This 100' long mural entitled "A Century of Art" is by artist, Kurt Eagleman. Eagleman completed…read morethe mural in July, 2023. My favorite part of the wall depicts legendary local resident, Grandma Barnes, with the iconic holly hocks in her garden. Her colorful garden was a popular subject for early Brown County artists to paint. There is a quote about the artists sharing her garden with the world on the mural. There is a farmer on the wall that seems skeptical of the artists coming to town. The next panel shows the famous Liars Bench. And finally, there is an image of artist Gustave Baumann at his easel. The mural is easy to find on Old Hickory Lane, in between the Heritage Mall and Out of the Ordinary restaurant. I love the color and story that this mural adds to the alley. There is a public parking lot and restrooms at the end of the alley.

I was a bit mesmerized by this sculpture that stands in front of the Eskenazi Museum of Art at…read moreIndiana University. It's easy to miss but this almost-a-circle is actual a single shape. It's a triangle that has been stretched and twisted. I'm not sure if it's actually crimson in color, which is one of the official colors of Indiana University. The Arc was created by Charles Perry (1929 -) from Helena Montana in 1995. The nearby caption reads, "Commissioned in honor of President Emeritus Tom Ehrlich and First Lady Ellen Ehrlich with gratitude for their outstanding service to and leadership of Indiana University." [Review 20569 overall - 106 in Indiana - 1550 of 2023.]

Located outside the Eskanazi Museum of Art is a large art installation called "Indiana Arc". The…read moresculpture was created by artist Charles Perry in 1995. The bright red aluminum construct measures 21' in height. What makes the sculpture interesting is that it is a twisted length of triangle that roughly forms a open ended circle. The two end rest several feet apart from each other underneath the sculpture. Due to the shape of the structure, it is said that people can whisper facing one end and another person can hear them on the other. The sculpture underwent renovation in 2007-8 to restore its condition. Review #1269

Axis is a really interesting piece of public art in Bloomington. The sculpture's bold design and…read moregeometric shapes make it stand out and give the area a unique artistic feel. I enjoyed taking time to look at the details and appreciate the creativity behind the piece. What makes public art like Axis special is that it brings art into everyday spaces and gives people a chance to experience something unexpected while exploring the city. It's a great stop for anyone who enjoys modern art, unique sculptures, and discovering Bloomington's creative side.

This sculpture is located in Miller-Showers Park, along the water. The limestone sculpture was made…read moreby local artist Dale Enochs in 1985. It was constructed to celebrate Bloomington being honored as an "All-American City" by the National Civic League and is intended to be a conceptual representation of the gathering of diverse ideas from each of the four ordinal directions; North, South, East and West. It is a nice sculpture, especially considering its age and is placed in a very picturesque area of the park. It is 4 towering limestone slabs that all intersect in the center forming a quad that has the four panels pointing in the North, South, East and West direction. The slabs have some symmetrical line designs on them, but otherwise are pretty plain. There is a small parking lot at the front of Miller-Showers Park that offers 3-hour parking. It is on the opposite end of the park from the sculpture, but not a long walk. As with most public art that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. You may want to consider planning out additional stops or making this part of a larger itinerary, to maximize your time and trip. You could start your itinerary with a visit to, Miller-Showers Park, the park the sculpture is located.

I was pleasantly surprised while driving along State Road 42. I was heading north through Eminence…read moreand noticed this mural on the south side of the local post office. The mural was painted by Jeff Brewer in 2007 and has held up surprisingly well. The mural depicts the view of a farm from a gravel road that passes by. The left side of the mural shows a wall of a building with windows. To the right of the wall, a gravel driveway leads back into the farm which has a couple barns and a silo, a house and a line of trees in the back. Beyond the trees are some hills suggesting that the farm is from the southern half of Indiana. Review #1400

Such great service. Very helpful, fast and friendly. Great hours too. Two thumbs up!!!read more

