Starting in 1950, a group of Black families built a neighborhood just off Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street. Veterans had returned to Indianapolis after the war, and a self-help housing program organized a way for families to afford dwellings that would build wealth in the Black community.

After the men left their fulltime jobs for the day, they invested at least 20 hours more each week into constructing their own homes. They taught one another carpentry skills, traded best practices on how to wire the rooms with electricity and, in the process, created neighborhood bonds that have lasted nearly 70 years.

The Flanner House Homes still stand, and they have been on the National Register of Historic Places for almost two decades. But their prominent placement downtown — just west of the busy Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street and north of Crispus Attucks High School — doesn't guarantee that their story is well-known.

Enter Aleta Hodge, who grew up in the neighborhood where her parents helped build homes. Her research is encapsulated in a new artwork called "African American Sweat Equity in the 1950s" in Graham Martin Park. A framed portrait of a Black couple celebrates the families who built the area, and an audio-visual component brings the sounds to life.

"Sweat Equity" is one of 106 pieces of art that comprise Indy Art & Seek, a scavenger hunt that tells stories inside about 25 Indianapolis neighborhoods. Hodge, who is an author and historian, is one of 72 artists, writers, dancers and musicians who are expanding on traditional ideas about public art. With an app that doles out prizes and points with "Pokemon Go"-style flair, people can tour the artwork and open up bonus videos and audio for a multi-sensory experience.

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The results are leading to what those involved are calling "moments of delight" and some much-needed relief during the coronavirus pandemic.

"Even though the scale is little, its scale is so large in terms of the community and everyone who was part of it," said Alejandra Lagunas, the arts engagement project coordinator for Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, one of the partners that organized the hunt.

How the scavenger hunt works

The collage that stands at a street corner in Riverside is one of the easier artworks to spot in the scavenger hunt. On one side is the neighborhood's past — the old Bush Stadium, the Soap Box Derby, the famous Mr. Bendo who leans over 16th Street, and the former Riverside Amusement Park that had largely banned Black visitors for years.

On the other side are pictures and symbols of Riverside's present and future. It includes a neighborhood reunion, community leaders, the Riverside Park recreation center and the new townhouses were the amusement park once was.

"Seeing this piece lets (kids) know that somebody from the neighborhood did this," artist Chrystopher Burns said.

"Riverside on the Brain" stands at the corner of 18th and Mansfield streets, just a handful of houses down from where Burns grew up. Like the other work in Art & Seek, the piece is marked by a pin on the app that will guide people through the hunt.

Here's how it works:

The pink pins show the smaller artworks, the purple ones are larger projects in greenspaces, and the red ones mark pieces that aren't yet in place. Tapping a pin, and then the title of the artwork, will lead you to more information about it.

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Your phone will track when you are physically visiting an artwork, and you can earn badges and real-life prizes by touching the ribbon in the upper lefthand corner of the screen. Paper maps will be available by the end of the month at the headquarters for the Arts Council of Indianapolis and Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, which organized the project.

To win themed swag from Art and Seek and the organizers, you'll need to earn all seven badges in the app.

Except for six larger permanent pieces, the 100 art interventions will stay up until the end of the year. If the state has to lock down again because of rising coronavirus cases, they will remain in place through the spring, said Julia Muney Moore, director of public art for the Arts Council of Indianapolis.

Many of the pieces, like Burns' and Hodge's work, relate directly to neighborhood history. Some of those lean on more than visual art. "Midnight Mind Melt" comprised three performances along Indiana Avenue that confronted the erasure of Black culture from what was once a hub. Video of artists Devon Ginn, Okara Imani and Danicia Monét performing to consecrate the locations is the app.

Off East 31st Street and North Lesley Avenue, Megan Jefferson wove a rose into the fence to symbolize the way the nearby Eastern Star Church has helped its community blossom. Robin Toulouse used images of Emerson Heights as the backdrops to scenes in tiny dioramas. And kids contributed to photos of favorite objects in the open-air Cubitos Gallery in Haughville in a project led by Stephen Lane, Eduardo Luna and other artists.

How neighborhoods were chosen for the hunt

As a child, Hodge went to plays and concerts at Crispus Attucks, watching the young artists who were rising to the top of a community brimming with talented performers. She went to the Madam Walker Theatre to watch movies and attended Indianapolis Public School No. 23 and Shortridge High School before her family moved to California. Hodge now lives downtown.

"Every time I drove down Indiana Avenue, I would get angry that there weren't any signs, artwork, statues proclaiming all the wonderful music heritage," she said.

So Hodge wrote "Indiana Avenue: Life and Musical Journey from 1915 to 2015" in 2018. When she encountered the callout for artists for Art & Seek, she saw how her research, and her own family's story, could reach more people. In addition to "Sweat Equity," "Crispus Attucks Music Legends" honors eight famous musicians from Attucks and has an audio component for visitors to listen to their music. It sits on the northeast side of Indiana Avenue and North West Street.

