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  • All Ball
    All Ball
    Category: Indoor Sculpture
    All Ball is a wall-hung sculpture made from cut-up, used basketballs.  Taking inspiration from the Hyatt Place/Hyatt House hotel’s location across the street from the Indiana Pacers’ home court, the artist inverts our typical knowledge of what a basketball looks like to use it as pure material and form.  The first basketballs put into production were by AG Spalding in 1891, and the historical development of that original form has come to help create multimillion dollar sports franchises that help shape lives and communities.  The checkerboard-like pattern calls up an impression of a very different game, one more cerebral than we believe basketball to be, and plays with our impressions of what we think we know about Indiana’s most popular sport.  The artwork was created as part of the hotel developer’s contribution to the City of Indianapolis’ Public Art for Neighborhoods program. Conceptual sculptor Chris Vorhees lives and works in Indianapolis.  Inspired by architecture and everyday objects, Vorhees looks for the “twist” on the familiar by breaking forms into their constituent parts and reassembling them into exciting new shapes. He is a multi-media artist and custom fabricator. A periodic collaborator with SIMPARCH artist collective with projects exhibited internationally at Deitch Projects (2001), Wexner Art Center (2001), Documenta XI (2002), Whitney Biennial (2004), Tate Modern (2005), and a USGSA permanent installation in Tornillo, TX (2014). Vorhees’s solo work has been shown at the Henry Art Gallery (2002); Bard College (2003); and the Illinois State University Art Gallery (2004). His work has also been shown in the New Center for Contemporary Art, Louisville (2007); the Herron School of Art and Design (2010): the Smart Museum of Art, U of Chicago (2010); and Sculpture Center, Cleveland (2015). He was awarded an Efroymson Fellowship Award in 2009 and a Graham Foundation Grant with Simparch (2012).  
  • Ayres Clock
    Ayres Clock
    Category: Functional Artwork; Historical
    The Ayres Clock has been located at the corner of Washington and Meridian Sts. since 1936.  A remnant of the era when people would use public clocks to tell time, it was named for the L.S. Ayres department store that occupied the building the clock is attached to for most of the twentieth century. The clock itself quickly became much more than just a timepiece–it was widely known as an iconic landmark. “Meet me under the Ayres Clock” was a popular saying.  The clock is 8 ft. in height, is located 29 feet above street level, and weighs 10,000 pounds. Since 1947 a sculpted cherub has appeared as if by magic on the clock each Thanksgiving to mark the holiday season, and disappears just as suddenly after New Year’s Day. L.S. Ayres opened in 1905 in the structure that was purpose-built by the Indianapolis architectural firm of Vonnegut and Bohn. The May Department Store Co. (the parent company of Macy’s) bought Ayres in 1986, but the store closed in 1992. Other department stores have occupied the space since. The clock is owned by the City of Indianapolis and is taken care of by Indiana Landmarks. The clock has been repaired several times in its history, most recently in 2016 (to repair the clockworks) and 2020 (to repair the clock frame and structure). As a sign of the iconic nature of the clock, in 2016 more than 350 people and organizations donated $60,000 to the repair effort in just 24 days.
  • Bounce
    Bounce
    Category: Indoor Sculpture
    From the artist:  “For many of us, our introduction to sports and games were made on the dirt and asphalt playgrounds of our youth. Bounce recalls memories of the beginning of the school year when a teacher or coach would empty a bag of newly purchased balls onto the court or field and they would roll and bounce everywhere. These experiences held the potential for both organized and made-up games and became the first time we scored goals, passed to each other, and made shots in baskets.  As a leading sports city in the United States, Indianapolis holds that same spirit for me–offering up a variety of sporting and athletic events for us all to enjoy and participate in. Each of these experiences holds the same potential as the bouncing balls–the ability to get us moving and inspired to imagine and play. It is my hope that when you look at Bounce, it brings back a childhood playground memory and encourages you to go out and have fun.” Reagan Furqueron is a visual artist and educator who resides in Indianapolis, IN. He received his Master of Fine Arts in Woodworking and Furniture Design from Rochester Institute of Technology. Reagan’s work balances traditional woodworking skills with metal sculpture fabricating techniques, and explores the interplay between the viewer and objects. He exhibits nationally and has work in the permanent collection of the Museum of Art and Design in New York, NY.
  • Cherub
    Cherub
    Category: Historical; Outdoor Sculpture; Seasonal; Temporary
    Each year since 1947, a 3-foot-tall, 1,200-pound bronze cherub mysteriously appears atop the Ayres Clock the day before Thanksgiving and stays there until Christmas Eve. The sculpture has its roots in drawings created for the 1946 catalog of L. S. Ayres, the city’s premier department store at the time. Advertising artist Virginia Holmes used angel illustrations to fill space in the somewhat sparse, post-war catalog and they became a hit. With its 75th anniversary approaching in 1947, the store commissioned sculptor and Herron School of Art instructor David Rubins to create the bronze sculpture. Employees unceremoniously placed the cherub upon their well-known clock at the corner of Washington and Meridian Streets on the day before Thanksgiving in 1947 and created a sensation that soon became a beloved tradition. Through the years, generations of residents visited downtown during the holidays to enjoy the store’s decorated Christmas windows and take a peek at the angel, especially since it was a tradition for shoppers to “meet under the Ayres’ clock.” The Cherub has greeted holiday shoppers every year except 1992, the year L.S. Ayres closed permanently. When the department store closed, the cherub was moved to the new department store owner’s warehouse in St. Louis. After an anonymous group called Free the Cherub distributed “Free the Cherub!” bumper stickers, made hundreds of calls and sent letters to local newspapers, the cherub returned in 1993 and has appeared each year since. Where the cherub lives during the rest of the year remains a mystery, and few know how the cherub appears atop the clock each year. In 2020 the cherub received a “spa day” to clean and repatinate it to its original brownish-bronze color. Read more about the cherub here.  
