This piece is the work of Robert Barnum and depict two human figures, back-to-back and jointly…read moreholding up the Lafayette flag. The figures have the words Trust, Love, Kindness, and Believe going down their legs respectively. The words were chosen by kids who were asked the question: "If you were suddenly 20 years old and you needed to talk to a kid who is the age you are now, and the kid was worried and maybe bullied, what would tell them about the community?" The piece has been in its location since the summer of 2017 and is made of very durable stainless steel. The piece is in excellant shape. I wish it had an infomation placard by it that gives a little detail about it. it is easy to park near the sculpture to get a closer look. There is free metered street parking, with a 3-hour time limit (if you are there near that long, something is wrong), right next to it. It is an attention getting piece and is becoming a signature piece of the city. This piece has a positive vibe about it and I was digging it. Anyway, as with most sculptures that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a 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.

The downtown farmers market has been held on 5th Street for awhile, so about a block north at the…read moreintersection with Main St, a farm related sculpture was installed in 1992. The three member farmer family was created from farm implements and items found on a farm. The boy on the east end is holding a bushel basket. The mom on the west end is holding something in her arms as well as carrying a pale. The father stands between them with his hands resting upon each of the other figures. The figures were created by artists Linda Vanderkolk and Roy Patrick. The sculptures are abstract enough to allow viewers to ponder what individual pieces represent within the overall effect of being a family. During winter, the statues are sometimes festooned with bright red bows. The placement of the statues is under a shade tree which, when combined with their dull, rusty color, makes them hard to see unless a driver is specifically looking for them. Review #1440

Of all the new mural additions to Wabash Walls 2019, this one by Sophi Odling is probably the most…read morestreet art/graffiti style in the collection. The mural is massive as it covers two sides of a warehouse. The background is a deep blue color. The right side of the mural features a black and white little girl wearing angel wings and a crown while holding a large scroll on her lap. A swirl of color emerges from the end of the paper and changes color as it works its way around the corner and along the left side of the mural. Viewing the mural is a bit of a challenge since it is on an active business with mobile equipment around. There is an alley that runs along the mural side of the building so you can see it from there. Review #3010

This is another cool mural that we found while we were driving around looking at public art in the…read morearea. Has a pretty large public art display on the side of the building.

I found this mural by accident. It wasn't done as an official part of Wabash Walls 2019. I…read morebelieve it was completed just a few days before I visited the area and is just over a block east of Wabash Avenue on Green St. The mural is on a large white building. The front has a background of light orange broken by two darker orange stripes in a somewhat chevron shape. In the foreground is a black and white image (painted as though it has been taken from a small newspaper image) of a young girl. To her right is a doorway with a man riding a unicycle. I'm not sure that I understand any connection between the girl and the man. Also written on the background is the message "Boundaries Are in Your Mind". Also of note is the artist's signature tag (DJ Lu) who apparently keeps his real identity close. He paints a lot of political imagery and protects his identity as much as you can when being a public artist. The shirt the girl wears also says "Juegasiempre" which means "Always Playing". Apparently this tag is used in other murals as well. I will say one thing about the mural. I was going to see Jules "MuckRock" Muck's new contribution to Wabash Walls 2019 only to find the huge two wall mural was destroyed by white paint and then replaced by this new mural. I'm not sure if I will ever understand why these reactionary measures are done. The Muck mural could only have been around for a few weeks/months. I saw the artist's photo of the mural and it had nothing offensive that would cause its own demise. The new artist mentioned he was invited to paint here, so I am assuming that the person who did the inviting knows more about it than I do. I hate seeing art destroyed. That tells me more about the person doing the destruction than it does about the artwork. It seems so extreme, whatever the reason. Review #3005

This mural is the work of Chicago-based artist Janson Rapisarda, who goes by name CERA…read moreprofessionally who intended to catch a brief moment in time of life in public transit. CERA completed the mural as part of Wabash Walls 3. It depicts a woman lounging on what appears to be the seats of the city train while listening to music on her headphones. She has her bike by her side and is facing someone sitting across from her with a motorcycle helmet and reading a tablet. You will see a paper airplane between them. It is a very colorful mural and the artwork is nice and very detailed. It is a somewhat busy piece though with a lot going on in certain areas. It is also very colorful and attention getting. Definitely worth a peak. The mural overlooks a parking lot, so it is easy to park and get a closer look at the mural. It also means that the lower part of the mural may be obstructed though. I ended up parking on the street. Anyway, as with most sculptures that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a 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. There are a ton of murals in the immediate area to check out.

