During the summer and fall of 2011, 30 students from Indianapolis’ Near Eastside participated in the PETAL (Photographing Eastside Transformation and Legacy) Project, part of the arts and cultural components of Super Bowl XLVI. Facilitated by artists from Theater of Inclusion, the students engaged in dialogue with community members and used multiple art forms to document the changes happening outside their doors. This mural is the culmination and public face of their efforts.

Through the PETAL Project, youth participants:

• explored themes of community, leadership, transformation, and legacy
• reflected on their experience of the Near Eastside, expressed their aspirations for the neighborhood, and considered their role in providing leadership
• considered the connection between their personal legacy and the legacy of their community
• learned to use a digital camera, written word, and spoken word to communicate the transformation of the Near Eastside

The mural was one of 46 murals commissioned by the Arts Council of Indianapolis as part of its nationally renowned 46 for XLVI mural initiative.