  • Christopher Columbus
    Christopher Columbus
    Category: Historical; Outdoor Sculpture
    The bust of explorer Christopher Columbus is cast in bronze.[2] He wears a period costume, and his hair falls at approximately chin length. His facial expression is unsmiling, his chin is raised slightly and his eyes gaze off to his left. On the sculpture’s proper left, below his left shoulder, the artist’s name is inscribed as E. VITTORI. The bust of Columbus measures approximately 39 inches (99 cm) by 23 inches (58 cm) by 29 inches (74 cm); it stands on a granite pedestal measuring approximately 82 inches (210 cm) by 62 inches (160 cm) by 58 inches (150 cm) and a base that measures 14.5 inches (37 cm) by 80 inches (200 cm) by 76 inches (190 cm). Below the bust is a granite pedestal with a plaque and relief carvings underneath. The carving on the front of the pedestal depicts a figure grouping with a man draped in fabric and wearing a crown of laurels standing in the center. His left arm is raised in the air and right hand rests in front of his waist. To the left and right of this man, three figures of Native Americans are featured, two of whom are kneeling before him; one on either side. The kneeling figure on Columbus’s left is a man, while the two figures on his right are women, one of whom is standing just behind his right shoulder. The relief on the pedestal’s proper right side depicts a seated woman with her right hand resting on her chest and left hand on a large anchor; her head is turned to her right. The relief on the pedestal’s proper left side is a profile view of a seated woman resting her right elbow on a globe. Below the relief sculptures, the pedestal slopes outward to meet a two-stepped granite base. The plaque on the pedestal’s front states: CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS BORN IN GENOA, ITALY 1451. DISCOVERED AMERICA OCTOBER 12, 1492. THIS LAND OF OPPORTUNITY AND FREEDOM WAS THUS PRESERVED FOR HUMANITY BY THE PERENNIAL GENIUS ABIDING IN THE ITALIAN RACE. REFURBISHED BY KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS 1956. Metal lettering on the pedestal’s back reads: ERECTED A.D. 1920 BY THE ITALIANS OF INDIANAPOLIS KOKOMO LOGANSPORT RICHMOND ETC. A plaque on the pedestal’s back reads: THE COLUMBUS QUINCENTENARY JUBILEE COMMISSION OF INDIANA INC., IN BEHALF OF INDIANA’S ITALIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY DEDICATES THIS PLAQUE TO THE CELEBRATION OF THE 500TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE COLUMBUS DISCOVERY OF AMERICA MAY THE GENIUS ABIDING IN THE ITALIAN RACE ENCOURAGE TOLERANCE AND ACCEPTANCE OF ALL CULTURES AS AMERICA’S ULTIMATE CONTRIBUTION TO HUMANITY. Christopher Columbus was created by Enrico (Harry) Vittori, an Italian artist who lived in Indianapolis. Vittori attended the Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy and traveled to Indianapolis in 1919 to work for an airplane company. The sculpture was presented to the State of Indiana in 1920 by members of Indiana’s Italian community. It is the only monument at the Indiana Statehouse donated by immigrants, and it was intended by the Italians to be a tribute to America. The monument stood unchanged for 35 years. In 1955 the Knights of Columbus funded the cleaning of the bronze bust and the addition of new bronze lettering on the back of the pedestal.[5] The sculpture was modified again in 1992 during the Columbus Quincentenary, which celebrated the 500th anniversary of Columbus’s voyage to America. The Knights of Columbus installed a plaque bearing another statement about Christopher Columbus, bringing the total number of written statements on the pedestal to three. Christopher Columbus was installed on the Indiana Statehouse lawn shortly after its completion and has not been moved or viewed in any other location. However, the initial proposal for the sculpture requested that the piece be erected in one of the Indianapolis parks, and the location of “University Square” was listed as a potential site for the monument. Christopher Columbus was a gift from a group of Italian immigrants who lived in Indiana. It was commissioned with proceeds from a fundraising campaign lead by Vincent A. LaPenta, a surgeon and scientist who presided over the executive committee of Italian Propaganda. Indiana Governor James P. Goodrich dedicated the sculpture on October 31, 1920. LaPenta spoke at the dedication ceremony and stated, “Columbus can be considered humanity’s greatest benefactor.” The sculpture is owned by the State of Indiana, Department of Administration. Quoted from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus_(sculpture_by_Vittori)
  • Full Court Press
    Full Court Press
    Category: Indoor Sculpture
    Taking inspiration from the Hyatt Place/Hyatt House hotel’s location across the street from the Indiana Pacers’ home court, the artist used reclaimed flooring from a demolished high school gymnasium to create abstract references to hoops, rims, free-throw lines, backboards, and other elements of a basketball court.  The interplay of the artist-created shapes with the remnants of floor striping and the addition of lighted elements is what gives this piece its excitement. The towering form spans the vestibule from one side wall, across the ceiling and down the other wall, creating a two-story experience with a distinctive presence both during the day and at night, visible through the glass vestibule door.  The artwork was created as part of the hotel developer’s contribution to the City of Indianapolis’ Public Art for Neighborhoods program. Conceptual sculptor Chris Vorhees lives and works in Indianapolis.  Inspired by architecture and everyday objects, Vorhees looks for the “twist” on the familiar by breaking forms into their constituent parts and reassembling them into exciting new shapes. He is a multi-media artist and custom fabricator. A periodic collaborator with SIMPARCH artist collective with projects exhibited internationally at Deitch Projects (2001), Wexner Art Center (2001), Documenta XI (2002), Whitney Biennial (2004), Tate Modern (2005), and a USGSA permanent installation in Tornillo, TX (2014). Vorhees’s solo work has been shown at the Henry Art Gallery (2002); Bard College (2003); and the Illinois State University Art Gallery (2004). His work has also been shown in the New Center for Contemporary Art, Louisville (2007); the Herron School of Art and Design (2010): the Smart Museum of Art, U of Chicago (2010); and Sculpture Center, Cleveland (2015). He was awarded an Efroymson Fellowship Award in 2009 and a Graham Foundation Grant with Simparch (2012).  
  • George Washington
    George Washington
    Category: Historical; Outdoor Sculpture
    George Washington (alternately titled George Washington as Master Mason) is a public artwork by American sculptor Donald De Lue, located on the grounds of the Indiana Statehouse, in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The bronze statue of George Washington that occupies the Indiana Statehouse south lawn is one of several copies of a 1959 original wax cast at the Modern Art Foundry in Long Island, New York. The statue depicts Washington dressed in breeches with an apron and medallion decorated with Masonic symbols. Washington holds a tri-cornered hat in the crook of his proper left arm, and a gavel in his proper right hand. He wears an open overcoat with buttons and has a short podium to his proper right. Washington’s attire depicts the first President as he may have looked when he laid the cornerstone for the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. The sculpture is mounted upon a stepped, inscribed granite base. The base of the sculpture is inscribed with the following: Northwest corner of sculpture: Donald De Lue Sc. 1959 Northeast corner of sculpture, east side, lower rear: The Modern Art Foundry, Inc. (Foundry mark) 1986 New York, New York Front/south side of base: GEORGE WASHINGTON PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES/1789-1797; First in War, First in Peace, First in the Hearts of His Countrymen West side of base: Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and/harmony with all. Religion and/morality enjoin this conduct./George Washington East side of base: My attachment to the Society of which we are members will dispose me to contribute my best endeavors to promote the honor and interests of the Craft./ George Washington, Freemason 1753–1799 North side of base: (Masonic symbol, square and compass) Presented to the People of Indiana From the Freesmasons of Indiana/George Washington Commission/The Grand Lodge Free and Accepted Masons of the State of Indiana/May 19, 1987 The dimensions of the statue are as follows: 9 feet 4 inches (2.84 meters) by 46 inches (120 centimeters) x 36 inches (91 centimeters). The total weight of the statue is 900 pounds (410 kilograms). The granite base is 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall and weighs approximately 9 short tons (8.2 metric tons). The Statehouse’s version of De Lue’s bronze statue was a gift of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Indiana, dedicated May 19, 1987. This statue appeared at similar Masonic monuments in the following locations: Detroit, Michigan (1966) Lansing, Michigan (1982) Lexington, Massachusetts Alexandria, Virginia (1966) Wallingford, Connecticut (1965) Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, New York New Orleans, Louisiana (1960). A Smithsonian’s Save Outdoor Sculpture survey completed in October 1992 noted the condition as ‘well-maintained’. George Washington as Master Mason was sculpted initially from a wax mold at Donald De Lue’s studio in Leonard, New Jersey, and copyrighted in 1959. This sculpture was re-cast in 1986 and dedicated May 19, 1987 by the grand master of the Freemasons of Indiana, J.C. Paxton of Warsaw, Indiana. The total cost of the gift was $100,000. Lieutenant Governor John Mutz accepted the statue on behalf of the state.