Neighbors of any artistic skill level or experience are invited to join us for a community painting day on Saturday, March 15 at Tube Factory artspace from 1-6 p.m. 

With volunteer help, the Garfield Park Neighbors Association, Big Car Collaborative, and Big Car co-founder and creative director Andy Fry will be repainting the “Welcome to Garfield Park” mural to replace the one in need of restoration on the north side of Suding Hardware on Shelby Street. This is all happening thanks to a Public Art for Neighborhoods Grant from the Indy Arts Council. 

In addition, there will be special postcards featuring the mural available to send for free at Tube Factory during and following the event. 

Indianapolis-based artist Fry designed and illustrated the mural in 2012 through a collaborative design process with many neighbors who offered input on the themes and content, and was co-led by Executive Director Jim Walker and the Big Car team. 

More than 50 neighbors also volunteered to help paint the mural with the Big Car team in 2012, working on sawhorses and easels under the towering oak trees as leaves fell in the park. Hard costs of the mural were funded by a grant from Lowe’s and Keep America Beautiful, and Big Car staff — which began working in the neighborhood in 2011 — donated its time to this project.

After completing the painting process, the Big Car crew installed the mural on Suding’s Hardware at Shelby Street and Raymond. Since then, the mural has become a notable symbol of our Garfield Park neighborhood. 

Over the years, the mural — originally painted on marine-grade plywood — has been damaged by the elements. This time, neighbors and the Big Car artist team will work together to repaint Fry’s original mural design on aluminum composite panels that will better withstand the weather in upcoming years.

Volunteers we are looking for: 

• Garfield Park residents excited about supporting the neighborhood and public art
• People with painting experience (art, around the house, etc.) — not required 
• People 10 years old and up (coloring activity available for kids under 10)

Snacks and water will be provided at the painting event, with coffee and other beverages available for purchase at Normal Coffee. Anyone with questions can contact Big Car at info@bigcar.org or GPNA at GarfieldParkNeighbors@gmail.com. 

*RSVP is not required, and volunteers are not required to stay for the full 5 hours. We recommend wearing comfortable clothes that you won’t mind getting paint on.