Return to innocence is a public art mural located along downtown Indianapolis canal walk that…read morefeatures the innocence of children playing and blowing bubbles. 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. One of the cooler places we discovered while exploring the area. The canal walk we noticed when checking out the 9/11 tribute. We went down a flight of stairs and while walking along the canal we noticed on the underpasses on each side was murals all the way down This piece was one of my favorites we seen while walking the lovely canal. Displays as the title suggests the innocence of children and the water of the canal provides a fitting back drop for This mural.

This is a very fun mural that is very vivid and has lots of detail. It is the work of Cecilia…read moreLueza, who painted the mural in 2011, as part of the Arts Council of Indianapolis' successful 46 for XLVI Mural Initiative Program. It is located under the Ohio Street overpass. The mural depicts black silhouettes of two little girls, one on each end of the mural, blowing bubbles. There are lots of different sized bubble between the girls, some just black, but many filled with colorful images that represents past experiences from Lueza's life. This is a very nice mural that demands your attention. It is very viid and still in relatively good shape, especially considering its age. This is another must see if you are touring the canal walk mural under the overpasses. Anyway, 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 sculpture is located in the UIndy quad. You will find it on the right side of Esch Hall. It is…read morepart of UIndy's Sculpture Walk, sponsored by Fifth Thirds Bank. You are able to pull up a map of the 20 plus sculptures online and make a day of visiting each piece. The bronze and steel sculpture is the work of Bernie Carreño. It has a lot of meaning and symbolism behind it. The sculpture's steel pieces ,that make up the sculptures ends, are meant to represent individuals, countries, or groups and their tendency to be isolated. Carreño intended the bronze center wavy portion to signify the connection that keeps the two entities from floating completely apart. It also stands for flexibility and can move closer and farther apart depending on time and situation. At first glance from a distance, I though that the piece resembled a new-age grill. It is one of the smaller sculptures in the UIndy Sculpture Walk collection. This abstract piece is simple, but I love the artist's vision and the intended meaning of the sculpture. The backstory is very positive and inspirational. There is a small placard on the ground next to the sculpture that has its name and artist on it, along with a QR code that was meant to be scanned and would give you more information about the piece. Being that the sculpture is located on the UIndy campus there is a lot of parking available, however, most of it requires a parking permit. I just parked in an open spot, got out and took a closer look. I was not in the spot long. As with most sculptures 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 many of the other wonderful pieces of public art on campus, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. As I previously mentioned, you could download the Art Walk map that is online and make it a half a day or so.

Local sculptor Bernie Carreno has many art installations in the area, including two on the campus…read moreof the University of Indianapolis. "Connected" is one of his smaller public art installations. It is made from steel and bronze and can be found north of the roundabout east of the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center. The steel in the sculpture represents individuals or groups that might otherwise be isolated, while the wavelike bronze piece that spans the gap is all that connects individuals or groups, with the flexibility to move closer or farther apart without severing the tie. Review #1677

This sculpture is located on the side of the UIndy's Fine Art Center. It is part of UIndy's…read moreSculpture Walk, sponsored by Fifth Thirds Bank. You are able to pull up a map of the 20 plus sculptures online and make a day of visiting each piece. It is an interesting abstract piece that is made of wood and changes as you change your perspective. It is the work of Gary Gresko and is made of salvaged wood from docks destroyed by hurricanes. The wood does not look like it is not the most durable material to make an outdoor sculpture. This piece is starting to show signs of wear and erosion. Gresko's Wave Form #1 is a similar piece that is located in coastal town in North Carolina and is much larger and made of bigger wooden planks. The sculpture depicts the wood creating what appears to be a wave by starting at one point and continuously fanning out in a spiral, until it reaches another point. The effect starts and ends on a cement pad and is mounted to the pad by a steel bracket. I really like the kinetic effect created by the sculpture. It had me moving all around it trying to see what was the best vantage point. Even though it is a bit smaller, I think this is one of Gresko's better Wave Form pieces. Being that the sculpture is located on the UIndy campus there is a lot of parking available, however, most of it requires a parking permit. I just parked in an open spot, got out and took a closer look. I was not in the spot long. As with most sculptures 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 many of the other wonderful pieces of public art on campus, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. As I previously mentioned, you could download the Art Walk map that is online and make it a half a day or so.