[8] George Washington as Master Mason was inspired by sculptor Bryant Baker’s work, Illustrious Brother George Washington, which also depicts the subject in a similar pose with Masonic iconography. Donald De Lue’s monumental sculptures embody patriotic heroism, classical mythology, and biblical themes. De Lue studied at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts School; in Paris with Alfredo Pina after World War I, and in New York with Bryant Baker. He was professionally affiliated with the ANA, National Sculpture Society (president), NIAL, Architecture League, American Artists Professional League, among others.[10] He was also the art committee chairman of the Hall of Fame for Great Americans, New York University, an artist with the Federal Art Project, and advertising editor for American Artist Magazine. Quoted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_(statue_by_DeLue)
  • Indiana Repertory Theatre Facade
    Indiana Repertory Theatre Facade
    Category: Architectural Detailing; Historical
    The Indiana Theatre is a multiple use performing arts venue located at 140 W. Washington Street in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was built as a movie palace and ballroom in 1927 and today is the home of the Indiana Repertory Theatre. It was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The building is six stories and is of concrete frame construction. The front of the building is sheathed in white terra cotta. The main feature of the facade is the curving triangular arch with churrigueresque framing that fills the central bay above the marquee. The original marquee is still in place. The basement originally contained bowling alleys and billiard rooms. Upper floors were divided between office space and theater space. The interior included an entrance lobby, 2 1⁄2-story main lobby and a 3,200-seat auditorium. The auditorium was distinguished by elaborate plaster ornamentation based on Spanish Baroque motifs. The building is topped by the Indiana Roof Ballroom, a large atmospheric ballroom decorated to resemble a square surrounded by buildings with a stage at one end. The ballroom has an elliptical dome with sky effects. The theater is a major example of the American motion picture palace. The building was restored and the auditorium was extensively remodeled in 1979–80 to accommodate the needs of the Indiana Repertory Theatre.   Quoted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_Theatre_(Indianapolis,_Indiana)
  • Moving Forward
    Moving Forward
    Category: Functional Artwork; Mural; Outdoor Sculpture
    Moving Forward, by Indianapolis-based architect Donna Sink, is a series of seven eco-friendly transit shelters that showcase original, site-sensitive poetry by published authors who have ties to Indiana. Each shelter is composed of 3-Form Eco-Resin panels, which are made of 40% post-industrial re-grind content, mounted in a stainless steel frame. The shelters are installed on TX Active concrete pads, which help reduce many pollutants deemed harmful to human health and the environment through a photocatalytic process. Each shelter was conceived as a method for allowing poets to participate in the public art program of the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, A Legacy of Gene and Marilyn Glick. A call for poetry was released and entries adjudicated by a panel of professionals selected by the Writers’ Center of Indiana. Each shelter has part of the poem embedded in the resin panels, while the entire poem is legible on one of the shelter side panels. The designer explains, “The design intent is that the sun will illuminate the colored graphic and cast the shadow of the words on the sidewalk. This temporal, immaterial rendering references the poem’s existence as idea, not object. It also relates the work to the seasonal changing of the sun’s angle in relation to the human body on the sidewalk.” Selected poems and their respective shelter locations are: “Invisible Movements,” by Karen Kovacik:  Virginia Ave. near McCarty St. “The Painters,” by Richard Pflum:  Virginia Ave. near Woodlawn Ave. “The Bowl of Possible Peas,” by John Sherman:  Virginia Ave. near Lexington Ave. “Circle, Chorus,” by Mitchell Douglas:  Washington St. west of Illinois St. “Settlement,” by Micah Ling:  Washington St. outside the Eiteljorg & Indiana State museums “Art with a Heart,” by Vienna Wagner:  Massachusetts Ave. at Walnut and Park “Our Street in Endless Circles,” by Jenny Browne:  Massachusetts Ave. east of College Ave. Donna Sink is an Indianapolis-based architect who is interested in innovative and sustainable design solutions. In addition to designing residential and commercial spaces, Sink has extensive experience in exhibition design. Sink received her Bachelors of Architecture from the University of Arizona and her Masters of Architecture from Cranbook Academy of Art. She has worked at architecture firms throughout the country and in Europe, and was formerly a partner at MW Harris Architecture and Design in Indianapolis, IN. The Indianapolis Cultural Trail: A Legacy of Gene & Marilyn Glick is an 8-mile, world-class urban bike and pedestrian path in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The Indianapolis Cultural Trail seamlessly connects neighborhoods, cultural districts and entertainment amenities while serving as the downtown hub for central Indiana’s vast greenway system. Read more about the Moving Forward project here.
  • Oliver P. Morton
    Oliver P. Morton
    Category: Historical; Memorial/Monument; Mosaic/Wall Relief; Outdoor Sculpture
    Oliver P. Morton is a public artwork by Austrian artist Rudolph Schwarz, located on the east side of the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, at the intersection of North Capitol Avenue and West Market Street. The Oliver P. Morton memorial is composed of three bronze statues and two bronze reliefs, one plaque on the front, and two plaques on the rear, also of bronze. The pedestals on which the statues stand are made of granite. Oliver Perry Morton stands positioned in the center, raised above the other two figures by a full figure’s height. Two Union soldiers flank either side of Morton. The soldiers on the proper left is uniformed and holding a bayonet. The soldier on the proper right is holding a rifle and wearing a sword on his left; this figure is uniformed as well. Below the figures at the base of the pedestals are two flags crossed with olive branches, and there is an oak wreath of leaves and acorns in the center. The reliefs are located on the sides of the soldiers’ pedestals. The relief that faces south depicts Oliver P. Morton giving a speech. The relief that faces north shows him standing in an infirmary tent. On the rear of the memorial are two plaques. The top plaque is located on the pedestal of Morton. It reads: Oliver Perry Morton Born in Wayne Co. Indiana August 4, 1823. Died in Indianapolis November 1, 1877. Aged 54 years 2 months and 25 days. Admitted to the Bar in 1847. Served as Governor of Indiana from January 18, 1861 to March 4, 1867. Served as U.S. Senator from Indiana from March 4, 1867 until his death November 1, 1877. In all ways and at all times the friend of the Union soldier. The friend of the country. The upholder of Abraham Lincoln. The defender of the flag and the Union of the States. Patriot. Statesman. Lover of Liberty. Heroic in heart. Inflexible in purpose and ever to be known in history as The Great War Governor On the plaque below the first on the lower part of the pedestal are the words: The annual meeting held in June, 1904, The Department of Indiana. Grand Army of the Republic. An organization of the honorably discharged soldier and sailors who served in the Army and Navy to preserve the integrity of the Republic of the United States of America, in the Great Civil War from A.D. 1861 to 1865, memorialized the legislature of the State of Indiana to appropriate sufficient money to erect this monument to perpetuate the memory of Oliver Perry Morton The Great War Governor of Indiana during that period. As seen on the memorial label, the memorial was installed in 1907. The work was commissioned by the Indiana General Assembly.