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One year after a memorial mural in Broad Ripple was unceremoniously painted over, a new version of the image is being planned for a nearby wall.
In addition to bringing back the tribute to late photojournalist and reggae DJ Mpozi Mshale Tolbert, organizers of a crowdfunding campaign want to install a new mural that commemorates Ron “DJ Indiana Jones” Miner.
The Broad Ripple Village Association and Bridge Collective arts group launched a crowdfunding campaign Monday with a goal of $12,500. If the money is raised by Sept. 19, the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority will provide a matching grant of $12,500 as part of its CreatINg Places initiative. For more information, visit patroncity.com.
The images of Tolbert, who died in 2006, and Miner, who died in 2020, are planned for the southern exterior wall of 6319 Guilford Ave., a building occupied by the Vanguard event space and Casba Bar.
Tolbert spun records as part of weekly reggae parties hosted by Miner at the Casba, a subterranean nightclub across the street from the building where a mural of Tolbert was displayed from 2008 until September 2023.
The mural was covered in white paint a few weeks after a new owner purchased the building at 6308 Guilford Ave., once the home of popular Broad Ripple music venue the Patio. The building’s owner offered no public comment on the decision to paint over the artwork.
Shannon Kay Wilson, arts administrator for Bridge Collective, said Amelia Rising-Moore, commercial property manager for Casba building owner Broad Ripple Village Properties LLC, was receptive to the idea of placing images of Tolbert and Miner on the wall.
Pending a successful crowdfunding effort, the Tolbert mural will be displayed on aluminum panels affixed to the wall. Photographs by Michelle Pemberton, who worked with Tolbert at The Indianapolis Star, will be used to replicate the original painting by artists Dan Thompson and Ben Long.
Artist T.J. Reynolds will craft the image of Miner that will be displayed on aluminum panels next to the Tolbert artwork.
Tolbert grew up in Philadelphia and moved to Indianapolis in 1998 to work for The Star. A heart problem known as arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia was cited in Tolbert’s death at age 34. A mural of Tolbert is displayed on the exterior of Fountain Square’s El Arado Mexican Grill, 1063 Virginia Ave.
Miner, an alum of Ben Davis High School, was a performer, advocate and educator in the Indianapolis hip-hop community. He died from a heart attack at age 50. A mural of Miner is displayed on the exterior of Broad Ripple’s Vogue music venue, 6259 N. College Ave.
Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch applauded the crowdfunding campaign and the involvement of the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority.
“This proposed artwork will recognize the legacy of two Indianapolis icons,” Crouch said in a written statement. “It will serve as a fitting tribute to individuals whose work touched the lives of so many, and I am excited to see this project come together through the collective work of the community.”
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