Here I Grew Up
Encyclopedia
Here I Grew Up, is a public artwork by American
artist Garo Z. Antreasian, located on the lower level of the Indiana Government Center North
building, which is near Indianapolis, Indiana
, United States
. This mosaic
depicting five stages of Abraham Lincoln
's life in Indiana
between the ages of 7 and 21 can be found on the west side of the building by the escalators leading down to the tunnel to Indiana Government Center South. The mosaic is located between the cafeteria's entrance and an automated teller machine
.
marble wall that measures 70 ft. in length and 25 ft. in height. It contains over 300,000 hand-cut pieces of Bysantine Smalti (Glass tiles
) in 87 different hues. These tiles measure approximately 3/8" x 5/8" x 1/9" thick and were imported from Murano
, Italy. The design for the mural was chosen as a winning entry for an art competition held in December 1959, by the Indiana State Office Building Commission. Antreasian's mural entry, along with Young Abe Lincoln (sculpture) by David Rubins, was selected by a jury to commemorate Abraham Lincoln's formative years in Indiana. Antreasian's full-scale color drawings of the Abraham Lincoln figures took six months to complete.
graduate Ralph Peck and his assistant, Mrs. Charles Pitts. Before Peck and his assistant began their work, the marble wall in the Indiana Government Center North was sandblasted to proper depth by using a full-size sketch of the mural as a guide. Peck and his assistant then affixed the glass tiles to the reverse side of Antreasian's sketches that were printed on a large roll of paper. The pair then cut out each Lincoln section, called a cartoon, and coded the square and rectangle pieces for coloring and positioning. It took one year to set the pieces in mortar.
Before the mosaic was unveiled to the public, lettering and brass
edging for the mosaic figures were added to the wall. The title of the piece, "Here I Grew Up", is located right of center in gold, cursive letters with a height of 14.6 inches. "Here I Grew Up" is a quotation from Abraham Lincoln regarding his time spent in Indiana. Below the title, the following commemoration appear in brass letters that measure 3.1 inches in height: "Abraham Lincoln, our finest contribution to civilization shaped on the soil of Indiana from age 7 to 21". Original plans for the commemoration indicated a difference in Lincoln's age: "Abraham Lincoln, Our Finest Contribution to Civilization, Shaped on the Soil of Indiana From Age 8 to 21."
:
A red and brown compass depicts cardinal directions with four large points and cursive letters: "W", "N", "E", and "S". Between each letter there are three smaller brown points. The compass has a dark brown circle in its center, with light brown, cream, and red rings.
, where he was an artist-correspondent with the United States Coast Guard
. Antreasian returned to Indianapolis in 1946, and graduated from the Herron School of Art
in 1948. Beginning in the 1950s he was a faculty member at the Herron School of Art and he relocated to the University of New Mexico
in 1970. He also was the technical director of the first modern lithography
print shop, Tamarind Lithography Workshop, in Los Angeles, California
.
Before designing Here I Grew Up, Antreasian completed several projects around the city of Indianapolis and the state of Indiana that depicted Indiana history and landmarks. In 1956, he was commissioned by Indiana University
to design a mural about the history of the school since its founding in 1820.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist Garo Z. Antreasian, located on the lower level of the Indiana Government Center North
Indiana Government Center North
Indiana Government Center North is a high rise in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was completed in 1960 and has 14 floors. It is primarily used for office spaces for the government of Indiana.-External links:**...
building, which is near Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. This mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
depicting five stages of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
's life in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
between the ages of 7 and 21 can be found on the west side of the building by the escalators leading down to the tunnel to Indiana Government Center South. The mosaic is located between the cafeteria's entrance and an automated teller machine
Automated teller machine
An automated teller machine or automatic teller machine, also known as a Cashpoint , cash machine or sometimes a hole in the wall in British English, is a computerised telecommunications device that provides the clients of a financial institution with access to financial transactions in a public...
.
Description
Here I Grew Up is a mosaic mural on a travertineTravertine
Travertine is a form of limestone deposited by mineral springs, especially hot springs. Travertine often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, and cream-colored varieties. It is formed by a process of rapid precipitation of calcium carbonate, often at the mouth of a hot...
marble wall that measures 70 ft. in length and 25 ft. in height. It contains over 300,000 hand-cut pieces of Bysantine Smalti (Glass tiles
Glass tiles
Glass tiles are pieces of glass formed into consistent shapes. Glass was used in mosaics as early as 2500 BC, but it took until the 3rd Century BC before innovative artisans in Greece, Persia and India created glass tiles....
) in 87 different hues. These tiles measure approximately 3/8" x 5/8" x 1/9" thick and were imported from Murano
Murano
Murano is a series of islands linked by bridges in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy. It lies about 1.5 km north of Venice and measures about across with a population of just over 5,000 . It is famous for its glass making, particularly lampworking...
, Italy. The design for the mural was chosen as a winning entry for an art competition held in December 1959, by the Indiana State Office Building Commission. Antreasian's mural entry, along with Young Abe Lincoln (sculpture) by David Rubins, was selected by a jury to commemorate Abraham Lincoln's formative years in Indiana. Antreasian's full-scale color drawings of the Abraham Lincoln figures took six months to complete.
Fabrication
The fabrication of the mural was completed by Herron School of ArtHerron School of Art
Herron School of Art and Design, a school of Indiana University, was ranked 45th overall by U.S. News and World Report among graduate schools of fine arts in 2008....
graduate Ralph Peck and his assistant, Mrs. Charles Pitts. Before Peck and his assistant began their work, the marble wall in the Indiana Government Center North was sandblasted to proper depth by using a full-size sketch of the mural as a guide. Peck and his assistant then affixed the glass tiles to the reverse side of Antreasian's sketches that were printed on a large roll of paper. The pair then cut out each Lincoln section, called a cartoon, and coded the square and rectangle pieces for coloring and positioning. It took one year to set the pieces in mortar.
