5 big public artworks that are changing the look of Indianapolis
Hoosier stories and icons are coming alive around Indianapolis thanks to big new public art installations. This fall alone saw the fruition of multiyear plans to show major moments in Indiana basketball and entertainment, a tribute mural to Madam C.J. Walker and a 14,000-square-foot piece made from recyclable cups.
But that's just the start. The first half of 2023 will deliver massive sculptures and a mural of a literary legend downtown. All together, they'll give passers-by new images to stop and ponder for years to come.
Here are five big recent and soon-to-arrive public artworks — and where to find them.
60 artworks inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Where it is: Around the main concourse, balcony and KeyBank levels
When it was unveiled: October
Throughout the overhauled arena are iconic moments in Hoosier entertainment and basketball. More than 20 Indiana artists created the works using sand, wood, collage, painting and more techniques. It's all so good that people might miss the game staring at it.
Pieces include Reggie Miller's classic choke gesture repeated Andy Warhol-style on brightly colored backgrounds by artist Pamela Bliss, Mike Graves' depiction of the Pacers' 1999-2000 season and Kyle Ragsdale's homage to high school basketball.
"I think the combination of the renovations they've done and the artwork is going to be a whole new experience," Julia Muney Moore, the Indy Arts Council's director of public art, told IndyStar this fall.
"It just becomes more of that, 'I want to be here just to be here' experience instead of, 'Well, I'll live with the facility because I really want to see the team and the game.'"
See more: At Gainbridge Fieldhouse, glorious new art tells stories of Hoosier basketball history
Madam C.J. Walker mural
Where it is: On the Martens building at the intersection of Indiana and Senate avenues
When it was unveiled: October
If the new downtown mural of Walker looks familiar, it's because its inspiration comes from a more than 75-foot-long counterpart that was at the Indianapolis International Airport. Indianapolis artist Tasha Beckwith created both, and the new one highlights elements from the original that will play well to passing cars.
At the center is Walker, the hair-care entrepreneur who built her business in the city, along with one of her star products. Surrounding her are women from the past and future with different hairstyles and the man who Walker claimed came to her in a dream with the recipe for her scalp-healing formula.
Beckwith painted the images on panels to create the second Bicentennial Legends mural in the series after Major Taylor. At the top, she selected a quote from Walker that resonated with her the most: "If I have accomplished anything in life it is because I have been willing to work hard."
"I apply it to my own life, realizing that if I want to accomplish some things, I am going to have to work hard," Beckwith said. "Nothing is going to come easy for me."
Public art in Indy: New report maps 3,090 artworks you can see from public spaces in Marion County
'Transitions' installation
Where it is: Outside Indianapolis International Airport
When it was unveiled: October
Covering about 14,000 square feet of fence is a sure way to attract attention and mask what's going on behind it. The new airport mural accomplishes both as it hides a runway reconstruction project.
Indianapolis artist Jackie Head used more than 300,000 recyclable Put-In-Cups, which snap into chain links, to create a series of stunning patterns that include her own travel memories. A major one was of a carpet in the old airport terminal that was installed in 1987 for the Pan-American Games, she said.
"I remember this magical carpet that was rainbow and visiting and being able to jump from color to color as I was a small 5-year-old," Head said during remarks at the October unveiling.
She also incorporated black and white sections, inspired by Indianapolis Motor Speedway; colorful sections that she wanted to look like stripes of color to cars driving by; and designs that resemble patchwork quilts.
Mario Rodriguez, executive director of the Indianapolis Airport Authority, called it the largest public art display in the city.
Bicentennial Unity Plaza
Where it will be: Outside Gainbridge Fieldhouse
When it will be unveiled: End of spring and use will start over the summer
What began as more of a Pacers-themed outdoor project changed in 2020 to become a monument to reflect on the city's bicentennial moment — and to be a destination for residents and visitors alike. Andy Mallon, executive director of the Capital Improvement Board, said COVID and the racial justice protests influenced the shift.
It became an "important moment in Indianapolis for all of us to really highlight a desire and need to heal and come together but also recognize that historically over the last 200 years, we haven't met squarely on being unified," he said.
That theme will show up in the large-scale art sculptures coming to the plaza, which is funded by $28.47 million from the Lilly Endowment. "Together" comprises two stainless steel and limestone arcs — 30 feet tall and 110 feet long — that reach toward one another but don't touch. It acknowledges the need to keep working together to bridge gaps in the community.
The other, called "Sphere," is a dome-like installation that will be 23 feet and 9 inches, which is the same distance from the NBA three-point line to the basket. Video screens and cameras can project live images and be programmed, Mallon said. Both are by international artist Herman Mejia.
The plaza also will have a community basketball court that will transition into an ice-skating rink in the winter along with public restrooms and concessions. Music and dance performances, exhibits and more activities will be planned. Pacers Sports & Entertainment, the Capital Improvement Board and rotating community groups will determine programming, Mallon said.
Etheridge Knight mural
Where it will be: On the side of the Chatterbox, 435 Massachusetts Ave.
When it will be unveiled: Fall 2023
The poet will be the subject of a coming Bicentennial Legends mural downtown, residing just across the street from another literary luminary — Mari Evans.
Knight rose to fame after writing poetry in the Indiana State Prison, where he served time for robbery. Finding his talent helped change the direction of his life after he suffered from an injury in the Korean War and subsequent drug addiction. He was part of the Black Arts Movement and became the poet laureate of Martin Center College — now known as Martin University.
Depicting Knight's legacy as both a poet and community member is important for the mural, said Hanako Gavia, who is his great-niece and assistant director for the Center for Citizenship and Community at Butler University. He led Free People’s Poetry Workshops in Indianapolis, was one of the first visiting writers for the series at Butler and built bridges between those with different perspectives, she said.
"Everyone who talked to him ... always felt like a friend," said Gavia, referencing family stories that have been passed down. "He was always there to hear and listen and accept people."
The three artists who are finalists for the mural will show their visions for it March 4 in a presentation hosted by the Center for Black Literature and Culture at Central Library. The public can listen to the discussion and offer feedback for the deciding committee to take into account.
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Contact IndyStar reporter Domenica Bongiovanni at 317-444-7339 or d.bongiovanni@indystar.com. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter: @domenicareports.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis art: 5 big public artworks changing Indy's look
