One of the rising stars in the metro Indy public art scene is Nekoda (Koda) Witsken who is from the…read morearea and has returned home after extensive travel and education to brighten the lives of people in the area, exposing them to art without the confines of having to visit a museum by placing her murals inside restaurants and other businesses as well as on the side of a building or on the supports of an underpass. Her murals seem to have a vibrant color to them and sometimes have larger than life images. Sometimes they seem abstract and other times, timeless landscapes or portraits, but what ever she paints, it is a pleasant surprise to enjoy. This mural located inside the El Lago Mexican Restaurant dining room covers the entire east wall (over 25 feet!) There are two parts to the mural which you can check out in the photos attached to this review. If you want to take time to enjoy looking at the mural, just order a fine meal and sit and look at the mural while you dine. Do yourself a favor and check out this mural the next time you are in the Geist area! Review #3879

During my visit to nearby Fishers, Indiana I was excited to see a new youth-inspired installation…read morethat is to become a regular feature located at Brooks School Park. It's called the Fishers Art Wall, an idea that was first inspired by the 2018-2019 Mayor's Youth Council (now known as the Mayor's Youth Academy). Inspired by Mayor Fadness's question ""What are creative places doing to create creative spaces?," the youth council began looking at Venice, California's public art walls and how they'd become a local tourist attraction while creating a public for public art and place-making. The result is that such businesses as Hagerman Construction, Sagamore Concrete, Gilliatte General Contractors and Faegre, Baker, Daniels among others agreed to donate their services and a Fall 2019 date was set to begin creating the Fishers Art Wall that is now in place. The Fishers Art Wall is a two-sided 40' x 5' wall with 4 1" reveals creating up to 8 separate panels. It can be divided multiple ways allowing for variation during each art rotation. There's to be four revolving periods of art throughout the year. Two of the periods will feature local artists, while the other two will be devoted to Hamilton Southeastern Schools. The emphasis is on creation of either a 2-D mural or graffiti style artwork with acrylic or spray paint or as directed by staff. The emphasis is on celebrating diversity and inclusion within Fishers and the guidelines note that the art work should align with the vision of the Fishers Arts & Culture Commission that goes - "To reflect both what the community is today and what it hopes to be in the future... a smart, vibrant, and entrepreneurial city energized by and experienced through arts, architecture and culture." For local artists, there's no fee to submit work and no permit required for the painting. There's also an allowable reimbursement of $250 per panel ensuring that artists are compensated for their work. The wall is to be maintained and prepared by the City of Fishers before/after each rotation. I fell in love with the Fishers Art Wall, which is located along the Mud Creek Watershed and adjacent to the parking lot. It's a beautiful option for local art and the current installation emphasizes what is really an Indiana theme right now - the idea of being "All IN." I initially eyeballed the exhibit and just assumed it was a cute art thing similar to the rainbow bridge in Broad Ripple, but closer inspection revealed it was a formal and permanent installation with signage explaining the project. To be honest, I drove by it four times just soaking it in. If you're by Brooks School Park, I'd definitely check it out. If you're a local artist, you might also think about submitting for future installations.

This is an awesome mural that covers two sides of a Fisher's Jiffy Lube. It was commissioned in…read more2020, by the Arts Council of Indianapolis and Jiffy Lube. It is the work of Carl Leck and it took him 3 weeks to complete. The Jiffy Lube is located at the end of a service road, so you can easily find a place to pull over, park, get out and take a closer look. As it is a two part mural, it is best viewed from the corner that the murals meet. The mural uses optical illusions, also known as trompe l'oeil, and makes it appear that you are viewing 3 pillar statues, one of a lions, another of a tiger and the third of a bear. The statues were a nod to the Wizard of Oz line "Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!" And if you looked closely, you will see a partially opened curtain being pulled back by a large blue ibis bird, that exposes a man working the levers, as the Wizard did in the Wizard of OZ. The blue ibis is based on the head of Thoth, the ancient Egyptian god of magic, wisdom and truth.The Leck intended the mural to represent the search for truth (the blue ibis pulling back the curtain), and once the truth is revealed, rebuilding a positive future. This mural is a marvel. It is well detailed and really tricks the eye, especially if you view it from the right spot. It is an optical illusion/3D. I really like it. Leck has done many murals in the area and in my opinion, this is the best one. As is the case with most murals that I review, this is not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. It is probably best to plan out additional stops and make it part of a larger itinerary to maximize your trip. Heck, you could even get your oil changed.

In 2020, a new addition was added to the growing Public Art collection in the Fishers/Noblesville…read morearea. As part of an even larger collection sponsored by the Indianapolis Arts Council and local Jiffy Lube owners, a mural was added to two of the walls of the Jiffy Lube near 138th and Olio Road (near the exit from I-69 for Campus Pkwy/Southeastern Pkwy. This eye catching mural is another fine work by local artist Carl Leck who uses a 3D technique to add painted images that appear to take on 3D structure. The style is called "Trompe L'oeil" and Leck has used it to great effect here. (Another local artist named Pamela Bliss has used this style on many simulated storefront murals in the Richmond, IN area.) The two wall mural has a Wizard of Oz theme (seems like a natural for me!). The artist created images of support columns in the form of a lion, tiger, and bear (oh my!) Along one wall, an Ibis can be seen pulling back the curtain of a man who operates everything in secret. Note that the Ibis' tail cast a shadow on the wall nearest it even when there is no sunshine. There appears to be steps leading up to the man behind the curtain, but those are strictly painted to appear as steps. Nothing to climb! If you don't stand in the perfect spot, you may notice a few images not quite lining up because the structures that were painted had to be shown from a specific angle. But it is easy enough to move around to make all the images align. I've been a Jiffy Lube fan for years, but since this one is nearly an hour away, it will be hard for me to support this business for supporting the arts. But if you live near here, I am sure they will appreciate your business. You can check out the artwork while you get your car serviced! Review #3771

