When a group of local students came up with the idea for an art wall, the city of Fishers and local business owners got on board and the wall is now under construction.
The students are part of the Fishers Mayor’s Youth Academy. Mayor Scott Fadness provided a challenge to the high schoolers in the group: “What are creative places doing to create creative spaces?”
The group looked at the Venice Public Art Walls in Venice, Calif., which has become a tourist destination and local landmark that generates public art through creative place-making.
A group of local businesses started to get on board. Those business owners include:
- Sagamore Concrete (Concrete)
- Hagerman Construction Corporation (Form and Finish)
- Kimley-Horn (Design, DNR and Hamilton Co. Permitting)
- Gilliatte General Contractors, Inc. (Excavating and Site Prep)
- Geotill Engineering, Inc. (Soil Borings)
- Stoeppelwerth & Associates, Inc. (Land Survey)
- Faegre Baker Daniels LLP (Coordination)
“The students’ presentation to the City Council in May passionately showed how public art matters, and they inspired us to find a way to build a piece of our public art ecosystem,” said Steve Hardin, partner at Faegre Baker Daniels LLP, in a city news release. “Our Fishers youth have great ideas, and I’m so thankful for these local businesses who stepped up immediately to celebrate the students by turning their idea into a reality. That’s the Fishers way.”
The City of Fishers created an Arts & Culture Commission to promote art projects throughout the community, including the new wall.
“The work of The Mayor’s Youth Academy and local business leaders collaborating to bring an engaging and authentic art experience to the city represents the very core of what make Fishers a smart, vibrant, and entrepreneurial city,” said David Decker, chairman of the Fishers Arts & Culture Commission. “Community-led art and culture initiatives are vital to ensure an exceptional quality of life for the residents of the community.”
Construction of the art wall is underway at Fishers’ Brooks School Park, 11780 Brooks School Road, and should be completed by spring of 2020. Local artists will be showcasing their work on the wall, with a rotation calling for a new piece of art each new season.
Great for these scholars, great for the arts, but the timing is suspect considering our current political climate. Does that town really want a ” wall” right now?