You might have seen new artworks like Julie Xiao’s “Fire Mother” mural on the Chicken Chapel of Love at the Contemporary Art Museum of Indianapolis’ recent grand opening or the Big Car-organized “Celebration of Bean Creek and Garfield Park” on the neighborhood Safeway. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the array of highly visible public art projects about to brighten communities and commutes across Indianapolis.
Here are seven new or coming installations to keep on your radar.
Real Silk Hosiery Historic Mural Project
Where: Massachusetts and Park avenues. When: Finished
Across five panels on one of the buildings that served as Real Silk Hosiery Mills’ headquarters, artist Eric Fernung painted replicas of ads that ran in “Ladies Home Journal” and “The Saturday Evening Post” in the mid-1920s. In the pictures, women sail, feed birds and partake in other activities, all while sporting stockings from the company that sold the women’s garments, parachutes and military supplies in the early to mid-20th century.
Fernung said he is honoring the work of Ohio illustrator Roy Best, who originally painted the ads in oils with layers to give the murals a vintage look on a background that imitates paper.
The Chatham Arch Neighborhood Association and Foundation obtained an Efroymson Family Fund grant and raised money from residents living in the Real Silk Lofts and Mill No. 9 buildings, said Ellen Whitt, homeowner and project lead.
Meridian-Kessler neighborhood mural
Where: Upland Brewing Co. building, 4842 N. College Ave. When: Completed by early September
The coming mural on the side of a popular business will serve as a welcome sign to the neighborhood. Residents’ favorite parts of Meridian-Kessler will be rolled into graphic design-style art by Indianapolis’ Christina Hollering. Neighborhood attributes, like the Red Line, will anchor the art, said Mary Kate Lang, chair of the public art committee for the Meridian-Kessler Neighborhood Association. And Easter eggs, like a key that represents the Red Key Tavern, will be sprinkled throughout.
Artspark at Indy Art Center
Where: 820 E. 67th St. When: Reopens Sept. 27
Five pieces by the late Dora Natella, the renowned sculptor who taught at Indiana University South Bend, will be on indefinite loan and unveiled when the center completes its renovations next month. The park will also reinstall 21 of its outdoor sculptures that have recently been refurbished by Herron School of Art and Design students.
The $3.7 million project better connects the center to the Monon Trail and White River while more fully realizing the original vision of Michael Graves, the iconic architect who designed the Artspark, said Mark Williams, the center’s president and executive director.
IU Health new downtown hospital
Where: 16th Street and Capitol Avenue. When: Plans are for exterior artwork to be installed in late summer or fall 2027 before the hospital opens in December 2027
The hospital commissioned seven outdoor artworks, including sculptures, that will be placed across the campus. Each piece will reflect the theme of light and contribute to a welcoming, healing environment that will include seating, walking paths and native plants, Courtney Taylor, senior public relations associate for Indiana University Health, wrote IndyStar in an email.
The hospital has yet to share the names of artists selected for the project.
Indiana Fever Sports Performance Center mural
This fall, South Bend’s Alex Ann Allen will paint the artwork on the new facility, scheduled to open in spring 2027. Another to-be-determined mural planned for the player garage will be painted this winter, said Julia Muney Moore, the Indy Arts Council’s director of public art.
‘Streetcorner Canvases’
Where: Intersections around Indianapolis. When: New paintings will be unveiled into the fall
With the help of the Department of Public Works, the Indy Arts Council has partnered with neighborhoods around the city to select artists to pay homage on about 25 traffic signal boxes to the people, places and history that make their communities unique, Muney Moore said. The boxes depict myriad Circle City-centric subjects, including odes to a Fish Fry Friday, a beloved pizza spot, natural landmarks and welcoming neighbors.
Floor and hotel art at Indianapolis International Airport
The airport’s Ground Transportation Center will undergo a renovation that includes upgrading its flooring to match the terrazzo throughout the rest of the terminal, thereby providing a new canvas for art. The airport has put out a call for designs but a timeline for the project has yet to be determined, said Megan Carrico, senior director of public affairs at the Indianapolis Airport Authority.
The Westin Indianapolis International Airport Hotel, scheduled to open by the end of 2027, will have art in the first-level lobby and restaurant, seventh-level restaurant and bar and pedestrian pathway.
This Indy newsletter has the best shows, art and eats
Contact IndyStar reporter Domenica Bongiovanni at 317-444-7339 or d.bongiovanni@indystar.com. Sign up here for the newsletter she curates about things to do and ways to explore Indianapolis. Find her on Facebook, Instagram or X: @domenicareports.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Seven big public artworks you’ll want to see
Reporting by Domenica Bongiovanni, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Domenica Bongiovanni, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
