5x5 Wrap Up

The summer may be drawing to a close, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t fun new things to be looking for in Indianapolis in the coming months—who knows, you might even find some of them “overwhelming.” (You’ll get the pun here in a second.)

Another 5x5 competition has come and gone, and we at the Harrison Center are happy to congratulate Kristopher Owens for winning the Re:Mix competition with his “Overwhelming Underpass” idea to revitalize Indianapolis underpasses. (You can laugh at the aforementioned pun now.) Kristopher’s idea won first place and $10,000 to build a community corps that will be focused on re-imagining city underpasses so that they are more user-friendly with better lighting, landscaping and public art.

As of right now, Kristopher has already met with members of the Arts Council of Indianapolis and narrowed down a selection of artists to two that will be decided between to paint a large mural at the underpass on 11th and Alabama. He will be meeting with the Arts Council again, as well as neighborhood leaders in the area to finalize the project outlines. It is also possible that we may get to see this community corps undertake similar projects around the city in the coming months.

Kristopher’s idea was accepted and chosen partially because it fit perfectly with the overall theme of our 5x5 ideas competition which was focused on “remixing” disciplines, or spinning culture, community, and place in a way that makes our urban neighborhoods stronger. “Overwhelming Underpass” does that well, and we’re excited to see what comes of Kristopher’s work.

Overall, the night was, in our minds, a resounding success and we appreciate the participation of every volunteer, group, and creative mind that helped it happen. Between the Trail “Mix” bar, donated beer from Sun King Brewing, and the thrilling music performance of the multi-piece band Souled Out Entertainment, it was a night to remember.

We had over 400 guests in attendance of the 5x5 Re:Mix event, and we’ve set the bar even higher for future events. So start thinking about what groundbreaking ideas you may have to shake up Indianapolis. You could be the one walking out our doors with a grant to do the next big thing.

We’re looking forward to your submissions.