Originally to be known as the American Flag Mural, this mural adorning the exterior of Joyner's…read moreRestaurant in Elwood, Indiana is noted to have been seen by Elwood police officer Noah Shahnavaz the day before he was killed during a traffic stop in on July 31, 2022. It wasn't long before the mural, which Officer Shahnavaz had admired, was renamed the Officer Noah Shahnavaz Memorial Mural and dedicated within the past month or so. The mural was created by Indiana-based pop artist Theodore Winters and practically wraps itself around the Joyner's building. Winters, who possesses a retro vibe and specializes in painting scenes from the 50's, has now created what he calls his most important work and a work that is helping heal the small Madison County community of Elwood. The mural was dedicated during a public event and prayer vigil in Shahnavaz's memory. The 24-year-old officer had been an Elwood officer just shy of a year when his alleged assailant shot him through the front window of his cruiser. Prior to becoming a police officer, Shahnavaz served in the military for five years. The mural was originally intended as promotion for the business, however, Joyner's has responded enthusiastically to the mural's new significance in the community and are proud it can be used to honor Officer Shahnavaz and all police officers. Winters, who has been creating murals for 15 years, has expressed feeling similarly about the new and powerful significance of the mural. If you get a chance, I highly suggest a trip to Elwood to check it out along with other public art in the Elwood area. While you're there, stop into Joyner's - they have great burgers!

One of the newest additions of public art to Tipton's downtown is from the self-taught county…read moreresident Tanner Fernung. Fernung grew up in nearby Sharpsville and was selected to paint this mural about a block north of the courthouse. The mural is called "22" which represents the number of American Veterans who commit suicide daily in the USA. This heartbreaking statistic connected with the young artist who created the mural in black and white of a waving American flag. In the foreground of the mural is an image of a sculpture that represents a fallen soldier: a pair of boots with a gun sticking out of them and the soldier's helmet balanced over the end of the gun. The mural is not easily seen from the street since it was painted closer to the back part of the north wall it is on. If you like Fernung's work, you can visit The Alley on South Main to see a couple more examples of his painting. Review #2815

Love this mural. Patriotism at it's best! The artist did a fantastic job. It's kind if hidden but…read moreworth looking for. It's at the intersection of Main St. & Washington St. Just look to the SE and you will see it.

This brightly colored mural is a fun welcome to the small town of Elwood. The Red Gold themed art…read moreis the work of local artist, Rod Leisure, who signed the mural "Rod Man". Family owned, Red Gold has a large processing plant in Elwood and employs many local residents. Red Gold sponsored the mural with support from Red Gold owners, the Reicharts family. So, it is no coincidence that the mural reminded me of a Red Gold label. The "Welcome to Elwood" mural is prominent on Main Street in Elwood. The mural features butterflies, tomatoes with a blue ribbon attached, and Indiana farmland scenes. There is parking in the lot next to the mural.

This mural was commissioned by Elwood based Red Gold Tomatoes and the company's first family, the…read moreReicharts. It is located on the side of an old, and now vacant, cleaners and was painted in 2020 and is the work of Elwood native Rod Leisure. The colors and detail of the mural are awesome. It draws you in. Parking to get a closer look at this mural is simple. It overlooks a parking lot that you can pull into, get out of your vehicle and check it out. The mural depicts a tomato field with tomatoes in the fore ground. You will also find two butterflies with tomatoes for their body and the words "Red Gold" on the viewers left and "Welcome to Tomato Country on the viewer's right. The mural is painted around a window, which it is centered on and above that window is "Elwood, Indiana". The mural's border is a curtain that is pulled back which is a nice extra touch. The mural is interactive, as you are able to stand in front of one of the butterflies and it makes it appears as if you have wings. It is a great advertisement for Red Gold and a nice welcome to this small town. I really like this mural. It is defiantly worth checking out, as well as the story behind Red Gold and its roots in Elwood. As with most murals that I have visited and reviewed, this is probably not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at some of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.

Grant County has honored the creator of the cartoon character, Garfield, with a trail tour through…read morethe County. Garfield's creator, Jim Davis, was born and raised in Grant County. Giant figures of the iconic feline are scattered throughout different communities. A cell phone tour describes attractions along the route. I visited several of the figures during my recent visit to Grant County. The first stop is at the Community Foundation of Grant County. The people at the Foundation provided us with a map and information of the Trail. The Garfield behind the Foundation is on a pedestal with a description plaque. This cat is called "Marion - Paws for Thought". Garfield (a little faded) stands with his arms folded showing a little attitude. Our second stop was at the Marion Public Library. Inside, "Bookworm Garfield" is surrounded by books. He is also decorated for the holidays. There are fourteen figures throughout the County. The Trail is a fun way to learn about Grant County. I didn't know about the Trail until my visit. I recommend picking up the map and hooking into the mobile phone guided tour. I found nearby parking at each of our stops, though accessibility was variable.

This is one of the Garfield statues on the Grant County Garfield Trail. Unfortunately, you can't…read moreget close to it, because it's in a garden that's fenced off and locked. So everyone in my party oohed and aahed from a good distance away. There's a plaque inside the gate but close enough to read that outlines what the Garfield Trail is and a little about the statue at this stop. Basically, Grant County has placed Garfield statues all around in different cities in honor of cartoonist Jim Davis, who is from the area. You can drive around and check out each one. It's a nice way to explore Grant County and learn more about a famous Hoosier. There were also some brochures for the Garfield trail inside a little plastic container, which tell you where each statue is located. There's a little parking lot just around the corner from the statue, or you can park on the street.

