This mural in downtown Fort Wayne is named after a line in the Walt Whitman book Leaves of Grass…read more(Arouse! For you must justify me.) It was painted by artist Tim Parsley and some of his students at the University of Saint Francis - Fort Wayne. I know I say this about all of the murals and public street art in Fort Wayne, but I think this might be my favorite mural in Fort Wayne. It's just so dynamic and beautiful. I love the contrast of the black-and-white painting of the man (Walt Whitman?) and the flowers that are flowing outward from the man's hat and onto the building walls. It's an amazing mural that must be seen in person.

This mural should be thought of as the Godfather of public art in Rensselaer. It has a great…read morelocation and can be seen by everyone traveling eastbound on US 231/Washington Street as you enter the downtown area since 2016. Back then, the Tippecanoe Arts Federation choose Cameron Moberg (Camer1) to bring public art via murals to lots of towns throughout the Tippecanoe Valley/greater Lafayette metro area. This particular mural shows a colorful bird taking off from the ground on the lower left and soaring to the upper right. One of the deep jade tail feathers has been left behind. Through efforts of the new owners of the building (eMbers Station), the artist was pursuaded to bring some friends/fellow artists to Rensselaer to create an Art Walk (#RenArtWlk) in 2019. Most of the artists had participated in the Wabash Walls 2019 in Lafayette as well. Now, there are two blocks of murals in the alley on the north side of the buildings facing Washington St. And it is very cool to see. But if it hadn't been for the right artist and the right owners and the participation of lots of cooperating businesses/towns people in Rensselaer, this cool cultural exhibit wouldn't exist that sets Rensselaer apart from hundreds of small towns in Indiana. Check it out! Review #3034

This large mural painted by Emily Ding for the Ren Art Walk in 2019 seems like it would be…read moreextremely challenging. First, the mural is large. Second, the surface is extremely rough and uneven which would seem to be a nightmare to work with, especially when detailing all the feathers of the fierce birds surrounding the smaller and apparently helpless bird in the center. It could be called "Hawks and Dove" as the larger birds seem to have gathered together to take down the single victim. Is it political commentary? I guess it's up to you to judge. The mural is filled with reds and blues with shades that are limited to less bright colors. That seems to make the threat of the large birds even more intimidating. Review #3043

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

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

It seems like there is a wave of murals out there that want visitors to interact with the images by…read moreposing in front of the art and taking photos. I passed on the interaction, but have seen enough photos that I can imagine what this would look like. The mural shows the silhouette of an open black umbrella being rained on by a rainbow of colors which continue to fall to the sides of the umbrella, but those that hit the black area are absorbed. Visitors are supposed to stand under the open umbrella and pretend to hold the handle as they do. It is part of the mural collection Ren Art Walk. Although not signed, I believe the piece is by Cameron Moberg (Camer1) who has done a similar piece in Lafayette. Review #3041

One of the murals on the western block of the Rensselaer Art Walk is a piece by Shawn Bullen…read more(2019). The piece is on the far east end of the block on the back of the building that fronts Washington St. The mural shows a little bit of everything. First, there are lots of animals, both pets and wild ones. There is also a red Mustang car, a swirled ice cream cone, a burger, and French Toast while in the background, it looks like scenes from the Rensselaer area. Just a bit of everything that you might find here. The mural is very colorful and helps draw you into the alley to see the rest of the murals. Review #3039

One of Cameron Moberg's (Camer1) contributions to the Ren Art Walk in 2019 was the addition of a…read moregiant sea turtle to the side of a building on the east block of the alley gallery of murals. The colorful mural is done in shades of green and is larger than life! It is swimming upward towards the viewer's left. The artist cleverly positioned the turtle to avoid some of the natural obstacles presented by the shape and supporting equipment on the wall. Review #3036

In 2004, this mini park/plaza was rededicated as Jon Hunt Memorial Plaza to honor a man who had…read moreserved the city for 28 years. Located across from the Morris Performing Arts Center, the plaza is all that is left of a failed downtown shopping mall. Now, the plaza has brick paths that wander through the trees and gardens. There is a fountain directly across the street from the arts center. There is a plaza within the park that is also paved with bricks and has picnic tables for folks downtown to take a break or enjoy a meal. And the park area has four public art installations: Violin Woman by Harold Tuck Langland 1982 City Garden by Richard Peterman 2011 Guitar Man by Richard Peterman 2009 and Trilithon by Robert Kuntz 1974 The art is quite diverse and yet it fits in nicely with the gardens and fountain. It is just a well kept, relaxing space for visitors to enjoy. Review #3106

One of the bookend pieces of public art that was created for the Rensselaer Art Walk 2019…read more(#RenArtWlk) was created by artist Chris Chenyang Shim (Royyal Dog). On the east end of the art walk which brings colorful murals to the alley a half block north of US #231, the artist has created a stunningly realistic painting of a young girl dressed in a Hanbok (traditional Korean garment) as she holds a bit of brightly colored ribbon. She is posed in front of a bright full moon on an otherwise red background. The artist uses reference photos to help while up in the air painting the entire backside of a building. Shim has also created a mural on the other end of the alley (see review for Moon Lady) that completes the bookend. If you are in the area, treat yourself to a short walk through the two block area to see these fantastic murals. Review #3035