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.

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.

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

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 ArtsPark borders the Indianapolis Art Center in Broad Ripple. The Park and gardens are natural,…read morefor the most part, with meandering paths through natural wooded and open area. The trail is Certified Sustainable by the Indiana Wildlife Federation. We visited on a beautiful Memorial Day morning. I would not have known the garden was here, had I not been looking for the Twisted House sculpture. The park contains 13 sculptures by artists with Indiana ties. In addition, 37 garden features located throughout the park were gift by various benefactors. The art is interesting. There are a mix of concrete walkways and gravel paths. Benches provide seating at various points along the walkways. Free parking is available on the east side of the Arts building and there is no charge to walk through the trails. The park is a hidden gem and worth a visit.

I love the ArtsPark. It's a free, outdoor space that's on the grounds of the Indianapolis Art…read moreCenter. I would often visit when my children were young when we needed a place for them to roam and explore outdoors, so this place holds a special place in my heart. This park is super kid-friendly. The park is contains several art displays, statues and exhibits all throughout the grounds, all set among beautiful landscaping and trees. It's like a gallery without walls. It's also right by the White River, which you can see from a boardwalk that overlooks the river. It's also right by the Monon Trail, so it's easy to get to by bike or by foot. There are a couple of art displays that my kids would play at a lot, and they were the more hands-on pieces. One of them is the "Twisted House," which is a wooden house that's twisted and turny, but kids can go inside. It also makes for a super Instagram-worthy backdrop! "Circle" is another piece in the ArtsPark that my kids gravitated to. It's a Zen-like sculpture composed of a 10-foot ring of black granite with a sand garden on the inside. You can't miss "Crescendo," a bright blue sculpture composed of 6,000 tiles. If you look at the tiles closely, you'll see little uplifting quotes and sayings written on them. I can spend many hours just sitting at ArtsPark among all of the art and nature. It's a beautiful place in the heart of Broad Ripple, and a genuine hidden gem of Indianapolis.

The is a beautiful mural. It overlooks a parking lot that belongs to Marigold Clothing…read more(coincidence, or not?) and is located on the back wall of the Broad Ripple Pub. Marigold clothing is the store to the left, as you are viewing the mural. The mural is the work of Christopher Blice and Jon Edwards of the decorative painting and marketing company Blice Edwards. They painted the mural in 2019. It depicts a small assortment of flowers, featuring a Marigold, hence the name along with a butterfly and a bee. They are set upon a twisted colorful ribbon and a colorful background of mostly yellows and greens. You really need to check out the murals shading while you are visiting. It is amazing. The detail on the mural is awesome. Blice Edwads are very talented and have some really nice pieces across the city. This mural was a nice addition to the area and adds a bit of color. Being that it is in a parking lot, so of it may be obstructed by parked vehicles, but you should still be able to get a good look. Parking to get out and take a closer look at this mural is not an issue. since it over looks a parking lot, be it a private one. But I am sure you will not be there long anyway. There is also some street parking available as well. I was there less than 5 minutes, as with most murals I have visited. 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.

One of the more well known artist groups in central Indiana is Blice Edwards. Together since 1993,…read morethis partnership between Chris Blice and Jon Edwards has been adding beautiful artwork (primarily paintings) to the area based out of their small studio near 54th Street. This mural "Marigold" was added in 2019 just a short distance north of the studio. There is a shop off Cornell that is called Marigold Clothing which has a small parking lot to the west of the shop. A large wall of Broad Ripple Brewpub is adjacent to the south side of the lot. It is this wall that the team has added giant marigold flowers along with a butterfly and honey bee. A large slightly twisted ribbon arcs across the background of the mural adding a rainbow of color to the wall. All visitors to the shop who park in the lot (rather than street park) will be able to see this unobstructed artwork. For fans of this art, know that you can find other pieces by the duo around town, including up in Westfield (although the piece was a sculpture that is being moved for construction). Down on East Michigan near Mass Ave, a three story image of James Whitcomb Riley was painted. A giant pegboard mural featuring lots of tools is painted at the former Angie's List campus. And all around their studio, including the Posh Petals Floral shop and the patio "Butterflies" of Gallery Pastry Shop, are featured more of the team's work. Review #3328

How did I not know about this ? I found it purely by accident. Took a wrong turn due to road…read moreclosure along College... spotted a huge flower out of the corner of my eye and since I love murals, I had to go and investigate... Wow... just wow... you gotta love a neighborhood coming together like this and beautifying the area. No dark & grimy alley here. Almost every house displays a different flower or other nature motive along at least 2 city blocks. Take a stroll or cruise through it. So worth it. Pictures don't do it justice. Each mural is unique and works well with the building it adorns, but taken all together, this is a true masterpiece.