Fun fact: Much like…read morethe drama masks included as part of the public art installation "Admit One" located on the east wall of Tipton, Indiana's Diana theatre, I am also adorned with a similar tattoo. So, you can imagine my delight when I finally had a chance to check out "Admit One," an installation added to the historic theatre in 2017 with most of the work being done by Robin Coyner along with community volunteers. The installation was part of the "Art in Rural Places" project and it fits sublimely on the Diana's building as its an entirely film-themed installation that includes a large projector, the theater masks (my tattoo), and a theatre ticket. It's an attractive, colorful addition to the historic building (I'll confess I was somewhat surprised it was allowed on the building). I like the way that the film reel incorporates touches significant to the Tipton area. It's a wonderful weaving together of the project's rural setting with the public art. While the project was completed in 2017, I'm somewhat saddened that it hasn't caught on in downtown Tipton. Sponsored by The Arts Federation, "Admit One" is artwork that instantly makes you smile when you drive by it and it's one of those pieces of art that is practically a "must stop" locations that is ideal for a selfie. The mural takes the entire east side of the building and draws you in if you're coming in on that side of the Diana. The Arts Federation actually places murals in several counties and they're nearly all remarkable efforts that add a nice spark of creativity in rural settings.

Unless you are coming into Tipton from the east, you could easily miss one of the best matches of…read moreart and business in the area! On the east wall of the Diana Theatre, a mural was added in 2017 that compliments the movie theater with local historical sites in the area. The art shows the historic buildings as frames of film while an over sized projector and the theater masks sit in the background. The art was primarily painted by Robin Coyner (with some help from local volunteers) as part of the Tippecanoe Arts Federation's program "Arts in Rural Places." The mural is colorful and somewhat whimsical. There's even a giant theater ticket on the north end of the wall. This is a really nice addition to the downtown to add some color and vibrancy to an area known with its older buildings that lack much life. I hope Tipton can continue to find ways to add art to its downtown. Review #2042

While touring Indiana, international artist/muralist Jules Muck (MuckRock) stopped in Kokomo to…read morecreate an Inspirational Heroes wall just a block south east of the courthouse. In an alley, faces were painted along the west wall of the alley of people who inspired others. Some were political. Some were entertainment. Others were just regular people who rose in the occasion to become inspirational to others. The alley includes Barack Obama, Bruce Lee, Ryan White, Maya Angelou, Rosa Parks, MLK Jr, Freddie Mercury, Mr Rogers, and Ceasar Chavez. Although some of the artwork is more detailed (recognizable) than others, once given the names available, I was easily able to identify the individuals. And even though some may seem more inspirational than others to me, the fact is that each inspired some people, showing that inspirational heroes come in all races, genders, and walks of life. Review #3065

I love a good roadside attraction and this one has been pinned on my map for a little while. We…read moretraveled from Wisconsin to Ohio for a wedding and made the detour to set a world record (even if it was for only an hour and a half). Everyone was a little weary about it as it added some time to our trip, but after everyone was happy we did it and it became a conversation topic for the weekend! We called on our way (be sure to pay attention to the time change if you're doing in a day) and Mike didn't seem like he wanted to chat, but we let him know about when we were going to be there and when we arrived, he was ready for us. He went through the story, getting into the world record book, then we picked out our color and got to painting. As we painted we chatted more and he told us some stories of all the different types of people that have visited, weird and unique paint jobs, and more. I am assuming he gets paint donated or he has paint that has been around a while, because it did have a unpleasant smell so we rolled quickly. Don't be too worried about getting it on your clothes unless you are reckless, there are long handles on the rollers, the most you'll get is on the bottom of your shoe. Its awesome you get to be a small part of a world record and worth the detour if you're in the area. He does accept donations through cash, venmo, or credit card. I recommend a stop!

I totally understand obsessions and the need to be first at something that many consider odd or…read moreunusual. Having the most reviews on Yelp would certainly be an obsession and that's where I am. So I went out of my way to stop here at the World' Largest Ball of Paint which is located in Indiana. Arriving during business hours, I was able to meet up with the painter himself, ask Mike some questions, see the wet paint and understand a bit about this pretty awesome piece of Americana. It is a bit out of the way but worth it. The Ball of Paint is free to visit and they do accept donations. You can also contribute to the paint ball. [Review 1313 of 2024 - 189 in Indiana - 22336 overall]

There is a new public art mural across the street on the north side of the courthouse in Marion…read more Created by local artist/art teacher Andrew Luttrull in 2018, the mural spans the entire length of the alley! The artist wanted to create a mural that would focus on the possibilities of what could be and then working towards making that change happen, i.e., a mural that would be positive and encourage being proactive. The mural is painted on a light blue background and from left to right, shows a young male preparing to launch a paper airplane which then changes in a frame by frame style, into a white bird. I found the story of the mural easy to follow and imaginative. And the bright colors seem to soften the emotional effect of walking passed a long, otherwise dark alley. I wish more communities would invest in transforming their old downtowns into canvases and thereby create points of interest for visitors to see. I hope that Marion and the rest of Grant County can take steps to revitalize their towns like I am seeing throughout central Indiana. Review #2258

A very beautiful mural with a positive message. Brings life and color into downtown Marion.read more