This handmade mosaic tile mural has two distinct stories to tell. On the street-facing side, Legacy, Hope, Community portrays the landscape of the community where the mural sits, with its houses, churches, legacy baseball field, and a bright sun indicating a hopeful future. On the garden-facing side, Celestial Circles depicts the values the community holds dear hope, beauty, peace, spirituality, transformation, and legacy. The artist created the mural with the design and
fabrication assistance of the Forest Manor community.
The mural was created as part of Indy Art & Seek, a project by Indy Arts Council and Keep Indianapolis Beautiful to pair artists and communities to create site-specific art that encourages neighborhood residents to see their surroundings in new ways.
Barbara Zech is a contemporary ceramic artist based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Zech exhibits locally and nationally, and travels often for art-related ventures. She has made numerous trips to Africa, where she co-founded a craft
micro-enterprise for HIV+ individuals in Kenya; and participated in the International Ceramic Workshop in Malawi. Zech earned a BFA from Herron School of Art in 1995, and has been an art educator providing creative therapeutic experiences for people with disabilities. Zechs original ceramic wall pieces and handcrafted custom tile can be found in residential and public spaces throughout central Indiana. Her community tile installations can be seen
at various area schools, including the Indiana Deaf Schools Monon gateway sculpture made up of American Sign Language tiles.