Sometimes, art can be simple and create a reaction for the viewer without requiring a degree in art…read morestudies to appreciate it. Such is the case for this untitled work that shows three bear cubs playing together. The piece by Jon Magnus Jonson was carved in 1934 from limestone. It is located within the fenced plaza behind the Department of Human Development building. The three cubs are playing with one cub standing on hind legs while the others are on all fours. The artist did a great job of making all three key players in the sculpture without making it look like one was dominating...just a snapshot of a moment. Review #1536

While searching for "Springs to Life", a mural sponsored by the Tippecanoe Arts Federation (TAF) in…read more2014, I was able to find a lot more art than expected. The TAF organized a Mural Art Initiative that has added murals to eight counties that may have little else in the form of public art. The goal of the art is both art appreciation and education, and often has student involvement in the painting of the murals. Springs to Life has a great location on Columbia Street (SR18). It was designed by local art teacher Branden Apitz who led the local students in painting the mural. Playing with the town name of Flora, the mural shows flowers rising from the soil. While visiting the mural, I also found the memorial bench (Six Girls Stone Immaculate) that was created to honor the memory of six county girls who died under tragic circumstances in 2016-7. Two teenage girls from Delphi were killed while on a trail. Four Flora girls died in a suspicious house fire. Branden Apitz worked with students to create this memorial to honor the memory of those girls. A block to the north is a mural that tells the History of Flora. The mural is done in pastels and has a narrative as well as several images of locals who where integral in the town's history. Across the street is another mural that promotes the local library with a mural of Native Americans meeting a time traveling Iron Man. (No date or artist was found) And farther east near the city park, there is a mural from 2017 that features cars and the Adams Mill Covered Bridge. Over in Delphi, I found a mural on the block east of the courthouse that has the Heritage of Delphi. There are multiple images of prominent Hoosiers including James Whitcomb Riley. And finally, on the block southwest of the courthouse is a mural on the side of Andy's from 2013 by local artists the Cervantes Bros. Although the art may not be professionally done, it is colorful and adds a touch of life to the downtown areas of these towns. Review #2803

It's still up in Flora Indiana, nice work on the mural done by Students recognized for their work…read morewith the project were Cambree Roland, Brody MacCurdy, Kasey MacCurdy, Haley Savage, Taylor Brewington, Drew Jackson, Bradley McCain, Thomas Miller, DJ Plank, Tyler Robinson, Zach Batt, Daniel Defenach, and Tyler Savage.

Welcome to Indiana, Royyal Dog! Wow! What a great contribution to Wabash Walls 2019…read more In the summer of 2019, Chris Chanyang Shim, who goes by Royyal Dog, was selected to participate in Wabash Walls 2019 (as well as Rensselaer's Ren Art Walk). His style is recognizable. After seeing it, you will be able to pick out much of his work elsewhere. Using a photo-realistic style, the artist paints murals that are frequently women (or girls) in Asian garb and posed in front of a full moon. In this mural, the model (Ta) used different poses and the artist created the mural with the arms in different positions to create a look like she has four arms instead of two. It takes a second to realize what the artist has done, but just adds to the eye catching imagery of the mural. The artist wraps the lower left side of the mural around the corner of the retaining wall for the railroad track that crosses Wabash Ave. You will see this mural traveling northbound on Wabash. I hope that Indy has an opportunity to bring this artist to town to complement our growing collection of fine mural art. Truly beautiful work. Review #3003