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  • Concord Building Murals
    Concord Building Murals
    Artist: Gary Gee, latoya marlin, Omar Jones
    Date created: 2020
    Category: Mural
    Medium(s): Paint
    In fall 2020, Midtown Indy commissioned three artists from the We Are artist group to create new murals for the ground floor windows of Midtown’s Concord Building. The theme of the murals is “investing in the community,” with each mural representing a different kind of investment, including knowledge and love. Participating artist Gary Gee says he hopes the artwork brightens up peoples’ days. “Public art is relevant, especially since there’s a lot going on right now and people are feeling darkness and despair. We’re hoping the murals can bring positive impact and spark some conversation.” Gary Gee is a painter, sculptor, and graphic designer. He received his associate’s degree in Fine Art from Ivy Tech Community College and his B.F.A. in Integrated Studio Practice from the Herron School of Art, IUPUI. He has received numerous awards and shows his work regularly in Indianapolis. Omar Rashan is a figurative illustrator and fine artist, creating paintings, design projects, and community interventions. He has been a featured artist at Tea’s Me Cafe and appears in the Meet the Artist, Flava Fresh, and We Are group exhibitions on a regular basis. Latoya Marlin is known for her paintings of strong, voluptuous women that speak of love, friendship, sisterhood, and appreciating the skin you’re in. She studied art at Indiana University Bloomington and relies on her family’s history of creativity to keep her energized in her work.
  • Crown Hill Tunnel Murals
    Crown Hill Tunnel Murals
    Artist: Amiah Mims, Tasha Beckwith
    Date created: 2023
    Medium(s): Metal; Mixed Media; Paint
    The tunnel under 38th St. at Crown Hill Cemetery hosts two sets of murals created by local artists. Amiah Mims’ floral compositions flank the tunnel entrances on both sides. Reminiscent of 18th century still lifes, they reinforce the classical details of the tunnel’s architecture. Tasha Beckwith’s nature-inspired paintings form a continuous frieze inside the tunnel itself.  Deer, birds, butterflies, flowers and other natural elements found on the property are set against a geometric backdrop with exciting color shifts. The art collection at Crown Hill includes sculptures, monuments and markers, stained-glass windows, historic structures, and the natural beauty of the property itself.
  • Hebe
    Hebe
    Artist: Artist Unknown
    Category: Outdoor Sculpture
    Medium(s): Stone/Marble
    The second Marion County Courthouse/City Hall, built in 1876, was located at 200 East Washington Street in Indianapolis, Indiana and featured an elaborate neo-Baroque architectural style. Its architect was Isaac Hodson. The main entrance of the old courthouse faced Washington Street from underneath a 280-foot clock tower and was framed by Marion County’s coat of arms–a shelf supported by Ceres and Vulcan (representing the area’s agricultural and manufacturing prowess) with the motto “Spectemur Agenda” [“Let us be judged by our actions”].  Two other towers were located at the building’s east and west fronts, along with eight statues of Greek goddesses around the upper level. In 1962 the city built a new government tower behind the old courthouse, and in 1963 demolished the original to form an open plaza. An attempt to save the clockworks from the wrecking ball failed, but the eight female figures were rescued and put up for auction. A committee of community members purchased seven of the figures and installed four of them (two of which still stand) in Holliday Park. The remaining three were installed at Crown Hill Cemetery, where they remain.  The eighth sculpture was purchased by a private collector and taken to California. This sculpture is located just south of the 38th St. tunnel between the two halves of the cemetery grounds. It represents Hebe, goddess of youth and cupbearer to the Olympian gods. Hebe also was the patron goddess of brides, quite appropriate for a courthouse that legalized marriages, and was also the goddess of forgiveness, granting pardons to prisoners. She is shown with a pitcher for heavenly nectar dangling from her left hand, as is typical. Her broken right hand is raised to her chest and held horizontally; at one time it supported a staff twined with two snakes, as is shown in a historical photograph of the seven sculptures that remained in Indianapolis. The symbol, called a caduceus (not to be confused with the medical symbol), was associated with the messenger god Hermes and represents peace (specifically, resolving disputes peacefully), neutrality, and commerce (the root word for commerce comes from Hermes’ Roman name, Mercury). Hermes was also the patron god of orators (appropriate for a building filled with trial lawyers!) and the protector of thieves, liars, and gamblers, who would also have found themselves at the courthouse. Although Hebe and Hermes were not typically linked in Greek mythology, both had service functions for the Greek pantheon. The Hebe sculpture was likely given the caduceus to bring in the important symbolism and to avoid the use of a male figure, since it was traditional for such symbolic figures used as architectural ornament to be female. The other two sculptures in Crown Hill are located near the grave of poet James Whitcomb Riley and in an open area in section 46B.  The former depicts Themis, the goddess of law and order, and the latter depicts Demeter, the goddess of agricultural plenty. The four (now two) sculptures in Holliday Park were placed flanking The Ruins, a complex decorative installation created between 1958 and 1973.  
