of the time anyway.”

Kicmal said the wall’s cleaner look will be a great improvement for the customers.

A ribbon cutting ceremony took place for the wall on January 23. All that is missing is Brikmanis’ signature and a plaque dedicated to people and corporations involved with the project.
 
“I have the plaque, we’re just waiting for a day when you won’t freeze trying to screw it in,” Huskey said with a laugh.
 
By painting the wall, Huskey said it will hopefully discourage vandals, encourage investment in the neighborhood and make people who drive by it smile, she wrote in her grant application.

“There was a lot of graffiti and stuff on it before,” said Lauren Lafferty, customer service specialist at German American Bancorp. “It’s a lot nicer now.”

Huskey said she is relieved “Paint Jake’s Wall” is finally complete. Toward the end of the project, Huskey said all she could think about was getting it done.

“I kind of lost sight of ‘Hey, this is actually really cool,’” Huskey said. “And so when we had the ribbon cutting ceremony last Thursday, and Miah talked to me, it really made me feel good. It was kind of eye-opening and made me realize that people were happy and excited about it.”

Huskey has helped turn something that was once an eyesore into a long stretch of Indiana wildflowers set against the colors of a sunset.  

“Even if people don’t like it, I like that public art starts a dialogue,” Brikmanis said. “No matter what, I think it has an impact on the community as far as getting people into art.”

Follow reporter Makenzie Holland on Twitter @m_holland6.