The irony of allowing humanity to fall so deep into greed that the unhoused population sit on this…read morebench without anywhere to call home. Says lots without saying a word.

This is a very powerful and intriguing piece that is located off to the side of the Roberts Park…read moreUnited Methodist Church. This sculpture is the work of Timothy Schmalz, a Canadian sculptor and devout Catholic, who was commissioned by Roberts Park United Methodist Church to create this bronze sculpture in 2015. It also goes by the name Jesus the Homeless. As nice as it is, this piece is not one of a kind. There are a bunch of them placed all around the world, well over 100. The original was made in 2013 and is located at Regis College, University of Toronto. Other locations that you will find the sculpture include Australia, Singapore, Israel, South Korea, Scotland, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Columbia and the Dominican Republic to name just a few. This sculpture is very realistic and detailed. Which brings me to a funny story. In October 2020, police in Ohio were dispatched to a report of a homeless man sleeping on a park bench. Ironically, this call was made within 20 minutes of the Homeless Jesus sculpture being installed. Yep, some called the police on the statue. I will admit, I had to do a double take to make sure it was not real when I saw it. And you are certain to be fooled if you are driving by. It should be noted the the sculpture in Vatican City has received the blessing of the Pope. The bench is about 7 feet wide and depicts a covered figure, assumed to be Jesus, laying on it. The only real identification being the crucifixion wounds on the figures feet. For the low price of 99.99 you too can have your own mini-homeless Jesus made by the artist himself. The sculpture is just off of the Roberts Park United Methodist Church parking lot and runs along Alabama Street. There is tons of metered street parking available in front of and adjacent to the sculpture. There is also a commercial parking lot directly behind it that you can pull into, get out and take a closer look too. I guess you could also do a safe and strategic slow rolling drive by and get a a half decent look, but I do not recommend that. You will not get the full effect of the sculpture. As with most sculptures 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 at many of the other sculptures, murals and attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. Brickhead3 and Viewfinders would be a great start.

Indiana got all kinds of cool murals and stuff. There's another example of it. The Indy butterfly…read moremurals right there pretty close to the Pacers stadium fun spot to check out.

This mural is located on the downtown CVS. It was painted by Kelsey Montague in 2019 and…read morecommissioned by the developers of CityWay2. Montague painted a few other murals in the Cityway complex while she was here. This is an interactive piece that has been following a national Instagram trend. There is a set of big wings for adults and small wings for the littles. So, this mural is not very unique as you can find similar pieces all across the country. The mural is meant for you to stand in front of and give you the appearance that you have wings. I almost posed for one of those then I remembered I was a grown man with a little self dignity. Just kidding, the wings make for good photos. There are also a large mural of Indy native butterflies on the adjoining wall titled Shadowbox Butterflies. It is a very nice piece and goes well with this one. As with most murals I have visited, this is probably not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. If you are quick, you could probably park in the CVS parking lot. You may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other wonderful murals in the area to maximize your time and trip. Luckily there are a lot of other interesting murals in CityWay to view.

As a tourist visiting for a weekend: having lived in Silver Lake (LA, CA) for a few years and…read morehaving walked around a bit and dined in this area (Fountain Square), I think it's safe to say that this is the or at least one of the hipster areas in the Circle City. The area feels artsy and very pedestrian/bike friendly. The restaurants look nice, but not overly expensive or unapproachable. It's funny because when I visit new cities, I tend to gravitate towards the restaurants in these type of areas. On this trip, I ate at both Milktooth and Bluebeard - both wonderful places to eat. I also had drinks at Four Finger Distillery and Inferno Room. It's located really close to the main downtown Indianapolis area. I actually parked in the area between here and the downtown area when I went to the Colts game on the Sunday I was here.

It has changed from an artsy community to a more heavily food focused area. Not that I am…read morecomplaining. I thoroughly enjoy all sorts of foods. I take my foodie group to this area to dine out a lot. And you can take a nice walk around the area and admire the murals of this area. There are so many, gorgeous and from such talented artists. I often take a stroll before or after dinner to see the murals or peruse through the little shops. One of the big plus points had always been the free parking. Unfortunately it seems to be changing as I have ended up in a couple of paylots lately. I am not amused. So do yourself a favor and double check your parking spot to see if you need to pay.