Although this construct is cool to look at, it appears more an interesting structure than fine art…read more Artist Gary Gresko created the piece from wood that was salvaged from docks that were damaged by hurricanes. The twisting of the fence like structure is symbolic of the powerful force that wind creates in such conditions. The piece has two pads each with a pole rising from it. On one end, the dock wood begins vertically attached to the pole. As the connected "fence" pieces cover the space towards the other pole, they begin angling counter clockwise so that by the time they reach the second pole, the bottom of the fence has inverted to become the top. From the front or back, the twisting creates reciprocating fan shapes. When viewed from the sides, the image looks like a filled in circle. Review #1703

Every day, I've been driving down Meridian Street to get to my downtown Indy. Out of nowhere, it…read moreseems that "Share Your Light," a full-length mural adorning the north side of the Big Brothers-Big Sisters offices, popped up and immediately became this big bright light in downtown Indy. The mural was a private commission completed by Flatland Kitchen. It's a beautiful mural done with latex paint resulting out of BBSCI's desire to not just decorate their building but to create something meaningful to the community. Mission accomplished. As a lifelong Indy resident, I'm in love with this message and this simple but beautiful design. I don't care how many times I've seen it - it completely captivates me. BBSCI (Big Brothers-Big Sisters of Central Indiana) wanted to create something that said "we share this place." Flatland Kitchen has crafted a mural that grabs attention but also has emotional resonance and staying power. I think sometimes you kind of get used to a mural, however, with a mural like this one it grabs your attention every single time. And yes, it's true. This mural is one of Indy's newer ones having been developed in 2025. Flatland Kitchen is comprised of Eric and Rebekah Nolan. It's an Indy-based studio that focuses on branding, illustration, and spatial design. In case it's not obvious, I love this mural. If you haven't seen it, it's worth a drive down to 14th and Meridian Street to check it out.

This is a mural by Tasha Beckwith and is a temporary piece that is part of the Indianapolis…read moreAirport's Art Collection, in conjunction with the Indianapolis Art Council. It is located in the atrium, on the wall near the B terminal entrance. Beckwith painted it in 2021 and it is 11 feet high and a massive 75 feet long. The mural is intended to honor Indy's own legendary entrepreneur, Madam C.J. Walker and her lasting contribution to the community as the first self-made Black female millionaire. The mural depicts Madam Walker, the iconic Walker Theatre and various modern and classic African American figures. You will also find an image of a black woman in old Studebaker, groups of silhouette figures far off in the background, a tin from one of her products, Madame C.J. Walker's Wonderful Hair Grower, and another black woman, who I assume is Madam Walker (Sarah Breedlove), picking cotton. I also saw an image contemporary black man against a cosmical background holding a piece of sulfur with its periodic table symbol directly above it. I did not know what the significance of it was at first, but after a little research, I found that it sulfur was a major ingredient in Madam Walker's hair products, thus being a key element in her success. You will find some quotes, from Madame Walker herself scattered among the mural like "Don't sit down and wait for opportunities to come, get up and make them" and "I am not ashamed of my past. I am not ashamed of my humble beginnings." At first sight, I thought the mural was too busy. Had too much for me to dissect. But in looking into this mural. I learned a lot about Madam Walker and it does an excellent job telling her story. The piece artistically masterful and all the figures in the forefront has great detail and almost look like a photo. Beckwith has a few pieces in the airport and around Indy and she is a very talented artist. This piece puts that talent on full display. I really like this mural. But because it is located in the Airport it is hard to get to and impractical to just make a special trip to see. The vast majority of people seeing this sculpture will be flying in or out (to some extent) of the airport. Some may be waiting for someone to meet someone getting off the plane. It is located in the atrium/pre security screening food court and would be wonderful to view while sipping on a latte or snacking on a meal.

This is another Carl Leck mural that has consumed an old underpass. He painted it with the…read moreassistance of Eli Lilly employees as part of their Keep Indianapolis Beautiful Lilly Day of Service in 2016. This is a very colorful mural that is on both sides of the underpass and is also on the center support posts as well. The mural depicts some stuffed animals breaking through a colorful lego wall. You will see a stuffed frog, horse, raccoon, dog and frog. There is a couple of places that you can pull off to park and get out and get a better look at the mural. Just be careful if you do get out and look as it is on a very active underpass with a lot of blind spots. One of the first things that you will notice about the mural is it colors. They will draw you in. The mural is very well detailed and gives off a 3D look with the stuffed animals coming out of the wall. The intent of the mural is to make you smile and give you a happy feeling. This is is not a very long stop, especially considering its location, and you probably could accomplish what you want to in the comfort of your vehicle. With that being said, it is best to plan out stops at many of the other wonderful murals in the area to best maximize your time.

