Fountain Square fountains coexist

Earlier this month, I posted a blurb mentioning Fountain Square and that I noticed, on a recent visit, that the Pioneer Family sculpture that once served as the centerpiece for the main fountain had returned to the square, and that it had been positioned in a plaza off to the side of the primary fountain position where the recast Lady Spray sculpture stood at the convergence of the three streets that form the visual heart of that neighborhood and business district. I lamented how I did not have a camera with me to document the Pioneer Family's return.

Well, I made another visit to Fountain Square on Saturday, and this time I brought my camera. Not only did I photograph Pioneer Family sculpture (which serves as the centerpiece for a newer, secondary fountain), but took pictures of that cultural district's "GO Ahead & Play" piano, one of 20 artly decorated real pianos installed as temporary outdoor institutional art throughout Indianapolis and in Carmel on Aug. 1 to entice and/or inspire anyone who wanted to ... to sit down and play to their heart's content. The last day of the piano's existence as institutional art was the following day, Aug. 18.

The Women's Fund GO Ahead & Play was a public art project led by 6th through 12th grade GO: Give Back students. GO students use their talent, time and leadership to bring art and music to Central Indiana. The project is completely student-driven and is guided by parents and Women's Fund staff.

I didn't think I'd luck out and be there long enough for someone to actually play the Fountain Square "GO Ahead & Play" piano, which is in the same plaza as the Pioneer Family fountain. But luck out, indeed, I did.

Three young adults strolled over as I was photographing the unused piano and kindly stayed clear of the instrument to allow me to finish. When I indicated I was done (I didn't take long), a young man in a newsy cap among the trio stepped up to play. I asked him if he'd mind if I photographed him while he played, and he quickly consented. The performance drew a modest audience who sat on the benches on the plaza's perimeter. When he was finished, a female in the trio stepped up and took a turn.

So today's post is about the fountains ... and the "GO Ahead and Play" piano in Fountain Square. When I looked for the optimum angle to get the two fountains in the same picture, I had bad choices all around. I opted to have the yellow stoplight "grow" out of the Pioneer Family heads instead of moving to the right or left, which would have had the sign immediately below the traffic lights (blocked by the statues in this picture) be so prominent and divert focus from the statue. It seemed the lesser of two evils.