Pickett Memorial Park is one of my favorite parks in West Lafayette. The park, though small,…read morecurrently has six public art sculptures, three picnic areas, and a small parking lot (hopefully, construction on Stadium will restore driving access soon!) There are a few trees for shade, but mostly, the park is away from the bustle of campus and provides a relaxing spot to enjoy fresh air and some interesting art, several with Hoosier ties. The park is named for a Purdue student who died in a hiking accident. His parents wanted to honor his love of the outdoors by donating funds for the park. The art pieces included the following: Kaikoo VI by Betty Gold (the red metallic one) Limits by Joey Manson (the light blue one) Man and Technology by Don Lawler (the limestone hand) Sycamore Arch by Ken Thompson (limestone arch) Zig by Ken Thompson (a blocky rust brown sculpture) and an untitled piece that looks like an elevated oblong shape with vertical rows wrapped by horizontal rows on the top. Review #1136

Firefly is an awesome public art display that I came across while we were in West Lafayette…read moreIndiana. We had to stop and see this for sure. It was really neat took up the entire side of the building. It was very very colorful and I thought it was just super awesome.

In September 2018, a series of murals called "Wabash Walls!" decorated the neighborhood along…read moreWabash Avenue south of downtown Lafayette. Of those murals, my favorite is "Firefly" by Max Sansing. The image shows a profile of a boy who has discovered and captured a firefly, but instead of being an insect, the firefly is a glowing golden boy small enough to fit in the palm of the larger boy's hand. The imagery is lifelike and done with brilliant colors. I really like how well the artist made it appear the larger boy is looking directly at the smaller boy. I've seen far too many paintings where the artist was unable to capture that connection. I also like that there is an element of fantasy and the unknown in the mural. Review #1544

Another West Lafayette public art display that I definitely recommend you check out when you're in…read morethe area. This is escape darkness by breaking the chains. I'm sure it has a nice meaning behind it but it's got a lot of cool art.

On the side of Sacred Grounds Espresso Coffee Shop, a two part mural was added as part of the…read moreWabash Walls! art program in Sept 2018. The mural, done by event coordinator and artist Cameron Moberg (Camer1), has two parts: a dark space framed in orange with feathers and broken chains flying out; and a dark space framed in blue with a dove flapping its wings trying to escape from the chains holding its ankles. The images seem almost 3D the way they pop off the brick wall they are painted on. Escape Darkness, Breaking Chains seems a literal title to the activity within the murals. Review #1548

Part of the Wabash Walls! mural project in 2018 took place at the Junction House at 215 Smith…read moreStreet. The property is right next to an elevated pathway along the railroad tracks that is terraced. Artists Cameron Moberg (Camer1) and Jenna Morello painted four panels that are now displayed along that pathway on the east side of the Junction House property. The panels look like they may have been picnic table tops that were converted to artwork. I have heard that on some of the panels, local kids were allowed to decorate the panels first, and then the artists came by later to touch them up and build upon for a more professional finish. Panels include words like "Be the Change" and"Hope", and "Beautiful". One of the panels simply has a multi-colored floral pattern over shades of color. Review #1546

Don't you know everything we do it's better together. This is an awesome public art display that we…read morefound while we were walking around exploring West Lafayette Indiana. They have all kinds of cool places like this check out with all the public art displays cool city go check them out.

In 2018, Chicago artist Rahmaan Statik Barnes was commissioned to paint the corner of the Northend…read moreCommunity Center in Lafayette. Along with his assistants Gape and Dread ski, this street artist turned muralist added a colorful wraparound mural that is 24' high and 80' in length as it wraps around the corner leading to the building entrance. The words Better Together are clearly written over the faces of children and adults that might be found at the community center. In addition to the faces, there are silhouettes of a basketball player and soccer player. Smaller images of kids working together on projects can also be seen. Although painted with spray cans, the detail is fantastic in the bright and cheerful addition to the neighborhood. Review #3712

This is a small mural that we found while we were driving around West Lafayette Indiana. It is on…read morethe side and just is a small butterfly.

