"Homage to Hoagy" is one of my favorite sculptures in the Carmel round-about series. The sculpture…read morehonors Indiana's musical genius, Hoagy Carmichael. The sculpture itself is timeless with a huge victrola gramophone that spews sculpted musical notes. The sculpture was created by British-born artist, Arlon Bayliss in 2018. Bayliss is currently an art professor at Anderson University. His profound works of public art have put him on the map. Bayliss has sculptures at the Indianapolis International Airport, as well as several in Carmel. The sculpture is beautiful by day, but also is lit up at night. The sculpture is surrounded by pristinely manicured foliage. We found nearby free street parking to visit the sculpture. There are several sculptures nearby that make the trip memorable and educational.

This interactive steel sculpture is a dedication to Hosier Native musician and song writer Hoagy…read moreCarmichael and is located in the center of a roundabout. It is right in the heart of the city and right off of the Palladium. It is 40 feet tall and depicts stars, moons and musical notes. It sits on a limestone base. It is an abstract piece, but makes a lot of sense when you know its backstory. The sculpture is rumored to be inspired by Carmichael's hit song "Stardust", bursting out of an antique gramophone horn. It was dedicated in 2020 and is the work of Arlon Bayliss. If you look across the street, near the back of the Palladium, you will see the other part of the sculpture, a four foot kiosks that has a mini gramophone horn on top of it. You will see an informational plaque on the front on the kiosk that talks about Carmichael. It also has a hand crank on its left side that when actuated play songs written by Carmichael as recorded by artists such as Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Michael Bublé and Kristin Chenoweth. The kiosk playlist includes songs like 'Georgia On My Mind,' 'Heart and Soul,' 'Can't Get Indiana Off My Mind,' 'The Nearness of You,' 'Skylark,' and of course, 'Stardust'. The sculpture is extra cool at night when it is Illuminated by multicolored LED lights. Unfortunately, I visited it during the day and was not able to get the full effect of the sculpture. This is definitely a must see. You have to experience it at least once. There is free street parking within a reasonable walking distance of the statue, if you want to get a closer look. You can get a decent look from the windshield of your vehicle doing a safe and strategic, slow rolling drive by. however, you will miss the interactive kiosk feature of the sculpture As with most sculptures that I have visited and reviewed, this is probably not a very long stop, even though you can play with its interactive feature for a bit and listen to music. I was there less than 10 minutes. 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 Veteran's Memorial Park would be a great start.

This is an awesome mural that consumes the entire building. It is on 6 walls of the building and…read morewas designed by Anne Costillo. It is one of the better Lilly Day of Service murals. It was painted in 2013 by volunteers, most of which with little to no formal artistic training or experience, through collaboration by Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, the Indianapolis Children's Museum and the Lilly Day of Service. The mural is on Ikelite's worldwide headquarters, an Indianapolis-based company that has produced underwater photographic equipment. So this mural is a perfect fit for the building. The mural is very detailed and depicts underwater scenes taken from photographs from photographers Bob Stubbs, Steven Miller and David Fleetham, of the deep blue sea shot around the world. The mural is in great shape and looks relatively new. They must have used some really good paint. The mural is very detailed, especially considering that it was painted by volunteers. You will find a bunch of scuba divers, some sharks, and an octopus. I love the shading used to make the blue water. It is awesome. Parking here to take a good look is relatively easy. Most of the mural overlooks a parking lot and there is also free street parking available to check the mural out as well. I just parked in the street on the side of the building the mural is on. As with most murals that I have 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.

What's not to like about a mural with scuba divers, a shark, and an octopus? This mural was…read morecreated in 2013 as part of the Lilly Day of Service (LDOS) in part with the Children's Museum and Keep Indianapolis Beautiful (KIB). The design was created by Anne Costillo and the mural was painted with the help of lots of volunteers. I would say this is one of the better "paint by number" murals done by volunteers in the community. Review #1757

Jiffy lubes partnership with the Indy arts council and I love it! So cool to see unexpected art in…read morerandom places. What a cool way to spread awareness about local art. This one is by William denton ray and is called Indivinity, it's very unique and beautiful! The colors are muted but work well together with a splash of yellow, I think it would be trippy if this moved. One of the numerous pieces of public art around the city, can't wait to find more and learn about them! Jiffy lube has several locations all with different pieces of art on them. I actually have yet to see a jiffy lube without some type of art on them. Love this project and trying to see different pieces at random

