The Fishers Art Wall’s first installation is something to see if you haven’t.
At the tail end of May, on a beautiful-weather weekend, I got up early and made my rounds at the Fishers Farmers’ Market before meeting with Travis Neal at Brooks School Park. Hours before I arrived, Travis had set up shop out of the back of his SUV to begin marking out the first-ever mural that would be featured on the Art Wall on the park’s east side.
The brainchild of the 2018-19 Mayor’s Youth Council, the Art Wall was inspired by the famed public art walls in Venice Beach, California. A scaled-down version, the wall will be home to rotating works by local artists.
Given the times Travis’ mural is a clear message of positivity and community, even to those just driving by. While he was painting, I had the pleasure of chatting with him about the piece, featuring a plane flying over the landscape, pulling the #InThisTogether banner, followed by hot air balloons dropping hearts.
“I wanted to make the #InThisTogether message forefront,” he said. “I wanted the skyline to make it colorful. The balloons with the hearts was actually a modification. We wanted the hearts dropping to be a good message to tie in. I really needed to be eye-catching.”
All in all, Travis worked more than 15 hours to finish the piece. In Fishers and Hamilton County, his work can be found near the municipal complex on a traffic control box, in Noblesville under the rail bridge near Logan Street and State Road 19, along with two panels on the Gordon Building downtown. He soon will be painting a mural at The Yard at Fishers District.
With five 10-foot panels on each side, the west side of the wall will be space for multiple works, while the east side facing Brooks School Road, will be reserved for smaller, commissioned pieces spanning the length of the wall.
Stay up to date on Fishers Art Wall updates by following Fishers Parks on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. See more of Travis’ work at nealartistry.net.
Sadie Hunter started as a marketing assistant with Fishers Parks in February. Her favorite thing to do in Fishers is creek stomp at Brooks School Park with her two sons, Ben and Henry, and dog, Maggie. In her spare time, she enjoys photography, pottery, and kayaking with her husband, Zach.