The Garfield Park neighborhood celebrated its history and community by painting and restoring the “Welcome to Garfield Park” mural on March 15.
The mural was originally created in 2012 by Andy Fry, a designer and co-founder of Big Car Collaborative, an arts and design nonprofit. Big Car Collaborative provides connection and support to artists while using art to connect to the Garfield Park community, Fry said.
Fry became a co-founder of Big Car Collaborative after he graduated from college and moved back to Indianapolis. He and other artists wanted a space to create art, so they created the Big Car Collaborative as a gallery. Throughout the years, it evolved as they created more projects for the community.
“We had no idea that it would go the direction that it would go, but we were all sort of committed to following and to working together in some way,” Fry said.
For Fry, this mural is one of his favorite projects he has worked on with Big Car Collaborative. He said it helped him transition from being an art student to a practicing artist.
“I felt like there’s a way to be a professional artist without just imitating things from the past. It showed me a new path,” Fry said.
Fry said the project helped bring the community together. The people of Garfield Park slowed down to gather and reflect on the neighborhood’s identity and direction, and he said it was notable that they were willing to take a leap with Big Car as the mural space was donated.
“What I’m doing during that process is listening very intensely, being very present and letting all of everything seep into my consciousness,” Fry said.
Once Fry acquired the information he needed, he created a draft to present to the neighborhood. Then, he would keep discussing ideas with the community and would absorb all of their feedback before creating the final product. He said the park was an idyllic oasis that was woven into the fabric of the community members’ lives. In the mural, he wanted to convey the relaxed spirit of the community.
For Rich Whitney, president of the Garfield Park Neighbors Association, the mural is a testament to the active community working to improve the area. He said art proves to onlookers that people are active in the community.
Whitney moved to the Garfield Park area from the suburbs in recent years. He said the community welcomed him and helped him get involved with community events and volunteering.
“I see people who have lived there for 20-25 years, who have been actively involved in coaching new people like me to get involved,” Whitney said. “It’s a really strong community. A lot of those people were participants in the first painting of the mural and now they’re going to be participating in the restoration of the mural.”
Fry agreed about the strength of the community and said the community took a leap with him when they started creating the mural. The community donated space and time to put in the work to make Fry’s design for the mural a reality.
“When I look at the mural, I feel like it’s the same place,” Whitney said. “Nothing has changed dramatically, but it’s improved and revitalized. It feels like a really good representation of where we are today as a neighborhood. That’s probably one of the best things I like about the mural.”
The mural restoration was made possible by support from a $5,000 Public Art for Neighborhoods grant from the Indy Arts Council.
