Theses are two murals that were painted by Jules Muck aka Muckrock in 2019. They are on the Tube…read moreFactory Artspace, a place where all is welcome to create some art. You will find the green beetle on a small door outside the courtyard near the back, near the chicken coop. It is just a plain beetle, nothing spectacular. The other mural, which is a bit larger and located in the back of the building on a garage roll up door. It is a mural of Marguerite Young, an Indianapolis-born poet and novelist, drinking a cup of rainbow. The mural is 3D, as it gives off the appearance that the rainbow is overflowing from the cup and onto the ground in front of the garage door. I like it, I like it a lot. The mural is modeled after an actual photo of Young that was taken in 1948. There is lots of free street parking available for you to get out and check out the mural. However, it is not a very long stop. This is a brief stop and so, it is best to plan out stops at many of the other wonderful murals in the area or at/in the Artspace.

In August 2019, international artist/muralist Jules Muck spent time in Central Indiana adding…read moremurals in multiple styles. Such is the case with the two she added to the Tube Factory on the south east side. On the east wall near the doorway, a giant green scarab beetle is painted. The beetle is painted as if viewed from above. Between the large, jagged pinchers is the artist's signature "Muck Rock". Around the building to the south end is where a garage door has been transformed. The mural is a portrait of Marguerite Young, a famous Indianapolis-born (Butler Univ) writer, poet, and instructor. In the mural, she is sipping from a coffee cup that is overflowing with a rainbow that flows out onto the ground in front of the door. Although well known in literary circles, I was unfamiliar with Young until I saw the mural. I like when I find one piece of art and it leads me to others, in this case, a different art form. I've read some of Young's poems and though she is best know for "Miss Macintosh, My Darling", the book is close to 1200 pages. She had a lot to say! While in the area, take note of the other artwork around the Tube Factory. Check out "Totally Pencil" on the west wall or some of the art scattered around the grounds. Review #2893

Best up and coming artist in Indiana…read more Her work is stunning and transforms every room in our business and home. Whenever she has a show we have to go early before every piece of art sells. We own a massage center in Portland, OR called East Bridge Massage and we have her art all over our 1907 upgraded PDX craftsman. You can come and see her work and hear our customers rave about her art that we are so fortunate to have throughout our business home. If you ever have the opportunity to meet the humble artist you will be even more compelled to invest in one of her paintings.

his mural is a vinyl print of an original by Gretchen Katner and is part of the Indianapolis…read moreAirport's Art Program in conjunction with the Indianapolis Art Council. It is located in the airport's B concourse. It was placed to welcome fans during the NCAA basketball tournament being held in Indianapolis as part of a powerful community collaboration called Swish. This abstract piece depicts a close up view of some flowers and blossoms. Without context, this mural does not have much meaning outside of the flowers depicted. However, Katner piece has a basketball connection because it is intended to represent a buzzer-beater. The flowers depicted in the mural are shown in a garden just before an initial freeze arrives in October. When speaking of the piece, Katner says, "The playful lines and bright colors call to mind the raucous dance of summer as it tumbles into autumn and finally releases its color until spring." It is a whimsical and color piece. I will admit that the connection is a stretch though and outside of Katner and whoever took the time to research the piece, they will never see the connection. It is a nice piece artistically, but very simple. I do like the texture appearance and the look of vertical brush strokes throughout the mural. This mural is "ok" for me. But because it is located in the Airport, behind the security check point to make it even more complicated. it is hard to get to and practically impossible to just make a special trip to see. The vast majority of people seeing this sculpture will be ticketed passengers flying in or out of the airport. But if you are flying out of the airport and see it, now you have some context and know what you are looking at.

