On Feb. 5, the past, present and future of public art in American cities will be the focus of discussion through the Building Vibrant Cities Through Art at the University of Indianapolis.
Featuring local and national arts leaders, the event will run from 11:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., opening with lunch at Schwitzer Student Center, 1400 E. Hanna Ave., and closing with a reception at the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center. Admission is free, but seating is limited. Attendees must register at uindyfairbankssymposium2016.eventbrite.com. Info: 788-2196.
Participants will include Jim Walker, executive director of Big Car Collaborative; Mark Ruschman, chief fine arts curator of Indiana State Museum & Historic Sites; and Joanna Taft, executive director of the Harrison Center for the Arts.
In conjunction with the event, the exhibit “Public Art in Indy: Roland Hobart and a New Era in the City” will be displayed through Feb. 12. Spotlighted in the show is the work of Hobart, designer of one of the city’s first substantial public art projects: a towering outdoor mural along Delaware Street commissioned for the Indianapolis Urban Walls Project in 1973.