As if constructing Olympic pools inside Lucas Oil Stadium, blocking off Georgia Street, and building a concert stage at one end—with food, drinks, and entertainment leading to a replica of the Eiffel Tower at the other end—weren’t enough, there are also now five new murals adorning the walls of the convention center, created by local artists as a part of the Olympic trials’ inclusive and diverse theme.
The development and execution of this visionary project fell under the umbrella of one of the numerous committees and subcommittees established by Indiana Sports Corp to oversee all aspects of the trials, with Melissa Rowe, director of marketing and communication for Indy Arts Council, playing a major role.
“Art brings a different message,” says Rowe. “Unlike billboards, art conveys the same message only in a much more personal way. This dynamic group of artists have different backgrounds, and their work showcases different perspectives of the sport.”
The committee received a slew of messages and sample artworks following an open call to artists of all mediums; Rowe counted 72 entries. “That is a lot of entries,” she says. “The committee had a hard job narrowing that down to the five eventual winners of these commissioned pieces.”
Five were selected because, in Rowe’s estimation, that was enough to “get variation in styles and to showcase different mediums.” The chosen artists were instructed to create their contributions based on the “All Lanes Lead to Indy” theme. The works are on display on Georgia Street and in the Toyota Aqua Zone and and will be offered for sale following the event.
Kyng Rhodes – Emerge
“Indy is experiencing a renaissance in the arts, and to be able to partner up with sports is incredible too.” —Kyng Rhodes, visual artist
“The inspiration behind Emerge—I wanted to highlight community and people of color who don’t have the funds to normally take swimming classes. … I wanted to highlight that with a woman of color emerging from water with kind of a sense of delight, and comfort, and just amazement all over her face.”
Mary Mindiola – A View From Below
“I get chills. To me it’s so exciting I can’t wait.” —Mary Mindiola, collage artist
“As soon as they contacted me and said, ‘You’re in,’ I started sketching. My first idea was the underneath—the bottom of the pool—because I used to be a swimmer, and I remember very much that’s what we looked at all the time. I used little pieces of magazines to add special little pieces like the Indianapolis Zoo, the Eitlejorg, and places that are very interesting to Indianapolis.”
Joy Hernandez – Lighting the Way – All Lanes Lead to Indy
“Hey, more eyes on my artwork. What artist is ever going to complain about that?” —Joy Hernandez, acrylic and aerosol artist
“I … start out by drawing a digital version of [the work] in Procreate to kind of map out where I want to go and how I want the layers to come about. [I] must go in the right order for the effects to take place. My little astronaut is a signature piece, so it’s kind of like, ‘What is Bean doing?’ Because he often does a lot of the things I can’t do or other people can’t do, so you can live vicariously [through him]. I hope [viewers] take away a sense of fun-ness and happiness and [that it] brings a smile to their face but [that it] also represents the city [as] this glowing beacon of activity at so many levels.”
Lucie Rice – All Lanes Lead to Indy
“I’m really impressed with Indy and all the arts council is doing and Sports Corp is doing. It’s very exciting to be a part of this.” —Lucie Rice, digital illustrator and graphic designer
“My overall plan was to celebrate the energy and the drive these hopeful Olympians have. So I really wanted it to come from the perspective of one swimmer. So the viewpoint is from that swimmer looking toward the future, looking down the swim lanes. I also wanted to use Lucas Oil as an important feature because this is such an exciting thing to happen to the city and a feat for the pool to be in that building. It’s very cool and kind of wild to think about. I was also able to add a little Easter egg with a little Eiffel Tower in her swimsuit.”
Monroe Bush – Victory is a Gift From the Perseverance of the Past
“The sense of pride is immense. For an artist it means the world.” —Monroe Bush, digital artist and photographer
“I created a piece really for the celebration of the victory portion—winning at the trials, winning at the Olympics. Cool thing is, there is a young lady that is a small figure in the upper right-hand corner who was 10 years old when I shot her. Matter of fact, she is graduating from high school and is going to college on a swimming scholarship, so I love being able to incorporate her in as the past version of the one who’s up front in victory. Hopefully, it inspires maybe that young person who hasn’t made it there yet to want to go to the Olympics in whatever sport … but [it’s] especially for the swimmers.”