The Cardinals, a big giant red landmark statue that is close to our hotel. We came out and saw it…read more I don't really know much about it but it was cool to see and to add pictures of.

Cardinal is a massive bright red abstract sculpture that sits right in the heart of downtown…read moreIndianapolis. My family and I were in town for the weekend my daughter cheer Competition held inside the Convention center. Over the two days while waiting between performances and awards ceremonies me and sometimes my family walked the surrounding areas and explored as the public art scene here is plentiful and creative. This sculpture was easy to find as the size, bright red color and uniqueness makes it stand out. We first noticed it while circling the convention center looking for parking. Overall cool piece. Being from Lousiville and huge Lousiville cardinals fan the sculptures name and bright red color may make this more popular with me.

This is another cool mural that we found a walk in the Riverwalk in Indianapolis. We came across it…read moretook some photos of it. How far ahead good art design in a cool name.

This is a very interesting piece that is part of the Arts Council of Indianapolis' successful 46…read morefor XLVI mural Initiative Program. It is the work of Hector Duarte and was painted in 2011. It kind has a Chinese New Years feel in my opinion. It is located under the canal walk's West Street overpass. It is the only mural on canal walk that actually wraps around the side of the overpass. The center piece or focal point of the mural is a mosaic tile piece that resembles a mirror. There are two images of a serpent, Quetzalcoatl, who is a Mesoamerican deity and the god of the arts, civilization and knowledge. Quetzalcoatl is seen returning to earth to look at himself in a mirror. The serpents are painted over a fire background. That's hot. Pun intended. The artist intended a deeper meaning with this mural of self-reflection, and a moment to reflect on history and the course of civilization. The mural is in decent shape considering its age, but is starting the fade a bit. The color are beginning to become dull. I like the detail that Duarte used, especially on the fire and the serpent. He has skills. Well, there is tons of metered street parking available near the entrance to the canal where the mural is located, so you can get out and take a look. Just be sure to make sure you are on the right side of the canal you want to be on. Whether it is the side the mural is on, or across from it, to give you more of an overhead view. There are also a few garages within a reasonable walking distance too. Obviously, this is not a mural that you can do a drive by on, so that is not an option. You have to hoof it. 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 at many of the other wonderful murals in the area, There are a ton of them under the over passes along the canal, to maximize your time and trip.

This is a love letter to Indiana. I'm not sure who is writing a letter, but it is just a variety of…read morepictures and fun nice things that Indiana offers and make special.

Hard to find. The location is actually further down the canal walk, towards the museum. But still a…read morenice walk, and you get to see other murals under the other bridges

On the far western edge of the IUPUI campus is another abstract sculpture by Bloomington artist…read moreJerald Jacquard. (I know of three of his pieces in Bloomington!) This piece is mostly vertical and uses massive forms of metal to create a tower by assembling a variety of shapes. The tower is painted a bright purple, but the paint has begun fading to reveal the primer coat underneath. As far as why it is called the "Weather Tower", I have no idea. Maybe the odd shape on top is supposed to be a cloud. Other than that, I guess it will be a mystery. Review #1651

If you are walking across the greenspace north of the International Affairs Building (and south of…read moreTaylor Hall), you are bound to notice this over-sized diamond shaped sculpture. "Mega-Gem" or "Giant Gem" is well traveled and is currently owned by the Indianapolis Museum of Art and on loan to the university. The cast and welded aluminum gem is covered with inset "gems" on each of its many surfaces. The overall sculpture is 7' high, by 11' x 7'. The art was created in 1989 by John Francis Torreano and has been on display at Navy Pier in Chicago before being acquired by the IMA. Torreano uses the gem cuts in much of his work. Review #1640

I love this mural! Discovered it while getting dinner across the street. It's fairly new and on the…read moreside of a game shop. I am not sure who the artist is.

Indy West community group arranged to have a mural put at this location back in 2012. Local…read moreartists FAB Crew (Fantastic Aerosol Brothers) which is made up of artists Dan Thompson (Sacred 317) and Ben Long (6Cents), and Nemasis painted a large welcome sign to introduce visitors to the Near West side of Indy. But instead of adding simple block letters, they added scenes within each block letter that give a bit of background/history about the area. Images include airplanes and the Indy 500. Review #1789