[2] The planning of the Morton memorial began in early 1906. On February 9, 1906, the Commission met and designs were presented by Franklin Simmons from Rome, Italy; Hugh A. Price from Chicago, Ill.; and Rudolph Schwarz from Indianapolis, Indiana, for bronze figures 12 feet high and the tablets for $9000. The designs for the pedestals were planned upon contract with John R. Lowe and if accepted, architect fees would be for the same. Plans by Lowe were accepted and after legal notice was given in the newspapers, bids for the pedestals were received on April 10, 1906. The Commission accepted bid of Chas. G. Blake & Co. of Chicago, Illinois of the $7,483 for Barre granite and $10,150 for Westerly granite.[3] Soon after, officers of the state designated the space of the memorial as “Morton Plaza.” The dimensions of the pedestals were then increased, for which the contractors were allowed an additional $935. On June 4, 1906, a contract in the amount of $7,500 was entered into for Schwarz to create the following components of the memorial: the letters of the name “Morton”; the 4.5 x 5 foot tablet that gives a brief history of life and services of Governor Morton; the Grand Army tablet that is two feet six inches by eight feet; and the two bronze statues of soldiers of the Civil War, each ten feet high.[3] Two balustrades were then placed on the north and south ends of Morton Plaza. The Commission again chose Chas. G. Blake & Co. Rudolph Schwarz received another contract to provide and furnish the materials for two bronze bas-reliefs to be placed on the middle columns of the balustrades for $500 apiece. The bas-relief of the south balustrade dedicates a scene to the women of the war. It states “…while some were supplying clothing and hospital supplies, others went down to the very border line of danger to help nurse back to health the sick and wounded, when possible.” The north bas-relief portrays a familiar war scene of the reception of homecoming veterans. The materials for the foundation upon which the pedestals sit is deeply laid solid masonry of limestone and cement. The pedestal itself weighs 32 tons and required 16 horses to move it from the car to the place where it is now. The bronze of the monument weighs approximately 16,000 pounds (7,300 kg), of which 8,000 pounds (3,600 kg) is attributed to just the Morton figure. The bronze is composed of 90% copper, 8% tin, and 2% zinc; the bronze of the balustrades and reliefs has the same composition. Oliver Perry Throck Morton, Morton’s grandson, unveiled the memorial at the age of 8. After the dedication, the only unfinished work was the paving of the plaza. Crushed granite and granite steps were installed soon thereafter at the cost of $1,139.75. The total amount that was spent on the project was $36,544.40. Oliver Perry Morton was the first Indiana native to be governor of Indiana. He was born in Salisbury, Indiana in Wayne County. The family’s name was originally Throckmorton, known by the emigration of Morton’s grandfather from England around the beginning of the Revolutionary War who settled in New Jersey. Oliver’s father was James T. Morton from New Jersey; his mothers maiden name was Sarah Miller. When he was young Oliver worked as a hatter’s apprentice for four years before attending college at Miami University in Ohio. He studied law in Centerville, Indiana and at law school in Cincinnati, Ohio. Morton began his legal career reading law in the office of Judge Newman of Centerville. Morton was originally a Democrat and opposed to the extension of slavery, but he became one of the organizers of the Republican Party. In 1856, after he joined the Republicans, he was one of three delegates from Indiana that attended that party’s organizational convention in Pittsburgh. In 1856 he was nominated by his new party for the position of governor of Indiana.[4] In 1860 he was elected lieutenant governor on the ticket with Henry S. Lane. He became governor when Lane was elected to the United States Senate. Morton was re-elected in 1864 and served until 1867, in which time he was elected to the United States Senate. He was re-elected in 1873 to the Senate. As Senator he worked for the adoption of the Fifteenth Amendment, was involved in the impeachment of Andrew Johnson, and was a trusted advisor of the Republicans in the South. At the national Republican convention in 1876 he received the second-highest number of votes for the presidential nomination.[4] He was considered a leading Radical Republican during his government career. He died on November 1, 1877. Artist Rudolph Schwarz (June 1840 – 14 April 1912), was an Austrian sculptor who emigrated to Indianapolis in December 1897 to help complete the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument in Indianapolis, Indiana. Quoted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_P._Morton_(monument)
  • Robert Dale Owen Memorial
    Robert Dale Owen Memorial
    Category: Outdoor Sculpture
    Robert Dale Owen Memorial is a public artwork located at the south entrance of the Indiana Statehouse along Washington Street in Indianapolis, Indiana. The memorial was dedicated to the state of Indiana in 1911 in honor of the politician Robert Dale Owen (1807–1877). The bronze portrait bust by Indiana artist Frances Goodwin has been missing on this memorial since 1970. The remaining memorial pedestal is made from three stone blocks. The top pedestal includes a commemorative plaque. The 200 pound bronze bust is in the likeness of a bearded Robert Dale Owen. The portrait bust sat on the top of the pedestal, in the center, facing the south entrance of the Statehouse. Presently, the bust is missing. The remaining memorial pedestal is composed of three stone blocks and stands 70 inches high. The lowest block is 45.5 inches wide, 42.5 inches deep, and 10 inches tall. The middle block measures 32" x 28.5" x 10". The top block is 24" x 21.5" x 50" . A memorial plaque is centered on the face in the middle of the top block and measures 20" x 24". It reads: 1801-1877 / An Appreciation / Erected in the honor of Robert Dale Owen by the Women of Indiana in recognition of his efforts to obtain for them educational privleges and legal rights. / author, statesman, politician, philanthropist / "Write me as one who loved his fellow man." In 1905, the Robert Dale Owen Memorial Association was granted permission from the state to place the future memorial in the rotunda of the Statehouse. Today the memorial sits outside of the Statehouse walls, facing the southern entrance to the building where it was dedicated in 1911. When fundraising efforts began in 1905 for the Robert Dale Owen Memorial, it was called "a woman’s movement" and was meant to draw attention to the ongoing struggle for women’s sufferage. The Memorial Association intended to raise $2,000-$2,500 for the commission of a bust and memorial. Artist Frances Goodwin was chosen for the creation of the bust. After Goodwin’s clay model was approved by the Memorial Association and by Owen’s son, Ernest Dale Owen, the final bronze bust was cast in Paris. The completed work was presented to the state on March 8, 1911, "as a lasting memorial to a man who for many years persistently labored to secure just laws concerning the educational and property rights of women." The governor, state legislature and Owen’s great grand niece, Martha Fitton, were in attendance at the dedication. In 1905, the Robert Dale Owen Memorial Association was granted permission from the state to place the future memorial in the rotunda of the Statehouse. Today the memorial sits outside of the Statehouse walls, facing the southern entrance to the building where is was dedicated in 1911. The original memorial includes a portrait bust of the politician on a pedestal with commemorative plaque. On September 19, 1970, the portrait bust was stolen. The Robert Dale Owen Memorial Association was formed on June 30, 1905 by the Federated Women’s Club of Indiana to urge the women