When I was given the opportunity, thanks to the generous support of the Efroymson Family Fund, to create a mural, I knew I wanted to paint it somewhere prominent and in a public space that holds a special place in my heart.
I had the amazing experience of partnering with the daVinci Pursuit, https://www.thedavincipursuit.com/, The daVinci Pursuit brings together artists, scientists, and community members to create unique interactions and conversations. Through an integration of the arts, education, quality of life, and culture they build upon their program evaluations, relevant outside research, and on-ground efforts to create interactions and interpretive experiences with members of the general public.
We then partnered with Indy Parks to see what walls were available for a mural. I did several site visits and knew right away when seeing this wall, that this was what I wanted to paint.
This building is in the Irvington neighborhood. I have friends who are practically family who live here and I've spent countless hours in this park, playing, laughing and loving life. This building used to house an indoor ice rink where my son played broom ball - a fun hockey-like sport!
Another important component of this project was to partner with the Persimmon Herb School. Greg Monzel lead a public plant walk through the park and taught us all about what plants were around us and how they could be used as edible food or medicine. I incorporated several of the plants into the mural and learned so much from Greg!
Thank you Efroymson Family Fund, Indy Parks, daVinci Pursuit, Persimmon Herb School and to my husband, Corey Jefferson - for contributing to the success of this project!