American 3.14 Mural Revitalization at 9th and Kealing is complete!

Thank you to you all for your support in this endeavor. It has been important to have people cheering us on. Artist Ezi Underwood created and installed the images and backgrounds to revitalize this corridor on the Near Eastside of Indianapolis. A crew from Teen Works was a significant part of the creation and installation process. We would not have been able to take on this mural project without the early financial vision and support of Teen Works and the Rivoli Park Neighborhood. East 10th United Methodist Church, Englewood Church, NEAR, and Recycle Force also provided key logistical supports to make this project happen. Thanks also goes to the neighborhood businesses, AmeriFab, Brookside Dental, Tim & Julie's Another Fine Mess, Pearl Street Realty Group and The Tick Tock Lounge, that donated. Thank you so much to all the individual donors as well: Zach Adamson, Sue Breiner, Jim Bowden, Pat Browne, Kate Cabell, Tosca Caranza, Sandy Dulaney, Dylan Durrett, Jeremy Efroymson, Lisa Jones, Laurie Klinger, Mark Latta, Shawndra Miller, Chris Reading & Juliet Port, John Ridder, Susan Vogt and the anonymous donor,  too. We couldn't have done it without you!

Another big thank you goes out to Joy Hernandez who followed the mural story and documented it for public radio. She also helped out on several painting days. Thanks Joy! If you missed the radio show, it is the last segment on this link for the Curious Mix show. It starts at 43 minutes and 45 seconds. Enjoy! https://www.wfyi.org/…/curiou…/radio/People-Who-Need-People…

If you get a chance, drive across E 9th Street between N Sherman Dr and N Kealing Ave and see the mural for yourself. More people may be going that way with the Citizens Energy Group's intersection closure at E 10th and N Kealing Ave starting October 22nd, 2018. So go by and see the finished mural. See for yourself the difference it makes to have "eyes on the street". You'll want to drive slowly to take it all in. Or maybe you will walk under this bridge as many people do every day.

We are still working on calling attention to the bumpy road under this bridge and the illegal dumping. If you notice these mentioned items or something else that needs attention while passing through, it would be greatly appreciated if you contacted the Mayor's Action Center and reported it 317.327.4MAC (4622) or http://maps.indy.gov/RequestIndy/ . If we all work together, we can make a difference.

Thanks again!

Cheers!

American 3.14: A Mural on Indy's Near Eastside

https://www.gofundme.com/art-under-the-bridge

This project proposes to put nine images of people on the backdrop of a previous community mural that was defaced by graffiti on E. 9th Street near N. Kealing Avenue.  There was also a special request by the community to put an eagle on the wall as well.  The images of people will give a personality to the mural and are being designed to speak to disaffected segments of our society that may be tempted to litter or tag or deface public property.  The previous mural was created with the help of over 100 volunteers.  Currently the mural and the walls are covered with graffiti and patches of grey paint to abate the graffiti and it is no longer the beacon of hope that it once was.

This art project is informed by crime prevention through environmental design.  Having images of people on the walls will add a human element and make the passersby feel as though people are there with them as they go through the underpass.  There are no houses or businesses in this corridor to keep watch on it and the surrounding area has one of the highest crime rates in the city of Indianapolis.  It is our hope that when someone going through sees the art work, they will stop and think twice before they do something to disrespect the community.  
        
The people that live here still believe that the neighborhood can be safer.  The eagle and stars that will also be a part of the mural will give rise to pride in the place we call home.  The theme of American 3.14 has evolved to mean that we can take pride in this place with a mural that is a 3.14 upgrade.

$2,000 will be spent on supplies for the creation of stencils that can be reused to put the images on the wall and for the paint and equipment for its application and for the preparation of the mural surface.  The plan is that if the area is hit by graffiti again, the stencils can be used to redo the mural images quickly and without the need to call in another artist or much further labor.  $2,500 is for the artist's labor, which is broken down into roughly $4 per square foot of mural or $15 an hour.

The artist, Aaron (Ezi) Underwood, is a hip hop artist from Indianapolis, Indiana.  He has always been creative.  After exploring various media, Ezi began to draw models and he developed his own style. He has always loved street art.  Artists like Shepherd, who did the Obama hope posters, started doing large mural pieces on buildings.  Seeing this development in the art world planted the idea of returning creativity to the community. "I want to become a mural artist", Ezi told himself.   When Lisa met Ezi at a gallery showing some of his gripping art, they immediately started collaborating to co-lead this project on the Near Eastside of Indianapolis.  Lisa is a resident of Rivoli Park Neighborhood and she is volunteering her time as an organizer of this project so that this corner of the world can be a little bit brighter. 

https://www.gofundme.com/art-under-the-bridge

Community Coming Together through a Geometric Mural

By Lisa Boyles

The “Color the World with Love” project had a great day of painting a mural on Saturday, April 11th.  We had over 25 painters working on the design created by Andrew Severns. This current mural project is located on both sides of the underpass on E 9th Street between N Sherman Drive and N Kealing Avenue. The Rivoli Park Neighborhood planned for a mobile roll call of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department at the same place and time as the mural painting. A group of officers walked over to look at what we were doing.  They liked what they saw. 

