Chakaia Booker: Mass Transit (July 2008 - April 2009)

Chakaia Booker is well known for her innovative use of tires as a sculptural material. She cuts, shapes, folds, and then weaves the rubber onto armatures, turning a once mundane material into dynamic, highly textured artworks. In 2007, Art Strategies Principal, Mindy Taylor Ross, began working with Ms. Booker to create a temporary public art exhibition specifically for downtown Indianapolis, the city know for the Indianapolis 500 and its car culture. The result was Chakaia Booker: Mass Transit, which featured nine new sculptures created following the artist’s visits to the city and research into the city's history and heritage. In addition, a tenth sculpture -- an earlier work by the artist -- was installed at the Indianapolis Art Center. The exhibition was produced by Ross for the Arts Council of Indianapolis and the Indianapolis Cultural Development Commission.

The Indianapolis project established two firsts for the highly regarded artist: it was both her largest outdoor urban exhibition, and the first composed of artworks created specifically for a community.

Pass the Buck, 2008
Rubber tires & stainless steel
8 x 8 x 8 feet

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Chakaia Booker: Mass Transit

A display of 10 sculptures by the artist made from her signature material, recycled tires. Nine sculptures were commissioned specifically for the Indianapolis show. This was the largest public project ever completed by the artist and it afforded her the opportunity to stretch her practice by increasing the scale of her work and by using non-steel belted radial tires so as to ensure safe public interaction.

Holler, 2008
Rubber tires & stainless steel
8 x 4 x 5 feet

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Sustainable Hope, 2008
Rubber tires & stainless steel
8 x 5 x 4 feet

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Sustainable Hope, 2008
Rubber tires & stainless steel
8 x 5 x 4 feet

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Gridlock, 2008
Rubber tires and stainless steel
9 feet tall, width and depth vary by installation

Location: Southwest corner of Washington & Capitol Sts., adjacent to Simon Headquarters