By STU CLAMPITT
news@readthereporter.com
On Tuesday afternoon, the crosswalks at 8th and Maple streets and 9th and Maple streets in downtown Noblesville got an interesting upgrade.
The crosswalks at 9th and Maple are now decorated in maple leaves. An artistic pattern adorns the crosswalks at 8th and Maple.
These are not painted crosswalks. They involved a thermal process to cut and piece the design into tiles which were then heated to approximately 350 degrees to be placed on the street. Caravan Classes Owner Deanna Leonard told The Reporter the lifespan of this crosswalk art should be 10 years or more.
Reporter photo by Nik Roberts
“The art at 8th Street represents the Riverwalk area,” Leonard said. “The inspiration for the 9th and Maple crosswalks was taken from the buildings that surround it. Although it has a fall color scheme, it is taken from the red brick, the orange and the terracotta and the yellow of the Richwine Building which my studio is in.”
Nickel Plate Arts Executive Director Aili McGill initially contacted Leonard to design the crosswalks, and a big Reporter thank you goes out to both of them, as well as the City of Noblesville for allowing downtown to get a little more artistic.
You can learn more about Caravan Classes, 92 S. 9th St., Noblesville, at caravan-classes.square.site.