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.

This mural is part of Jiffy Lube of Indiana mural project, in conjunction with the Arts Council of…read moreIndianapolis. It is the work of local artist Nekoda Witsken, who is also the owner of Hue Murals. She completed the mural in 2021 in about 2 weeks. This is a unique and interesting mural. It is in Witsken's signature "color explosion" style. And it also seamlessly incorporates a regaining wall that it in front of the primary wall. It has a 3D cutout flower panel on it. The mural itself is not painted directly on the Jiffy Lube wall because the wall is exposed brick. Witsken used large specially cut aluminum dibord to create a floated surface on which to paint. The mural depicts the colorful image of a black woman's face and a nonbinary person with their arms up above their head while they are standing in front of a sunflower. The retaining wall has a 3D flower and continues with the black woman's neck and top portion of her body. There is also a very close up image of the upper right side of a face. This piece grabs your attention. I like how Witsken uses colors. Witsken aimed to paint a mural that featured empowered, diverse people in terms of both gender and race. She hopes this mural inspires people to take a deep breath, grow their positivity, and be open to those around them. Witsken is very talented and I am a fan of her work. You claims that this piece is her best work thus far. You should really check this mural out if you are in the area. 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 at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. You could start with the Lincoln Mural (another of Witsken's pieces) or Lincoln Park.

When one of your favorite local artists proclaims that their latest work is their favorite, you…read moreshould make a point to see it in person. Even though I live southwest of Indy and this new mural is north west, I am so glad I went. She was still working on the mural so I got a brief moment to chat with her. Now I will have to make a return visit to capture the final version. Hopefully some other Yelpers will stop by who can add more photos until I get back to the area to share. As part of an ongoing series sponsored by Jiffy Lube of Indiana, the business wants to be a good neighbor and bring art to the community in unexpected places. In its fifth year at the time of this installation, the business coordinates with the Arts Council of Indianapolis to find local artists who would be willing to take on the opportunity to have their work seen by lots of folks who might not make it to galleries or art museums. One of the limitations is that the mural should have nothing to do with vehicles or that might be interpreted as simply advertising. The artists are given a great deal of freedom to be creative which is one reason this artist Koda Witsken enjoyed working on the project. All artists are paid for their work too! According to comments on the artist's website (Hue Murals), the mural was inspired by the chance to show gender and ethnic diversity as well as the native flowers of Indiana. One of the most impressive things about the mural (in addition to her amazing sense of color and talent) is that she hand paints with brushes (no spray cans for her) the entire 400 sq ft area! Imagine painting a 12 x12 room just over 8 ft tall with paint brushes, no roller? My hands ache just thinking about that task! Another challenge the artist had to deal with is that sometimes the mural may be replaced, so to preserve the art she paints on specially cut aluminum dibord which can be attached and then removed for another location later. In some of my photos you will notice the white dibord before she had a chance to finish the mural with painted jewelry. Personally, I love how the artist can see colors within color. Her work can be found all over the north side and she is adding more locations in the metro area. For more of her work check out my Collection of reviews and photos on Yelp. Review #3941

What a great place! The first 10 minutes on the path are fairly residential, but after that you…read morewalk into beautiful trails and nature! Definitely a hidden gem!

I admit that I've passed by this site a number of times, not knowing what it was. What started out…read moreas a parking lot for the south end of the Big 4 Rail Trail has turned into much more. The site has two prominent pieces of art including a mural of a flowing creek that seems to flow onto the sidewalk. The mural, on the south side of the public restroom building, was completed in 2023 by artist Blice Edwards. If you look at the mural face on, the building seems to melt into the natural background. The mural was made possible by the Zionsville Parks Department. There is a second piece of art which is a sculpture called Wingz by Mark McGarvey. This towering sculpture was also completed in 2023. The "wings" move gracefully, almost flapping, with the breeze. Zionsville really needs more public art so this is a wonderful addition at the south entrance to town. The public unisex restrooms are really nice for Trail users or people out walking. There is natural prairie landscaping around the park. The small site is pristine and has 17 parking spots including 2 handicap spots at the front. I'll be using this new entrance to the Trail. I recommending stopping to enjoy the art.