  • Persephone
    Persephone
    Artist: Armand Toussaint
    Date created: @ 1840
    Category: Historical; Outdoor Sculpture; Water Feature/Fountain
    Medium(s): Bronze; Limestone
    This bronze figure of the Greek goddess Persephone stands on a raised platform in the center of an octagonal pool.  Her right hand is elevated, holding a torch.  The figure is draped from the waist down and has a draped headdress flowing down the back of the sculpture.  A plaque on the front of the statue reads:  “In Ancient Greek Mythology, She, as the daughter of Zeus, and Demeter, was worshipped as the goddess of vegetation.  Returning each spring from the realm of Hades to herald the season of growth and in winter disappearing to pass her time like the seed under the earth.” The torch in the figure’s hand indicates that she is on her way up from the dark underworld to the light of the world, and indicates a forthcoming season of spring and hope. The symbolism is common to that of the Eleusinian Mysteries, a cult of Demeter and Persephone that was a highly secretive religious ritual often enacted by women, possibly as a coming-of-age rite for young girls or an exploration of the concept of eternal life. The figure also holds a set of ropes with bells on the end, which could refer to another element of the ritual. Another plaque nearby states that the pond is called Persephone Pond and was restored in 2014 as a gift from the class of 2012 and Butler University. The sculpture was executed in Paris about 1840 by the French artist Armand Toussaint (1806 – 1862).  It was a gift of James Irving Holcomb in 1850.    
  • Together, We CAN!
    Together, We CAN!
    Date created: 2017
    Category: Mural
    Medium(s): Paint
    This mural was painted as part of the 2017 Indy Do Day, a city-wide effort for neighbors to come together to improve their community.  The mural was painted by members of the Midtown Anchor Coalition, which includes the Butler-Tarkington Neighborhood Association, Butler University, Christian Theological Seminary, Citizen’s Energy Group, Crown Hill Cemetery, the International School of Indiana, Midtown Indianapolis Inc., and Newfields. The title of the mural is based on a quote by Helen Keller, “We live by each other and for each other. Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.” The theme refers to three virtues which are held to be the cornerstones of personal character:  responsibility, resilience, and respect.  Known as “The Three Rs,” in education they are widely acknowledged as traits that enable successful learning. James Whitcomb Riley Elementary School (IPS School #43) is located within the Butler-Tarkington neighborhood and has a strong partnership with the Butler-Tarkington Neighborhood Association.  Among its alumni is the famed American novelist, Kurt Vonnegut Jr. The artist, Christi Ziebarth, lives in Warsaw, IN. Her education as a graphic designer informs the striking composition.  She designed the mural so that the volunteers who painted it could select the colors themselves, with the only rule that adjacent shapes had to be different colors.  Her inspirations for the design include stained glass, ethnic batik fabrics, and mosaics.
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