Before the mosaic was unveiled to the public, lettering and brass
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
edging for the mosaic figures were added to the wall. The title of the piece, "Here I Grew Up", is located right of center in gold, cursive letters with a height of 14.6 inches. "Here I Grew Up" is a quotation from Abraham Lincoln regarding his time spent in Indiana. Below the title, the following commemoration appear in brass letters that measure 3.1 inches in height: "Abraham Lincoln, our finest contribution to civilization shaped on the soil of Indiana from age 7 to 21". Original plans for the commemoration indicated a difference in Lincoln's age: "Abraham Lincoln, Our Finest Contribution to Civilization, Shaped on the Soil of Indiana From Age 8 to 21."
Scenes
The scenes of Lincoln's life in Indiana form a map around the Ohio RiverOhio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
:
- Backwoods Stump Speaker (bottom right): A barefoot, clean-shaven Lincoln holds his blue suspender with his proper right hand and points upward with his proper left hand. He wears a white, short-sleeved shirt and red pants with a hemline that falls above his ankles. He stands among a partially cleared forest, with at least four tree trunks. The Lincoln figure is silhouetted by a dark brown border, which gradually fades into a lighter gradient of brown tiles.
- Taking Grain to the Mill (top center): The next Lincoln figure straddles a white horse with a brown mane. This side profile of Lincoln, barefoot and clean-shaven, shows him wearing a peach-colored tank top with black pants that again hover above his ankles. He sits with one hand holding a book open, the other resting upon the back of the horse. Behind him, a red bag and sacks of grain are tied to the horse's back. Lincoln and the horse are outlined by a dark brown border and a lighter gradient of brown tiles. The pair are traveling through or posing in front of the town of Gentryville, IndianaGentryville, IndianaGentryville is a town in Jackson Township, Spencer County, Indiana, United States. The population was 268 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Gentryville is located at ....
which is depicted by four houses. The town name is labeled with capital letters. The single-story houses are three dimensional with rectangles representing doors and windows. Two have chimneys.
- The Statesmen (top left): Lincoln appears as an adult in front of a waving American flag and a bald eagle. He stands, chest forward, with his arms at his side. He sports a full beard, a long, dark grey suit coat, black vest, white shirt, and black shoes. He holds a half-way rolled up document in his proper right hand.
- The Pensive Student (bottom left): Directly below the patriotic scene, Lincoln again appears as a youth, clean-shaven, but clothed in a yellow vest, a light brown long-sleeved shirt and red pants. He straddles a felled log, and his boots are calf-length. He holds a blue document or book, while his other hand supports his chin as he ponders.
- Flat Boat Trip to New Orleans (bottom center): A smaller stream juts out from the main body of the Ohio River. This stream is called Pigeon Creek, labeled with capital letters. Further on, a shirtless and barefoot Lincoln with a well-defined chest is gripping a long black stick with two hands as he propels himself on a raft along the waterway. At his feet rest abstract, geometric shapes that may represent his belongings. He wears blue pants with thick black stripes. In the background, a two-story home with four white pillars is present. Next to this house stands a two-story building with a red steeple, and a small, brown shack with a front porch. The buildings are surrounded by a green lawn.
A red and brown compass depicts cardinal directions with four large points and cursive letters: "W", "N", "E", and "S". Between each letter there are three smaller brown points. The compass has a dark brown circle in its center, with light brown, cream, and red rings.
Historical information
Construction of Here I Grew Up and the Rubin sculpture of Lincoln was postponed for at least a year after the art competition by the Indiana State Office Building Commission. The mosaic alone cost $35,280 in 1962, leading some members of the commission, such as chairman Indiana Lieutenant Governor Crawford F. Parker, to oppose funding the art in order to allocate taxpayer money to social welfare projects. In 1961, one of the jury members who helped select the winning entries for the competition wrote to then Governor of Indiana, Matthew E. Welsh, on behalf of the mosaic and the statue of Lincoln:Location history
After the mosaic was completed in the lobby of the State Office building, located west of the Indiana Statehouse, worker offices shared the space and fabric banners were mounted to reduce noise. With the office infrastructure and banners in place, only portions of the mosaic were visible. Plans were made in the late 1980s to demolish the lobby that housed the mosaic to make way for office expansion. The director of the Indiana State Office Building Commission, John C. Fleck, estimated that the removal and re-installation of the mural would cost $155,000. However, the building remains and is now called Indiana Government Center North. The $220 million office complex expansion resulted in the construction of a new office building, Indiana Government Center South; renovation of Indiana Government Center North, and two parking garages.Artist
Garo Z. Antreasian (born 1922) is a native of Indianapolis, Indiana. His career began as an artist in World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, where he was an artist-correspondent with the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
. Antreasian returned to Indianapolis in 1946, and graduated from the Herron School of Art
Herron School of Art
Herron School of Art and Design, a school of Indiana University, was ranked 45th overall by U.S. News and World Report among graduate schools of fine arts in 2008....
in 1948. Beginning in the 1950s he was a faculty member at the Herron School of Art and he relocated to the University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
in 1970. He also was the technical director of the first modern lithography
Lithography
Lithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...
print shop, Tamarind Lithography Workshop, in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
Before designing Here I Grew Up, Antreasian completed several projects around the city of Indianapolis and the state of Indiana that depicted Indiana history and landmarks. In 1956, he was commissioned by Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
to design a mural about the history of the school since its founding in 1820.