INDIANAPOLIS — The Harrison Center, in partnership with Indianapolis Power & Light Company,recently installed “Visionaries,” a public art installation by Owens + Crawley a local artistic team comprised of Quincy Owens and Luke Crawley. The four sculptural pieces, installed on light posts along E. 16th Street between the Monon Trail and Dr. Andrew J. Brown Ave., were designed to complement PreEnactIndy, a celebration of Monon 16 to take place on Sat., Oct. 7 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This Indianapolis theater and arts collaboration is the first of its kind and will serve as a national model for creative placemaking and neighborhood revitalization.
For the Visionaries project, Owens said they wanted to create a unique visual marker for Tinker Street, harkening back to the way that lampposts used to identify particular districts. The design and colors were chosen to pay homage to the stained glass you might see in one of the many churches located in Monon 16. The sculptures will be named to honor St. Rita Parish, New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, St. John Missionary Baptist Church and St. John African Methodist Episcopal. These institutions’ rich histories reach as far back as the late 1800s. Playing significant roles in the civil rights movement, these congregations have impacted and continue to impact the community in myriad ways.
