Our Indy Race (1st Lap)

It was just after 1am, and we were passing Indy cars like they were standing still.

Because they were. Phillip and I, on the other hand, were racing through the Indianapolis International Airport, dodging puzzled, groggy passengers.

When we were still waiting to get off the plane, I had called our hotel’s shuttle dispatch. They let me know we could take the one that was already en route – if we could make it to the stop in time. If not, it wouldn’t wait for us, because they were also picking up a flight crew, and we’d have to wait around for the 2am pickup.

Sitting halfway back on a plane with an aisle clogged with impatient passengers, we had just under 15 minutes, directions I’d already forgotten, and only carryon luggage. We decided to go for it.

So we ended up sprinting through the airport, not towards a flight but away from one, relying on ambiguous signage to guide us. Finally, we spotted the words “ground transportation” with an arrow pointing towards exterior doors.

We burst outside with a few minutes to spare, only to be greeted by air thick with humidy and mosquitoes, an empty curb, and a vague sense that we were not in the right place.

I redialed the shuttle dispatch. The same woman patiently explained again where we were actually supposed to be.

We rushed downstairs, out the door and across the street, and finally found our stop with the aforementioned flight crew sitting on nearby benches, waiting for the shuttle.

While I was trying to nonchalantly catch my breath in the heavy air, I realized this could possibly be the crew from our flight. In other words, they may have just calmly gotten off our plane after us and everyone else, strolled through the terminal, and arrived here sooner. Which would mean we could have done the same without all the panic, confusion, and mosquitoes.

But maybe it wasn’t them. In fact, let’s just say it wasn’t.

I didn’t look too closely.

Either way, we all made it onto the shuttle. The woman from dispatch even called the driver to check on us.

“Yep.” she replied, turning onto the ramp that lead from the airport to the freeway. “Everyone’s here.”

– More info –

Watch for at the Indianapolis Airport:

Classic racing cars on display. There is a rotating lineup on loan from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.
Permanent and temporary art (PDF). I saw TBI Prayers by Stephanie Lewis Robertson, which is on display until August 30.
Free wifi.
Confusing signs! Ask for directions or check a map (PDF).

July 28, 2015June 24, 2020

A Mural for the Missing

A community art project that was too controversial for New York city has found a home in Phoenix’s Grand Avenue arts district.

The mural was nearly finished when I stopped by last week. Half a dozen artists were there painting or standing back to Instagram the process – which, really, is also part of spreading a message. In fact, I only heard about the piece because one of the artists from the Frida Kahlo exhibit, Monique Mata, had shared it there.

The Mission

The inspiration came from the film Who is Dayani Cristal?, a documentary that retraces the steps of the migrant trail in Central America in an effort to identify a body discovered in the Sonoran desert.

This work of helping families find the bodies of missing migrants is exactly what the nonprofit Colibrí Center for Human Rights in Tucson does, as well as providing counseling and advocacy services. Their Missing Migrant Project has the goal of “working to end migrant death and related suffering on the U.S.-Mexico border.”

Mata Ruda, the New York/New Jersey artist who designed the mural, believes awareness and prevention are key to this. If migrants are invisible to society, their deaths will go unnoticed, the problem unsolved.

The mural is one way to tell their story, make them visible.

While taking a popsicle break, he filled me in on the history of the project – that it been approved then later blocked at 5 different sites from a musuem in New York City to a garage in downtown Phoenix, apparently due to its subject matter. Finally, the Colibrí Center connected them with the spot at La Melgrosa art space.

The Mural

The mural is also called “Colibrí,” named for Colibrí Center and for the hummingbird, which migrates throughout the Americas. It was created to bring awareness of the often-overlooked migrant community.

At least 7 artists collaborated on the piece, mostly from Arizona (with one traveling across the state from the Navajo reservation).

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A post shared by Stephanie Liebold (@stephanieliebold)

You can see the finished mural outside Creation Station at La Melgosa, 1023 W. Grand Avenue in Phoenix.