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 tall sculpture located in the center of a Carmel roundabout. I saw it both during the day…read moreand the night and in my opinion, it is far more impressive at night than during the day. This piece stands 42 feet high, and is made of aluminum and steel. It is the work of Arlon Bayliss, who created the piece in 2019. It depicts 3 roses towering over the roundabout. It is very detailed and looks very realistic. I love the pink pedals and how they look like they are made of some type of sheer material. The sculpture also includes gold stems and silver leaves, wrapped in a ribbon. It is illuminated at night and looks amazing. It is rumored that if you look closely at the sculpture, you may find a bumblebee hidden among the flower petals. There are a few parking lots off of the roundabout that you can pull into, park, and get out to take a closer look. That is what I ended up doing. Just be carful doing so, as it is a very active roundabout. This is obviously not a destination piece or a long stop, but if you are in the area and near by, then it may be worthy of a quick visit. As with most sculptures (especially those located on roundabouts) that I visit, this was not a long stop. I was there about 5 minutes and I was out. I came across the sculpture by chance, driving to an appointment. I recommend making this part of a larger itinerary or a stop on your way somewhere else.

Wow! When it comes to making eye catching sculptures, leave it to Arlon Bayliss. This newest…read moreedition (2019) fills the center of the roundabout at Pennsylvania St and Old Meridian Streets. The shining steel roses rise above the lawn a towering 42' and are wrapped in a ribbon. According to the artist's statement, he hopes that the roses add beauty as well as bring Grace, Love, and Joy to the hearts of those who see it. P.S. There is a little surprise built into the sculpture that is hidden "in plain sight". If you like this installation, you can see another of Bayliss' work at 96th and Westfield Blvd (Beacon Bloom) in Carmel and another at the north end of Main Street in Speedway (Seeds of Light). Review #3063

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.

Beautiful gallery with friendly service! We stopped in just to view the displayed artwork and we…read morewere greeted right away and able to take our time walking through each room.

We got multiple paintings framed here. They did a great job and were able to accommodate our time…read moreframe. The staff here is very knowledgeable and helpful. They were honest and provided their opinion when asked. Overall, I was very satisfied with the work. The shop itself is so fun to look through. They have a variety of paintings at different price levels and art styles.

The East lake Bin pulls are well made and as described in the website. The ordering went…read moreperfectly, and arrived promptly. It was fantastic!

Ordered hardware "ornaments" for an antique trunk I was fixing up. They were exactly what it needed…read moreto go from plain to perfect.

How can I live in Zionsville and not know about this sculpture? The Walking Man is pretty cool. I…read morejust happened upon him and then learned his story from the Yelp review of Ken N. (Which I recommend reading). This superb piece of art is hidden on the side of the town hall building adjacent to the rail trail, greeting hikers as they pass. Zionsville doesn't have much art, so the Walking Man is a great start. Unpretentious, quiet, serene, he stands decorated in maps of Zionsville. He is surrounded by a little courtyard with benches. There is plenty of parking near him. Bravo, Zionsville!

The Walking Man sculpture has done a lot of traveling over time. As part of an original temporary…read moreshow in Anderson in 2012, sculptor Levi Rinker created over 2 dozen of these 10' tall figures. After the exhibit ran its course, many were auctioned off. Quite a few of them have ended up along the rail trail that runs through Boone County, including this one in Zionsville. Located just east of the new Town Hall, the sculpture was originally left in a basic white paint...a blank surface for each community to decorate however the towns wanted. Finally, in 2019, Hoosier artist Cynthia Young was selected to paint the figure. She chose to recreate a map of the Zionsville Trail system on the body of the Walking Man. So, not only does the figure have relevance to the nearby trail, it is a symbol of moving forward (which Zionsville hopes to project). And the map of the trail is useful to anyone passing near this sculpture. Very clever use of the sculpture! Review #2638

Fluorescent frogs is a very cool and unwise display of public art located inside the intech park…read morearea of Indianapolis Indiana. My family and I discovered this cool piece while entering a round a bout on the way to our hotel while in town for a weekend get away from Lousiville. Int he center of the round a bout is a small pond. On Thai pond is some constructed Lilly pads with each containing a frog statue on them. At night these frogs glow a beautiful fluorescent light. Very pretty and unique thing to view. I'm not quite sure I've ever seen anything like this before. What a cool and creative way to spruce up a round about for intech park.