Public Art as a Conversation Starter

As you make your way around Indianapolis neighborhoods, you’ll come across collaborative artworks such as the mural “Bringing Love Back to the Community” at Unity Park in the Hillside neighborhood created with the help of Felege Hiywot. Near 42nd Street and Mitthoeffer Road, you’ll find Big Car’s “Welcome to Your Bus Stop.” Downtown, near the canal, you’ll find homage to the historic Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church with the mural, “Lazy Sunday.”Thousands of people pass by these murals and other artworks every day and view them as the City of Indianapolis looking to improve the looks of heavily traveled streets and parks. As Julia Muney Moore, the Director of Public Arts at the Indy Arts Council, explains, that’s not always the case — it’s just a bonus.“One of the wonderful things about public art is that the process of creating something brings people together,” she said. “The more you can bring people together in a shared purpose, the more you will engage them to do it frequently. It creates willingness to interact with each other and get involved.” Every artwork around the city has history behind it. When the Town of Speedway commissioned a piece for the Speedway Trailhead Park,...