The City of Carmel will join mural artist Israel Solomon in the official unveiling of a new mural honoring Indiana’s Black heroes and heroines in the Carmel Arts & Design District at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 6
The event will take place in the alley parking lot on the north side of Drs. Lauck & McLean Optometry Eyewear building, 301 1st St. SW (a half-block south of Main Street, between Range Line Road and Veterans Way).
Join Mayor Jim Brainard, artist Israel Solomon, building owner Brad Subrin, Tamika Catchings of the Indiana Fever and Lily McAndrews of Be The Change Indy for a ribbon cutting and remarks at the site of the new mural.
This new addition to Carmel’s growing inventory of public art began to take shape in June thanks to a collaboration between current and former local high school students who approached city officials and brought in the Indianapolis-based artist Israel Solomon. The large-scale mural features Black heroes and heroines who hail from or have had an impact in the state of Indiana.
The $15,000 project was the collaborative efforts of the Carmel Redevelopment Commission, Carmel Midtown Community Development Corporation, Carmel Clay Parks & Recreation and building owner Brad Subrin. The students who brought the project to the city included Lily McAndrews, Izza Khurram, and Adell Urtel, along with Cami Carillo and Dariush Khurram, who formed the group Be the Change Indy to raise awareness about social justice issues both globally and locally.
Solomon, a visual artist and art educator spends his time impacting the community, including working with the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. In 2018, Solomon produced a solo exhibition at the Indianapolis Arts Garden, which highlighted his love of vibrant color and geometric shapes.