Just outside the Gas City Public Library is a statue of Grant County's own Garfield the cat. This…read morestatue is seen blowing glass with a book about the history of Gas City between his feet. Gas City has a history of glass production (like much of the area including Kokomo). So, it makes sense that if someone wanted to learn about glass blowing in Gas City, the library would be a good place to start. This is one of fourteen statues of the cat in various poses, dressed in different clothing, scattered throughout the county. The path to connect these sites is called the Garfield Trail and is a fun way to get out and explore, maybe finding a new place to eat, or something interesting to check out. Review #2568

British Garfield unites the local icon Garfield (created by artist Jim Davis from Marion) with all…read morethings British like the Battle of Mississinewa and the popular Fish and Chips dinner served inside the nearby Payne's Restaurant. This is one of fourteen statues of the cat in various poses, dressed in different clothing, scattered throughout the county. The path to connect these sites is called the Garfield Trail and is a fun way to get out and explore, maybe finding a new place to eat, or something interesting to check out. Review #2570

The server met me near the kitchen to order a takeout order. I asked my questions and got quick…read moreanswers and suggestions on how to make it a special experience. When I was able to get my order, it was perfect, a good assortment of unique foods that gave me that British experience that we were looking for. We also got very hot English tea and it was delicious, very strong. This is a great stop on the Garfield Trail and very tasty! The only negative I had was no one, servers or customers, had a mask on. For that reason, we took our order to go but thank you for a great experience despite that...

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]

IU-Kokomo got its first piece of public art back in 1965 when a local firefighter, Robert Edward…read moreHamilton, created "Phoenix Rising From the Ashes". As a firefighter, he was well acquainted with the power of fire and the story of the mythical bird rising again from the ashes inspired him to create this gleaming metal piece. It is permanently located on the west side of the campus. Since then, the campus has seen public art installations come and go. From what I've been able to gather, it seems like artists loan their pieces for display for a roughly two year period. While visiting Kokomo, I found seven additional sculptures on campus. All the pieces were fairly new with the oldest of the temporary pieces being from 2014. The art can be found relatively close to the academic buildings in the center of campus. However, very few are visible from a single location, so you have to walk around campus to find them. I hope that as new pieces are added, that they will be added to the photos on this website. See the details on the individual photos for the titles, artists, and year of creation for each piece. Or, visit campus yourself and look for the identifying plaques associated with each sculpture. Review #2341

The Phoenix Rising from the Ashes sculpture by Robert Edward Hamilton in Indiana is stunning!…read more It's definitely my favorite!

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.

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

In Marion, Indiana, there is a stretch of State Road 9 that runs through the town that has been…read moredesignated as "Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial Way". On each end of the memorial road, a marker was installed to honor Dr King. Hoosier artist Kenneth Ryden created a bronze bust/deep relief (circa 2000) of Dr King to be attached to the markers on each side of town. The marker has a quote from Dr King that reads: "I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality." The quote is from his acceptance speech for winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Review #2236

While strolling along the Mississinewa Riverwalk, I discovered this mammoth sculpture of historic…read moresignificance. The sculpture was designed by artist Karl Kendall and recast as a ten foot bronze in 2005. The scene features a soldier, a Native American couple, and a horse following the War of 1812. After attacks on the villages, the remaining Native Americans were relocated to Ohio so that they could no longer assist the British. The soldiers were ordered to surrender their own horses to help the surviving tribe members relocate during the cold December weather. The scene is meant to show the compassion for those who suffered in war. Review #2248

I love when they show our history through art especially sculptures I think it's so wonderfulread more