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

This mural, titled Birds (Watching Them Watching Us), is the work of William Denton Ray. Ray was…read moreone of 3 artists commissioned by the Fishers Arts Council and City of Fishers in 2016. It was part of the city's Community Master Art Plan. This is one of two boxes by Ray under that project. It is an abstract piece that depicts, the side profile of birds, which looks like chicken to me. It covers the entire box, front, sides and back. It is well maintained, especially considering its age. It is a simple and basic piece, consisting of a few basic colors including red, blue, teal, black, and white. This seems to be Ray's style, as his other signal box piece "Face the Music" is very similar. You will find the piece on the corner of 116th Street and Regency Drive. But don't worry, if you are having a difficult time finding it, just look for the nearest traffic light. All signal boxes, painted with murals or not, are near traffic lights. As is the case with most murals that I review, this is probably not a very long stop. I was there less than 3 minutes. It is probably best to plan out additional stops at many of the other wonderful murals in the area, including the other signal box murals, to maximize your trip.

In the last few years, eight traffic signal boxes in Fishers have been painted with colorful murals…read moreby local artists. One of those, William Denton Ray, has painted two boxes including this one at the corner of 116th Street and Regency Drive. Back in 2016 when Ray was preparing to paint the mural, he did some advance site work and noticed the large number of birds, particularly Canadian Geese, in the area. Ray has a colorful blocking style of painting, so he incorporated the birds into his mural choice. Ray also has another signal box at 11680 Commercial Drive called Face the Music. Review #1879

This is a very eye catching piece of art located in one of Carmel's many round a bouts. I really…read morelike it and as fate would have it, it is located right off of the Carmel Access Bikeway. The sculptures at this round about depicts 4 colorful biking figures, 3 in a group and one by their self. It is the work of Florida based artist Jorge Blanco and is made from Powdered-coated aluminum. It was made in 2017 and is 198.5 inches high 46.5 inches wide and 16 inches deep. The abstract characters used in the sculpture are Blanco's signature trademark style. The piece, along with two other Blanco pieces, Kick, Home Run, were commissioned by the City of Carmel at a cost of $165,833. This piece is in great shape and I really liked it. There is not a real easy way to park and get a closer look without blocking traffic. I ended up parking in a nearby neighborhood. It was a little bit of a walk, but well worth it. This sculpture is not a large consumer of time, nor a destination piece. I was just there briefly. I would say about 5 minutes. I highly recommend visiting here on your way to somewhere else or making this part of a larger itinerary. Flowing Well Park is just right down the road. You can get some free water.

The roundabout art is getting wild up in Carmel. At every (literal) twist and turn, you don't know…read morewhat you're going to get. At this roundabout in particular, you'll encounter huge, colorful sculptures of bikers. It's funky, it's fun, but it definitely is a little random. Enjoy!

While I'm not a big fan of the roundabouts, I do love most of the roundabout art in Carmel. This…read moreroundabout sculpture was unveiled in July 2025 with a theme that you'd expect between the Carmel Public Library and high school. "Taking Flight" is a 20 foot tall steel and aluminum sculpture depicting a spiral of flying books. Artist Jason Klimoski (Brooklyn, NY) was the brains behind the colorful sculpture. The sculpture has a LED feature that illuminates at night. I walked around the sculpture and took photos. Spring flowers were in bloom around the base of the sculpture. The circle is lovely and interesting. Definitely, the sculpture is worth a visit. There is parking at the library (if you are visiting the library, too). Otherwise there is some street parking down the block.

I like that downtown Carmel is filled with art and this modern sculpture is one of my favorites…read more "Swing Me Higher, Mama" by Dominic Benhura, depicts a mother lifting a small child playfully overhead. The modern figures are carved into a gray stone, perhaps granite. Benhura is from Zimbabwe and has sculptures placed all over the globe. A piece similar to Swing Me Higher, Mama" resides in Singapore. The sculpture was dedicated in May, 2022 with credits to Mayor Jim Brainard, Carmel City Council, Clay Township Board & Trustee and Kuaba Gallery, but I'm guessing the bill was mostly footed by Carmel taxpayers. Bench style seating surrounds the sculpture's base. I didn't notice this remarkable sculpture driving past because it is partially obscured by a street sign. But I did see it when walking along Veteran's Way. Street parking is at a premium near the sculpture. Nearby businesses offer parking while in their shops. This is a museum piece and worth a visit.

You will find this piece on the side of a the Carmel's Jiffy Lube. It is the work of local artist…read moreJustin Cooper, with assistance for community members through community celebration paint days. It is a positive mural and is intended to pay homage to Carmel-born artist and illustrator Franklin Booth. It was painted in 2016 and is the product of a partnership between Jiffy Lube and Department of Public Words, a group dedicated to spreading positive messages through art. The message here is to just pause, take time and just "breathe". As most community murals are, this is a simple design. The colors of the mural are dull, almost pastel like, but it is still in great shape. The mural depicts a blue heron flying, against a blue background, flying through a whimsical sky. It is not a very detailed piece, but I love its message and it being a community project. As with most murals that I have visited, this is not a large consumer of your time, nor a destination piece. I was just there briefly while on my way to another nearby attraction. I would say that I was there about 5 minutes. I highly recommend visiting here on your way to somewhere else or making this part of a larger itinerary.

Love, love, love Jiffy Lube's new art initiatives! They have murals on their different locations…read moreall over the city. It seems to not only connect the Jiffy Lubes to the community more, but also distinguish each one as fun and unique. This mural was painted by Justin Cooper in 2016 (just searched the Internet - definitely didn't know that off the top of my head!). This mural is peaceful and just says the word 'breathe' on the side. Great reminder. The light colors are pretty, but it is hard to read from far away. Regardless, I just love the initiative to spread public art and have learned a lot about how great Jiffy Lube is as a company. This is evidence of it!

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

This sculpture is located in front of North Central High School. It was the winning submission for…read morethe North Central High School Art Department's design contest. It was made in 1989 and is the work of Martina Nehrling. I consists of 3 stainless steel structures, which considering their age are an excellent shape. The first thing I thought of when I saw the sculpture was origami, which turns out to be the artist's inspiration for the piece. The three pieces look like large metal origami pieces. This sculpture did not stick out like I thought it would. I had difficulty finding it. It is located in the long grass strip between the school and the road, if they helps you. It was an overcast day when I visited, so I probably did not get the full effect of the sculpture. I think it would be better with the sun shine off of it, as it is intended to make the sculpture somewhat interactive. There are a decent amount of parking spots in the school's lot. I would just caution you from trying to check this place out during student arrival and departure. As with most public art that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. You may want to consider planning out additional stops or checking it out on your way somewhere else.

If you've ever wondered about those gleaming stainless steel sculptures (there are 3 of them) along…read more86th Street, they are called "Arrows of Direction". They were built in 1989 as a result of a design competition at North Central HS. Martina A Nehrling is the artist. The design was based upon folded paper origami. At different times of day, the light strikes different angles affecting the shadows and reflection on the highly polished steel. Review #1516