Evansville’s winning entry selected for America 250 Poster Project

Poster will be displayed at U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) Annual Meeting in June

Evansville – Local artist Lesley Nelson’s entry was selected as the Evansville winner of the America 250 Poster Project.

In early April, local artists were invited to submit a poster celebrating Evansville, local history, and inspiring hope for the future, as part of the America 250 Poster Project. This project was created by the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM), in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The EVPL Foundation, as the Indiana Arts Commission Region 10 Regional Arts Partner, worked with Mayor Stephanie Terry to facilitate the contest.

The America 250 Poster Project is a platform to celebrate civic and national pride in honor of the semiquincentennial, and to showcase the power of artists to interpret and express community identity.

Mayor Terry and members of the Arts at EVPL team selected the poster best exemplifying the theme. Nelson’s poster, created with acrylic paint on canvas, features an Ohio River sunset in the background, with a foreground featuring the American flag, local county and community names, and a male and female Northern Cardinal, the Indiana state bird. These images are framed by the words, “America 250” and a garland of pink peonies, the Indiana state flower.

Nelson’s poster will be submitted to the USCM for display at the USCM’s 94th Annual Meeting in Long Beach, CA, June 4–7, 2026.

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