The Runners | |
---|---|
Artist | James W. McQuiston |
Year | 1975 |
Type | Mural |
Location | Indianapolis, Indiana, United States |
39°45′59.8″N86°9′27.1″W / 39.766611°N 86.157528°W | |
Owner | City of Indianapolis |
The Runners was an outdoor mural by architect James McQuiston located on the east side of the annex to the Barnes and Thornburg Building (originally the downtown Indianapolis Woolworth's location) at 7 E. Washington Street in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The mural occupied the east wall of this five-story commercial building. The mural was the result of a 1975 contest sponsored by the Urban Walls Task force of the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee and the Indianapolis Department of Parks and Recreation. [1]
The mural, which was created using acrylic paint, depicts children at play on a hill as seen through a series of white arched doorways or windows. A fire in 1975 destroyed a building that was adjacent to the mural site; according to the label near the bottom of the mural, "The three-tiered design of the mural was inspired by the architectural structure of the building that burned, and is a whimsical study of color and motion."
The mural occupied approximately 16,000 square feet (1,500 m2) of vertical wall space on the eastern side of what was then the Merchants National Bank Annex. The project took about one month to complete and was dedicated on November 20, 1975 in a ceremony led by Mayor Richard G. Lugar and Otto N. Frenzel III, the chairman of the board of Merchants National Bank. Painting of the mural was accomplished by Naegele Outdoor Advertising under the supervision of the artist. [2]
This mural, along with Roland Hobart's 1973 Untitled mural, and Milton Glaser's 1974 Color Fuses mural which surrounds the Minton-Capehart Federal Building in downtown Indianapolis were hailed in August 1975 as adding a "delightful touch of color and imaginativeness to urban settings". [3] A plaque placed at the Washington Street corner tells the story of the mural.
In 1997, the mural was under threat to be painted over by the artist Robert Wyland, who wanted to paint his 74th Whailing Wall, Orca Passage, over the top of The Runners. [4] Indianapolis writer Steve Mannheimer called Wyland's efforts to paint over McQuiston's mural a "leviathan injustice", [5] and quickly garnered significant public opinion to force Wyland to choose a different location. McQuiston's mural remained in place mainly because, as McQuiston stated, many supporters "stepped forward with so many calls and letters to the mayor". [6] Wyland's mural was painted at 120 West Walnut Street and finished in September 1997.
James W. McQuiston is an architect who was at the time of the mural's creation was working for the Indianapolis-based firm of Woollen Associates. He was 26 years old when he won the competition and now works as an architect in Indianapolis. [7]
Since it was created in 1975, the mural has never been repainted or altered. It was painted over in 2020 to make way for a mural honoring Major Taylor. James McQuiston was not happy about how this was handled. [8]
Untitled may refer to:
Wyland is an American artist and conservationist best known for his more than 100 Whaling Walls, large outdoor murals featuring images of life-size whales and other sea life to call attention to the plight of whales throughout the world.
The Milwaukee County Courthouse is a high-rise municipal building located in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Completed in 1931, it is the third county courthouse to be built in the city and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The first two courthouses were built at what is now Cathedral Square Park on the east side of the Milwaukee River.
The Broderick Tower is a residential skyscraper in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. Original construction began in 1926, and was completed in 1928. The Broderick was fully renovated in 2012 by JC Beal Construction Inc., who also served as the developer. The tower was the second tallest building in Michigan when it was originally completed in 1928. It stands 34-stories, with two basement floors. The building is designed with Neo-classical architecture, Chicago school, and Beaux-Arts designs. Limestone is a prominent material in the building's surface. It was designed by architects Louis Kamper and Paul Kamper for Theodore Eaton.
Christ Church Cathedral is the cathedral for the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis. Christ Church parish was formally organized in 1837. The present-day church building was erected in 1857 on Monument Circle at the center of downtown Indianapolis to replace the parish's first church built on the same site. Designed by architect William Tinsley, the English Gothic Revival-style structure is the oldest church building in Indianapolis and Marion County, Indiana, that has remained in continuous use. It is also the oldest building on Monument Circle. Christ Church is known for its music, especially its pipe organs, one of which was donated by Ruth Lilly, and its professional Choir of Men and Boys and Girls' Choir. The parish is also known for its community service, including an annual strawberry festival fundraiser and other charitable work. Christ Church Cathedral was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 10, 1973. It is located in the Washington Street-Monument Circle Historic District.