I really enjoy that Jiffy Lube has partnered with the Arts Council of Indpls to bring public art to…read morepeople where they least expect it. While people wait for the 15 minutes to get their oil changed, they can take a few of those moments to see the creation of a local artist. Artist William Denton Ray is well known throughout the Indy area with numerous murals around town. This mural is done in cool shades of gray, blue, purple and highlight of a light yellow. It is an abstract of geometric shapes that form a face. The title, Indivinity, is an amalgamation of the words Indivuality, Divine, and Infinity. Those terms were in the artist's mind as he created the piece in his own neighborhood back in 2018. Review #2290

This is another piece of art that is located in the center of a traffic circle. It was created in…read more2011 by Brad Howe. It is an abstract sculpture that was commissioned to brighten the mood on residents and motorist who came across it in their day to day. Howe said that he titled the piece Watusi "because it was inspired by photographs of dancers, mainly modern dancers, mainly Martha Graham." The sculpture consists of shapes. There is a red "S" shape, with it going through a stainless ring at the bottom of it that is sitting at a 45 degree angle. There is another ring on top of the one that the red shape is going through and a stainless bar on top of that. There is a yellow half circle on the top portion of the red "s" shape and above the stainless bar. It all sits on a cement base. The colors are very vivid and the sculpture gives me a pop art kind of vibe. I am not a big fan of abstract art, but this piece is "OK". It is also well maintained and looks great, especially considering its age. It is located on a somewhat busy round about. You can either view it from your windshield doing a safe and strategic, slow-rolling drive by or you can find some where to park and get out to take a closer look. I pulled into the parking lot of a church that was right off of the roundabout to get a closer look. As with most sculptures that I have visited and reviewed, this is probably not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. Also, be very careful if you are going to get a closer look, as i previously mentioned, this is located at a busy roundabout. With that being said, 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.

If you are traveling north on Rangeline Road just north of the Arts District in Carmel, you will…read morereach a roundabout at Smokey Row Road (136th St) that features this sculpture as its centerpiece. Carmel Watusi was named by artist Brad Howe when it was built site specifically for Carmel in 2011. The artist wanted something wild like the dance similarly named. Metal shapes similar to tires are chaotically arranged among other shapes, some with polyurethane, some with bright colored paint. Review #1296

My late buddy Ken N. (RIP) explains the history of this mural better than I ever could. So if you…read morewant to know actual information about the Fortville Indiana Mural, read his review. As for my review: I think this is a great mural! It's big. It looks like a sepia photograph. My opinion about the Fortville mural is simple and based purely on aesthetics. I tend to turn off my brain with art (murals and public art and otherwise), and just let the artwork wash over me. This mural is painted on the side of a building that houses a local gem: 305 Wine Garage. You should definitely check out that place! But even if you don't, you should check out this mural. I love that Fortville felt that it was necessary to paint this mural on this wall, when they so easily could have not. Art in public spaces is some of my favorite art, and I love that this exists here.

To celebrate Indiana's Bicentennial, the state and a number of towns/cities added public art to…read morecommemorate the occasion. Fortville was one of the places that celebrated by adding this mural by local artist Mike McEvers in 2016. With help from local students, McEvers created this north facing mural that shows the train and trolley history of the area. The mural is done is muted colors to create a sepia toned effect. In the middle of the mural is a portrait of Cephas Fort who was the original property owner when the railroad came through in 1849. The railroad named the station Fortville in his honor. Above the mural, "Fortville Indiana" is stylishly written with "Founded 1849" and "Statehood 1816" painted between the title and mural. The mural is 14' high by 24' across. Review #1366

Nice mural hidden on the side of the building facing Gomez Grill. I don't really know the…read morebackground on this, I just know it is made of several individual panels and depicts a bus picking up folks. It's a nice bright spot and the artist is certainly talented. Check it out next time you sare in the area.

This is a mural that is not actually painted directly on the wall. It consists of six individual…read morepanels mounted on a wall to form one picture. It is a small mural, even with the 6 panels. It is the work of Matt Eickoff and was made in 2007. Even though it has been around a while, it is still in great shape. The colors are very vivid and bright. The artist intended to display his experience with riding the bus to work by incorporating mini narratives between all of the people at the bus stop in the mural. It tells a story of sorts. The mural also has the city scape in the background. The mural is located on the side of Financial Health FCU, overlooking a small parking lot and facing MuckRock's Fire, Fire mural. So, parking and getting out to get a closer look at this mural is simple and easy, if that is what you want to do. This piece is very busy, but it works and I like it you can see the story the the artist is trying to tell and the colors really pop. As with most all murals that I have reviewed, this is probably not a very long stop. I was there less than 3 minutes. You may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other wonderful murals, such as Kiss Kittens and Fire, Fire, in the area to maximize your time and trip

