Faces of the City

You’ll begin your journey at Newfields, a 152-acre campus that houses the Indianapolis Museum of Art and the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park. There’s a wide variety of indoor galleries and outdoor gardens to explore before you set out. Be sure to check out the friendly face of Funky Bones in the free riverside Fairbanks Art & Nature Park. From Newfields, you’ll head south on the Central Canal Towpath. There’s a Pacers Bike Share station along the Towpath in the Art & Nature Park.

When you hit 30th Street, jog over to the Riverside Park’s Riverside Promenade Trail along Riverside Drive. This storytelling trail is lined with interpretative signs telling the story of the people and events who shaped the area. Midway down the trail, you’ll find the Taggart Memorial. This elegant neoclassical structure honors Thomas Taggart, the former Indianapolis mayor who championed the city’s park system in the early 20th century. The adjacent amphitheater, revitalized in 2021, hosts a variety of performances, including concerts by local bands. There’s also a family center here with restrooms and water if you need them. If not, continue on the trail until 18th Street.

While there isn’t a connecting trail, 18th Street is relatively quiet. Head down the street about two blocks to 1825 W 18th Street (the mural is actually on the back of this building, facing 17th Street). Here you’ll find a mural featuring sports icons Pat McAfee, Anthony Richardson, Caitlin Clark, and Tyrese Haliburton, painted by local artist Kwazar Martin.

When you’re ready, head back to the Promenade Trail and continue down until it ends at 16th Street. After crossing the street, turn right and use the connector trail along 16th Street to reach the White River Greenway.

Follow this trail as it bends along White River and then Fall Creek. You’ll want to pass the brown pedestrian bridge and keep going another couple of blocks to the silver Confluence Way bridge. If you take a left and head up into 16 Tech, you’ll find the Keeper of Culture mural on the side of The Amp, a food hall. This mural depicts a grandmother and grandchildren to reflect the intergenerational transfer of culture.

Head back to Confluence Way and cross the bridge and then 10th Street where you’ll meet the Indianapolis Cultural Trail. Follow the trail east and you’ll connect with the Downtown Canal Walk. Head north on the Canalwalk past the playground until you reach the northern terminus of the Canal walk. Here you can take a connector trail on 10th Street two block east to Senate Avenue. Then take the sidewalk north on Senate and on the back side of The Stutz building you’ll see the second Keepers of Culture mural by Ashley Nora. This mural honors nine Black icons from Indianapolis and celebrates Black history and talent in the city. If you have 3D glasses laying around, bring them for this mural! While at The Stutz you’ll also find shops, art studios, and restaurants to explore.

From The Stutz, head two blocks south on Capitol Avenue to Walnut Street, where you’ll hop on the Cultural Trail again heading east. Follow the trail as it curves northeast to the Mass Ave Cultural Arts District. Where the trail splits at Alabama Street, head south on Alabama.

Once you get to Mass Ave, you’ll find Brickhead 3in the park outside Bru Burger. Keep going up the block along the wide sidewalk connector trail and you’ll find a mural honoring Mari Evans, a famous Indianapolis poet and key figure in the Black Arts Movement. Across the street you’ll also find murals of Etheridge Knight, another poet of the movement, and Tamika Catchings (near New Jersey St, the legendary Indiana Fever WNBA Hall of Fame player. While here, you can have a bite to eat at Bakersfield, a fun and delicious Mexican Restaurant on Mass Ave, the perfect way to end your journey. And if you used Pacers Bike Share, there are stations on Mass Ave to dock your bike at both New Jersey and Alabama Streets.

Want to explore more public art in the Indy region? Check out the Indy Arts Council’s Public Art Inventory.