Located on the back of the Fishers Police parking garage facing the Nickel Plate Trail, a new hand…read morepainted mural was added by Hoosier artist Becky Hochhalter in 2021. It is located between North Street and Lantern Road and can be easily seen If you walk the trail. The mural shows activity on the trail, and features a covered bridge, kids listening to music, couples dining on patios and significantly, a memorial tribute to fallen K-9 officer Harlej who was killed in November 2019 during the arrest of a suspect. The human officer Jared Koopman who was Harlej's partner and Koopman's family stopped by to help paint this part of the mural which seemed quite moving to the artist. So glad to see the Fishers Art Council engage with local artists to bring art to everyone, not just thosewho attend galleries. Review #3931

Dolly door is a Indianapolis garage mural of Americas sweetheart Dolly Parton with lots of her hit…read moresongs tatted on her face in a trendy Indianapolis neighborhood. My family and I was in town from Lousiville on a weekend getaway while my daughter has cheer comp. Her competition was a few miles down the road at the convention center when we decided to take a post comp lounge at the popular Bluebeard and check out the public art in its surrounding area. On the rear of Bluebeard where the public parking is we seen this amazing piece. The artist did a wonderful job painting her likeness and the hit songs being tatted on the face was a fun and unwise touch very contrasting to Dolly herself. Overall we loved this piece. We seen a lot of public art while in town and this one will undoubtedly be our favorite and most memorable piece. I laugh every-time I look at it. Good stuff!

This mural is painted on a functional door at the back of Amelia's Bakery. It depicts a young Dolly…read moreParton with some face tattoos. Some of the tattoos include "9-5", a tear drop, "Jolene" and "MuckRock". Jolene is the title of a poplar song by Dolly and We all know 9 to 5 (if you don't, ask your parents). The mural is a far cry from the wholesome Dolly that we all know and love. The mural was painted by artist Jules Muck aka MuckRock in 2019. It is very colorful and vivid. MuckRock really does do good work and it is on display all over the city. There is also a newly placed Amelia's Bakery awning over the mural. I guess they wanted some advertisement to go with the mural. Great marketing job if you ask me. The mural is located off of a low traveled side street and there would be a lot of street parking available in front of it, if it was not for all the orange cones that someone put out there. Well, it is a very nice piece. I really like it. You could probably not even have to leave your vehicle and do a slow rolling drive-by to get a look at it, or you can just make your own parking spot like I did. As with most murals that I have reviewed, though, this is probably not a very long stop. I was there less than 3 minutes. You may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other wonderful murals in the area to maximize your time and trip.

I was looking at the mural of Mari Evans, when a man walked up and said he was Mari's nephew. He…read morelooked up thoughtfully and said "When she got that look in her eye, you know you better get it together." He said "I watched them paint that (mural)." The mural is huge for the woman that made a great impact on the arts. She influenced not only the African American community, but women and other under represented people. She was an artist, writer, poet, producer, director - she did it all. The little plaque near the mural says she directed influential black documentaries. Mari passed away in 2017. This mural is a perfect tribute to her legacy. There is street parking nearby. The mural is near Mass Ave.

You should read the other Yelp reviews for more in-depth information about Mari Evans, because they…read morerelay info about her much better than I can. A poet and activist, Mari Evans sounds like she was an amazing woman who spent some of her life making Indianapolis the great place it is. I'm so glad that the city created a mural in her honor. And what a mural it is! Created by artist Michael "Alkemi" Jordan, this street art painting of Mari Evans stands two stories tall, and overlooks the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Michigan Avenue. You can't miss it, especially if you're exploring Mass Ave on foot. This area of Mass Ave has a lot of public art all around. You should definitely check out this mural and the many others in the neighborhood!

Georgia Street was remodeled when Indianapolis hosted the Super Bowl in 2012. The street is used to…read morehost parties and other events during football season at really any time when the city is wants to attract people downtown. The street runs between the convention center and Banker's Life Fieldhouse - six or seven blocks. The here are a handful of restaurants and bars along the route including Harry and Izzy's. There are lots of restaurants and hotels on the side streets along the street as well. To the south one block, the railroad meets Union Station. The median of the street is decorated with metal arch structures and lights. During events, various businesses and food trucks will offer beverages and street foods. The street is a lovely walk after a late night basketball game. I like to go down early on a Sunday morning when no one is around and enjoy the magnificent architecture along the route.

Stand alone heaters, area heaters from above and lots of tents set up for the college football…read morechampionships. Big problem was that all the tents were selling the same thing and local brewed beers were not available. A band was playing songs from the 80's to a crowd of college kids. It seems the only time heaters are active along this street is when our convention space is booked. It would seem like restaurants along this stretch would benefit from a little glamping on weekends just for us Indy folk. It's a great stretch of nothingness most of the time. I wish the city would do more to promote this space on weekends throughout the year.

