The Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana (FHCCI) sees art as a means to promote fair housing, integration, and knowledge of the history of civil rights. On this page is an archive of Central Indiana art that the FHCCI wishes to highlight and promote. The art we highlight may be due to its historical context, its inclusiveness in representation of often unrepresented persons, and/or about housing. We hope you will visit these art pieces and support these artists.
Please note that we will add in descriptions, artist interviews, and information as we promote each piece in our monthly e-newsletter. All photos were taken by FHCCI staff. If you are the artist of a piece highlighted below, we would enjoy hearing from you and visiting about ways to further promote your work!
Title: I Have A Dream Address: 2711 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Street, Indianapolis, IN Artist: Damon Lamar Reed
Highlight from FHCCI’s January 2015 e-newsletter: Artist Damon Lamar Reed describes it as “Dr. King’s dream being realized as they march. It shows that what King did made a difference. However, the fight continues because there is still work to be done.” Designed as a public arts project in advance of the 2012 Super Bowl, the beautifully colored mural also depicts several faces known to the civil rights movement.
Why We Like It: Dr. King had worked throughout his lifetime to ensure equal opportunities in housing and to advance fair housing legislation. At his death, attempts to pass this needed piece of civil rights law had failed to pass. However, on April 11, 1968, within one week of his death, the federal Fair Housing Act was finally passed ensuring the right to housing free from discrimination due to race, color, national origin, and religion. The law would later be amended to include additional protected groups. If you have not already seen this stunning civil rights art work, please stop by next time you’re in Indy.
Note: This artist has graciously allowed the FHCCI to use his artwork in fair housing materials.
Title: Justice Address: 30th Street and Central Avenue, Indianapolis, IN (Temporary Art Display – Revolving Exhibit) – Please Note that this Exhibit is No Longer Posted Artist: Bruce Armstrong
Highlight from FHCCI’s February 2015 e-newsletter: This featured public artwork is a temporary display that quickly caught our eye at the Fair Housing Center. Located in the lot at the intersection of 30th Street and Central Avenue in Indianapolis, Justice speaks to all of us. It is represented with a single word, our country’s flag, and an individual wearing a hooded sweatshirt.
Artist Bruce Armstrong explained his intention was to require its audience to think about the injustices happening all over the country and world. There is no face, gender, or skin color identified for the human featured in the piece. Mr. Armstrong explained that this was intentional because justice should be for all and must represent everyone. Justice is desired no matter your background, income status, color, etc. He adds that while historical public artworks have a much needed place in our city, art addressing current issues is just as important to encourage much needed dialogue.
Why We Like It: Fair housing laws are about ensuring equal housing opportunity, and equal justice, to all. All of us are members of several protected groups under fair housing laws and have a right to housing choice free from discrimination. Where we come from, or our income, should not limit our ability to challenge housing discrimination if it occurs to us. This month, please reflect on what exactly “justice” means to you. Are those forced to live in segregated, low-income, and high crime areas due to lack of options receiving equal justice? Does someone using a wheelchair, unable to find an accessible home, deserve justice? Is someone forced to live in unsafe housing conditions due to a lack of affordable housing options receiving equal justice? Does marriage equality mean justice to you? Do the recent events in New York, Ferguson, and elsewhere show a need for equal justice? How about harmful stereotypes and misinformation that continue to fester and grow against certain religions? Justice is meaningful no matter your skin color, social class or income status, sexual orientation, disability or not, gender, and so much more. We believe that they all are represented in the artwork Justice.
Note: This artist has graciously allowed the FHCCI to use his artwork in fair housing materials.
Title: Graffiti Class of 2016 Mural Address: Indianapolis Art Center, 810 E. 67th St., Indianapolis, IN, 46220 – Please Note that this Mural Has Been Painted Over Artist: Lillian Watness, Frank Riegner, Jacob Keith, Olivia Childress, Olivia Bauwens, Meredith DiCamilla, Sabrina Searcy, and Alec Surridge under the direction of Matt Lawrence and James Quebbeman.
