Indianapolis native, Barb Stahl, is a well-known fine artist and muralist. For more than twenty years she has been dotting the city with her artwork, large and small. You might recognize her work from the larger-than-life Pacers schedule wall just outside of Banker’s Life Fieldhouse.
Recently, Barb created a mural that celebrates the rich history of Brownsburg and, at the same time, celebrates future developments and growth. The mural can be seen at our Brownsburg location at 1280 N. Green Street. The project is part of a larger collaboration with the Arts Council of Indianapolis – the Every Part Matters Mural Project.
DEVELOP
The town of Brownsburg has seen numerous changes and developments in recent years. To create space for new buildings and businesses, the community had to say goodbye to some well-known landmarks, like the old St. Malachy church.
While brainstorming for this project the word “Develop” was used so frequently that it actually became the main focus of the mural.
“The word “develop” stood out to me,” said mural artist, Barb Stahl. “When I was in college we studied photography in the darkroom and I thought about how the developing trays could show off historic landmarks without doing a classic photo collage.”
RESEARCH
Before the mural design could be completed, Barb had to do her research. She headed to the state library to get some real-life photo inspiration. She spent about 20-25 hours researching and designing the mural.
In the completed mural design, the developed photos represent the past and present: the Malachy church, the little league, an old train, and numerous other tributes to Brownsburg. Below, the developing trays are showing a glimpse of the future: the redeveloped Green Street and more future projects.
CREATE
Barb wanted the mural to be painted with detail so she opted to paint it in her studio on a large piece of Dibond. The 8’ x 20’ piece of aluminum took up the entire back wall of her studio. The whole mural took about a gallon of primer and eight quarts of different colors of paint. The actual exterior wall of the Brownsburg Jiffy Lube also got a few coats of paint to make it appear to be an actual page out of an old photo album. Three binder rings were added to the corner of the building to make the photo album come to life. In addition to the research and development time, it took about 80 hours to complete.
CELEBRATE
To celebrate the past, present, and future the windows were left reflective. “No matter where you stand you get a different reflection,” said Barb. “This allows you to view the ever-changing landscape of Brownsburg and gives you a chance to be part of the mural with your own reflection.”
“I believe the mural has had a positive impact,” said Lonnie Hinkle, Jiffy Lube Indiana COO. “I have seen this first-hand; people that are on both sides of development in the Town of Brownsburg have appreciated it. Most of the guest comments praise about our support of art.”You can connect with Barb through the following channels:
Five other murals were completed in 2018 and five more will be added in 2019. The 2018 mural artists and locations are:
Blend Creative Minds — 5444 W. 38th St. (International Marketplace)
Craig Martin — 2 S. Earl Avenue (Lafayette)
William Denton Ray — 6275 N. Keystone Avenue (Glendale)
Shamira Wilson Young — 5630 N. Georgetown Road
Carl Leck — 8175 Allisonville Road (Castleton)
The Every Part Matters mural project is Jiffy Lube of Indiana’s commitment to public art that provides both internal and external benefits to our people and the communities in which we work and live. “We work hard to challenge our employees to reach their full potential and to expose them to things that may be outside their typical comfort zone,” explains Jiffy Lube owner Steve Sanner. Find a Jiffy Lube of Indiana location near you.
