February 23rd was a really good day at work. It was the kind of day that leaves you smiling for a long time even after you get home. On Tuesday, February 23rd, the Indianapolis Airport Authority unveiled a massive vinyl mural of the first self-made Black female millionaire, Madam C.J. Walker.
This mural was almost a year in the making, beginning as an idea inspired by the recent renovations to the Madam Walker Theatre and the Bicentennial Legend’s mural series developed by the Arts Council of Indianapolis. The mural depicts the story of Indy’s legendary entrepreneur Madam C.J. Walker and the lasting impact she had on the legacy of Indiana Avenue, the iconic Walker Theatre and the City of Indianapolis. The project is also endorsed by the Indianapolis Bicentennial Commission as an official Bicentennial Community Project.
The mural is located on a 75-foot stretch of construction wall in a prominent location of the airport’s public access Civic Plaza. The walls were originally built to conceal the construction of new restaurants and shops, but some of those openings have been delayed due to COVID-19. Just like everyone else during the pandemic, we pivoted and found a creative solution for those walls with public art.
In September of 2020, the IAA partnered with the Arts Council of Indianapolis and the Madam Walker Legacy Center to release a national call for digital artists to create a design for this temporary mural. We received applications from all over the country, it was truly inspiring to see how many artists were interested in promoting Madam Walker’s legacy. Local artist Tasha Beckwith was unanimously chosen as the finalist.
Tasha’s work blew us all away. The narrative of her piece, Entrepreneurs Awakening: The Making of a Legacy, begins with Madam Walker’s humble beginnings as Sarah Breedlove and morphs into her status as the wealthy and prominent Walker sharing her success with other Black women. Tasha intentionally designed the mural to show Madam Walker’s legacy alongside figures of current-day Black women inspiring them and – men and women of all backgrounds – to follow their dreams as Walker did and become their generation’s own Madam C.J. Walker.
Tasha’s artwork is on display now through well into 2022, so there’s still plenty of time to see the mural in-person even if you don’t have plans to fly soon! The artwork is a wonderful addition to the already robust art program at IND, and a great way to continue to celebrate Black History beyond the month of February. As a local artist myself as well as an arts administrator, I find a lot of joy in connecting artists with opportunities like this one that can have a significant impact on an emerging artist’s career. Public art is a crucial part of how we connect people to place, time, and culture. Travelers visiting Indy for the first time will love this piece, not only for its beautiful composition but to learn more about this legendary Indy icon.
MEET KATIE NORMAN
Katie Norman is an emerging Indy artist and public art advocate. She graduated from Ball State University with a B.F.A in Drawing and a B.A. in Art History in 2016. She spends her days as the Arts Program and Marketing Specialist at the Indianapolis International Airport and her evenings making her own artwork. Katie also serves as Secretary of the Indianapolis Cultural Trail Young Professionals Board and is member of IndyHub’s 1828 Leadership Project, Class X.