of Indiana to help raise funds for the Robert Dale Owen Memorial. The Association was made up of ten women from around the state and led by Julia Conklin. The group published at least two pamphlets that were distributed around the state to educate women about their efforts. Robert Dale Owen and What He Did for Women of Indiana offered a brief biography of the politician. Another pamphlet appealed to the women of the state to help in fundraising efforts, detailed why women should care about a memorial for Owen, and presented many avenues for donation. To women’s clubs dedicated to raising funds, they offered to send Association members to meetings to speak about the life and legacy of Robert Dale Owen. George B. Lockwood sold autographed copies of his book New Harmony Communities and donated the proceeds to the cause. Julia Conklin did the same with her The Young People’s History of Indiana. The Women’s Club of New Harmony was the largest contributing group, raising $50 for the fund. In their final meeting on December 30, 1912, Association member Julia Sharpe presented her official record of the work accomplished by the group. The volume included illustrations of each member and a reproduction of the memorial bust. The group gave the book to the Indiana State Library as a reference for future generations. Frances Murphy Goodwin (1855–1929) was born in Newcastle, Indiana to one of the city’s oldest families. Both she and her sister, Helen Goodwin, were well known in Indiana artist circles. Goodwin briefly attended The Indiana Art School before moving to the Art Institute of Chicago to study painting. She soon discovered her love for sculpting and eventually worked as a student under the sculptor Lorado Taft while at Chicago. She also studied sculpture at the Art Student’s League in New York City with the sculptor Daniel Chester French. Goodwin eventually traveled and studied art around Europe for four and a half years and set up a studio in Paris with her sister. She died in Newcastle at the age of seventy-four. A year later, in 1930, the Henry County Historical Society planned to commission a memorial for their grounds dedicated to Frances Goodwin and modeled after a bird fountain she had created at the Newcastle Public Library. Frances Goodwin’s first commission was for Education, a sculpture displayed in the Indiana building at the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893 for which she earned an honorable mention. The statue later found its way into the Office of the Governor of Indiana. Goodwin’s other works include a marble statue of Schuyler Colfax in the senate gallery at the U.S. Capitol and a bronze memorial of Captain Everet Benjamin in New York. Her busts of Newcastle poet Benjamin S. Parker and Indianapolis rector Reverend James D. Stanley were on display both at the Historical Society of Henry County and at Herron School of Art in Indianapolis. She also sculpted many studies of baby hands, which were popular with the public. After living in Paris for a few years, she returned to the U.S. to compete for the commission of the Robert Dale Owen Memorial and opened a temporary studio in Indianapolis to create the clay mold of the future artwork. She returned to Paris to cast the final bronze bust. Quoted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Dale_Owen_Memorial
  • Shapiro's Delicatessen
    Shapiro's Delicatessen
    Category: Commercial; Hand-Lettered Signage
    This hand-lettered sign, displayed outside Shapiro’s Delicatessen, proudly displays the name “Shapiro’s Deli & Cafeteria” and indicates parking with a large red arrow. Hand-lettered signs are popular with businesses, as they allow the business to express their brand’s unique personality through art, support local artists, and draw the eyes of potential customers.
  • Shard Wall
    Shard Wall
    Category: Outdoor Sculpture
    From the artist:  “Shard Wall is a sculpture incorporating a fire element integral to the artwork concept.  It was designed to fuse with the industrial elements of the Hyatt architecture and rhyme with the strong silhouettes of the surrounding column structure, which can all be seen from the street. It also serves to establish an intimate corner within the urban, loft-like space that creates a true communal space in a way that only fire can do. The marriage of the hearth and home is an ancient one. A hotel is a person’s home on the road where any sense of warmth, both physical and emotional, can provide an experience that is highly coveted and memorable. Fire becomes an immediate destination, a meeting spot, a place to eat drink and be merry, or a calm place to decompress. Everyone has their own personal relationship with fire, and it is an endless loop of mesmerizing, ethereal sculpture. It is difficult to leave.”  Shard Wall was commissioned as part of the hotel developer’s contribution to the City of Indianapolis’ Public Art for Neighborhoods program. Elena Colombo is a classically trained sculptor & architectural designer who owns and operates COLOMBO CONSTRUCTION CORP, a design/build firm specializing in fire features, fire accessories, and custom site specific work: memorials, markers, water and wind features, and environmental sculpture. She creates work that extends architecture further into the landscape by creating forms which address our primal need for the elements earth, fire, water and wind; and that are at once ancient and modern; simple, and elegant. Colombo’s fire sculptures have been commissioned by the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, Pebble Beach Golf Resort, Paul Hobbs Winery, and numerous hotels, spas, and resorts.  She lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.  
  • Simple Pleasures
    Simple Pleasures
    Category: Mural
    From a first birthday to a day at the beach, Torluemke’s mural depicts 19 scenes of simple pleasures. Bold in color and style, the mural was designed for easy engagement for cars passing by, while detailed scenes leave something for viewers passing by on the Indianapolis Cultural Trail: A Legacy of Gene and Marilyn Glick. 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.
  • Soldiers and Sailors Monument
    Soldiers and Sailors Monument
    Category: Historical; Memorial/Monument; Outdoor Sculpture; Water Feature/Fountain
    The Indiana Soldiers and Sailors Monument is a neoclassical monument built on Monument Circle, a circular, brick-paved street that intersects Meridian and Market streets in the center of downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. In the years since its public dedication on May 15, 1902, the monument has become an iconic symbol of Indianapolis. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 13, 1973 and was included in an expansion of the Indiana World War Memorial Plaza National Historic Landmark District in December 2016. It is located in the Washington Street-Monument Circle Historic District. It is also the largest outdoor memorial in Indiana. The monument was designed by German architect Bruno Schmitz and built over a 13-year period, between 1888 and 1901. The monument’s original purpose was to honor Hoosiers who were veterans of the American Civil War; however, it is also a tribute to Indiana’s soldiers and sailors who served during the American Revolutionary War, territorial conflicts that partially led to the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, and the Spanish–American War. The monument is the first in the United States to be dedicated to the common soldier. The monument includes several notable figurative sculptures, including Rudolph Schwarz’s two massive limestone groupings representing War and Peace, two smaller scenes named The Dying Soldier and The Return Home, and four military figures at its base representing the artillery, cavalry, infantry, and navy. Three bronze astragals, one by Nikolaus (Nicolaus) Geiger and two others by George T. Brewster, surround the stone obelisk. Additional sculptures in the plaza include John H. Mahoney’s three bronze statues of former Indiana governors George Rogers Clark, William Henry Harrison, and James Whitcomb, as well as Franklin Simmons’s bronze statue of former Indiana governor Oliver P. Morton, which had occupied the site before the monument was built. Brewster’s 30-foot (9.1 m) bronze statue of Victory (also known as Liberty) crowns the obelisk. The Indianapolis monument is approximately 15 feet (4.6 m) shorter than New York City’s 305-foot (93 m) Statue of Liberty. Most of the monument is built from Indiana limestone.  There is an observation deck on the top of the central obelisk accessible via an elevator, and at the base of the obelisk is the Col. Eli Lilly Civil War Museum.