Highlight from FHCCI’s March 2015 e-newsletter: Traveling along 10th Street in Indianapolis, you might miss this wonderful, expressive mural. Located at 1718 E. 10th Street, this untitled piece by Morris Kurz portrays two scenes: one with young men playing soccer and the other with two people partaking in scientific activities. We chose this piece to celebrate Women’s History Month. Through women’s suffrage to today’s continued struggles of equal pay and gender discrimination in housing and lending transactions, we must remember the advances to date but must also remember the work that still remains to achieve gender equality.
Why we like it: This piece stands out to us as a rare form of Indianapolis art not because of its size and colors, but because of its positive portrayal of a woman working in the sciences. In addition, the mural’s representation as a woman of color working in a professional field that still faces gender challenges is particularly enlightening. The FHCCI appreciates Mr. Kurz’s efforts to honor and observe women in an integrated and positive setting. Please be sure to view this unique art piece when in Indy.
Title: Landmark for Peace Address: Kennedy-King Park, 1702 N. Broadway Street, Indianapolis, IN Artist: Greg Perry and Daniel Edwards
Highlight from the FHCCI’s April e-newsletter: For years after the memorable night of King’s assassination on April 4, 1968, Larry Conrad, a vice president of corporate affairs with the Simon Corporation, talked about creating a monument honoring King and Kennedy. When Conrad passed away, Herb and Diane Simon took up the cause, which became a project for the Pacers Foundation in the mid-1990s. President Bill Clinton came to Indianapolis for a groundbreaking of the project, and a national call went out for proposals to design and build a memorial. Greg Perry won the competition.
“I was fascinated by the way the stories of King and Kennedy intersected in Indianapolis,” explained Perry. “… I couldn’t get away from that sense of what it is that speaks across decades in monuments. Sometimes it really is a representation. So not wanting to give that away completely, I started playing with what happens when you mix the abstract and the figurative.” “The idea of figures emerging from the wall and reaching toward one another in an uncompleted handshake is a representation of King’s and Kennedy’s humanity-the men themselves-reaching toward one another despite the solid positions that had been defined for them through the years. They were not allies in the civil rights struggle. In fact, they were occasional antagonists to each other’s priorities. “When I see Landmark for Peace today, I love what it looks like in the early morning and late in the evening. Just as I had hoped, you get this big block of massive shadow on the ground and this illuminated, reaching figure. It’s almost as if there are shadows where the light is and, in their absence, we feel an energy. The shadows are reaching away from one another in the light, and I take that to mean they are reaching back to us,” Perry explains.
Why We Like It: The federal Fair Housing Act was passed one week after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a way to honor and celebrate his successes and achieve fair housing equality. We chose to honor Landmark for Peace during Fair Housing Month to celebrate those that have made life-changing sacrifices to advance the housing conditions of everyone to live happier, healthier, and safer lives, in the homes of their choice.
Title: The Colonization of Community Address: 16 Park, Indianapolis, IN Artist: Quincy Owens and Luke Crawley
Highlight from FHCCI’s March 2015 e-newsletter: If you’ve passed by 16 Park Apartments in Indianapolis during the last year, you likely noticed a new public artwork installed by the Harrison Center for the Arts. Designed by Quincy Owens and Luke Crawley, the piece is titled The Colonization of Community and is comprised of composite materials. It is abstract and interactive, allowing guests to use their smart phones to scan a QR code and listen to the hopes, dreams, and stories of King Park residents as a way to show the importance of a community. The project was funded by the FHCCI’s Inclusive Communities Program and was unveiled in April 2014 during Fair Housing Month.
Audio files can also be enjoyed on the sculpture’s website above. The recordings focus on adult, high school students, and children of the King Park Neighborhood, including 16 Park Apartments’ residents. They include a wide variety of ages, ethnicities, length of residencies, and genders. “It has been gratifying to see how the community has connected over these sculptures…and how this art is creating conversation in a neighborhood full of both challenges and opportunity,” added Quincy Owens and Luke Crawley. “As we collected stories of hopes and dreams for the neighborhood, [the artists and staff at the Harrison Center] became more than aware, we became burdened for the many people facing challenges in finding a place they can call home. Art speaks and more of our work will speak on these issues.”
