"Greetings from Ft Ben" is a commissioned public art display that adorns the front of The Otis at…read moreFt. Ben Apartments, one of multiple complexes in the area known as Fort Ben just inside Lawrence. The mural is a beauty, though I'll admit I found it a bit uncared for in my opinion. It's still quite beautiful and it probably didn't help that I stopped by on what was a late fall/early winter dreary day. The mural was completed by Jon Edwards from Blice Edwards. It's what is often referred to as a "postcard" mural complete with the "Greetings From" verbiage along with imagery that will no doubt be familiar for most Ft. Ben area folks. The area's military history is proudly on display along with a reference to golf (there's a golf course within a few blocks), lots of greenery, trails, and a former barracks imagery (these are now office spaces). The colors utilized make the mural pop. Even with a lot of construction going on, the mural is difficult to miss if you drive by it and it's definitely one that draws you in. This one is easy to stop and see. While parking around here has gotten a wee bit territorial, there's a Ft. Ben Branch library 1-2 blocks away and it's easy to stop and catch this mural while on a library visit. The mural was completed in 2021 and adds a terrific touch to an already picturesque area. For those who love public art, this is one of several pieces in the Fort Ben area worth your time.

This mural was painted by Jon Edwards from the Blice Edwards art gallery. It was commissioned by…read moreand located in front of The Otis at Ft. Ben Apartments. It is very nice art work and is based on your stereotypical "Greetings From" postcard. The artist intended to represent the military history and natural beauty of the City of Lawrence/Fort Ben. The mural is pretty busy and has a lot going on. The letters in FT Ben have an American flag, 3 soldiers saluting, a golf course flag, and a Fort Harrison Park hiking trail. The dot after the "FT" even has a golf ball on a tee. The mural has a golf club leaning against the "E" in the mural. There are also leaves, branches and other greenery is placed along the bottom of the mural. I like the use of colors that Edwards uses. It is a gorgeous mural. There is parking available at the apartment complex and there is also some street parking available across the street from the mural. This is an excellent addition to the Fort Ben landscape. 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 or checking it out on your way somewhere else. You may consider checking out "Threshold", which is right around the corner.

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.

The Stutz Sculpture is one of four auto-themed sculptures along the 96th Street corridor in Carmel…read more One of the "Classic Cars of Indiana," Stutz is one of my favorites in Carmel. It's possibly second to the Marmon Wasp - another one I absolutely love. All four classic car sculptures were created by Arlon Bayliss, a local artist whose design incorporates dozens of steel fabricated by Bo-Mar industries. Each vertical slice of steel creates an "ethereal light-permeable abstract form." At night, it's illuminated from within. The sculpture sits on a 5-foot Indiana limestone base. The sculpture is 16-feet-high and inspired by the Stutz's well-known "Ra" art deco hood ornament. I miss the days when we had really cool hood ornaments. The sculpture is inside the roundabout at 96th and Gray Road. I'm not one who's enamored with a lot of Carmel's public art, however, this is one I'll even drive out of the way a bit to go see. The sculpture was the last of the four "Classic Cars" to be installed and was completed in September 2024. I personally think it's worth the time to drive across 96th Street to catch all four. Plus, hey, think of all the roundabouts. Seriously, this is one of my favorites of the public art installations in Carmel roundabouts. It's definitely worth a visit or at least a drive-by.

Again: I know nothing about art, just going by what I like and what I don't …read more This is another roundabout sculpture in the series of Indianapolis' auto industry and racing history. They are back to back along 96th Street. This one looks like the hood ornament Stutz used and based on the sun god Ra. It is made of metal slices and pretty ingenious. I understand it also lights up, but I haven't personally seen it at night. I do enjoy looking at it as I circle it on my way through the roundabout.

This is a neat concept, but not much to it. It is a huge door located in the corner of Memorial…read morePark. It is in a wide open area overlooking the lake. It is a white door frame with four glass panes in the door that are reflective. It is the work of Cydney Campbell, who was a Herron School of Art student at the time. The door is mounted to the ground by a heavy duty bracket on a steel base, but I do not know how structurally sound it is so I would not recommend walking through the door. It is for show and not for go. The piece is was commissioned by the Ft. Benjamin Harrison Reuse Authority, through a partnership with Herron School of Art and Design's Basille Center for Art, Design and Public Life. It is ok, but definitely not a destination stop. I would make this part of a larger itinerary or stop here on my way to somewhere else. There is a small parking lot that belongs to the neighboring apartment complex where I parked to get out and get a closer look. Not a long stop, I was there about 5 minutes, but still worth a look.

