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Broad Ripple built its identity on art galleries, music venues and restaurants, but residential and commercial development has dominated the neighborhood in recent years.
An initiative to elevate the arts in Broad Ripple is the brainchild of Taggart Birge, founder of the Birge Family Foundation. Birge wants to install three to five pieces of public art by multiple artists in the neighborhood—all to be funded by private donations.
For starters, the Birge Family Foundation is paying for “Gavin-Divergence,” a 30-foot-tall sculpture planned at the northwest corner of Westfield Boulevard and College Avenue.
Logansport native Jason Myers created “Gavin-Divergence,” which he predicts will anchor a resurgence in Broad Ripple’s creative spirit.
“As much as Broad Ripple has always been an intersection of art and culture and diversity and acceptance, I think it’s still evolving,” Myers said. “Bringing several pieces of public art to the area will have a positive effect.”
Myers lived in Indianapolis for more than a decade, beginning in 2001. After operating Artbox gallery at the Stutz, Myers moved back to his hometown. From his base of Logansport, Myers created a series of “Gavin” sculptures displayed in places such as Florida and the Netherlands.
One entry in the Gavin series is installed on the patio outside Carmel restaurant Tre on Main.
Myers refers to Gavin sculptures as an “abstract representation of man.” The Broad Ripple version will be made of steel I-beams and convey a sense of navigating hardships, Myers said.
“We’re all soldiers in this life, just battling and struggling to persevere to get to tomorrow,” he said. “The Gavins represent
our struggle.”
Public reaction to “Gavin-Divergence,” which is expected to be installed by the end of the year, has been mixed. Some online comments criticized the sculpture for appearing unfriendly, and others deemed it a potential distraction for motorists.
“There’s always criticism,” Myers said. “That’s to be expected, and that’s a good thing. That shows that the community is thinking about their space, and they’re investing in their space. It would be worse if they didn’t say anything and didn’t care.”
At night, multicolor LED lighting will be “woven inside the framework” of “Gavin-Divergence.”
“I want it to be much less of a distraction than I think people might think it’s going to be,” Myers said.
Multiple entities, including the Birge Family Foundation, Broad Ripple Village Association, Indy Art Center and the Penrod Society, announced plans for the sculpture in July. Indy Art Center plans to assume ownership of the sculpture and maintain it.
At 30 feet, “Gavin-Divergence” won’t set records for monumental art in Indianapolis. The Soldiers and Sailors Monument stands nearly 300 feet tall. Downtown also is home to the 210-foot-tall Indiana War Memorial and the 100-foot-tall Obelisk at Veterans Memorial Plaza.
“Gavin-Divergence” will be taller than “Southern Circle,” a stainless steel and glass sculpture by Indianapolis native Don Gummer. “Southern Circle,” installed near the intersection of South and Meridian streets in 2004, is 25 feet tall.
Myers said he’s thrived as an artist since adopting large-scale sculptures as a format about a decade ago.
He made a 60-foot-tall version of Gavin in 2018, and a 100-foot-tall edition is in the works for a sculpture park in the Netherlands, Myers said.
“The impact is so much greater than, say, my paintings or a museum exhibit,” he said. “Monumental art is something that has a significant impact on places and communities.”
At press time, “Gavin-Divergence” lacked a final OK from city leaders. A Sept. 2 meeting of Division 1 of the Board of Zoning Appeals will include discussion of the sculpture related to line-of-sight concerns.•
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An anchor? Not so much.
A reference point? Probably,
Interesting? Hopefully.
Monumental? Never.