We had a youth group representing the Brookside Park Family Center join us on Saturday.  They worked on completing an intricate geometric design after Severns and his assistant artist Izaak Hayes outlined it. Teamwork was definitely displayed as people worked on painting in the intersections with various colors. The people that came to paint on Saturday learned about the event from various sources, including an article on Sky Blue Window. All the different groups learned about painting a mural and got to know each other in the process.

On March 30th, “Color the World with Love” presented at Pitch Feast. Pitch Feast is an innovative way to fund local social entrepreneurs organized by Dreamapolis.  “Color the World with Love” presented along with three other great ideas.  The crowd voted for “Color the World with Love” and we were awarded the proceeds from the admission to the event. Pictured below is a group of painters that we met at Pitch Feast. In addition to funds, we were awarded several perks that will help “Color the World with Love” to develop a strong business plan to continue doing art installation projects in the future.  You can watch our Pitch Feast presentation using this video link. 

Earlier in March, we had a crew of volunteers from throughout the city that prepared the surface for the mural by scraping and priming.  We said goodbye to the graffiti and it has stayed away.  This area has gone through quite a transformation in the past month.  In the morning on April 11th, volunteers from the Rivoli Park Neighborhood cleared away trash and debris through this corridor as well. The community is working together to beautify this street to help make it a safer place to be.

 

You can join us in painting this mural.  We had 7 painting days open to community participation already with nearly 65 different people lending a hand over the course of those days.  Thank you so much!  Join us on our final painting day for the current mural at E 9th Street and N Kealing Ave anytime between 9 am - 4 pm on Saturday, May 23rd.  You may RSVP to paint through this Facebook event https://www.facebook.com/events/1646461945586072/ . We would appreciate donations to the cause.  You can donate on the www.colortheworldwithlove.com website or via Pay Pal by directing your contribution to muralsindy@gmail.com.  Or you can bring your contribution with you when you come to paint.   If you have any questions, feel free to contact Lisa Boyles at (317) 372-6983 or muralsindy@gmail.com.  You can be a part of creating art and community. 

Many Hands

Imagine people of all ages working together to improve their neighborhood. Think of a city unified through installations of art painted by community members. By designing a series of geometric projects, Andrew Severns has a vision for public art in the city of Indianapolis that can accomplish these things.

Artist Andrew Severns outlines the design for the mural at E 10th and N Sherman Dr.

He says that the geometric uniformity among murals and other pieces of art will ensure its strength and timelessness while giving a well-defined look to the city at large. And through the outlines of shapes that Severns provides, those who help paint have a guide for creating a beautiful piece of art.

The project at the corner of East 10th  Street and North Sherman Drive is part of a larger series along the railroad underpasses in the Rivoli Park Neighborhood. The areas where these projects are planned need care and attention. By creating art that is participatory, people in the community can feel a sense of ownership of these previously neglected corridors.

Many hands came together to beautify this street corner, all coordinated by Lisa Boyles (foreground).

The geometric style that Andrew uses reminds me of the colored pieces in a kaleidoscope. These shapes interconnect to make a pattern representative of the many different people in our neighborhood living together. It has been terrific to see so many people coming together to paint the mural at this busy intersection—and to hear the honks of approval and positive comments of people driving by.

The community’s handprints are all over this site!

Students, teachers and parents from the Paramount School of Excellence participated in this mural project. The students seem especially excited to be a part of something positive that will have a lasting impact in their neighborhood.

Students from Paramount School of Excellence helped paint this mural.

Everyone who has donated or volunteered will have his or her name (or a dedication) alongside the edge of a section of the mural. When people think of their dedication, they are encouraged to also think of a meditation or intention to be a part of creating a better community. We will all share our thoughts about the project at a celebration party at the culmination of the first phase of the project on November 22nd.

Community members of all ages have come together to paint the shapes in the mural.

The online fundraiser for the Rivoli Park Mural Project continues through Friday, November 7th.  An investment in this project is an investment in community.  Check out the incentives and details here.