You know a small city is cool when it has a Sculptor in Residence in its Parks and Recreation…read moreDepartment. How many do that? Well, during the late 1970's, Columbus had artist Rick Bauer in that role. Cannon is one of the sculptures Bauer created for Columbus. It sits just north of town at the Donner Center along 22nd Street. The steel sculpture (at one time painted black) is abstract but with imagination, one can see the image of a cannon. I am not sure if that is an official title or intent, but I have seen it referred that way in the City's promotional information which led me to the piece. The piece weighs around 1 ton. It was installed in 1980. If you are interested in Bauer's work, you can find another piece at Mill Trace Park near the observation tower. Review #1305

Kurt Eagleman does it again. This guy's art is all over Brown County, mostly in the form of murals:…read morethis one, called Happiness in Color, but also, most notably, the mural under the bridge near the Salt Creek Trail. Eagleman is also the owner of Second Story Studio, a gallery on the second story of a historic green building that also houses a candy shop. Man's got a thing for art, apparently. Anyway, you can find this big piece of public art painted on a wall on the side of the Mulberry Cottage building. It's on the corner of Main Street and South Honeysuckle Lane. The mural is big and pink and red and green, and it depicts poppies blowing in the breeze. The mural was completed around 2022. Downtown Nashville has lots of murals and public art everywhere, and this is yet another piece that is integral to the culture of this little artsy town.

I do not know if this is a mural or sculpture. I will just refer to this piece of art as a piece…read more Fittingly this piece is located right above a bike rack at the transit center. The piece depicts 4 colorful rings, 3 overlapping and one red stand alone. It has blue wind like line and circles that represent wind or movement. The blue circles are shadowing the 4 colorful ones. It is 6 feet high and 22 feet tall. The piece was constructed by local artist Dale Enochs, who intended it to signify movement on trains, bikes, buses, skateboards.... This piece is 3D and jumps right out of the wall. It adds color to the other bland transit center. It is simple, but still provocative. I must admit, I like it. It is definitely worth a look. There is nearby metered street parking available to park, get out and get a closer look. You could also get a decent look from the comfort of your vehicle, doing a strategic slow rolling drive by. I ended up parking in one of the private parking lots across the street, jumped out, looked and got back in my vehicle before the tow trucks came. Well, as with most public art pieces that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes and I was out. You may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other wonderful Bloomington attractions and making this part of a larger itinerary.

I love finding art that fits the space. Think about it: Located on the wall of the Transit…read moreCenter; mounted above a bike rack; in the town featured in a movie called "Breaking Away" about the annual Bloomington bike race "The Little 500"; it all ties together to place a 3D mural type sculpture that celebrates speed and motion. Have the artist be a local resident and it seems the piece was destined to be good! Back in 2014, sculptor Dale Enochs created this colorful addition to the Bloomington art scene. Like wheels of racing bikes, the shapes have been streamlined by the speed of the wind (done in a light blue) rushing passed the shapes. The shades of the wheels go from a deep red (out front) through oranges and finally, a bright yellow at the tail end. Though Enochs has done a majority of his work using limestone, it's great to see him express his ideas in colorful metals as well. For more of Enochs' work in the Bloomington area, check out the following: "Axis" (1985) at Showers Park "Bent Crescent" (2014) at 17th & Arlington "Phoenix" (2001) mounted on the west wall of a fire station at SR45 & 3rd "JOG" (2016) near the parking lot at Clear Creek Trail at Tapp & Weimer "Bloomington Banquet" (2009) at 399 W 8th (see separate review) "Public Seating Area" (2015) on the south side of the Courthouse Review #1270

Although much of the appeal of art is for the viewer to interpret, I really appreciate when there…read moreis a plaque nearby that helps understand the point of view of the artist. Such is the case for "Cindy's Song", a work commissioned by Bill Simon for his new bride Cindy Stewart Simon back in 2015. Hoosier artist Don Gummer (born west of Indy) was commissioned to build this stainless steel and stained glass piece located near the Jacobs School of Music at IU. The structure is 16 feet in height and is built with a solid foundation, then three levels with the corresponding number of braces to tie the piece to a Haiki poem with 5-7-5 syllables (or in this case braces). The top brace is lined with alternating clear, then blue, panes. The poem that inspired the piece was by Maeve Kinkead: "From our hidden source waves stir, rise to crested blue, and begin again" The attached plaque mentions the sculpture has a musical composition which I personally didn't understand, but that composition is why the piece is titled "Cindy's Song". Review #1271