The pair of butterfly wings painted on the north side of a house at 801 Wabash are the kind that I…read morecould see lending themselves to being photographed in selfies. The wings do not have a body joining them, so an individual could stand in front and appear to have wings. (I am not advocating doing that without permission since there was a rather loud guard dog in the back yard that can see through the fence!) The wings are like a monarch butterfly and are in two sizes. Bright colors in shades of orange outlined in black make for appealing images. The wings were added in 2018 by Cameron Moberg (Camer1). Review #1549

These peacocks are pretty and colorful and easy to see when you're driving down West Lafayette…read moreIndiana. Definitely a cool city to check out.

To kickoff Wabash Walls 2019, Tippecanoe Arts Federation's second annual mural painting venture, I…read moreheaded south on Wabash and noticed this new mural on a side street to the east of the highway as the road starts to go under a railroad bridge. Vibrant in color, the mural stretches the entire length of a building (including garage doors) with a bright purple and blue background. Two large peafowl face each other before a red mood backdrop while the colorful plumage extends to their left along the wall. Both ends of the mural have some yellow/green leafy vines weaving around the ends of the piece. Beautiful in color, the piece is a real eye catcher. And though there isn't a lot of choice for where to park (some walking will be required), you can get access to look at the painting up close. Sadly, it is hard to take it all in from a straight on POV because of the descending road behind you as you look at the mural. I suppose you could stand on the other side of Wabash, but that might block some of the mural's lower portions. Regardless of the challenge, this is a welcome addition to the Lafayette art scene. Review #3001

This is a fun mural that we found called elephant in the room. We took some fun cool pictures with…read moreit in the umbrella and had a good time.

You will find this mural in a small alleyway. It is the work of San Francisco artist Cameron Moberg…read morewho painted the piece 2018. It depicts an elephant showering a rainbow of water from his trunk. It invites invites the viewer to stand under the umbrella for a perfect photo opt with them appearing to hold the umbrella. Moberg explains the piece as Playful and interactive yet still has deep meaning. If you look closely at the painting you will see butterflies on the snout, which Moberg intended to represent change. And the paint and interaction is the joy we can receive from other cultures when we start to get past differences. Moberg chose an elephant because it is an animal that is not native to Indiana. He hopes that seeing a non-native creature could this subconsciously bring change. This mural's artwork is on point. I also like what the artist is trying to convey. Luckily, he explained the piece or it would have been missed completely, at least by me. I am also a sucker for interactive art. You will see another mural next to this one, depicting a large blue bird, with rainbow colored wings, in flight, leading a trail of feather. I do not think that they are part of the same mural, but they are both by Moberg. There is some free street parking available in front of the alley that the mural is located. There is also some space in the back of the alley to park. I just parked on the street. Anyway, as with most murals that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. Fun fact: The elephant is painted using 7 shades of teal.

The last train ran through downtown Lafayette in 2001 due to a track relocation project. Just a…read moreshort distance from where the track crossed Main Street, local artist Scott Frankenberger created a sculpture to pay tribute to the railway. In 2009, "cRRossings" was completed using old railroad ties and steel brackets to form a large cube that is partially buried and rests on an angle as if ready to topple over. The cube is 54" per side and lights from within at night. Review #1444

One of my favorite things is finding a nice piece of public art in a place I wasn't expecting it…read more So, when I stopped for lunch in a little strip mall area along Northwestern Avenue, I couldn't help but notice this very cool construct by the outdoor seating. "Iron Sharpens Iron" (2013) by Ben Sutter is colorful and clever. The art is actually on the property of the nearby Faith West Community Center, which fits the local artist's intent. FE is both the symbol for iron and also means faith in Spanish. The lower pair of letters is red while the upper (and upside down) letters are orange. The sculpture is inspired by a verse in Proverbs (a small plaque explains all the inspiration). I also like the 3D effect created by have multiple layers of painted metal separated by a few inches. When viewed from any angle besides straight on, the layers and shadows created by the angle of the sun remind me of an image in motion caught on a rapid shot camera. Very cool! Review #1252