One of my favorite muralists in Indiana is Becky Hochhalter. Hailing from the west side of the…read morestate, most of her murals are found in the west central part of Indiana. Her newest work (2019) is in the small town of Knightsville, IN, just a few miles east of Brazil. On the north wall of a building, she has recreated the image of a functional workshop including a pair of sliding barn doors painted as though they were real! The mural portrays a man hard at work inside a woodworking shop. But the man is not alone. There is a cat, three bats, and seven mice in the picture too. There is also a model airplane which has significance to the man who commissioned the mural. The next time you are traveling on US 40 on the west side of the state, make a point to check out this very cool new addition to the Clay County art scene. Review #3136

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

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

Along the B-line trail in the northwest part of Bloomington's downtown is a massive sculpture by…read morelocal artist Dale Enochs. The piece is called "Bloomington Banquet" and appears to be a giant dinner table and chairs with a bowl of steaming fish soup. The piece is made of primarily limestone along with anodized aluminum, stainless steel, and powder coated steel. The piece measures 24' x 28' x 12'. According to the artist's website, there is a great deal of symbolism and homage to the location. The dinner table represents the coming together of the community as a family does around the dinner table. The site also was formerly the location of a furniture store, so the table and chairs ties to the history. On top of the table is an ornate bowl surrounded by silverware that stands on end. From the bowl can be seen rising "steam" that supports a detailed fish, suggesting the contents of the dish. The fish was playfully added to reference the image of a fish that sits above the Monroe County Courthouse. Dale Enochs has numerous pieces in the Bloomington and Indianapolis areas. For more information about those pieces, go to his website at https://www.daleenochs.com/artists/ Review #1203

I have passed this mural many times and not noticed it. I decided to make today a mural finding…read morefield trip. The mural wraps around two sides of the Indy Auto Man's Service Center, the front and side and covers 2,400 sqft. It was commissioned in 2021 by the Indy Auto Man Car Dealership and created by Nekoda Witsken. She was assisted by Travis Neal, Bezol One, and Dan "Invisible Hometown" Handskillz. it is meant to represent the business's core values of initiative, growth, integrity, transformation, and resourcefulness. Employees were polled as to which symbols and heroes they felt best represented these values and their feedback was then used to design the mural. The mural not only has the dog, it has MLK, and Freddy Mercury. I like this mural it is large and very detailed. The colors really pop out and pull you in. You can park in the business's lot to get out and see the mural up close. I highly recommend planning out stops at some of the other wonderful murals that are within a mile or two of this one to maximize your time. Fun fact: This mural served as the backdrop to the inaugural Indy Arts Fest as well.

One of the most talented and successful local artists stays busy adding new murals faster than I…read morecan keep up with her. Local artist Nekoda Witsken collaborated with some other local artists to work on an enormous two sided mural on the south side. One of the special details of this mural is that instead of just using brushes, she used spray paint on this metal surface. The front of the building has many figures and faces (including a full sized Fredddie Mercury. Over on the right side of the building you will see the title of the mural as well as a larger than life image of her dog "Potato".. There is also a dog tag with names of people who love Potato as well as the artist. one of the things I enjoy about this artists' work is that there are many styles of art that she can choose to use. I've seen enough of her art that I can arecognize much of it without her signature. Even when she worked with other artists to complete the work, she has such distinctive touches that I can still find them. Review #3969

The city of Mooresville added a second mural by local artist Kylin Brown to the growing collection…read moreof public art. The newest mural was added to the side of the M&A Automotive Repair in 2020. The mural is easily visible from Bridge Street just west of the local Lowe's but across the street. The mural features a bright yellow background to catch your eye. The main focus of the mural is a black highway with numerous old cars and trucks and features a M&A tow truck driving along. There is a "greeting card" welcoming visitors to Mooresville. There are some inset images that appear to be old polaroids that have been taped to the mural (but oversized probably several feet across.) The mural not only draws attention to the business and lets you know it is auto related. But with the bright colors, it clearly shows a bit of history for the city that the business has been part of for a long time. I like that the business hired a local artist (from Plainfield) to create the mural and thereby, supports the local arts. If I had a car, I would definitely check this place out since it is locally owned and supportive of the community. But this review is strictly for the artwork. I enjoy noticing all the details that the artist has placed within the mural. Review #3802

One of Bloomington's own has added another fine sculpture to the local Public Art offerings in the…read morearea. Famed sculptor Dale Enochs has put together this giant sculpture near the entrance to the grounds of the NW Monroe County YMCA. The installation called "Stride" (2019) covers 80' in length and 15' wide. The human figure, made from water cut, powder coated aluminum, stands 16' in height! There are four layers of the figure held together just a short space from each other. The two outer layers are black. The two inner layers are colored with the five colors associated with the YMCA and have the words "Mind", "Body", and "Spirit" cut into them. Besides the human figure, there are multiple pieces of cut Indiana limestone that are spread out beside and behind the figure along the sidewalk that visitors can follow near the path of the giant. I really like that kids who go to the YMCA can see this public art each day and be encouraged to stride forward using their own imaginations to create something that will endure. Review #3287

This mural is only 12 x 12 but features a local celebrity known for his loyalty and dedication…read more Stiffy Green was a British Bulldog who followed his owner everywhere. When the owner passed away Stiffy found his owner's mausoleum and stood guard . Eventually the loyal pet passed away on his own and to protect the loyal pet from damage/vandalism, he was stuffed and now resides in the Vigo County museum. I am sure there is a lot more to the story, but you can research that on your own. If you are driving north on 7th, you can easily spot his mural on the side of the building. I find it delightful that there was such a bond between a man and his pet. Whenever you are in the area, be aware of the multiple images of Stiffy hat can be found around town including having his own beer! Review #3972

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.

On the southwest corner of 2nd and Walnut in Bloomington, you will notice a unique piece of…read morecommunity art that forms a large "C" that rises 13' into the air. The piece is called "(C)olumn" and was commissioned by the city to serve as a gateway to the local Entertainment and Arts District. In 2014, the community was given the opportunity to submit words or phrases that described Bloomington. The words most commonly suggested were then given to artists Jiangmei Wu and Jon Racek, faculty members of IU's Dept of Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design. They designed the piece by writing the words on pieces of steel to make sure each word was connected and supported when laser cut into a curved column with an open side that looks like the letter "C" from above. The piece is large enough that a viewer can step inside the column and see the city through the openings between letters. The C-shape was selected to represent Community. The piece was completed and dedicated in 2015. Review #2190