Local artists Joy Hernandez-Butler and Matthew Aaron collaborated to create this pair of murals that wrap a small Broad Ripple building.  On the east and west sides, pale blue circles representing planets float through the darkness of space towards (or away from) a radio signal detection device that is tracking to discover any signs of life.  On the brightly colored north side of the building, yellow circles fill the space around Hernandez’s signature “Bean the Astronaut” character, who is listening to, or even possibly producing, the signals.

Joy Hernandez is an aerosol and acrylic artist and muralist, originally from Kewanee, Illinois, but currently based out of Indianapolis, Her work can be found at the Full Circle Nine Gallery, a gallery she founded and owns inside the Circle City Industrial Complex, near downtown Indianapolis. With a background in animation, television news, and journalism, Hernandez has created a colorful artistic world focusing on bright colors, subject matter that makes her happy or grabs her attention, and an appreciation of science fiction, pop culture, comic art, and cartooning.

Matthew Aaron is a musician, writer, and visual artist based in Indianapolis. His street-art-influenced mural style often incorporates a signature element of a dynamite stick, which could either mean “this is terrible” or “this is fantastic.”