The 500 Festival
500 Festival Celebrates 50th Anniversary Legacy Art Project
500 Festival 50th Anniversary Legacy Art Project
The Tent
Photo by Banyote Photography
The 500 Festival's 50th Anniversary Legacy Art Project is located in Celebration Plaza in White River State Park in downtown Indianapolis. This major and permanent art piece titled, “The Tent,” stands 43’ tall and 14’ wide. “The Tent” is a wind activated sculpture and was built from tubular stainless steel. It has nearly 500 panels of polished stainless steel and is painted on the outside with 23 colors of Spraylet environmentally friendly paint. It is dramatically lit by metal halide lights.
The 500 Festival Legacy Art Project celebrates the impact the 500 Festival has had on the community. The sculpture is the Festival’s gift to the community and pays tribute to community and volunteer spirit during the Festival’s first 50 impactful years.
The Tent was created by internationally-renowned artist Donald Lipski. Lipski lives in Philadelphia, but his public art and sculptures are known throughout the world. He has won numerous awards, including The Rome Prize and a Guggenheim Fellowship. His work is included in dozens of public collections including The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Whitney Museum; The Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego; and the The Indianapolis Museum of Art. You may enjoy other examples of his public art and sculptures if you visit cities such as Denver, Miami, Washington, DC, Kansas City or New York.
Lipski was chosen by the 500 Festival’s 50th Anniversary Artist Selection Committee, which was organized by the 500 Festival, with support from the Arts Council of Indianapolis and is comprised of representatives from the 500 Festival, the 500 Festival Foundation as well as representatives from the Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art, Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Herron School of Art and Design, Expo Design and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
© 2008 500 Festival