McKEESPORT, Pa. — Lori Hepner, professor of integrative arts at Penn State Greater Allegheny, has completed "Currents Above: Skies of Wonder," a mural and lighting project in Indianola, Iowa.
The work connects the town square to a rear parking area through a 10-foot-wide, 120-foot-long walkway. This $50,000 public art commission began with a community light-painting workshop that Lori Hepner held at Simpson College in February 2025. The "Drawing with Light" workshop brought together people across ages and backgrounds.
Hepner used this community engagement to customize the project design, incorporating silhouettes of real Indianola residents. The annual National Balloon Classic, a hot air balloon festival held in Indianola, inspired Hepner to create a visual journey that takes visitors from ground level in the parking area up into the clouds as they walk toward the town square.
Hepner, assisted by painter Sandy Kessler Kaminski, spent two weeks at the beginning of August 2025 installing the artwork in the alleyway. Kaminski Engineering installed the lighting system, which illuminates Buxton Alley after dark through LED projections. The system uses custom full-color glass slides of Hepner’s cloud photography, places a rider in a basket and creates abstract fire effects from a balloon’s burner.
Visit lorihepner.com for more on the project and follow Hepner’s work on Instagram @lori.hepner.