The project was also designed to be accessible to persons with disabilities. “…We have realized that on the ‘checklist’ of accomplishments, true accessibility to all viewers is often far down on the list. This being the case, my partner and I have taken the immense number of considerations to make accessible work and informed other project managers of the need for true accessibility by the public,” added the artists.
Overall, the project became a very successful milestone for the King Park Neighborhood and the Harrison Center for the Arts. Local students have taken field trips to the sculpture to discuss “community” and to listen to the narratives. We commend the Harrison Center for the Arts and the artists for their thoughtful and interactive The Colonization of Community.
Title: Simple Pleasures Address: Capitol Avenue and South Street, Indianapolis, IN Artist: Tom Torluemke
Highlight from the FHCCI’s June 2015 e-newsletter: Life truly is filled with simple treasures, and that’s what our featured public artwork, Simple Pleasures, by Tom Torluemke, illustrates. This public artwork is located in Indianapolis on Capitol Street, between South Street and Georgia Street, underneath the bridge.
The illustration depicts a diverse community, participating in everyday activities, including strolling through the park, baking, and being with friends and family. It caught the FHCCI’s attention because of its simplistic use of colors; the inclusion of biracial couples and families with same-sex couples; and an all-around diverse, and thriving group of characters throughout the entire piece.
Why We Like It: This art piece integrates diverse characters and scenes through the portrayal of an inclusive, welcoming community. The artwork shows people interacting in their neighborhoods and community not separated by race, national origin, color, and/or sexual orientation. We are extremely impressed with how the artist easily and simply features both same-sex and interracial couples in a world of “simple pleasures.”
Title: Unknown (The Doctor Is In?)
Address: 2223 E. 10th Street, Indianapolis, IN
Artist: TeenWorks
Highlight from the FHCCI’s July 2015 e-newsletter: We wanted to take a moment to highlight how public artworks help to beautify a neighbor-hood and bring together a community in this month’s public artwork highlight. This artwork was created by TeenWorks at a vacant building on E. 10th Street in Indianapolis to remind passersby of its original purpose, a doctor’s office, in a fun, creative way. Gone are the ugly, boarded up windows and door, replaced with a colorful, vibrant art scene until the building becomes occupied again.
To quote an article from Project for Public Spaces, “When people become involved in the design, creation, and upkeep of places, they develop a vested interest in using and maintaining these spaces. When they have a true sense of ‘ownership’ or connection to the places they frequent, the community becomes a better place to live, work, and visit. The residents’ feelings of respect and responsibility for the place bond them to that place and to each other. No architect or town planner can design or build a place that does that.”
Why We Like It: Public artworks help create a sense of inclusiveness. By bringing a sense of unity to a neighborhood, not only will the community thrive, but it will also promote fair housing and acceptance of everyone into the area. Indianapolis has a significant problem regarding vacant and boarded structures. We want to promote artwork which beautifies these structures until they can be usable spaces again.
Title: Unknown Address: 38th Street & Guion Road, Indianapolis, IN Artist: Sunny Miller
Highlight from the FHCCI’s September 2015 e-newsletter:Tucked away under the West 38th Street overpass on Guion Road in Indianapolis, you’ll find a newly completed mural. While you won’t see any houses in the artwork, you’ll notice that Sunny Miller illustrates a wide ranging group of persons often overlooked in our area art projects. The people highlighted in her mural include persons using wheelchairs, individuals of Hispanic/Latino backgrounds, people of different religions, and people practicing different jobs and activities. The mural has the look of a vibrant, diverse neighborhood we would all enjoy.Why We Like It: We appreciate this hidden gem because it embraces the diversity that makes up the U.S. It also shows what inclusive communities could look through the inclusion in the mural of persons of various ethnicities, different races and religions, wheelchair users, and persons across age groups. Additionally, from September 15th – October 15th, we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. During this month-long celebration, we recognize the contributions that people of Hispanic and Latino backgrounds have made to the U.S. Originally proclaimed by President Gerald R. Ford in 1974, this celebration began as an anniversary of independence for five Hispanic countries. Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the many nationalities that make up the history of the U.S. and other Hispanic countries.
