Oct. 24—The newest piece of downtown art asks the viewer to be a part of it.
A bright red heart is positioned next to the rusty letters of "Kokomo" stacked two by two and welded onto two steel I-beams. By standing on the left side of the piece, one completes the phrase "I heart Kokomo."
The new steel sculpture is thanks to welding students at the Kokomo Area Career Center.
The new addition to the Walk of Excellence Trail was unveiled during a brief ceremony Monday afternoon. The artwork is located along Washington Street and behind Kokomo Fire Station 1.
It's the latest installment of an ongoing partnership between the city and career center that has seen students contribute to the Al Berryman Splash Pad on Elm Street and the Women's Legacy Memorial on the courthouse square.
Brian Mikesell, welding instructor at the career center, said the city approached him and his students about creating an art piece for downtown.
"Our desire was slowly work in some local art," explained Kokomo Mayor Tyler Moore. "And it made sense to partner with the talent at the Kokomo career center."
Going off little more than a sketch and an idea, welding students completed the artwork in two weeks.
"We're just pretty good at building from ideas," Mikesell said.
"There were no formal plans," added Eli Cardwell, one of the nearly 50 students who worked on the project.
It fits how Mikesell teaches his classes, which he estimates is 95% hands-on.
"We always had the idea of the heart and Kokomo," said student Owen Moore.
"We kinda figured it out as we went," added student Nolan Hartleroad.
A handful of career center students were on hand Monday. They took time to snap pictures of each other next to their work.
Mikesell said the design of the rusty stacked Kokomo letters and I-beams represent the industrial history of the city. The other bright colored features, including the heart, are meant to signify the future of Kokomo.
The piece also incorporates the state's new "IN Indiana" marketing campaign along with the city's rebranding, which is slowly being rolled out with the Greater Kokomo Economic Development Alliance.
Moore said the "I heart Kokomo" piece might be his favorite work in town.
"This is going to be one more feather in the cap for the Kokomo career center," he said. "I really think it's going to be a Walk of Excellence show piece."
The Indiana Destination Development Corporation provided a matching grant worth up to $10,000 for the project. The city funded the rest of the project.