INDIANAPOLIS — The crowd for NBA All-Star Weekend will leave Indianapolis after a few days, but several pieces of basketball-themed art will last long after the tourists are gone.
A collective of artists recently completed a mural underneath the Pennsylvania Street railroad underpass, steps away from Gainbridge Fieldhouse.Another installation, known as Hoosier Historia, features 24 super-sized basketballs all painted by local artists. Each basketball highlights a chapter of Indiana basketball history, such as the 1954 Milan High School state championship team and the fieldhouses in New Castle and Seymour.
Several of the Hoosier Historia basketballs are now on Monument Circle, which proved to be educational for some fans from Indiana. "Theres a lot of Indiana history on them, we're going to check them out and learn some things we didn't know before," said Brent White, an Indianapolis native who checked out the Circle on a break from work."This looks amazing so far. The art, the stages, the lights. Everything looks real good."
The 24 Hoosier Historia balls will all find permanent homes across Indiana after All-Star Weekend ends.