  • Southern Circle
    Southern Circle
    Category: Outdoor Sculpture
    This sculpture creates a contemporary visual connection to the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on Monument Circle, and it provides a sense of continuity along the South Meridian Street corridor. The spirals and circles of the piece, which stands in what was once the middle of Meridian Street, allude not only to Monument Circle, but also to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Gummer is an Indianapolis native. From Gummer’s speech at the artworks dedication: “When I first visited the site in the fall of 2002, I knew immediately that I wanted to make a sculpture that related to the Monument Circle. I wanted to make a sculpture that would express some of the defining traits of the city of indianapolis as I know it: the clarity of it’s structural layout and the dignity and optimism of its citizens. The first formal plan for the original settlement at Indianapolis expanded out of a circle to become the city we know it today. Avenues and plazas radiated from its center to form a square mile from West to East Streets and from North to South Streets. My sculpture pays respect to the model set out in the original city plan and mirrors it. The sculpture rises from a square base in a series of arcs that coalesce into circles. These expand as they aspire upward in a muscular reach and a higher and wider grasp of the sky. The supports for these horizontal circular elements are strategically placed, visually and structurally, to create a twisting, soaring movement. They become lighter and more open the higher they climb. I believe that combining optimistic expansion with intelligent support creates a poetic yet pragmatic result. The sculpture reflects both the city’s grounded ambition and the aspiration of her citizens to a higher purpose. Because I grew up here and was educated here, I have an appreciation and understanding of the strength of character of the people of this city. And over the last 38 years, my admiration has grown with the city’s proud expansion. This work is my heartfelt response to the great honor of being asked to make a visible statement about the environment where it stands: the center of innovation at Lilly, and the heart of a city where I grew up and was inspired to become an artist. I believe it reflects the spirit of our Circle City: inclusive, uplifting, and outreaching. A community where I always feel at home.”
  • The Coal Miner
    The Coal Miner
    Category: Memorial/Monument; Outdoor Sculpture
    The Coal Miner is a public artwork by American artist John J. Szaton (1907–1966) and located on the west lawn of the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The statue is a copy of a 1964 work by Szaton that was commissioned by the Illinois state legislature in 1963. The sculpture copies a 1946 painting by Vachel Davis, an Illinois Pentecostal minister, journalist, poet, and amateur painter who had worked as a coal miner and was an active champion of coal mining safety. Davis had given the painting to the State of Illinois as part of his efforts to create a monument to Illinois coal miners who had lost their lives on the job; he was acquainted with Szaton and suggested that he be hired as the sculptor. The Indiana memorial was commissioned in 1965 with funds appropriated from the Indiana General Assembly.  It was cast in 1966 and installed in 1967 to commemorate the state’s coal miners who lost their lives in the mining industry. The 7-ft. tall statue rests on a 3-ft. square, granite base supported by a concrete foundation. Both the Illinois and Indiana statues were cast at the Spampinato Art Workshop foundry in Chicago. The Coal Miner, which measures 85 in. x 26 1/2 in. x 28 in., is installed in the northwest corner of the Indiana Statehouse lawn and faces west. The figure wears overalls, boots, a belt, a long-sleeve shirt, and a miner’s hat. He has a contrapposto stance with his proper left foot forward. He carries a miner’s fire safety lamp, or “bug light”, in his proper left hand, which is at his side. His proper right hand is raised, gripping the base of a miner’s pick axe that rests on his proper right shoulder. The shirt-sleeve on his proper right arm is unbuttoned and hangs open on his forearm. The belt hanging at his waist has three visible belt punches. He wears a MSA Comfo Cap Model P miner’s hat with its battery pack clipped to the backside of his belt. The artist’s signature, “John Szaton, Sc.” appears on the proper left side of the base, toward the front. On the proper left side of the base, toward the back, a foundry mark reads, “Cast by Spaminato [sic] Art Foundry Chicago, Ill. 1966”. The square, granite base measure 35 7/8 in. x 35 1/2 in. x 36 in. Its front-facing side has a bronze, bas-relief plaque depicting a drag-line mining crane at work in a strip mine.A cement foundation, 4 to 6 inches thick, supports the base. The plaque on the rear-facing side reads, “Without coal the marvelous social and industrial progress which marks our civilization could not have been achieved. But the production of this vital commodity, so essential to the world’s progress, has cost the lives of thousands of ‘coal miners’ in Indiana. It is to the supreme sacrifice of these men that this memorial is dedicated.” Reproductions of small-scale versions of the monument have been mass-produced; over 200 have been given as gifts by the coal industry over the years. The artist, John J. Szaton, was born in 1907 in Ludlow, Massachusetts of Polish descent. He apprenticed under well-known Illinois sculptor Lorado Taft, who invited Szaton to come to Chicago after meeting him on a lecture tour of various high schools and art schools in Massachusetts. Szaton studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and at the now-defunct National Academy of Art in Chicago. He executed sculptures both for Taft and on his own, continuing to work at Taft’s studio until it disbanded in 1947.  He moved his family to Tinley Park, at that time a small rural suburb of Chicago, and commuted to Chicago to work during the week as a greeting card engraver. The Coal Miner, in all its forms, became his most widely-known sculpture. Szaton died in 1966 and is buried in Cedar Park Cemetery, Calumet Park, Illinois. Read more about the sculpture at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_Miner_(statue) Read more about the artist at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_J._Szaton
  • Thomas A. Hendricks Memorial
    Thomas A. Hendricks Memorial
    Category: Historical; Outdoor Sculpture
    The Thomas A. Hendricks Monument is a public artwork by American artist Richard Henry Park and is located on the southeast corner of the Indiana Statehouse grounds in Indianapolis, Indiana. The monument is a tribute to Thomas A. Hendricks (September 7, 1819 – November 25, 1885), the 21st Vice President of the United States (serving with Grover Cleveland). Hendricks was a former U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Indiana. He was the 16th Governor of Indiana and led the campaign to build the Indiana Statehouse. The sculpture is a full-length bronze portrait figure of Hendricks in formal attire with a long dress overcoat. The sculpture’s pedestal is red Italian granite. Two bronze allegorical sculptures by Park, one on each side of the pedestal, represent "Justice" and "History". The original design by Richard Henry Park was a single bronze statue of Hendricks, surmounting a granite pedestal, similar in appearance to the final version. Later, as funds for the monument increased, Park was commissioned to add two seated allegorical statues in bronze representing "History" and "Justice"; the granite pedestal was enlarged and modified to receive the new features. The monument stands 38.5 feet (11.7 m) tall; the base is 29 feet (8.8 m) in length and 21 feet (6.4 m) in width. The heroic, full-length bronze portrait figure of Hendricks is 14.5 feet (4.4 m) tall. It is the largest of the bronze statues on the Indiana Statehouse lawn. Hendricks is depicted in formal, nineteenth-century attire and wears a suit and long dress overcoat. His proper right hand is tucked into a vest across his chest. The figure stands atop a red granite pedestal that has arches, columns, and pilasters. Two full-length bronze female figures, one on each side, flank the pedestal’s base. Each figure is seated and wears classical robes. "Justice", the figure on the proper left, has long, braided hair. Her proper left arm is raised to shoulder height; she holds a sword in her proper right hand. The figure of "History", on the proper right, holds a tablet on her lap with her proper left hand and a writing tool in her proper right hand. Her hair is knotted at the back of her head. A book rests beneath her proper right foot. The allegorical figures would be approximately 9 feet (2.7 m) tall, if standing. The pedestal rests on a three-stepped platform. It is executed in Baveno granite from quarries at Lake Maggiore, Italy, and was chosen for its structural excellence and color. The granite used in the monument was the first of its kind to be imported into the United States. The pedestal and models of the statues were designed in Richard Henry Park’s studio in Florence. The monument was erected in Indianapolis under the supervision of Mr. C. B. Canfield, president of the New England Monument Company of New York City. In the 1990s, to help avoid confusion between Hendricks and his uncle, Indiana’s third governor William Hendricks, two plaques were added to the sculpture’s base. Thomas A. Hendricks (7 September 1819 – 25 November 1885), an Indiana lawyer and nineteenth-century politician, was active in the Democratic Party at the state and national levels. Hendricks served in the Indiana legislature (1848–1850) and was a delegate to the Indiana Constitutional Convention of 1851. