The Runners (Urban Wall)

The Runners
Artist James W. McQuiston
Year 1975 (1975)
Type Mural
Location Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Coordinates 39°45′59.8″N 86°9′27.1″W / 39.766611°N 86.157528°W / 39.766611; -86.157528
Owner City of Indianapolis

The Runners is an outdoor mural by architect James McQuiston located at 7 East Washington Street in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The mural occupies the east wall of a five-story commercial building. The mural was the result of a 1975 contest sponsored by the Urban Walls Task force of the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee and the Indianapolis Department of Parks and Recreation.[1]

Description

The mural, which was created using acrylic paint, depicts children at play on a hill as seen through a series of white arched doorways or windows. A fire in 1975 destroyed a building that used to be adjacent to the mural site; according to the label near the bottom of the mural, "The three-tiered design of the mural was inspired by the architectural structure of the building that burned, and is a whimsical study of color and motion."

The mural occupies approximately 16,000 square feet of vertical wall space on the eastern side of what was then the Merchants National Bank Annex. The project took about one month to complete and was dedicated on 20 November 1975 in a ceremony led by Mayor Richard G. Lugar and Otto N. Frenzel III, the chairman of the board of Merchants National Bank. Painting of the mural was accomplished by Naegele Outdoor Advertising under the supervision of the artist.[2]

Historical information

This mural, along with Roland Hobart's 1973 Untitled mural, and Milton Glaser's 1974 Color Fuses mural which surrounds the Minton-Capehart Federal Building in downtown Indianapolis were hailed in August 1975 as adding a "delightful touch of color and imaginativeness to urban settings."[3] A plaque placed at the Washington Street corner tells the story of the mural.

In 1997 the mural was under threat to be painted over by the artist Robert Wyland who wanted to paint his 74th "Whailing Wall," "Orca Passage," over the top of "The Runners."[4] Indianapolis writer, Steve Mannheimer, called Wyland's efforts to paint over McQuiston's mural a "leviathan injustice,"[5] and quickly garnered significant public opinion to force Wyland to choose a different location. McQuiston's mural remained in place mainly because, as McQuiston stated, many supporters "stepped forward with so many calls and letters to the mayor."[6] Wyland's mural was painted at 120 West Walnut Street and finished in September 1997.

Artist

James W. McQuiston is an architect who was at the time of the mural's creating was working for the Indianapolis-based firm Woollen Associates. He was 26 years old when he won the competition and now works as an architect in Indianapolis.[7]

Condition

Since it was created in 1975, the mural has never been repainted or altered.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "2d 'Urban Wall' Design To Decorate Bank Annex". The Indianapolis Star. 21 August 1975. p. 16.
  2. ↑ "Today's Pictures". The Indianapolis Star. 21 November 1974. p. 74.
  3. ↑ "Art Work on Walls (Editorial)". The Indianapolis Star. 22 August 1975. p. 28.
  4. ↑ Mannheimer, Steve (29 July 1997). "A Big Brushoff". The Indianapolis Star. p. 1.
  5. ↑ Mannheimer, Steve (3 August 1997). "Weyland's whale-beaching proposal would wreak a leviathan injustice". The Indianapolis Star.
  6. ↑ Mannheimer, Steve (22 August 1997). "Mural site moved, solving a whale of a problem". The Indianapolis Star.
  7. ↑ "J W McQuiston Architecture/ Interior Design Firm Profile Page". www.jwmcq.com. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
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