#BLACKLIVESMATTER Street Mural, Indianapolis, IN

The #BLACKLIVESMATTER street mural in Indianapolis, Indiana is painted onto Indiana Avenue, one of the city's most influential locations and the epicenter of Black culture in the city. Created in August of 2020, the mural was created in response to BLM protests was organized by the group Indy10, and was funded by local organizations like the Indianapolis Urban League. Indianapolis City Council members approved the mural and the organizations selected 18 black artists to construct the mural. The 18 characters in the mural were all designed by different artists.

Starting from the hashtag, the artists that created the mural are Jarrod Dortch, Nathaniel Rhodes, Rebecca Robinson, Amiah Mims, Billy Hoodoo, Kevin West, John G. Moore, Jr., Gary Gee, Deonna Craig, Rae Parker, Ess McKee, Wavy Blayne, Harriet Watson, Shane Young, Israel Solomon, Shamira Wilson, Ashley Nora, and Kenneth Hordge. Together, these 18 artists put their own style of street art into the mural which blends the unique culture into a meaningful portrayal of activism.

Although each letter displays the artists' style, they all have some similarities in that they are full of color and consist of sharp geometric shapes. Inside these letters, messages can be found that the artists wanted to announce to the community such as depictions of Michael Taylor, an Indianapolis teenager killed by police in 1987, and VOTE. ome artists decided to be more abstract but still included African symbolism that honored their heritage and culture. This mural's creation followed weeks of protests in Indianapolis following both the murder of George Floyd, as well as the killing of Dreasjon Reed by IMPD, according to IndyStar.

After 15 months of being visible on Indiana Avenue, the road that it was painted on was set to be paved over as Indianapolis planned construction for a 2-mile span that included the mural. City officials let each of the artists and close friends spend time with the mural before paving over the road. Additionally, they cut out a square foot of pavement in each character to let the artists keep. 

While still in existence, the mural was defaced a few times. Vandalism of the mural occurred during the night and splashes of white and gray paint covered the entirety of the mural. Although still legible, the mural was tarnished.

Sources: 

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/indianapolis/2021/05/28/indianapolis-riots-and-protests-looking-back-one-year-later/7478725002/ 

https://www.indystar.com/story/entertainment/arts/2021/10/28/indianapolis-black-lives-matter-mural-what-happen-after-repaving/8569235002/  

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/indianapolis/2020/08/09/downtown-indianapolis-black-lives-matter-mural-defaced/3329893001/