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives (1851–55) and the U.S. Senate (1863–1869). President Franklin Pierce appointed Hendricks commissioner of the General Land Office in 1855. Hendricks resigned in 1859, returned to Indiana, and was elected as the sixteenth governor of Indiana (1873 to 1877). He led the campaign to build the Indiana Statehouse. Hendricks served the last eight months of his life in the President Grover Cleveland administration as the twenty-first vice-president of the United States (1885). Following Hendricks’s death, an editorial in the Indianapolis Sentinel on December 7, 1885, encouraged the public to establish a permanent monument to Hendricks.  A group of Indianapolis citizens met on December 10, 1885, and appointed a five-member committee to prepare a plan of organization and articles of incorporation for an association to oversee the project. At a public meeting on December 12,1885, incorporating articles were approved to authorize the association to erect a monument to Hendricks; a twelve-member committee was selected to manage the group’s business affairs. Executive committee members were: Noble C. Butler, Frederick W. Chislett, Francis M. Churchman, Edward Hawkins, John A. Hulman, Oscar B. Hord, Elijah B. Martindayle, Thomas A. Morris, Frederick Rand, James H. Rice, Simon P. Sheerin and Charles Zollinger. Upon the death of Hord, Judge N. B. Taylor was appointed to succeed him. The association’s officers were: Frederick Rand, president; Francis M. Churchman, treasurer; John A. Holman, secretary; Frederick W. Chislett, superintendent. Nearly one-half of the monument’s funds had already been secured through the voluntary efforts of the officers, members of the committee, and friends of the monument, when R. C. J. Pendleton, of Indianapolis, was employed to raise the balance of the funds. Several thousand contributions from across the United States were received, with one dollar being the average donation. Many of the contributions were accompanied by an expression of the affection toward Hendricks. On September 10, 1887, the association called for proposals and designs for a monument. By January 1, 1888, they had received a large number of responses to the published advertisements. Richard H. Park’s design was accepted and a contract was executed with him for the erection of the monument. The monument association had legislative permission to select a site and chose the southeast corner of the Indiana Statehouse grounds at Indianapolis. The monument’s foundation was laid during the winter of 1889; erection of the monument began in April 1890, but was delayed for nearly a month when several of the large granite pieces failed to arrive with the rest of the structure. Park arrived in the United States in May 1890 to supervise completion of the monument. An unveiling ceremony was held on Tuesday, July 1, 1890. Three of the association’s executive committee members Edward Hawkins, Noble C. Butler, and John A. Holman, served as the Committee of Arrangements; a General Reception Committee was named and consisted of approximately one hundred Indianapolis citizens and two or more from each Indiana county. Indianapolis streets and buildings were decorated with lavish display of flags and bunting. A large, canvas-covered amphitheater with a stage, five hundred chairs and a raised pavilion for a large chorus of school children and other spectators was erected across Tennessee Street. The structure was elaborately decorated with bunting; the monument, which stood a few steps away, was covered in flags. Benches in front of the amphitheater supplied ticket-holder seating. Special invitations were sent to President Benjamin Harrison and ex-President Grover Cleveland and their cabinets, senators and congressmen, federal judges, and governors of other states. Governors from New York, Ohio, Missouri, and Indiana attended the event. The ceremonies began with a parade, followed by a program of activities: a call to order by Alvin P. Hovey, governor of Indiana; an invocation by Rev. Joseph S. Jenckes, of St. Paul’s Church, Indianapolis; music; a historical statement by Frederick Rand, president of the monument association; unveiling of the monument by Eliza C. Hendricks; a nine-round salute from Indianapolis Light Artillery; a dedicatory poem by James Whitcomb Riley of Indiana, read by Rev. Dr. D. W. Fisher, president of Hanover College; and address by David Turpie, U. S. Senator from Indiana; and a benediction from Reverend Francis Silas Chatard, Bishop of Vincennes. Quoted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hendricks_Monument
  • Young Abe Lincoln
    Young Abe Lincoln
    Category: Historical; Outdoor Sculpture
    Young Abe Lincoln, is a public artwork by American artist David K. Rubins (born 1902 in Minneapolis), located outside of the government center near the Indiana State House, in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. This bronze sculpture is a depiction of a young Abraham Lincoln, an Abraham Lincoln that spent the majority of his formative years in Indiana. Young Abe Lincoln is an oversized, rough style bronze sculpture of an adolescent Abraham Lincoln. He wears a shirt, pants raised above the ankle and is barefoot. His proper left hand holds a book with the index finger holding its place. The sculpture sits outside of the Indiana Government Center in Indianapolis, which is adjacent to the Indiana Statehouse. The sculpture measures 108 inches in height by 30 inches in width by 38 1/2 in depth and sits upon a red granite tripartite pedestal that measures 74 inches in height by 82 inches in width by 92 inches in depth. It weighs over 1,500 pounds. A foundry mark can be seen on the front of the pedastal MODERN/ART/FDRY/N.Y. The artist signature (D.K. Rubins) and copyright date (1962) can be seen on the rear, proper right side base of the sculpture. Based on a forty six inch plaster mold, a three-dimensional pantograph was used to create a rough, hollow framework of the full-size model of the sculpture from wood. The surface layer of this framework was coated with a layer of oil-base non-hardening clay called plastelene and then the detail work of the sculpture was done by hand. A plaster mold was placed over the finished clay framework and allowed to dry. The mold was then removed, creating a positive plaster cast of the framework. This cast is a replica of the clay covered framework. The lost-wax casting method was then used to create the actual bronze sculpture. This process took over five months to complete. "The thoughts that concerned me most in making this statue were the necessities of representing a vital energy, lean physical strength, and a tree-like growth suggestive of the strong roots of character that were growing and manifest as early as his Indiana years. In the rather knotty and active forms of the body, I have tried to express that, as well as the rough warmth of his frontier humanity and the ungainliness of his bony frame. In the simple but rough-surfaced pedestal, and in the quiet shadowed, thoughtful head, I wanted to suggest the very simple, classic character of his mind – as well as the loneliness and tragedy of his life. In the hair, I tried for boyishness and humor. I felt it unimportant to invent a purely imaginary portrait of how Lincoln might have looked at twenty-one years. Our knowledge of his appearance, on which the popular symbol of Lincoln is based, is from photographs taken after his fortieth year; my face, therefore, is a compromise between the unknown Indiana youth and the pre-presidential Illinois lawyer. The true look of Lincoln during his Indiana years is as unimportant as the historical accuracy of his clothing. In favor of representing his character and his contemporary significance to the best advantage, I have subordinated every literal element except the book. In the light of Lincoln’s whole life, the axe is unimportant as the book. The placement of the figure was chosen for two reasons: I felt that Lincoln should be placed back among the trees on the plaza, since the forest was his Indiana experience; and it would be difficult to compete in scale with the open plaza and building were the figure to be placed in the open. Too large a figure in sculpture produces an inhuman and unreal effect." —David K. Rubins,  This sculpture was created as a commissioned piece for winning a competition to decorate the Indiana State Office Building, The Indiana Employment Security Building, or the Adjacent Plaza in Indianapolis, Indiana. As part of the competition, which was conducted in 1959, the artist was free to choose his own subject matter, location, size of work and whatever material deemed necessary. There were the following suggestions however: 1. Lincoln was an appropriate theme for the Indiana Government area because Indiana was where he had spent a lot of his youth and where he later visited. 