Snowplow is an abstract outdoor sculpture by American artist Mark di Suvero located on the grounds of the Indianapolis Museum of Art. The sculpture was purchased in 1975 by the Indianapolis Sesquicentennial Commission and first installed in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1977.
Gary Freeman (1937–2014), is an American sculptor from Indianapolis, Indiana. He is Professor Emeritus of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and served as head of the Herron School of Art Sculpture Department for 33 years, from 1968 until his retirement in 2001.
Here I Grew Up, is a public artwork by American artist Garo Z. Antreasian, located on the lower level of the Indiana Government Center North building, which is near Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. This mosaic depicting five stages of Abraham Lincoln's life in Indiana between the ages of 7 and 21 can be found on the west side of the building by the escalators leading down to the tunnel to Indiana Government Center South. The mosaic is located between the cafeteria's entrance and an automated teller machine.
The Valley National Bank Building is the oldest skyscraper in Tucson, Arizona. It was built in 1929 by Percy A. Eisen (1885–1946) and Albert R. Walker (1881–1958). It has housed administrative offices on the second floor. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since September 12, 2003.
Untitled (Urban Wall) is an outdoor mural by Austrian artist Roland Hobart located at 32 North Delaware Street in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The mural originally occupied two exterior walls of two four-story commercial buildings at this site. The mural was commissioned by the City of Indianapolis for the Indianapolis Urban Walls Project in 1973. Fabrication of the mural began in September 1973 and finished by the end of the year.
The Minton–Capehart Federal Building is a United States federal building in Indianapolis, Indiana, that is named in honor of former U.S. Senator and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sherman Minton and former U.S. Senator Homer E. Capehart.
Color Fuses is an outdoor mural by the designer Milton Glaser that wraps around the entire ground floor of the Minton-Capehart Federal Building in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. While the building opened in 1975, the mural was finished in late 1974 and occupies the 672 feet around the entire portico of the building, rising 27 feet high, and showcasing 35 different colors in panels that vary in width between 6 and 36 feet. Originally, there was a programmed light system that pulsated light on the mural in a dynamic affect. Due to initial complaints, this system was dismantled shortly after it was installed, but completely re-installed and recreated when the mural was restored in 2012.
Untitled was an outdoor mural created in 1972 by architect Peter Mayer located at 430 Massachusetts Avenue in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The mural, which featured a large ear of corn with the word "HOOSIER" spelled out in the center in yellow on a white background, occupied the southern wall of the six-story apartment building. The mural was part of the renovation of the apartment complex, which opened on 11 December 1972.
Roland Hobart was an Austrian artist who arrived in the United States in 1966 to participate in the L. S. Ayres "Import Fair" and later became a leading mural artist in Downtown Indianapolis, a well-known screen printing artist, and educator.
Four Seasons is a series of four murals - Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter - painted in 1914 by Indiana artist T.C. Steele, which feature the landscape of Brown County, Indiana. The paintings are located on the Eskenazi Health campus, near downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, and are part of the Eskenazi Health Art Collection.
Evans Woollen III was an American architect who is credited for introducing the Modern and the Brutalist architecture styles to his hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana. Woollen, a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) and a graduate of the Yale School of Architecture, was active in the field from the mid-1950s to the early 2000s. He established his own architecture firm in Indianapolis in 1955 that became known as Woollen, Molzan and Partners; it dissolved in 2011. As a pacesetter among architects in the Midwest, Woollen, dubbed the dean of Indiana architects, was noted for his use of bold materials and provocative, modern designs.
The Black Lives Matter street muralin Indianapolis is a large, colorful mural reading "#BLACKLIVESMATTER", with a raised fist, that 18 artists painted across a downtown roadway in August 2020, as part of the George Floyd protests. The mural is located on Indiana Avenue, the historic hub of the city's Black culture, on the same corner as the Madam C. J. Walker Building.