While stopping to grab a lunch in Irvington, I parked in a lot behind the row of shops/restaurants…read morewest of Audubon. The closest lot was full, but there was a second one that was accessible off Layman Avenue. What a surprise to see this large mural right in front of me! The mural features a recreation of Michelangelo's image of God from his famous center (ceiling) painting in the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican. In the painting, the hand of God reaches to the left towards Adam. In this mural, the hand is pointing towards the word "Irvington" which appears on a bright blue banner. The words "A Moveable Feast" appear in a smaller gray banner below the blue. (Not sure that I get that part.) The recreated image was painted by Michael McAuley (artist/sculptor) who wanted to suggest a Renaissance in Irvington. He selected Michelangelo as one of the best known artists of that time, and then this image from the Sistine Chapel to represent Michelangelo. Kind of a "connect the dots" way of selecting an image, but it is well worth it. Even as a reproduction, the talent of both artists is apparent in this exquisitely detailed mural. Anyone who has been keeping an eye on Irvington lately will let you know that there is a definite buzz in the area with all the new businesses filling in spaces along Washington Street and points near there. If you stop by for one of the shops/restaurants, take a moment to swing behind the buildings to check out this art installation. Review #2345

This piece reminds me of a business sign or something that I saw in the Toon Lagoon section of…read moreIslands of Adventure. It is a simple abstract design that is located smack dab in the center of a busy traffic circle. It was made in 2021 by California artist Brad Howe. It stands 16 feet tall and is constructed of stainless steel and urethan. It has a white oval with a black outline and lots of black dashes covering it, on top of a red and white structure. The colors do pop. I think that the top oval represents the sun rising, hence the title. But that is just me, the average viewer of this piece. You can view the sculpture by either doing a safe and strategic slow rolling drive by or parking and getting out to get a closer look. I parked in the Kroger parking lot and walked to a location with a good vantage point of the sculpture. Yes, the sculpture has received a lot of criticism on social media. One person said "It looks like a crude depiction of the COVID-19 virus". To me, that is a stretch. I did not see it, until it was brought up, and now I kind of see it, but it is still a stretch. But like it or not, that is the beauty of abstract art. Its interpretation is left up to the eye of the beholder. So, no one is right and no one is wrong. As with most scuptures 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 many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip such as the other sculptures at the roundabouts on the road.

Although this piece has taken some social media flack for its unusual appearance (compared to the…read moremajority of art installations which are bronze reproductions in the arts district), I have to admit that with the bright red vertical stripe and the black and white "sun" at the top, I noticed this sculpture in the roundabout on Rangeline Road and Executive Drive from as far away as 116th Street (3 blocks to the south.) It definitely got my attention and made me aware there was a roundabout ahead (a nice safety feature why roundabouts are great locations for public sculptures of size and color.) I won't lecture you on what you should or shouldn't like about this installation. Art is an individual experience and even though we see the exact same thing, I may miss something that you notice and vice versa. When art is abstract, it is great for creating discussion trying to understand what the artist was visualizing when working on the piece. Did he succeed or fail in the effort. You will notice that many artists do not title their works because they want you to put effort into understanding the work. I also won't share the malicious comments that some viewers have posted elsewhere. It isn't my favorite piece by this artist in the Carmel Area (I like Carmel Watusi several blocks to the north of the arts district also on Rangeline Road.) But it is definitely unlike anything else I've seen in the area known for its 20+ bronze lifelike figures of earlier times and most of the figures are caucasian. This is a piece for interpretation, not to be mistaken as a literal Rising Sun. In between the two pieces, a third piece called Reckon is also another piece by Howe on Rangeline Road and just south of Main Street. Review #3862

A center named after one of the most influential people in our country's history, the MLK Center…read moreaims to replicate the vision of Dr Martin Luther King Jr in today's world. On the city's east side, the community center has so much to offer the Tarkington, Meridian area. I received a tour today and it was so inspiring to see the work that's being accomplished here. A center of education-they offer after school programs for school aged children for nearby school #43. They also offer childcare services. They have an amazing opportunity for teens to learn about technology in their Best Buy sponsored work lab. They offer teens who are interested in music and opportunity to learn about producing their own music! Such an awesome gem right here in the city! I wish they could spread their impact beyond the Tarkington-Meridian area, because so many more children could benefit from the work this center is doing!

