INDIANAPOLIS — The final art project in the City of Indianapolis Bicentennial Legends Series is set to begin soon. The program celebrates Hoosiers whose contributions have made Indianapolis vibrant. The final mural features portraits of 43 Indianapolis legends and will adorn the east wall of the Steak n Shake Building overlooking Bicentennial Unity Plaza.
A 40-person committee spent six months reviewing and selecting the legends for the mural, considering nearly 200 leaders who helped shape Indianapolis between 1820 and 2020. No individuals still living were considered, but rather the list included only those who have passed away. Other criteria included a strong connection to the city, accomplishments that benefited the common good, memorable personal stories, and an inspirational legacy in Indianapolis and beyond.
Among the luminaries to be portrayed are Eli Lilly, Rev. Andrew J. Brown, Richard Lugar, Wes Montgomery, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Bill Hudnut, May Wright Sewall, Madam Walker, “Slick” Leonard, and President Benjamin Harrison.
After reviewing applications from more than 150 artists from around the U.S., the committee reviewed final concepts from three artists and selected Chicago-based artist Anna Murphy to design and paint the mural this summer. Murphy will be assisted by Indianapolis-based painter Mechi Shakur through the Bicentennial Legends apprentice program.
In addition to the 43 portraits, her design includes the carnation, the tulip tree, the zinnia, and the peony, each of which has at some point served as Indiana’s official State flower. Other plants native to the state are depicted, as are the state or national flowers of those legends who were born outside of Indiana. Finally, the Indiana State bird, the Northern Cardinal, and a number of other birds, insects, and animals are also depicted, and Murphy’s use of blue and gold is an homage to the Indiana state flag.
The mural is an important feature of the significant public art elements displayed on Bicentennial Unity Plaza, and the intersection between arts and culture and athletics has been a focus of the overall Fieldhouse of the Future renovations on both the interior and exterior of Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