This mural is located in what I refer to as the public art hub, Fountain Square. There is no…read moreshortage of public art in this area. This mural is the work of Alicia Zanoni, who was commissioned by the Southeast Neighborhood Development. It was originally painted in 2019 on two 8' x 14' boards. Zanoni's goal was to have the mural show the spirt and character of Fountain Square. The mural has overt imagery like the cardinal and peonies, the State's bird and flower, respectively. But there is also so hidden images that you have to look closely to see like the reflection of the fountain across the street from the mural, in the cardinal's eye, the Indianapolis skyline, as seen from Fountain Square, and several distinct houses from the neighborhood are hidden in the peonies' petals. The mural has kind of a smokey appearance and I really love how the incorporated the supporting beams of the structure the mural is under, into the mural. Zanoni had help from passerbys with the mural. She allowed people just passing by the mural to join in the fun and help paint it. She intended that gesture to provide a connection with community members and the mural. Hoping that every time they walk past the mural they will be able to spot their contribution. The mural was hit with graffiti in 2020 and the vandal was identified. The tipster, however, turned down the $1,000 reward and just asked that the money go toward rehiring the two artists come back and fix their work, if possible. Zanoni fixed the mural in 2020 and it looks as good as the original. There is street parking available right in front of the mural or you could probably not even have to leave your vehicle and do a slow rolling drive-by. As with most murals that I have reviewed, though, this is probably not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. You may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other wonderful murals in the area, three are right across the street from it and one is behind it, to maximize your time and trip.

In the fall of 2019, local artist Alicia Zanoni added a site specific mural to the backdrop of the…read moreoutdoor performance area next to Pioneer. Two large panels (8'h x 14'w) display a beautiful island paradise in deep reds, blues, and greens. But what makes this mural special is that it has lots of local connections. Sure, there are the obvious ones of the state bird and flower (cardinal and peony), but if you look closer, you will find more. A silhouette of downtown Indianapolis if viewed from the fountain has been added on the distant horizon of the mural. If you look in the eye of the cardinal, you will see a reflection of the fountain! The artist who knows the history of the neighborhood was historically German, has studied famous German artists (Ernst, Nussbaum, & Cramer) to incorporate their styles into the mural. Very Cool! The mural was commissioned by SEND (Southeast Neighborhood Development) and while painting, visitors were encouraged to help paint the mural to foster a sense of involvement/connection to the space. Review #3361

This mural is located on the side of an abandoned building in a colorful part of town. There is…read morestreet parking available as well as a little alley way behind the building that it is on to park and take a closer look. I parked in the alley. It is hard to get a good look at the mural doing a slow drive by. The mural has seen better days. The paint is in decent shape, but the wall that it is painted on is bad. Considering that it is only 2 years old, going on three, I would have expected it to be better. This is a simple mural that was painted by Tosca Carranza in 2019 and depicts 3 white calla lilies, set against a teal background. It is part of the Indy East Art Peace initiative, a partnership between the Arts Council of Indianapolis and Near East Area Renewal which aims to think use the arts to possibly help prevent crime. It is also an installment Carranza's "Many Flowers Murals" series that she uses to memorialize traumatic events in the Near Eastside Carranza intended the lilies to have two-fold symbolism; a wish for peace and a call for remembrance. She uses the white color to represent purity and renewal. When choosing the lily to paint, Carranza said "It went with my desire to want to promote peace in the neighborhood and to create art that makes a positive energy." I love a mural with a positive message and meaning behind it. However, as with most murals that I have reviewed, this is probably not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. You have to get out of your vehicle to see because of the way it sits on the building, no matter which way of the street you are traveling. Anyway, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other wonderful murals in the area, such as Kiss Kitties and Apple Catapult, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.

Any contribution to bringing peace to a neighborhood is a welcome addition. In 2019, artist Tosca…read moreCarranza wanted to do something to help bring peace and unity to a neighborhood that was challenged with a reputation for higher crime and less than stellar relations with the police. The mural she created portrays giant white calla lilies on a colorful background. The site was a target for graffiti and now, southbound motorists on Rural can see this mural between Michigan and New York St. The mural is calming and the subject represents peace. The artist was commissioned by the Near East Area Renewal group. It has collaborated with the Arts Council of Indianapolis to help bring the artist, resident and police communities closer together in the "Indy East Art Peace" initiative. Review #2708