Everyone should visit the Circle of Lights!! It is magical!! I make sure to go EVERY year!read more

As I continue my journey toward trying to better experience the holiday season in Indy, I felt a…read morestrong obligation to get my lazy butt out of the house and on Monument Circle for the 59th annual "Circle of Lights," a sort of official Indy kick-off of the holiday season that lights what we like to advertise as the world's tallest Christmas tree. In reality, of course, it's Indy's acclaimed Soldiers & Sailors Monument in downtown Indy all lit up with strands of lights that are festival if not exactly an actual Christmas tree (and, I hate to say, also not actually the tallest - though, I appreciate the sentiment). After the pandemic influenced nixed last year's public event, this year crowds returned to Circle of Lights including the official tree lighting, some fireworks, music, and other activities. It was lovely seeing a large crowd back downtown even if I'd have to say the crowd paled a bit in comparison to most years as this event is definitely an Indy holiday season highlight. The event is sponsored by Downtown Indy and presented by IBEW 481, a non-profit devoted to promoting Indy's downtown (that was probably pretty obvious, eh?). Monument Circle is all decked out for the holidays and whether you consider it an actual Christmas tree or not the entire display is quite lovely and unquestionably part of what makes Indy Indy during the holiday season. I grew up without Christmas in my family home, though there's something in the back of my mind that makes me think we may have actually attended this event one year. I will admit that while our lack of holiday devotion was guided by our faith at that time, our faith at that time always was a little wishy-washy. While I'm certainly we never had a tree, gave presents, or celebrated in any tangible sense, I seem to recall we may have attended this once and may have actually driven around to look at lights. Regardless, this felt like the first time for me and I found it enchanting. The crowd was diverse as was the entertainment for the evening. Monument Circle is turned into "Shining a Light," a life-sized snow globe of sorts featuring a multi-million dollar light and audio show. Performers included the Doo Band, America's Got Talent Season 16 group T3, performers from IPL's Yuletide Celebration, area student bands, and others. Admission is free, of course, though finding parking can be a bit of a challenging (and is paid) as the crowd has been known to rise to 100,000. My guess is last night's crowd was significantly less, though it was still one of the better crowds I've seen downtown in a while. I will admit that I'm not quite as fond of the outdoor events, though Christmas at the Zoo remains high on my list for visiting. This event isn't necessarily the most wheelchair friendly considering the parking situation and the fact that quite a bit of downtown Indy is undergoing street renovations, etc. However, this is a truly lovely event. The crowds were warm and friendly and seemed genuinely happy to be together. The tree looked amazing (Okay. Okay. I called it a tree.) and Monument Circle kind of reminded me of everything I love about Indy. This event takes a little extra effort but is definitely worth it.

This is another colorful mural in downtown Indianapolis near Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Indiana…read moremural is on what appears to be a garage door bordering a parking lot. The mural celebrates Indianapolis starting with scenes depicting indigenous peoples. Scenes of city buildings, Indy 500, sports teams, the arts and agriculture celebrate what people love about Indianapolis. The mural is signed Carter near the bottom.

Enjoy seeing different Publix art displays and here was a neat one called 200 years of Indiana…read more It's really close to the Pacers stadium. We are walking around and found it.

Another Lilly Day of Service (LDOS) back in 2014 provided another mural in an underpass. Where the…read moreinterstates cross over Michigan Street, a troop of volunteers led by artist Carla Knopp paid homage to the neighborhood by using decorative shapes and colors that fit with a time the neighborhood was developed. Review #1760

This is a small collection of about 20 pieces of art that is located in the CityWay South Parking…read moreGarage. It is the sister set to the Mutations collection that is located in the North garage. Both collections of paintings were done by the same artist, Nick Walker. Vandals was painted much earlier than Mutations. It was done in 2012 and was meant to introduce the city to Walker's Vandal character. The artwork covers about 5 levels of the garage, which I just walked up and chalked it up as my exercise for the day. They are all very vibrant and colorful. Vandal is a Charlie Chaplin-like character created by Walker in 2006. Legend has it that he jumps from city to city, no one knowing who he is or where he came from to spread a message of love. His trademark is pouring colorful paint on famous buildings and monuments. My favorites of the collection include Vandal standing in front of his name that was spry painted in red, the busy piece that looks like a lot of graffiti, and Vandal sitting on his name in colorful letters, reading the newspaper. Most of the pieces are nice though, but some are partially obstructed by vehicles since it is an active parking garage and not an art gallery. It is a shame that it is mostly secluded form everyone in a parking garage and not somewhere more prominent. I really like this collection. It is very creative. This is definitely a must see for those street art connoisseurs out there. However, as with most murals, this is probably not a very long stop, even though you have to cover a few levels in the garage (elevator or walk it up). I was there less than 10 minutes. You may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other wonderful murals in the area, such as the neighboring "Vandals", to maximize your time and trip.

Finding art in unexpected places is one of the perks of living near a thriving city. For visitors…read moreto the Alexander Hotel, an unexpected pleasure can be found in the connected parking garage. Lots of folks know about the art within the Alexander (they have a partnership with the Indianapolis Museum of Art as well as commissioned artwork specifically for the hotel!), but even most locals are unaware of the art that fills the otherwise barren gray walls within the garage. Back in 2013, one of the most famous graffiti artists in the world was commissioned by the hotel to bring art to the garage. Nick Walker, more recognizably known as "Vandal", flew in from Britain and added his theme throughout the garage. Playing on his nickname, a "Vandal" or vandalism reference is seen in many of the pieces. From the clever representations of a little girl spray painting the level numbers on the columns of each floor, to the literal use of the words Vandal and Vandalism, the walls come to life with color and images. One of the most clever ideas was the use of two-panel images for viewing as the visitor bypasses the center wall of the garage. On one floor, a derby topped man is seen holding a remote control device; on the other side of the wall, you can see small airplane which is being controlled by the man. On another floor, two halves of a running horse (somewhat gruesomely connected by an exploding rainbow) can be seen. Although there was some local backlash that native graffiti artists weren't selected, the hotel made a wise choice in selecting an established artist whose works have transitioned from back alleys to fine art museums. The cleverness of "vandalism" as a theme has also had another great benefit: The rest of the garage has suffered very little from unwanted vandalism. There is an unwritten law among artists to not violate someone else's work. So, the next time you are dining in the Wholesale District or are visiting friends staying at the Alexander, take a few minutes to wander through the garage to see some very cool art. Review #886