I have been trying to check out different public art in the city of Indianapolis, threshold is one…read morethat I googled and look a little trip over to Lawrence to Check out this piece. It is located in Memorial Park bear fort ben. This is a quick and easy drive and recommend that people try and go explore fort Ben. Memorial park is just past all of those new condos. I parked and started walked into the little park, and the first door was there, it's very tall and has pretty see through glass. There is also 2 other doors located across the park and I wanted to go check them out but there was a heard of angry geese that blocked my way so I could only see them from afar. This is a piece done by a Herron art student, and the park is def some place I would come back and relax and read :)

The Twisted House is a whimsical, quirky sculpture in the ArtsPark. The house is the 2005 work of…read moreJohn McNaughton. McNaughton was a founding member of the Art Department of University of Southern Indiana. He passed away in 2022. The Twisted House is typical of his fun-loving approach to art. The wood sculpture has a storybook appearance. I can imagine that kids (and maybe even a few squirrels) would have fun visiting and playing in the structure with the crooked door and roof that curves over into the ground. The sculpture brought a smile to my face. The Twisted House worth a visit if you like art. There is no charge to walk through the quiet and serene park. There is free parking at the east side of the park.

It was a cold crisp day in late November when I visited the house. I knocked on the door but…read morenobody was home. Just kidding. It is a piece of artwork. It reminds me of the nursery rhyme about the old woman who lived in a shoe. It is just one piece of outdoor artwork and sculptures available on the grounds of the Indianapolis Art Center. I found plenty of parking available at the Center's parking lot. Then it is short walk from the lot.

Broad Ripple is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Indy, and part of the reason is because of all…read moreof the beautiful murals everywhere. This is one of the murals I see frequently, because it's right by the Rainbow Bridge and my favorite store in Broad Ripple Village, Good Earth. So, according to the artist's website (her name is Abigail Staffelbach), this mural is actually called "Fire Station 32 Mural." At least, that's what it's labeled on her website. The name doesn't exactly roll off the tongue or conjure visions of flower gardens, but it is painted on the side of the Broad Ripple fire station, so it makes sense. Sometimes pragmatism wins. This is a beautiful piece of public art, and fortunately, there are other murals by Staffelbach in the area that you can check out.

Public art mural of some brightly colored and beautiful flowers on the back of the firehouse in the…read morebroad ripple neighborhood of Indianapolis Indiana. My family and I on a weekend getaway from louisville was dining in the area when after eating we decided to discover the area around as it was a cool looking place. We pulled over to check out this rainbow bridge public art when my daughter pointed out this awesome mural just off the banks of the canal water from the bridge. Very fun photo op that is a wonderful piece in an area with all kinds of cool Pieces of public art.

This is a very long mural that is the work of The Department of Public Words, a group that spreads…read morepositivity and encouragement through art. The mural runs along the Monon Trail and was completed in 2014 after 8 months of work. The mural had collaboration from the Meridian-Kessler Neighborhood Association, SmallBox, Terra Pro, LLC, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, the Girl Scouts, CFI, the Indianapolis Art Center's Teen Art Council, and Sherwin-Williams chipped in with paint and supplies. The mural was painted to replace aging and deteriorating ones that were becoming more of an eye sore than anything. The mural is nice. I like the detail put into each train car. Each car has a positive word or phrase like "Smile", "I Heart You", "You are beautiful", "Do great things", and "Eye believe you can". Each car was made from numerous four feet tall by eight feet wide stencils to cover the 5,000 square foot surface. It is very colorful and detailed. I almost mistook it as a real train from a far. Dave Combs of DPWords said that "the purpose of The Love Train is to bring positive messages to people in a beautiful way". I think it definitely accomplishes that. I really like this mural and the work or the Department of Public Words. We can never have too much positivity, especially in the times that we are in now. This is one of the few murals that you could make a special trip to see. If you are not going for the trail, but just going to see the mural. The easiest place to park to see it is the parking lot of the Half Littler House. It is a very short walk from there. Even though I spent more time here than most other murals that I have visited, this is still probably not a very long stop. I was there less than 15 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 wanna check out some cool art then this the place. This spot is like 2 miles from the famous…read moreBroad Ripple Village. The Monon Trail Love Train is a long wall with lot of art in different colors and captions but of the same format that looks like coaches. Walk all across the wall and you'll find amazing Angel Wings( see my profile pic)and Pink Cranes. There are 2 different angel wings which are Instagramable. Check out my Insta profile:: Mr.harven