I was in the Yard District in Fishers playing Pokémon GO and found a PokéStop linked to this mural…read more I decided to go check it out and even posted a picture of it on my story on social media. I think the art is great and the message is wonderful. I wish it was in a more noteworthy visible spot though!

I love when I find public art when I am out and about in the indy area, I was walking through the…read morefishers yard district and noticed this colorful piece and had to take a snap of it. Upon further research, I found out that it was painted by Nekoda Witske, who is a part of the hue mural group, I really enjoyed looking at this since it was bright and just really makes you happy (if you're into colors) and is a combo of a face and a rose. I'll have to seek out more of her work around!

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

In 2016, the two Geist area roundabouts were nearing completion when public art was added to the…read morecenter of the two locations. In an effort to slow motorists down, raised platforms were installed in the middle of the roundabouts and then sculptures placed on them to partially block the view of oncoming traffic. It was thought that the reduced vision across the roundabout would trigger a slowing of speed which would ultimately make the intersection safer. The sculptures are also lit at night to call the driver's attention that "Hey, there is something right in front of you, so slow down!" The sculptures also help block the headlights of oncoming traffic directly into the eyes of motorists on opposite sides of the space. The roundabouts were designed and installed by Rundell Ernstberger Associates who have made a number of art and park installations around central Indiana. Each piece has an 8' base for the installations to sit on. The theme of each installation was sailing to tie into the nautical theme of Geist. On Fall Creek at Brooks School Road, a Multiple Sail Roundabout was installed. It has shades of light blue and yellow/green panels making up the sails. The piece is 35'3" in height above the base and is 22' long. Over at Fall Creek at 96th Street, a Single Sail Roundabout was placed. The sail is done in a light blue and sports a logo of "Geist District" on each side of the wedge shaped sail. The piece rises 33' above the base and is also 22' long. Great theme and placement for art installations to be noticed. However, without any place for parking in the area, it is difficult for visitors to truly take a good look at the details in the brief time they approach the roundabouts. Review #1284

This is a decent mural that is painted on the side of a Handel's Ice Cream Shop. It is partially…read moreobstructed by some blue benches and umbrellas. It also seems to have lost some of its luster. It was painted by Craig Martin for the City of Fishers in 2018. Martin has a few other pieces on display in his hometown of Lafayette. The mural is 18 feet high and depicts a blue rose with reds, oranges, white, and other color ribbons coming into the rose. It is intended to be an abstract look at the community of different backgrounds coming together as one. When speaking of the mural, Martin said he was looking to "find a way, through color and line, to bring together threads of the community and gathering." I like the message of the mural. Somewhat of a melting pot type message, but I am not feeling the design itself. But that is just me. I bumped the rating up one star, to 4, based on its message. As is the case with most murals that I review, this is probably not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. There is street parking available right in front of the mural. However, you can probably even do a drive by and get a decent look at it. It is best to plan out additional stops at many of the other wonderful murals in the area, including the signal box murals, to maximize your trip.

This colorful mural was added to Fisher's growing list of public art in May 2018. Sometimes…read morereferred to as "the City's mural", it was commissioned by the City of Fishers to artist Craig Martin of Lafayette. The bright blue mural has a flower in the center and threads of color reaching out to the edges. It represents how the heart of a community reaches out to bring all of the citizens together. Review #1720

Located on the back of the Fishers Police parking garage facing the Nickel Plate Trail, a new hand…read morepainted mural was added by Hoosier artist Becky Hochhalter in 2021. It is located between North Street and Lantern Road and can be easily seen If you walk the trail. The mural shows activity on the trail, and features a covered bridge, kids listening to music, couples dining on patios and significantly, a memorial tribute to fallen K-9 officer Harlej who was killed in November 2019 during the arrest of a suspect. The human officer Jared Koopman who was Harlej's partner and Koopman's family stopped by to help paint this part of the mural which seemed quite moving to the artist. So glad to see the Fishers Art Council engage with local artists to bring art to everyone, not just thosewho attend galleries. Review #3931

My kiddos (6 and 10) attended their summer camps, two sessions and raved about it. They couldn't…read morewait to go daily and the stuff they brought back were great (much better than what they would've done on their own for sure ^^)

MyArt is great. They teach art classes here and host private parties. They have multiple locations…read more I was at the studio in Fishers for a Learning Rx work celebration. My coworkers and I had a chance to roll up our sleeves, and get creative! The instruction was perfect, nice pace with just enough direction so that I knew what I was doing, yet I didn't feel like I was being told what to do. We had our own food brought in, but they offered us the space and extra water. We ate and painted, it was fun. I look forward to painting here again sometime.