The Barn Artist, Scott Hagan, paints a barn for Ohio’s Bicentennial at Malabar Farm State Park. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

By Ken Drenten

You can’t look at Ohio barns without seeing the work of Scott Hagan, The Barn Artist. Hagan, of Jerusalem, Ohio, painted Ohio Bicentennial barns in all 88 counties for 2003 and has hand-painted unique, colorful designs on dozens of other barns in Ohio and other states.

I watched and photographed Hagan at work more than 20 years ago when he painted the Ohio Bicentennial Barn at Malabar Farm State Park. A professional artist since the age of 19, Hagan has been working steadily since then.

And actually, he painted 89 Ohio Bicentennial barns. “The fifth barn was destroyed by a tornado before I could finish it, so I did another one there later,” he said.

Hagan most recently painted a number of America 250-Ohio barns in recognition of America’s 250th anniversary this year. His newest one is near Middleburg Heights, another is on US 250 in Wayne County, another is just west of Fremont. The Fremont barn is part of the Sandusky County Historic Barn Mural Trail.

Earlier this year, he was honored by having a photograph of one of his barn murals selected as the lead image for the federal government organization, Share America’s website. The featured photo was of a barn mural depicting Johnny Appleseed in Perrysville. He was also featured for participating in the Murals Across Ohio project, honoring the state’s contributions to America.

This Scott Hagan-painted barn along SR 161/37 in Licking County east of Alexandria recognizes the Licking County Farm Bureau and Soil & Water. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

The Murals Across Ohio project is part of America 250-Ohio established by the Ohio Arts Council to highlight public art that reflects Ohio’s history, heritage, and culture. The program showcases murals in large cities and small towns, depicting historical milestones, local innovations and community pride. 

His work is not only on barns, but on the sides of schools, businesses, organizations and at athletic fields and indoor sports arenas. Incredibly, you can view his work at hundreds of locations in Ohio and in other states.

The subjects of his commissioned work include Americana and patriotism, Ohio history and tourism, Mail Pouch Tobacco, religious faith, school logos, Amish quilt designs, agriculture, business and brand names and more.

Learn more about Scott Hagan’s amazing art and craft at his website and Facebook page (The Barn Artist).

View a video, Barns of Ohio, photographed by Ken Drenten, that includes Scott Hagan’s barn mural work.

Where to find Scott Hagan’s America 250-Ohio murals:

• 7450 W. 130th St., Middleburg Heights, America 250-Ohio logo.
• 3888 W. State St. (US 20), Fremont, America 250-Ohio logo.
• SR 95 north of 39, Perrysville, Johnny Appleseed design.
• SR 7 between Coolville and Tuppers Plains, Northwest Ordinance design.
• SR 215 in New Richmond, Ulysses S. Grant design
• SR 32 and Keever Road, Williamsburg, Underground Railroad design.

Ken Drenten is creator and editor of Dusty-Tires.com, a travel blog for out-of-the-ordinary places in Ohio.

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