Art & Seek focuses on neighborhoods that haven't seen as much public art investment, including the west side, east side and several blocks north of 30th Street, Moore said. Residents reached out to the council and Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, and they were then matched up with artists who lived in or were familiar with their communities.

The project was one in a group of proposals geared toward arts and cultural innovation that the Lilly Endowment funded in 2018. Art & Seek received $674,520 of the total $48.8 million.

"There's a lot of great stuff going on in the (Art & Seek) neighborhoods; there are a lot of artists that live in the neighborhoods," Moore said. "We really wanted to make a project that incentivizes people to work where they live because they're the ones who know the neighborhoods best."

Michael Alkemi Jordan grew up in Lockefield Gardens and on the northeast side, but he spent a lot of time in the area of West 32nd and Clifton streets, like when he met jazz legend Billy Wooten at The 19th Hole, a former club. His new permanent mural in the underpass, called "The Elements of the People," celebrates people, landmarks and activities.

"I just put in different things that happened and was going around in the neighborhood, things that people did on an everyday basis," Jordan said. "Every day, there's some little girl getting her hair braided."

The people and places overlay the themes of air, fire, water and earth — elements Jordan said we are in the midst of constantly.

Public feedback is important to the project, and the Arts Council is able to track the volume of visits to the pieces. More than that, Art & Seek has planted ideas for more art that will change the way people experience the city.

"This project, I think, created longlasting relationships with artists and with our community partners," Lagunas said. "A lot of these projects are also catalysts for bigger projects that those communities are already thinking about."

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Contact IndyStar reporter Domenica Bongiovanni at 317-444-7339 or [email protected]. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter: @domenicareports.

Funding Will Help Food Banks to Supply Meals to Residents Facing Food Insecurity This Holiday Season

The American Water Charitable Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization established by American Water, the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the U.S., and Indiana American Water announced today that the Foundation awarded a total of $44,000 in State Strategic Impact grants to four hunger relief organizations to help address food insecurity in the Hoosier State.

“This contribution from the American Water Charitable Foundation is tremendous investment in our community. We are honored to be the recipient of the funds that will directly support our Mobile Market program, “said Victor Garcia, Executive Director of Foodbank of Northwest Indiana. “This [grant] will translate into approximately 60,000 meals for neighbors in our community. It takes partners like American Water to move the needle on food insecurity.”

The following organizations, located in or serving Indiana American Water communities, are recipients of this year’s grants:

"During the holiday season, it's vital to remember those in need. Donating to hunger relief organizations provides essential nourishment and also brings hope and joy to families facing difficult times," said Matthew Prine, president of Indiana American Water. "We are deeply honored to partner with these organizations, helping ensure our support reaches the communities where it is needed most. Together, we can make a profound difference and spread the true spirit of the season."

It is estimated that the food insecurity rate in Indiana is 13.2%, meaning 1 in 8 Hoosiers struggle to access enough nutritious food. Food insecurity can lead to serious health issues like malnutrition and chronic diseases, as well as mental health problems such as stress and depression. It also affects children's development and has broader economic and social impacts, including increased healthcare costs and social isolation.

"We are so grateful for this donation from Indiana American Water," said Cory Kloep, Second Helpings' Chief Operations Officer. "There is always higher demand for food assistance in the winter, so this gift will have an immediate impact on our operations and with our partner organizations across central Indiana."

The State Strategic Impact grant is part of the 2024 Keep Communities Flowing Grant Program, focusing on three pillars of giving: Water, People and Communities. State Strategic Impact grants support high-impact projects and initiatives throughout American Water’s national footprint.

“The American Water Charitable Foundation is pleased to partner with organizations that align with Indiana American Water and help address food insecurity in the Hoosier State,” said Carrie Williams, President, American Water Charitable Foundation.

About American Water

American Water (NYSE: AWK) is the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the United States. With a history dating back to 1886, We Keep Life Flowing® by providing safe, clean, reliable and affordable drinking water and wastewater services to more than 14 million people with regulated operations in 14 states and on 18 military installations. American Water’s 6,500 talented professionals leverage their significant expertise and the company’s national size and scale to achieve excellent outcomes for the benefit of customers, employees, investors and other stakeholders.

For more information, visit amwater.com and join American Water on LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Instagram.

About American Water Charitable Foundation

The American Water Charitable Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides a formal way to demonstrate the company’s ongoing commitment to be a good neighbor, citizen, and contributor to the communities where American Water and its employees live, work and operate. For more information, visit amwater.com/awcf.

About Indiana American Water

Indiana American Water, a subsidiary of American Water is the largest regulated water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and wastewater services to approximately 1.4 million people.