Paintover of memorial mural in Broad Ripple stuns arts community

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27 thoughts on “Paintover of memorial mural in Broad Ripple stuns arts community

    1. That was a really thoughtfully done mural–boo hiss. While this is entirely the right of the private business owner, it’s not a great strategy from a “being a good member of the community” standpoint. And it’s a bad business decision aesthetically. The mural made it distinctive; now it isn’t, and probably won’t be even if they use some vaguely Middle Eastern artwork. It’ll just look like any other hookah bar.

      And, for the time being at least, you’re right that it’s now basically an open invitation for graffiti.

  1. Sad to see this beautiful artwork removed. Not only was it meaningful but such artistic expression is what lends to the colorful vibe of places like Broad Ripple and Fountain Square. However, it’s totally understandable that the new owner is trying to re-brand the Lava space. Whether justly or unjustly, Lava had drawn the ire of the BR community as one of several flashpoints for the spate of shootings over the past couple years. However, it is not clear from the article exactly what this re-branding will be or what makes it incompatible with the mural.

    1. Which doesn’t mean that it’s a smart decision. The building owner is really burning bridges with the community; we’ll see how that translates with business.

    2. And patrons can also do what they wish, including not giving their time and money to a building owner who doesn’t consider their community

    3. You totally missed the entire point here. What was wrong with being considerate or even making mention of your intent to remove the mural that the patrons of this establishment loved and supported? This wasn’t a very thoughtfully and sensitive decision on the owners part and could hurt his bottom dollar in the long run.

  2. Perhaps the new owner felt it necessary for his building to create a new image in order to attract a new customer base (the Lava was mentioned as being one of the “problem” clubs contributing to the recent bout of gun violence). If that is the case, then the makeover of the building’s facade is to be commended.

    1. It was the atmosphere inside the building that caused issues. Nobody saw a mural and decided to shoot somebody.

    2. I can respect your assumptions on what you believe were the reasons the owner did what he did but why couldn’t he had artticulate that to the patrons who supported the mural and the business? Doesn’t he at least owe that to the people who support the establishment?

    3. Robert H. – Clearly marketing and psychology are not in your wheelhouse. Just as the cover of a book attracts a specific target audience, the exterior appearance of a building creates a specific “curb appeal” that attracts a desired type of customer. It’s all rooted in psychology, and how the human brain responds to visual stimulus.

  3. Apparently the owner wants to bring the blah cold gray and white color scheme so common these days in suburban housing to the central city. As others have said, it’s his right as the property owner, but it was insensitive to the community and he’s getting off on a really bad foot with his neighbors.

    1. There are a lot of small rural downtowns that would kill to have this type of commercial core. Broadripple has a very urban thing going here.

  4. Bummer move, but I would guess that the owner did not provide notice, because they did not want a mob of people trying to stop it. Hopefully whatever the rebrand of the interior business is, it will not attract the criminal element that is dragging down BR.

    1. Exactly L.N. let these people who are so upset and let the indy arts council have one painted somewhere where they own the building.

    1. Yeah, and that’s why it was important for it to be visually connected to the community on the outside.

  5. I’m stunned and deeply saddened by this, and really puzzled by how the owner could have been so callous, especially since it would seem they want the same residents they’ve hurt by this “whitewash” of a beautiful man to become customers of their new business.
    While I didn’t know him personally, I knew of him, and every time I saw the mural it gave me a sense of hope for the kindness in humanity. Now the blank wall gives me the exact opposite feeling. I will be watching for an update from IBJ after tracking down the elusive owner, and reading his explanation of why he did what he did, knowing the mural’s significance.

  6. I can see why the owner didn’t notify anyone because it would have been this reaction x 100 with people protesting marching and telling him what he could have done with his business.

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