Joy Hernandez

Title of Work: Motion

Description of Work: The Mexican-America story of Indiana revolves around motion. The trains that brought early immigrants to the state as transit and jobs, sunflowers hosting migrating monarchs, the race cars and drivers, the fabric twirl of the Ballet Folklorico, and the momentum and hope of the future; Mexican-Americans in Indiana are not sitting still.

Inspiration/Explanation: When I thought about the Mexican-American community around me here in Indy, and when I talked with a local historian, the common thread was movement, being in motion. One of the most impressive sights here are the Ballet Folklorico dancers performing here. The dancers' skirts twirling like giant flowers as they spin, constantly creating new dynamic shapes, was my starting point, trying to capture that activity frozen. The trains brought early Mexican immigrants to Indiana, as well as my own family to the Midwest, and their tracks cross the top of the sculpture, representing their jobs and also their growing community on the move. Indy isn't Indy without the 500, and so it was only natural to add in an IndyCar. There are plenty of Mexican/Mexican-American racers and team members throughout the years. While Pato O'Ward chases his dream, this IndyCar specifically commemorates Adrian Fernandez. He gave the Univision affiliate that I worked for in 2005 full access during that race, and I got to stand feet away from his car during the start. It was incredible. The flowers are "Mexican Sunflowers," aka tithonia, which grow well in Indiana and attract monarch butterflies on their journey. The face includes a 'neon' Indianapolis skyline and a galactic background, which to me symbolizes the future and all of the promise that adventure holds, like a good episode of Star Trek, which has been important for the Hernandez side of my family. The green flourishes represent the creativity in our brains of the Hernandez side of my family, as the skills I use on this sculpture I directly inherited from those ancestors.