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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe CityWay development is generating more work for artists—this time three Indiana muralists who will paint the facades of downtown-Indianapolis rail bridges.
Buckingham Cos., developer of the $155 million mixed-use project at Delaware and South streets, has already retained Indianapolis Museum of Art curators to hire artists from around the country to create works for CityWay’s boutique hotel, The Alexander.
Now, Buckingham is looking to make a splash beyond CityWay’s boundaries. Founder and CEO Brad Chambers’ private family foundation, the Buckingham Foundation, worked with the Arts Council of Indianapolis to obtain permission from CSX to paint the bridges that cross Delaware Street near Bankers Life Fieldhouse and on South Street, just around the corner from CityWay.
The arts council will name the three artists in the next week or so, spokeswoman Kate Pell said. Four bridge facades will be painted, two of them by the same artist.
The arts council has plenty of experience with murals, having spearheaded the "46 for XLVI" mural program ahead of the Super Bowl, but working with active railroad property was a first, President Dave Lawrence said.
Because of the logistics involved in keeping the artists safe, they'll have no more than three weeks to finish their work, he said. The arts council is still working out details with CSX, but hopes to see painting start by mid-summer.
Unlike the 46 for XLVI program, the rail-bridge murals are privately funded, so theBuckingham Foundation had a say in artist selection.
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