Public Art Master Plan

Help Shape the Future of Public Art in Broad Ripple

Broad Ripple has long been one of Indianapolis’s most creative neighborhoods — a place where art, music, and culture are part of everyday life. Now, we’re inviting the community to help shape what comes next!

The Broad Ripple Village Association, in partnership with the Indy Arts Council, is in the midst of a year-long community process to create a Public Art Master Plan for the Village. This plan will guide new public art in Broad Ripple over the next three to five years, helping ensure that future projects reflect the creativity, character, and energy that make this neighborhood unique.

Sign up for updates here to be the first to hear about upcoming opportunities to participate:

What Is a Public Art Master Plan?

A public art master plan is a community-informed roadmap that helps guide:

Where public art is located
What kinds of art are created
How the community is engaged around new public art
How artists are selected
How projects are funded and maintained over time

This plan will help Broad Ripple take a thoughtful, collaborative approach to public art, building on what already exists while looking ahead to new possibilities.

How to Get Involved

The planning process is unfolding in three phases, designed to be community driven with multiple ways to contribute throughout 2026. Opportunities to share input have included two community conversations, interactive engagement at neighborhood events, and an online questionnaire. There will be additional opportunities to provide feedback during a public comment period on the draft Master Plan.

timeline of public art plan

Spring-Early Summer: Listening & Learning
We’ve gathered community input through meetings, events, an online questionnaire, and conversations with stakeholders, while also documenting existing public art across the Village.

First public community meeting: May 5
Second public community meeting: July 7
Questionnaire Responses: 313
Stakeholder Interviews: 30
Broad Ripple & SoBro Farmer’s Market Conversations: 502
Special Event Conversations: 246

engagement stats

Summer: Developing the Plan
The Indy Arts Council is analyzing feedback, exploring best practices, and beginning to put together recommendations for future public art.

Fall: Draft & Final Plan
A draft plan will be shared publicly for feedback before the final Public Art Master Plan is completed and released.

Details about how to provide comment online or in-person will be shared through the email list and on this webpage as they become available.

What We’re Hearing

Through our community meetings, participation in neighborhood events, and early analysis of questionnaire responses, several key themes have emerged:

Stories & Spaces That Bring People Together: Artwork that serves a function like a gathering space, seating element, or playground is consistently the most popular for respondents at events. Community meeting participants and survey respondents emphasize the importance of sharing, co-creating, and preserving Broad Ripple’s unique history through new art. Respondents also rank Neighborhood Beautification and Supporting Local Artists and Businesses as important roles of public art.
Ongoing Engagement: Participants are less worried about how art decisions get carried out overall, and are more concerned about process transparency and having a say in the design at the beginning of each project.
Taking Care of What We Have: Artists are concerned about keeping existing artworks in the neighborhood. Neighbors and artists alike want existing artworks that have become ‘eyesores’ or lost their functionality to be updated or restored.
More Art!: Participants recommend building on Broad Ripple’s reputation as a Cultural District to curate more art—art that is engaging, visible, and makes a statement or tells a local story. Some residents and visitors can’t think of an example of existing public artwork in the neighborhood. We can create more, but there is also a need to promote it more too.
Neighborhood Identity: Popular suggested locations for new public artworks are at Gateways to the Neighborhood and along various Trails that connect and move through the Village. Highlighted aspects of neighborhood identity include Walkability, Histories of the White River & Canal, Local Businesses & Artists, Broad Ripple’s Music Scene, Neighborhood History (Broad Ripple Park, iconic residents), and Native Plants/Landscaping.

emerging themes

What We’re Exploring Together

Through this process, we’re asking questions like:

What kinds of public art reflect Broad Ripple’s identity?
Where should future artworks be located?
What themes, styles, or stories should be represented?
How can public art be supported and sustained over time?

Your input will directly shape the recommendations in the final plan.

What Happens Next?

This plan is just the beginning. Following its completion, the first new public artwork guided by the plan will be commissioned, with installation anticipated in 2027.

Our Commitment to a Thoughtful Process

We are committed to a planning process that is transparent, inclusive, and guided by community input. As this work moves forward, new public art projects in Broad Ripple will be aligned with this process to ensure that future investments reflect shared community priorities and a cohesive vision for the neighborhood.

Stay Connected

Sign up to receive updates about the Public Art Master Plan, including future opportunities to participate. Sign up here: https://mailchi.mp/brva/2026-broad-ripple-public-art-process.

Project Partners

This initiative is led by the Broad Ripple Village Association in partnership with the Indy Arts Council, with support from community stakeholders and local partners. The Penrod Society is also providing volunteer and overall support of this initiative.

Why This Matters

Public art helps tell the story of a place. By centering community voices in this process, we’re working together to shape a shared vision for Broad Ripple — one that reflects the creativity, character, and energy people already love about the Village.

Have questions, comments, or concerns? Email PublicArtPlan@brva.org.

**Mural at Kilroy’s featured at top of page by Abigail Staffelbach (shown) and Kwazar Martin, used with artist permission.

Master Plan Team

Julia Muney Moore

Julia Muney Moore is the Director of Public Art at the Indy Arts Council, where she works with communities, civic partners, funders, and policymakers on ways to advance how Indianapolis residents and visitors experience the arts in public space. She has been with the Arts Council for twelve years and has worked as a public art administration professional for twenty-five years, with prior arts administration and teaching experience at Blackburn Architects, the Indianapolis Art Center, Herron School of Art, Purdue University, and Ivy Tech. Julia lived in Broad Ripple for seven years and now lives just north of the Village boundary.

Marissa Byers

Marissa Byers supports the BRVA Public Art Master Plan effort by managing planning-related engagements with the Broad Ripple community and beyond. She is a Butler University graduate and has lived in Broad Ripple for eight years. Marissa’s recent work is in public art project management and community engagement, with previous experience in state government and local non-profits.

Olive Pulfer

Olive Pulfer supports the BRVA Public Art Master Plan effort by managing stakeholder communications, mapping existing public art, data collection and organization, and contributing to written plan development. She recently graduated from Smith College and is a lifelong resident of SoBro/Meridian-Kessler.