Pickett Memorial Park is one of my favorite parks in West Lafayette. The park, though small,…read morecurrently has six public art sculptures, three picnic areas, and a small parking lot (hopefully, construction on Stadium will restore driving access soon!) There are a few trees for shade, but mostly, the park is away from the bustle of campus and provides a relaxing spot to enjoy fresh air and some interesting art, several with Hoosier ties. The park is named for a Purdue student who died in a hiking accident. His parents wanted to honor his love of the outdoors by donating funds for the park. The art pieces included the following: Kaikoo VI by Betty Gold (the red metallic one) Limits by Joey Manson (the light blue one) Man and Technology by Don Lawler (the limestone hand) Sycamore Arch by Ken Thompson (limestone arch) Zig by Ken Thompson (a blocky rust brown sculpture) and an untitled piece that looks like an elevated oblong shape with vertical rows wrapped by horizontal rows on the top. Review #1136

If you visit the parks in West Lafayette, you are bound to encounter some public art as you enter…read moreand leave the park. In 2019, Happy Hollow Park received four new sculptures: one for each entrance. The West Lafayette Public Arts Team commissioned the four pieces from Pennsylvania artist Bill Secunda. Taking nearly 2 years to complete, the four sculptures are made from steel and depict different insects that can be found in the area. Seems like a great complement to the woodsy nature of the park. At the main entrance, a 26' Praying Mantis can be seen hunting for lightning bugs (3). To the west at the park entrance along Kingston Road is a cricket that is much smaller in scale. Northwest of that along Salisbury Street can be seen a Dragonfly resting on cattails. And along the the north side of the park at the Indian Trail entrance can be found a Luna Moth. The steel is already oxidizing, so I hope that the material will last for many years to come. Excellent, life-like depictions of the insects show a great deal of skill in manipulating of such a large scale sculpture. I can't wait to see what the other parks continue to add. Review #3710

In 2016, a new art installation by artist/sculptor Patrick Mack was placed on the northwest corner…read moreof the Vistech Research Park building. The piece is composed of 12 cubes of varying sizes made from stainless steel. From a distance, they appear to be balanced upon each other at odd angles almost as if they are floating. Because of the outdoor conditions, a support rod was added, but is barely noticeable so it doesn't take away from the effect. The call for art wanted to represent teamwork and high tech. The total dimensions of the piece are 12' x 3' x 3'. Review #1456

All around the midwest, a version of "Commune" may be found. Artists Luke Crawley and Quincy Owens…read morehave created these fiberglass sculptures (always covered in a protective dark green finish) and the West Lafayette series was installed in 2014. The larger pieces have recorded messages that play. In some installations, there are conversations with locals about their neighborhood or their feelings about certain topics. Sometimes the pieces play music. It depends upon the installation which recordings will be heard. I don't believe they play continuously since I have not heard the ones at this location. I have found similar installations in the old north section of Indianapolis and the southern end of Nashville, Indiana which was a single column. Review #1455

Outside of the Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering is a statue of Neil Armstrong as he would have…read morelooked like while attending Perdue University. Next to the statue is a display of his footprints made famous by becoming the first person to walk on the moon. If you're on the Perdue University campus the Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering is a great place for a picture. Inside the building is a model of a space capsule like the one that Neil Armstrong would have been in. The Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering is definitely worth a stop when your on the Purdue University campus.

"Houston, Tranquility Base Here. The Eagle has Landed."…read more One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. Next to a statue of Neil Armstrong (who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Purdue in 1955), you'll find this replica of the steps that he took on the Moon. Yes, they look just like the famous footstep. Yes, you can actually walk in his steps. And while You won't bounce as high as he did due to the higher gravity here on Earth, you can absolutely pretend. [Review 20590 overall - 124 in Indiana - 1571 of 2023.] * Yelp wants to call this the Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering which is not what I added them as. We'll just go with that. It's not that, but I'm not going to argue with them this time.

If you travel north along 9th Street to where it passes under I-65 (near the Prophetstown State…read morePark), you can see the support structures for the interstate were painted on the northwest side of the road. Artist Andrei Krautsou knocked out this pair of murals in only five days. Both murals have an energy theme. The one on the left has plants growing in a field with the crop being the energy efficient light bulbs replacing a blossom. The one on the right shows wind turbines growing out of the plants in similar fashion. Both emphasize the relationship between energy supply and nature and that they can co-exist with planning. Review #1538

One of the most noticeable murals of the Rensselaer Art Walk is a large image of coneflowers that…read morecan be seen on a large wall that is visible from Washington Street. The mural, by artist Jenna Morello, has bright pink flowers with yellow centers on a field of green leaves. The mural is just one of the many murals that were added in 2019 as part of #RenArtWlk that fills two blocks of alley with numerous murals from artists all around the country. Review #3038

In this mural, Cameron Moberg (Camer1SF) created a simple sign spelling out the name of the town,…read moreRensselaer (or maybe not so simple since it is often misspelled!) On a white background, the letters are done in shades of brown and when viewed together, create a landscape of a rural farm scene. The dark base of the letters have corn stalks growing in the shadows. The mural is part of the Rensselaer Art Walk which has compacted numerous murals in a two block area just north of US 231 (Washington St). Review #3037