Marketing comes in many shapes and sizes. In Rensselaer, Ind., it now takes the form of a 135-foot water tower rising above I-65.

“We have been working with the Jasper County Commissioners to extend water and sewer to the west side of I-65. With the extension, we expected growth in the I-65/SR 114 area, so the tower was erected with this increased expectation,” Mayor Jeff Phillips explained.

Ryan Preston, a local businessman and artist, approached Phillips with the idea to paint a mural on the tower, which would tie the SR 114 exit on I-65 with downtown Rensselaer murals and hopefully increase tourism.

Commonwealth Engineering was the engineer on this project. CE put city officials in for an award with American Council of Engineering Companies, which named it as a finalist.

A former art teacher, Preston spearheaded the project and put his art skills to work painting the sky-high mural. When Phillips took over as the mayor in January 2024, Preston came to him with the idea of using the new water tower to advertise their town.

Preston said, “We talked about signage with economic development for a couple of years. ‘How do we get people off the interstate and into our town?’ To me, this is rent-free.”

At first the mayor was hesitant. But Preston continued to press for it, rationalizing the cost of contracting a paint job and other aspects until Phillips became open to the idea.

“We were able to do it in a way where it was tourism-directed and beneficial to the town, too, not just something pretty. It was putting our name out there, as far as Jasper County and our mission to help people discover Jasper County,” Preston said.

Ever since Saint Joseph’s College suspended operations in 2017, residents have questioned the small city’s sense of self, Preston said. Previously, since 1889, it had been tied to the Catholic college. “It was so much a part of Rensselaer for so long, it was kind of the identity of the town.”

With turnaround in the city’s population, however, he said he sees “a spark of younger generation creativity,” and that Rensselaer has become a “creative community, friendly and artisan-centered, a great meeting place.” Its location between cities like Indianapolis and Chicago makes it an ideal spot to stop, relax and breathe.

Over the past 10 years, Rensselaer has encouraged the painting of murals in the downtown area. These provide color and photo opportunities for visitors to the city of roughly 6,000 residents, and the water tower blends nicely with the artisan culture that is taking over.

The city is agriculturally centered, but Preston pointed toward its good local restaurants, craft brewery and the fall Ren Art Walk. The annual JC Cruisers event has drawn car enthusiasts to Rensselaer every July for the past 40 years, and the Prairie Arts Council art camp hosts events throughout the year.

When deciding what should go on the water tower, multiple designs were considered. Citizens debated using the Rensselaer Central High School mascot “Bob” the Bomber, but Preston believed that the city is much more than the high school and lobbied against it. Finally, the city council agreed upon the current leaf design with “Discover Jasper County” painted below the city’s name.

Once the paint had been purchased, a stencil from Reinforcements Design – a local company owned by Rein Bontrager – was created and a 150-foot lift rented. Preston and nationally renowned muralist Cameron Moberg began painting the mural themselves. It took nine days for the two men to complete.

Though he lives in San Francisco, Moberg, along with his wife Crystal, has brought more than 150 murals to Indiana. “But this one literally tops them all,” he said.

He chose a leaf motif to demonstrate the concept of time, specifically the memories he has of Rensselaer. Moberg stated: “After designing, I began reflecting on my time in Rensselaer over the years. I’ve spent every summer there for eight years with my family. It has become a home away from home.”

Painting the curved tower created “tons of challenges,” according to Preston, and required moving the lift many times to compensate for the curvature.

He remarked that he was “100%” nervous about being so high in the air for the project and feeling the sway of the bucket in stronger winds. Safety was their first concern, though, so when the weather proved too turbulent for comfort, the two men avoided working on those days.

Even obtaining the correct paint posed a challenge. It needed to adhere properly, “because we were only going to go up there one time.” It also had to meet the requirements for water tower paint.

Representatives from the paint company stopped in Rensselaer to see the finished product and were struck by what Preston and Moberg created. Other people who knew about the project also went to see it and professed their amazement.

Speaking at a workshop for artists that took place in the community, Preston said the water tower became a topic of discussion between attendees from Missouri; South Bend, Ind.,; and other places, “and them coming to town for the first time, they were like ‘Wow, we had not seen that before in all of our travels.’” He stated that the mural grabbed people’s attention like “a beacon.”

He hopes that his innovative marketing tactic will draw people off I-65 to discover all that Jasper County has to offer. For the people of Rensselaer, he said, “It’s our welcome mat.”

Moburg sees his mural as a metaphor for life. “I hope we see this and reflect so that we won’t take all the little things for granted. Every season is a chance to remember, and it’s a chance to let go of the bad and embrace the good.”

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