You might have seen a bright new mural on the southside. Giant, friendly bees, accompanied by a bee baby, frolic as they make their way toward a massive sunflower, with the Earth at its center. This happy piece, created by muralist Pamela Bliss, is one of Jiffy Lube of Indiana’s “Every Part Matters.”
The project started as a way to cover up graffiti at a local store and has progressed into partnership with the Arts Council of Indianapolis. The endeavor currently boasts 14 completed murals around the Indy area; you can see Bliss’ work, which was inspired by the plight of the bees, at 7965 S. U.S. 31. The mural is her first on the southside.
“Every Part Matters has been bringing unique and local art to the exterior walls of Jiffy Lube since 2016,” says Steve Sanner, owner and president of Jiffy Lube of Indiana. “It’s not only positively impacting our business, but it’s also improving our communities and supporting local.”
For Bliss, the bright mural was a chance to lovingly create a work for the southside and also to draw attention to an issue.
“I very much appreciated the opportunity to have a canvas that I could create whatever I wanted,” Bliss says. “Many times I am commissioned to paint something the client wants, but this gave me a platform to speak about my concern for the decline in the bee population.”
By Jenny Elig
