Bienvenidos a Indianapolis was a temporary public art project that created a dialogue between the Latino population of Indianapolis, Indiana and the community at large.  This project culminated with an exhibition at the Eleanor Prest Reese, Robert B.  Berkshire, and Dorit & Gerald Paul Galleries at the Herron School of Art and Design.  In addition, a large mural was painted in Indianapolis’s Near West Neighborhood, commonly refered to as “Little Mexico,” that serves as a welcoming beacon to Latino immigrants in the area.

A series of billboards were erected in May of 2011 in and around Downtown Indianapolis. These billboards were strategically placed in high traffic areas such as West Washington St. (a major access point to downtown), I-65/I-70 Highway Intersections, and a Community Arts Garden on Massachusetts Ave. along the Indianapolis Cultural Trail. A counterpart was also installed  in downtown Bloomington, Indiana. These public works were sponsored and supported by ClearChannel Indianapolis and”Your.Art.Here.org.”

 For the gallery component of the project I fabricated a life-size replica of the outdoor billboards (20ft. wide X 16ft. tall) within the space.  With the help of my family a 12ft. X 12ft. room was constructed behind the billboard.  The idea was that the viewer would navigate around the structure entering the room through a door on the opposite side.  The interior was inspired by the make-shift living space within my aunt’s Sunnyvale, California garage that housed our young family for most of the 1980’s.

The installation of three of the six outdoor billboards was my responsibility. The Bloomington, Indiana billboard was quite an experience (luckily I’m not afraid of heights). I would like to thank..Jill..Marie..Mason,.Jason Bord, and Michael Nannery for all the help.

.Jill..Marie..Mason.and I painted the Mural on West Washington St. in Indianapolis, Indiana. We worked on it for three days and it took approximately 25 hours to complete. It was painted on La Frontera a tienda (supermarket) rumored to be the first Mexican market in Indianapolis.  The Mural is now a permanent staple of the Near West Neighborhood also known as “Little Mexico”.