This is a basic, but very nice mural, especially considering it was not painted by a professional…read moremuralist. It was actually painted by Butler student volunteers as part of the 2018 Bulldogs in the Streets. They worked in conjunction with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful. The mural was painted on the side on the MLK Center in Indianapolis and wraps around the side. It is definitely an upgrade from the mural that was there before. It has become the Center's trademark and is used in a lot of the Center's advertisements and marketing. The mural consists of the Words "MLK Center" in huge white block lettering and there is a black & white image of MLK waving. That is all against a bright red background, which draws your eye. The colors used by the students really complement each other and it is rally hard to miss. There is no wonder why the mural has been adopted as the face of the Center. The mural has a small bench centered right in the front of it and overlooks an area that they have made into a peace garden. If you want to park to get out and take a closer look, you can either park at the Center, once the construction is done, or you can do what I ended up doing and park across the street at the Park's parking lot. You should have no problem parking here. 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 many of the other wonderful murals in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.

In Autumn of 2020, the Artist group known as Blice Edwards was hired to paint a 3D mural on the…read moreparking lot side of the Live Proscenium in Carmel. The Yellow building sits on the block on the northwest corner of Carmel Drive and Rangeline Road. Since the mural is on the west side of the building on the north end of the parking lot, you can actually get access to view the mural from both Rangeline and Carmel Drive. I drove around quite a bit before realizing it wasn't viewable from either road. Since there is still construction in the area, be very careful of workers and equipment. I also suggest going on a somewhat overcast day because the mural is several stories high and to get a full view, you may be looking into the sky and the sun may wash out your photos. What the artists have done is create the illusion of a small, brick alley that leads towards some additional buildings. In fact, it is simply a large flat wall that the artist used perspective (remember the "vanishing point' from art class?) to create a realistic illusion of an alley. One of the give aways that it wasn't real was that the artists added clouds in the sky but since I went on a cloudless day, it seemed a little odd that clouds were only viewable in the alley! ha! The artwork is nearly perfect and I can't imagine how they knocked the mural out in such scale and detail in just a couple weeks. They did have an assist on handpainting all the individual bricks in the roadway part of the alley. Still, it is an colossal addition to the Arts District collection in Carmel. If you are a fan of art or have an aspiring artist in your family, drive by and check out to see if you can determine where the vanishing point was for the artists to maintain their perspective. Blice Edwards operates out of a studio in Broad Ripple next to the Gallery Pastry shop off 54th and the Monon. See their website link for more info about them. Review #3810

Broad ripple comb is a massive public art sculpture of a comb in the broad ripple neighborhood of…read moreIndianapolis with the words broad ripple spread across it. My family and I were visiting Indianapolis from louisville for a weekend getaway when discovering this vibrant neighborhood. The whole area is full of awesome and fun public art pieces and murals. This rainbow colored comb tips piece was a favorite of my daughter and mine. Overall a very fun photo op and unique piece. My 11 year old had a blast checking This out and striking a pose in front of. Absolutely a memorable piece from our weekend getaway.

Cool art, clocks, photos, barware and clothing at three-story Artisan Masterpiece…read more Downstairs, original pieces caught my attention. A series of smaller, framed paintings invoked Rothko with their complementary splashes of red, blue, black and yellow. An almost gaudy candleholder with reflective tiles also had an intriguing texture. And a series of Hoosier photographs brought a bit of local color. Upstairs, there's a boutique that deserves close attention. Many of the clothes have a deconstructed look that's very original. They do run short on smaller sizes. I didn't feel ignored or pressured here, service wise.

Making our way from Curiosities to Artisan Masterpiece, we hoped to improve our odds of getting…read moregood service. Um.....not so much! We were not greeted at any point during our visit despite being almost on top of a gentleman busying himself with re-arranging some home decor items whilst we considered the purchase of a piece of East Indian art for our abode. We were not amused :-( Our trip to the upper floor of the store took us past the cashwrap, but again, the staff member there was too busy chatting with a friend or customer to even welcome us. The only reason I give AM two stars is because they had a few items that might be special enough to make me test the waters again. Also, this store has an art studio on its third floor and holds a variety of art and craft classes there for those who wish to be their own Picasso...that's something I'd be into. I am starting to wonder if most of the Carmel A&D District shop owners think that "not suffocating the customers" is synonymous with "ignore the customers." I realize our visit was on the afternoon of the evening's pending "gallery walk" but that's no excuse in my opinion.