Mata Ruda’s hope is that Colibrí remains a permanent piece of public art and that it makes people aware of the migrants who often are invisible to society.

Like the community it represents, the project has been on a long journey to finally be seen.

July 20, 2015July 20, 2015

El Amor de Frida in a Phoenix Library

The main branch of the Phoenix Library is holding, “El Amor de Frida,” a free art exhibition (through 7/26) in honor of Frida Kahlo’s birthday.

We went and checked it out yesterday.

The works, created by members of the Phoenix Fridas collective and other local artists, are inspired by the life, beliefs, and words of Frida Kahlo. An oversized statue of the Mexican painter marks the front of the exhibit, which also features mixed media, sculptures of wire and glass, painted plates, jewelry, and a portrait made from seed beads.

It’s another great example of art in libraries!

A video posted by stephanieliebold (@stephanieliebold) on Jul 19, 2015 at 7:10pm PDT

(If you can’t see the short video I posted of the glass elevator ride, check it out on my Instagram.)

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July 13, 2015March 14, 2020

Fountain Square Signs

We made it back from Indiana. The humidity wasn’t as bad as I’d worried it would be. The mosquitoes were surprisingly persistent, despite our super-strength deet. But the fireflies winked at us in the evenings, and we saw almost everyone we went out there to see.

At one point, we had just a little extra time to kill in Indianapolis, so we went and checked out the historic Fountain Square. Not much was open yet, but we did see some interesting architecture and vintage-looking signs I wanted to share – in case you’re as geeky about this stuff as I am.

Diamonds, anyone?

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July 9, 2015June 28, 2015

Quiz: Is this place for real?

While I’m in Indiana, see if you can tell which of these places from t.v. and movies really exist. Even if you’re not familiar with the shows or the state, take your best shot!

Answers to each question are after the photos (which are from other places, so they won’t give anything away).

1. Hoosiers

Let’s start with some facts about a quintessential Indiana classic: the film Hoosiers. Yes, people from Indiana do call themselves Hoosiers for reasons that are unclear. Yes, basketball is huge in the state.

Question: Was Hoosiers based on the actual basketball team of Hickory High School?

A: No. The Hoosiers story was based on Milan High School in Milan, Indiana. There’s a Hickory Creek, Hickory Ridge, and even a Hickory Elementary School, but no town of Hickory or Hickory High School.

2. Parks and Recreation

The recently-concluded sitcom took place in the quirky Parks Department of a small town.

Q: Is there a Pawnee, Indiana?

A: Knope. While there is a Pawnee Drive in Jefferson, Indiana, you’d have to cross into neighboring state Illinois to find a town named Pawnee.

Hopefully, the rampant raccoon problem and polluted river are also fictional.

3. The Music Man

This is a musical about a small town visited by the traveling Harold Hill, who (spoiler alert!) never attended the Gary Conservatory.

Q: What about his supposed home sweet home? Is there even a place called Gary, Indiana (Gary INdiana, Gary Indiana…)?

A: Yes! There’s also a New Paris, York, and Rome! And a Louisiana Street in Gary.

4. The Middle

This show is about a family in the middle of the country with a middle income and especially about their middle child.

Q: Is there a town of Orson somewhere in the middle of Indiana?

A: Once again, Orson Only exists in Illinois.

I’m also starting to suspect there are no Thundering Hens.

5. Bridges of Madison County

This was a book and then a movie. I haven’t read/seen either. Any good?

Q: Is there a Madison County, Indiana?

A: Yes. But, as it turns out, Bridges of Madison County is actually referring to Madison County, Iowa.

While Indiana’s Polke County claims to be the covered bridge capital of the world, there may not be any in Madison County, Indiana. Most of our trip itinerary is within that county, so we’ll have more on what you actually can find there soon.

How’d you do on the quiz?