The West Indianapolis community (Oliver Street to Raymond, White River to Holt Ave) lies “between the rivers” of Eagle Creek and the White River. It is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Indy, with many West Indy families having lived here for multiple generations. In the spring of 2015, eight traffic signal control boxes, created by professional artists from designs voted on by a panel representing both art experts and the neighborhood residents, were painted as part of a Great Indy Cleanup project. Keep Indianapolis Beautiful’s Great Indy Cleanup program helps community groups organize to combat heavy litter and debris that has accumulated in public spaces such as streets, alleys, greenspaces, and waterways. Some cleanup efforts also include new plantings and community murals, all done by neighborhood volunteers. For more information about the Great Indy Cleanup program, visit http://www.kibi.org/programs/beautification/great-indy-cleanup/

Artist Mark Tourney has cleverly imagined a robot-like alien in the shape of a traffic signal control box, settling down inconspicuously on Indianapolis’ Westside and beaming a message (visible on the top of the box) back to its waiting ship. He whimsically asks the question:  what if ALL of the traffic signal control boxes are aliens?