Advance Epoch by Indianapolis artist Jared Cru Smith features three 8-foot curved forms rising from…read morea landscaped island at Post & Hawkins. Installed in 2011, the piece and nearby benches and boardwalk bring a calm, reflective moment to the Fort Ben neighborhood. Smith--an artist, fabricator, and educator at the Herron School of Art + Design--often combines found objects and varied processes to create abstract forms that feel alive through balance and motion. The sculpture was commissioned by the Fort Harrison Reuse Authority.

This abstract sculpture is located on an island off of small park in Lawrence, IN. It was made in…read more2011 by Jared Cru Smith and commissioned by the Fort Harrison Reuse Authority. Smith is the Sculpture Shop Manager at Herron School of Art + Design. There is free parking right next to the sculpture on both sides of the street. It is featured in between two roads and is very intriguing. It consists of 3 curved/wavy limestone pillars with iron attached to it. It sits upon a well-maintained garden that only enhances it. The 3 pieces of the sculpture are about 8 to 10 feet tall and are in great shape. It is a simple but beautiful and interesting piece. If you are in the area, this sculpture is hard to miss. 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 murals such as the Fort Ben Mural and sculptures, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.

One of the rising stars in the metro Indy public art scene is Nekoda (Koda) Witsken who is from the…read morearea and has returned home after extensive travel and education to brighten the lives of people in the area, exposing them to art without the confines of having to visit a museum by placing her murals inside restaurants and other businesses as well as on the side of a building or on the supports of an underpass. Her murals seem to have a vibrant color to them and sometimes have larger than life images. Sometimes they seem abstract and other times, timeless landscapes or portraits, but what ever she paints, it is a pleasant surprise to enjoy. This mural located inside the El Lago Mexican Restaurant dining room covers the entire east wall (over 25 feet!) There are two parts to the mural which you can check out in the photos attached to this review. If you want to take time to enjoy looking at the mural, just order a fine meal and sit and look at the mural while you dine. Do yourself a favor and check out this mural the next time you are in the Geist area! Review #3879

This park has a lot of potential. It is not a very well visited park. I saw a few people come there…read morewhile I was there, but they did not stay long. It has a modest, but adequate parking lot for visitors to park. You will find a couple of very nice full basketball courts in the front of the park. The court is well paved and the rims can be raised and lowered. Even I could dunk on them. just behind the basketball courts, are two tennis courts. They are in pretty good shape too. The park is home to two shelters. They are in fair condition, but have a very limited amount of picnic tables under them. There are also grills just outside of the shelters. The park features a decent playground area that is on a bed of wood chips. The area has benches on its perimeter for caregivers to sit and watch their littles. The playgrounds equipment includes a bank of traditional/infant swings with a nest saucer swing, a small and medium jungle gym with slides, bridges, tunnels, and a sliding pole. a large pebble bridge setup with a climbing wall and Jacobs ladder, and a spinning net climber. The equipment is in pretty good shape. Other park amenities include a nice paved trail and a decent path of green space that is suitable for activities such a picnic, playing catch, flying a kite, a football or soccer game. The park is poorly maintained, or I caught it on a bad day. There was trash all over the place, trash cans were knocked over. On a positive note, the grass was cut. This is a nice park to visit, if you are in the area. They do not have any restrooms, but they have just about eveything else that I look for in a park. I would not label it a destination park, but still worthy of being a place that you spend some time.

First time visiting this with my 3 and 4 year olds. Super clean park. One broken slide but it's…read moreclosed off. It's in a quiet area and has a huge area to play or run in also. The basketball court seems good and kids were playing on it. My kids loves how different it is from other parks and how much things there were to climb and jump off of. Definitely a nice park and so close to where we live. The giant merry go round was also a huge hit.