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.

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 village mural is a massive mural showing people of a village from bike rider to a dj located in…read morethe broad ripple neighborhood of Indianapolis, Indiana. My family and I was visiting Indy from Lousiville for the weekend when we dined in the surrounding area. While driving through broad ripple we noticed this massive piece on the side of a qdoba so we pulled over to take some photos and check out This massive piece up close. Overall a great piece on a neighborhood full of fun and cool public art pieces.

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

If you have wandered around Indy, particularly around Fountain Square and Broad Ripple, you may…read morehave seen some murals by Joy Hernandez ( or Joy the Stampede) on businesses and even some residences. Her work has an exactness of stencil work as she often selects astronauts and space themes for her work. For these two murals which decorate the sides of the same small building beyond the parking lot behind Union Jack Pub she collaborated with another local artist Matthew Aaron (matthewaaron on social media). The east wall of the building (Pale Blue Dot) is mostly the blackness of space but it also has colorful orbs that somewhat represent our solar system and then there are additional blue spheres in the background that I'm not sure what they represent but I'm guessing they are for worlds as yet undiscovered. As the orbs move around the corner to the north wall (Sounds of Small Creatures), they switch from blue to orange like suns. The majority of the space is the depiction of an astronaut working with some equipment possibly listening to see if there is anybody out there.The east wall depicts another black wall with pale blue dots, but with giant radar for picking up the transmissions from the other worlds. It's a fun piece with lots of color. You can enjoy it for its imagery, but you can also spend some time contemplating what lies beyond. What would first contact mean? I like when I can see art that pleases me, but also makes me think. Review #3857

Cool and brightly colored public art mural that sits on a exterior garage near and alley of popular…read morebroad ripple community in Indianapolis Indiana My family and I noticed this space themed and futuristic milking mural whole discovering the broad ripple area for all of its wonderful public art. We were in town from louisville for my daughters cheer comp and just had dinner at a nearby by broad ripple establishment and decided to go exploring. Overall, like an h of broad ripples public service Thai was bright, colorful and fun to check one. Good piece in a great area for public art fans.

Angel wings II is a broad Ripple Neighborhood of Indianapolis Indiana public art piece that…read morefeatures a giant pair of Angel wings with a vibrant spattering of greens serving as the background. My family and I was in town for the weekend from Lousiville while we were discovering the broad ripple area we came across this piece. Angel wing murals are all the rage now as they are fun and cute photo ops. This one sticks out to me because green is my favorite color and it uses a large variety of them. Evidently there is a bother Angel wings mural in the area hence being labeled II. We did not find that piece on our visit but we did enjoy this one. On the same wall is a large mural of a purple coach with yellow Polk a dots and in the rear of the parking lot is another mural on a small building called octo lady. So a nice little spot to check out some public art.

This is a very colorful depiction of angel wings located right off the Monon Trail overlooking a…read moreparking lot. By colorful I mean the background with consisting of vertical strips going from dark green to light green and back. The wings are monocolor and just painted in black. The wings overlook a private parking lot, so swinging into to get a quick closer look should not be to big of an issue. This are of type of wings that you can take a picture in front of and appear to be on you. They have appeared in many instagrams from all across the country. The wings are the work of Megan Jefferson and Jamie Locke of the Department of Public Words, a group's whose mission is to spread positivity through public art and interactive projects. The pair have a couple of wing murals along the trail and they intended them to infuse hope and love into public spaces of the city. They are eye catching and would make any teenager's Insta proud. They are adult height, sorry littles, you have to go down the trail a bit to find the kiddie sized ones. The mural is very dirty. It looks like it is covered in a lot of soot/scuffs and needs a good scrubbing. There is metered street parking within a short walk of this mural or you can just pull into the parking lot that the mural overlooks to park and get a closer look or take a selfie. As with most murals that I have visited and reviewed, this is probably not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 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. There are tons of murals in the area to check out.

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

We're open if you are is a massive public art piece that you can't miss when entering the broad…read moreripple neighborhood of Indianapolis Indiana. My family and I on a weekend trip from louisville was dining in the area when we decided to explore the local art in Thai vibrant area. As soon as you cross another public art piece called rainbow bridge you look up and can't miss this fun little piece for the area. Proudly boasting of you are open then they are as well. A perfect Motto for a vibrant little neighborhood such as itself. Overall a very fun and cool photo op and a very fitting slogan for This town.

This is a nice 3D mural that welcomes visitors as they cross over the world famous Rainbow bridge…read moreleaving the Art District towards the Business District, the heart of Broad Ripple Village. It is located on the side of the Red Room Night Club. The mural incorporates the areas seal and motto and depicts a white shopping bag with the words "Broad Ripple Village" on it in a decorative/artsy font (the Broad Ripple Seal). The bag has thin pink hand straps on each side. Coming out of the top of the box you will find a row of house in broad ripple architectural style. Above the row of house are items that are significant to the area including a flower, a guitar with a musical note, a steaming hot coffee cup, a bottle of wine, and a paint brush. This houses and the significant objects are divided by a banner that reads "we're open if you are" (Broad Ripple's motto). This motto has a dual meaning. It refers to the bustling nightlife the are has to offer, with the bars closing at 3AM. It also refers to the areas diversity and open mindedness. Is it by coincidence that the mural faces the Rainbow Bridge, a beacon of the area's inclusiveness. The mural overlooks a small commercial parking lot, so parking to get a closer look is easy. There are also metered parking spots within a short walk that you can park as well. The third option is to view the mural from the comfort of your vehicle, doing a safe and strategic slow rolling drive-by. However, for this to work, you will have to approach from the Rainbow Bridge. As with most murals that I have visited and reviewed, this is probably not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 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 come here you must also check out the Rainbow Bridge and look up its history and interesting backstory.

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.