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Human Sculptures on IU Campus

5.0 (1 review)

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Red, Blonde, Black, and Olive - Each of the blocks has two face halves representing world races

Red, Blonde, Black, and Olive

4.5(2 reviews)
1.2 mi

This sculpture is located on the Bloomington Art Trail at the end of Miller-Showers Park. It was…read morecreated by Jean-Paul Darreau in 1980. It sits in a small plaza area with a few benches for people to sit and it over looks the water. It consist of 2 limestone statues that are facing each other. The two statues each have two faces for a total of 4. Each face features a different major world ethnicity which is meant to represent Bloomington's diverse population. Depending on how you are viewing it, you will see the faces of an Asiatic woman facing an African woman, or Indian man facing a Nordic man. The artist intended the piece stimulate communication across racial lines. There is a placard near the sculpture with information about it, but it is very weathered and cannot be read. There is a small parking lot at the front of Miller-Showers Park that offers 3-hour parking. It is on the opposite end of the park from the sculpture, but not a long walk. This is a nice sculpture and credited as the genesis of Bloomington's public art displays. It has a powerful and positive meaning and has withstood the test of time. It is over 30 years old and is in great shape. I highly recommend checking this place out. 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 making this part of a larger itinerary, to maximize your time and trip. You could start your itinerary with a visit to, Miller-Showers Park, the park the sculpture is located.

The initial art installation of the Bloomington Community Arts Commission was created in 1980 and…read morerelocated to its current spot on the north end of Miller-Showers Park in 2002. The piece "Red, Blond, Black, and Olive" is meant to represent the four major races of the world, each of which make up part of Bloomington's population. The art consists of two 11 ton pieces of limestone that generally face each other. From the north, the faces of an Asian woman and an African woman are seen. From the south, those same blocks depict the faces of a Native American man and a Nordic man. The artist has added some thoughts about the piece on the east side of the sculpture. The sculpture was created by local artist Jean-Paul Darriau. Darriau also has another famous work on the IU Campus in the Dunn Woods area near Kirkwood Hall called "The Space Between: Adam and Eve". Review #2197

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Red, Blonde, Black, and Olive
Red, Blonde, Black, and Olive - From the south, a Native American man faces a Nordic man

From the south, a Native American man faces a Nordic man

Red, Blonde, Black, and Olive - From the north, an Asiatic woman faces an African woman

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From the north, an Asiatic woman faces an African woman

Untitled 2001 - Untitled 2001 by Stephen Powell (2001)

Untitled 2001

5.0(1 review)
2.6 mi

On my most recent trip to Bloomington, I headed out to the west side to find a large wind driven…read moresculpture behind the Bed Bath and Beyond store. Partially hidden by large evergreen trees on the west side of the green space is a sculpture that is nearly 70 feet in height made of coated steel that on sunny days, reflects deep colors off its surface. The piece is officially listed as "Untitled 2001" by artist Stephen Powell (2001) but is also referred to as "Fngers". The piece has two end pillars that support a crossbar. The cross bar has five tapered tubes that use their thicker and heavier bases to counter balance the long and narrow portion that reach skyward. As wind catches the long surfaces, the tubes pivot towards horizontal depending upon the wind velocity. On my visit, the wind was light, so the tubes were generally pointing skyward with litle movement. However, I have seen photos of the tubes frozen in winter parallel to the ground! At the time of my visit, there were no benches in the vicinity for visitors to sit and watch the movement though I can imagine that it may be peacefl to watch the tubes sway. I believe I've read the tubes make noise on windy days as well, but were silent on my trip. If you are in the area and the wind is cooperating, take a moment to swing by to check it out. There is plenty of parking to pull up and view the piece in motion. Review #1370

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Untitled 2001 - Untitled 2001 by Stephen Powell (2001)

Untitled 2001 by Stephen Powell (2001)

Untitled 2001 - Untitled 2001 by Stephen Powell (2001)

Untitled 2001 by Stephen Powell (2001)

Untitled 2001 - Untitled 2001 by Stephen Powell (2001)

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Untitled 2001 by Stephen Powell (2001)

School of Athens - School of Athens based upon the mural by Raphael in the Papal Palace (local artist unknown)

School of Athens

4.5(2 reviews)
0.9 mi

The detail in this mural is off the charts. It is awesome. It is located next to a small apartment…read morecomplex across the street from Miller-Showers Park. I get a last supper type feel when I see this mural. It is a abbreviated version of Raphael's School of Athens from the early 1500's. But the good news is that you don't have to go to the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City. You can drive right over to Bloomington and see it for free. The mural depicts some of the greatest philosophers including Diogenes of Sinopes sitting on the stairs, Plato and Aristotle walking down the center, and Heraclitus sitting on the stairs writing on some paper. This adaptation of the mural had to cut some of the subjects that were on the original's periphery due to limited space. As I mentioned, the detail in this mural is amazing. The columns that are on the murals border are 3D and pop out from the wall. I was throughly impressed. The sky and arches in the background.....wow. To be honest, I think I prefer this one over the original, but it may just be because it is so accesible to. You can either park in the park's parking lot and walk over to get a closer look or just pull into the apartment complex's lot and get a quick look. Well, as with most murals 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 and making this part of a larger itinerary.

If you are visiting Miller-Showers Park on the north end of Bloomington, you may notice this mural…read moreto the south east. Based upon the original Papal Palace master work by Raphael (circa 1510), this mural's original artist is unknown. Later, around 2005, local artist John Shestak was hired to restore the mural. Due to the challenge of adapting a landscape original of a collection of philosophers into a portrait framed mural, a number of individuals in the Papal original have been omitted. This adaptation does have a few of the most recognized names in Philosophy. Starting with the two central figures, Plato (on the left) and Aristotle who represent the two main types of philosophy. The the viewers far left is a man in a green robe who is Socrates. The man who is lounging on the stairs in front of Aristotle is Diogenes (the Cynic). The man in the lower left was at one time thought to be Michelangelo (who was painting the Sistine Chapel at the same time as Raphael was painting his mural.) However, later thought believe the figure to be Heraclitus. Interestingly enough, this figure was not in the original drawings for the mural. It was painted at a later date than the rest of the mural. Left out of this adaptation are Pythagoras, Euclid, & Ptolemy who were too far to the sides in the original to fit into this mural. Although this mural is nowhere near the color or skill level of the original, it is thought provoking and got me to take time to research about the original and the men who were portrayed. Review #2220

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School of Athens
School of Athens

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Human Sculptures on IU Campus - publicart - Updated May 2026

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