This is an amazing spot. What makes it so amazing is that many of the residents got together to…read moremake this happen. The murals are mostly on garages of private homes along an alleyway. This project was the vision of local resident of Deborah Jacobs of RippleBnB. Most of the works were painted by renowned artist Jules "MuckRock" Muck during here 2019 residency here in Indy. Local artist Abigail Staffelbach has added in some of her work to the alley. There are all very nice and depict different flowers. They all do, however, have a common theme. They are all titled "Be (fill in the blank), such as Be Free (red poppies), Be yourself (bouquet of pink and red flowers), Be Joyful (sunflowers with a black background), Be Love ( red roses, of course with a red background), Be Grateful (Indiana corn field against a blue sky), Be remembered (sympathy arrangement of white roses and white chrysanthemums), Be Peace (with white and yellow daises and purple cone flowers. This mural cover 2 sides of the garage and has a black and a white background), and Be Authentic (purple petunias on a rustic barn). There is also a fence that is painted at the end of the alley that has a Bee and is titled Just Bee. These are not your usual MuckRock style art, and only has her tag in the lower portion of most of them. There is parking available on the street adjacent to the alley and you could also just pull up into the alley to park and get a closer look. There are a lot of flower murals that line the alley, I counted 8 in all (7 by MuckRock and 1 by Staffelbach). Bravo to that neighbor hood. My favorite was Be Love because the red on red worked for me. The second was Just Bee. In addition to the bees, you will find a signature MuckRock rabbit. Even though there are a lot to sort through in this alley, I do not think it is still a pretty long stop. I recommend filling out a larger itinerary with this and some of the other wonderful murals and/or restaurants in the area. Trust me, there are a ton of them. I love this mural project and how the community came together to make this happen. It is a beautiful thing. It is a must see if you are mural hunting in the Broad Ripple area. I really enjoyed this area, and I am sure that you will too.

The next time you are in Broad Ripple at either Developer Town or Liter House, check out the…read moreartwork in the alley between them for a fun photo op. Angel Wings is a stencil art installation on the grey wall of Developer Town where visitors can stand with their back to the wall and snap pictures of themselves as angels. The art was installed by Jamie Locke and Megan Jefferson in 2016. They also had temporary adult and child sized wings further north on the Monon, but those have been the casualty of new construction. Review #1586

This is one of Jules "MuckRock" Muck's many murals that she painted while in Indianapolis in 2019…read more This mural overlooks a vacant lot and is highly disrespected. There are two pile of mulch dumped right in front of the mural and there is an abandoned bus on the lot as well. The mural is showing a little bit of wear. The mural depicts two rabbits getting it on. The bottom rabbit is smoking a cigaret and they are both crossed with caution tape. The artists signature MuckRock tag appears a a cloud coming from one of the rabbit's rear and reads "MuckRock "hearts" Indy" This mural is actually a redo an original one that was painted on the side of an Eastside restaurant. It was the same setting, minus the caution tape. It was removed in less than 24 hours after receiving numerous complaints. The mural did have its share of reporters through. It was eventually replaced by another MuckRock mural of Bambi and Thumper. I like the bold statement that MuckRock takes with this mural and that she was able to do it over, be it in a different location. It is basic to intermediate artistically and outside of the obvious, is kind of boring. It is not my favorite MuckRock work, by far. For the record, I am not offended by the mural, nor was I offended by the original, but respect the opinions of those who are/were. I do not totally agree with the original being removed, but I do understand. Being that it overlooks and empty field, parking to get a closer look is very easy. As with most murals that I have reviewed, this is probably not a very long stop. I was there less than 3 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other cool murals in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.

They're back. One of the most talked about art installations in recent local history has found a…read morenew home on the side of an art gallery...but with a twist. The artist, international muralist Jules "MuckRock" Muck, was invited to paint her Muck Bunnies on the east wall of the building in August 2019. But this time, the artist painted proportionally sized yellow caution tape across the mural to stay away. If you have been living under a rock, the image originally was painted on the exterior wall of Beholder Restaurant on 10th. The owner of the building objected (even though the chef/restaurant approved) and painted over the mural the very next day. That caused even further uproar as some people remained offended even after the mural was removed and others were offended that the art was destroyed. Talk about controversy. And it was meaningless because the mural was already gone and all the talk was just that..talk. It couldn't change the past, either in the creation or destruction of the art. So what was the point of the outrage? So, now we have a self-censored version in a different area of town and we will see if this one causes a stir. What is sad is that this isn't the artist's most detailed or amazing art work. It is a rather simple image of two rabbits making more rabbits while one of the rabbits is smoking a cigarette. It's not even meant to appear lifelike. The artist can do incredibly detailed art when she wants to. It's just a cartoon style image of two rabbits doing something that everyone thinks of or has thought of doing, but as a society, we can't seem to talk about without offense. Sure, we can have rampant killings and drug abuse and crime, but we just accept those. But anything with sex? It is offensive and people get on their soap box to publicly denounce it. But what do they do behind closed doors? Why so serious? I probably won't change anyone's opinion, but the mural got me to write about it. I find it a bit humorous and I admire that in one simple mural, the artist is able to express so much. In this case, a picture (or mural) is worth a thousand words. Review #2886