One of my favorite murals around Indy is one prepared/designed by Carl Leck for the Lilly Day of…read moreService Project back in 2016. What once was a dingy railroad underpass on south Meridian was transformed into a colorful collection of over sized stuffed animals breaking through a wall of building blocks. There are six main figures: a horse, monkey, bunny, blue frog, puppy, and a racoon. Each seems to be emerging from a black space into a colorful play area. Leck, one of Indy's most prolific and talented mural artists, first had to design the project and then transfer the plans to the walls on both sides of the road. He then had to select a coding system so that he could indicate to the volunteers where to paint each color. Primarily, the volunteers had to fill in the rectangles of the building blocks. Later, Leck touched up all the edges and then superimposed the characters and the black space to make the wall of blocks come to life by adding shading to create 3D effects. The only negative about the mural is that it is hard to take it in while driving at speed. There aren't many places around where a viewer can park and walk to the site. The support columns between the lanes were also painted, but somewhat block the view. If you are close to Raymond and Meridian, head a few blocks to check out this piece. You may get a smile for free! Review #1187

We're open if you are is a massive public art piece that you can't miss when entering the broad…read moreripple neighborhood of Indianapolis Indiana. My family and I on a weekend trip from louisville was dining in the area when we decided to explore the local art in Thai vibrant area. As soon as you cross another public art piece called rainbow bridge you look up and can't miss this fun little piece for the area. Proudly boasting of you are open then they are as well. A perfect Motto for a vibrant little neighborhood such as itself. Overall a very fun and cool photo op and a very fitting slogan for This town.

This is a nice 3D mural that welcomes visitors as they cross over the world famous Rainbow bridge…read moreleaving the Art District towards the Business District, the heart of Broad Ripple Village. It is located on the side of the Red Room Night Club. The mural incorporates the areas seal and motto and depicts a white shopping bag with the words "Broad Ripple Village" on it in a decorative/artsy font (the Broad Ripple Seal). The bag has thin pink hand straps on each side. Coming out of the top of the box you will find a row of house in broad ripple architectural style. Above the row of house are items that are significant to the area including a flower, a guitar with a musical note, a steaming hot coffee cup, a bottle of wine, and a paint brush. This houses and the significant objects are divided by a banner that reads "we're open if you are" (Broad Ripple's motto). This motto has a dual meaning. It refers to the bustling nightlife the are has to offer, with the bars closing at 3AM. It also refers to the areas diversity and open mindedness. Is it by coincidence that the mural faces the Rainbow Bridge, a beacon of the area's inclusiveness. The mural overlooks a small commercial parking lot, so parking to get a closer look is easy. There are also metered parking spots within a short walk that you can park as well. The third option is to view the mural from the comfort of your vehicle, doing a safe and strategic slow rolling drive-by. However, for this to work, you will have to approach from the Rainbow Bridge. 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 many of the other wonderful murals in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. If you come here you must also check out the Rainbow Bridge and look up its history and interesting backstory.

Patience, patience, the baggage claim here is a bit slower than at many other airports, despite…read moreit's state of the art baggage handling equipment. While you wait, enjoy all the artwork in this large hall. There are mosaics, statues and sculptures outside that you can spy from here and of course the most iconic art installation: the benches made from suitcases. Clever and poignant I think. I do love this piece and I am always tempted to sit on it, but I don't know if that is allowed and I have restrained myself so far.

If you have flown into IND you more than likely seen this sculpture, you may have even sat on it…read more This is a permanent piece in the Indianapolis Airport's Art Collection, a collaborative effort between the Indianapolis Airport Authority and Arts Council of Indianapolis. It is the work of New York artist Ron Baron, who created the cast bronze piece in 2008. Fittingly, it is located in the baggage claim area by baggage carousel #2. The sculpture is very clever and doubles as art and a bench. It depicts stacks of vintage suitcases and luggage made into benches. It showcases Baron sense of humor. If you look closely, you will see little figures on top of and under the sculpture. Baron intended them to be "...a frozen fictitious moment of time." Creating this piece was no small task. Baron spent over a year and a half working with White River Foundry to fabricate the piece. They had to disassemble suitcases into halves, cast each piece by making a wax replica, and cover them with a ceramic mold by melting the wax and filling the ceramic shell with molten bronze. I like this piece. It really does look like vintage luggage stacked up by the baggage claim area. If anything, it is definitely a conversation piece and nice to see. But because it is located in the Airport it is hard to get to and impractical to make a special trip just to see. The vast majority of people seeing this sculpture will be flying in or out (to some extent) of the airport.