2. The Seal of the State be used somewhere and that Indiana be recognizable in the piece. 3. A possible location be the square area extending into the northeast corner of the reflecting pool. 4. The interior of the entrance lobby of the State Office Building is also another option for placement of an appropriate relief of free-standing sculpture. 5. The piece should have a contemporary feel to it, suitable to the times and architecture of the two buildings.[4] As part of the competition each artist was to deliver a small scale plaster model or sketch of their work and letter of explanation to the Indiana State Office Building Commission located on the third floor of the building located at 309 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, Indiana by no later than Tuesday, December 1, 1959. Below is a list of artists that an invitation was sent to: Anthony Lauck, University of Notre Dame Ivan Mestrovic, University of Notre Dame Robert Laurent, Indiana University, Department of Fine Arts Harry Engel, Indiana University, Department of Fine Arts Rudy Pozzatti, Indiana University, Department of Fine Arts Garo Antreasian, John Herron Art Institute David Rubins, John Herron Art Institute Donald Mattison, John Herron Art Institute Robert Weaver James Snodgrass, Contemporary Art Workshop Will Lamm Harold Elgar Richard Peeler Adolph Wolter Walter Lohman Warner Williams, Culver Military Academy Henrik Wueberkrop  The pieces were judged by a jury, chosen by the State Office Building Commission, composed of Wilbur D. Peat (Director of the John Herron Art Museum), Henry Hope (Chairman of the Art Department at Indiana University), A. Reid Winsey (Chairman of the Art Department of DePauw University), representatives of the architectural firms who designed the office building (Graham, Anderson, Probst & White and Raymond S. Kastendieck & Associates), and representatives of Associated Indiana Architects and architects for the Employment Security Building. The chosen pieces were given a $500 retainer to present a larger finished model for a second judging. David K. Rubins submitted a 12-inch high model in sculptor’s parlance originally and then created a forty six inch plaster model which was selected by the jury as the official sculpture winner. Rubins was then given $32,700 and two years to create the actual statue. On September 26, 1963, Rubins’ Young Abe was dedicated to great enthusiasm. Garo Z. Antreasian was selected as the official mural winner. Controversy The creation of this sculpture was postponed several times due to controversy dealing with funding for this piece and because there were arguments of foul play when the winners of the competition were finally chosen. Many citizens of Indianapolis were upset because their tax money was being used to commission this piece. Many thought the money allocated for this artwork could be used for other things, such as helping the mentally handicapped. It was thought that there were already enough memorials commemorating Lincoln in the state of Indiana. $100,000 was allocated for the creation of both the sculpture and the mural in the construction budget of the building.  Wilbur D. Peat, Director of the Herron Art Museum in 1960, thought: Art has a place in this building. It will not be a needless luxury or waste of public funds. I don’t think the public is so lacking in appreciation that it wants public buildings bare and unadorned. Will Lamm, an entrant in the competition, claimed that the judging committee accepted entrants after the official deadline of December 7, 1959 had passed. He also claimed that at least one member of the committee telephoned the artist, David K. Rubins, after the deadline urging him to submit an entry. Rubins did not submit his entry until December 8, 1959 when the committee meeting to decide the winners was held. It was also added by Lamm that three of the seven judges on the committee were absent when the winners were chosen and the original sculpture idea turned in by Rubins was not created in plaster, as stated in the invitation letter to the artists. Lamm was told by a committee member that his idea might have won had they not accepted the late entry. Many people, including Wilbur D. Peat, Director of the John Herron Art Museum and chairman of the selection committee, brushed Lamm’s accusations off as him being a sore loser. John A. Whitehead, Director of the State Office Building Commission, rejected the notion that late entries were accepted. He stated that several of the artists were contacted on the day of judging to determine whether their expected entries would be turned in. Some artists had asked for extensions. He also said it didn’t make a difference whether the sculptures were entered in plaster or of another material. It was also controversial that throughout the judging process photography of the potential artworks were banned. Lamm’s entry was a sculpture portraying Lincoln’s departure from his family to going off on his own. It included a group of seven figures. Indiana Governor Matthew E. Welsh recommended that new State Office Building Commission urge the Virginia Engineering Co., the building’s general contractor, to send Rubin a letter postponing the creation of the sculpture. Welsh was an advocate of the art finances being used for the state’s program for mentally handicapped. Rubin answered this letter by stating his continuation of the project and that he was going to go ahead and draw up a contract with the architects. He already had a signed contract from the Virginia Engineering Co. after the former commission approved the expenditures for the statue and mural at $68,000. There were several suggestions for the location of this statue on or around the Indiana Statehouse grounds. The Orchard Area, the upper terrace outside the lobby and the center line of the walkway which extends south towards the Indiana Employment Security Building were some suggestions. Created to reside in the state office building plaza, the sculpture was originally located about half a block east of its present location, facing Senate Avenue. It was moved outside of the Government Center off of West Street and Robert D. Orr Ave in 1992. About David K. Rubins David K. Rubins, a native of Minneapolis, studied at the Beaux Arts Institute of Design in New York and the Académie Julian and the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Rubins worked closely with James Earle Fraser, designer of the Buffalo nickel and End of the Trail, for seven years in New York. His awards include the Paris Prize in Sculpture (1924), the Prix de Rome (1928), Fellow in Sculpture Award from the American Academy in Rome and the Grant and Sculpture Award from the National Institute of Arts and Letters. Rubins moved to Indianapolis, Indiana in 1935 to join the faculty at the John Herron Art Institute where he taught until 1967 and then an additional three years after the Herron Art Institute merged with Indiana University.[12] He held the chairmanship of the sculpture department from 1935 to 1968. In 1970, Rubins retired and became an artist-in-residence at Herron.[12] In 1954, Rubins book, The Human Figure, an Anatomy for Artists, was published. Other Indianapolis works of art Rubins is known for is the bust of late Indiana Governor Henry Schricker, the Eli Lilly monument in Crown Hill Cemetery, and a bust of Evans Wollens Sr. Rubins’ work has been exhibited at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, National Academy of Design, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Architectural League of New York, and the "American Sculpture Today" show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Rubins’ inspiration for Young Abe Lincoln came after reading several books on Lincoln and his life, as well as looking at other sculptures of Lincoln. Some of these others sculptures included the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., the Mount Rushmore depiction by Gutzon Borglum, and the Lincoln sculpture by Henry Hering in Indianapolis’ University Park. Quoted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Abe_Lincoln
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    Disclaimer: The Arts Council of Indianapolis provides this database and website as a service to artists, arts organizations, and consumers alike. All information contained within the database and website was provided by the artists or arts organizations. No adjudication or selection process was used to develop this site or the artists and organizations featured. While the Arts Council of Indianapolis makes every effort to present accurate and reliable information on this site, it does not endorse, approve, or certify such information, nor does it guarantee the accuracy, completeness, efficacy, timeliness, or correct sequencing of such information.