NEWS: WNBA All-Star Weekend Muralist Shares her Inspiration

INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis is hosting a series of free art and culture events as part of the WNBA All-Star festivities, featuring murals, sculptures, and live performances across the city.

The events, organized by the Indy Arts Council in partnership with the WNBA All-Star Host Committee, aim to bring a wide variety of experiences to downtown Indianapolis.

“I want to emphasize it’s all free. So, please come down,” Indy Arts Council’s Melissa Rowe said. “(Come) enjoy live music presented by Musical Family Tree. Enjoy live dance pop-ups all around the city produced by Indy Dance Council. There’s going to be a salsa dance party, a dance cam, and a silent disco. We’re going to have a lot going on at Monument Circle.”

Ashley Nora is a local artist whose mural is featured at Monument Circle. She said, “Art for me is about storytelling and the legacy that you want to leave behind.”

Nora’s new piece shows a hand lifting up flower-adorned basketball that’s pushing through shattered glass. During a visit with WISH-TV’s Daybreak, she explained the three roses as a way to celebrate, or “give flowers” to the city. The jagged glass is a clear message, too.

“I wanted to represent all women shattering this glass,” she said, adding that her own children are part of her motivation. “I hate when people tell us the sky is the limit. How could you say that when there’s footprints literally on the moon, right? There are no limits. Our only limits are ourselves. And our women every day are proving that, especially our (Indiana) Fever. They are proving that in Indianapolis Arts Council, we’re proving that and just look, go downtown and see the activation, see the dancers, the music. All of this is free for us to enjoy and for my little girls to know that there are aren’t any limits and any dream is possible!”

Several of the events also celebrate the Indiana Black Expo Summer Celebration.

“I think it’s beautiful,” Rowe said in summing up the overall weekend. “I’m excited. I’m thankful for the opportunity. I’m thankful that everyone is responding to it in the way that they are. My children are excited about it. Everyone is pretty excited about it!”

Art & All-Stars: WNBA All-Star Weekend Muralist Shares her Inspiration  was originally published on wibc.com