Title: Unknown
Address: 38th Street & North High School Road, Indianapolis, IN
Artist: Unknown
Title: Unknown
Address: 862 Virginia Avenue, Indianapolis, IN
Artist: Kyle Ragsdale
Title: Unknown
Address: 2621 Dr Martin Luther King Jr Drive, Indianapolis, IN
Artist: Unknown
Title: The Gleaners
Address: 1102 E 16th Street, Indianapolis, IN – Please Note that this Building Was Torn Down
Artist: Julian Gammons
Title: Unknown
Address: 710 E. 30th Street, Indianapolis, IN – Please Note that this Exhibit is No Longer Posted
Artist: OurMosiacCity.com
Title: At the Bus Stop, Without Delay
Address: 2811 E. 10th Street, Indianapolis, IN
Artist: Matt Eickoff
Title: Unknown
Address: 2840 E. 10th Street, Indianapolis, IN
Artist: Unknown
Title: Unknown
Address: South Madison Avenue – Central Section, Indianapolis, IN
Artist: Vandra Pentecost and Patrick Viles – Lilly Day of Service
Title: Unknown
Address: South Madison Avenue – North Section, Indianapolis, IN
Artist: Unknown – Lilly Day of Service
Title: Unknown
Address: Monon Trail near 12th Street, Indianapolis, IN
Artist: Unknown – Keep Indianapolis Beautiful
Title: Martin Luther King Community Center building
Address: 40 West 40th Street, Indianapolis, IN – Please Note that this Mural Has Been Painted Over
Artist: Unknown
Title: Habitat for Humanity of Greater Indianapolis ReStore building
Address: 1011 East 22nd Street, Indianapolis, IN
Artist: Unknown
Title: Unknown
Address: White River Parkway & White River Trail Underpass, Indianapolis, IN
Artist: Unknown
From the FHCCI’s August 2015 e-newsletter: For this month’s highlighted public artwork, we wanted to take a moment to present a piece created by Indy Do Day that may go unnoticed. Displayed underneath the underpass of the White River Parkway and the White River Trail in Indianapolis is this beautifully colored mural. It shows humans of different colors, shapes, and sizes in all sorts of environments enjoying neighborhoods of colorful and livability. This brightly colored and upbeat mural creates an overall positive feeling of togetherness within the community. Don’t miss this hidden treasure!
Why We Like It: This mural depicts children and childhood activities, as well as promotes diversity of people within the community. As school starts back up for the year, we want to use this as a reminder that families with minor children are protected under fair housing laws. It is unlawful to discriminate against a family just because it has a child or children. This also applies to policies or rules that apply only to children under the age of 18. For example, an apartment complex that has a curfew or “quiet hours” that only apply to children and teenagers, could be viewed as unlawful. Or, a housing provider who has a per head charge for children for rent or deposits, or restrictive occupancy standards, could be viewed as discrimination. If you or anyone you may know has experienced differential treatment because of having children, please contact the FHCCI. For more information on familial status discrimination, please visit the Familial Status section on our Education page. Or, go to Indy Do Day.
Title: Unknown Address: 1004 N. LaSalle Street, Indianapolis, IN Artist: Unknown
Title: Holy Cross Neighborhood
Address: 1174 E. Vermont Street, Indianapolis, IN
Artist: Unknown
Title: Unknown
Address: 2523 W. 10th Street, Indianapolis, IN
Artist: Unknown
Title: Welcome to Haughville
Address: Holmes Avenue & Walnut Street, Indianapolis, IN
Artist: Unknown
