By- Past, Current, Future People (Story of Riverside)
Artist: Kimberly McNeelan
Date created: 2020
This steel sculpture, resembling a giant storybook, forms the backdrop to the lives and cultures historically residing in the Riverside neighborhood. In conjunction with a live performance by Okara Imani entitled Riverside Story, the sculpture encourages Riverside residents to “place themselves within the book” and tell their story.
The sculpture was installed in 2020 as part of Indy Art & Seek, a project by the Arts Council of Indianapolis and Keep Indianapolis Beautiful to pair artists and communities to create site-specific art that encourages neighborhood residents to see their surroundings in new ways.
Kimberly McNeelan is an Indianapolis based furniture maker and sculptor who celebrates nature and healthy living through art. She is a frequent contributor to Woodworker’s Journal, and teaches woodworking at the Indianapolis Art Center and at Butler University. She received her MFA in from Herron School of Art and Design in 2016 and her BFA from Purdue University in 2005. Kim has apprenticed to numerous well-known furniture makers, been featured on HGTV, received several public art grants, has work in collections across the country, and believes “It’s not just woodworking. It’s a lifestyle.”