Back to the NCAA Newsfeed

March Madness Brings Vibrant Art and Energy to Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS — It was a city full of color. Masked people in lightweight jackets strolled around Monument Circle here on Saturday, the light breeze tossing women’s ponytails. Strains of lilting flute music piped over the loudspeakers dueled with “Party in the U.S.A.” from the South Bend Chocolate Company’s storefront. Water from the Soldiers and Sailors Monument fountain rushed in the background.

And, around a city that a year ago saw empty streets and was very much shuttered, nearly 50 pieces of vibrant art and poetry installations filled formerly vacant windows and the Indianapolis International Airport.

The Arts Council of Indianapolis recruited nearly 600 Indiana-based artists and creative professionals to install outdoor art Downtown as part of a free three-week cultural festival, “Swish,” that is running in conjunction with the 2021 N.