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Public art that works after dark
A civic landmark that gives a downtown, a park, or a new development a reason to visit after sunset. Plainfield, Indiana already has one on Main Street.
Imagine it on your town green
Most public art disappears at night. A Luminary does its best work then. The town's values, its name, its history, or a line of poetry are written in a circle on the ground, turning a plaza into a place people walk to after dinner.
Plainfield, Indiana chose a Luminary for its core values, behind the town's government building on Main Street. Cities with percent-for-art requirements and developers planning a signature public space can commission the same, with a full-size lit mock-up before the council votes.
- Town greens and civic plazas
- Percent-for-art and public art programs
- Parks, trails, and gardens
- Mixed-use developments and placemaking
- City anniversaries and bicentennials
A reason to come downtown
Placemaking
An evening destination for residents and visitors.
Council-ready
Renderings and a full-size mock-up to approve.
Easy to maintain
Satin finish restores on site if scratched.
The Town of Plainfield
Twelve civic values, written across the lawn behind the town government building on Main Street, every night.
Good to know
What is a Luminary?
A Luminary is a large outdoor sculpture made of stainless steel with your words, logo, emblem, names, or artwork cut through its walls and a projection light built inside. By day it is a steel sculpture. After dark the light shines out through every cut and writes the design in a full circle on the ground around it. Thornburg Design Studio designs and builds them by hand in Indiana.
What if it gets scratched or vandalized?
The satin finish was chosen for exactly this. It is a random scratch pattern rather than a straight brushed grain, so a damaged area can be sanded back on site and blended in until it looks the same as the rest.
What kind of foundation does it need?
A reinforced concrete foundation, about 7 by 7 feet and roughly 32 inches deep at Ball State, with only the round top showing above the grass. The studio supplies engineered drawings and an exact anchor-bolt template, and your concrete contractor pours it.
Where do you install?
Anywhere in the contiguous United States. The studio is based outside Muncie, Indiana.
How much does a Luminary cost?
Every Luminary is a custom commission, so the investment depends on size, design, finish, and site. The design process, renderings, full-size mock-up, fabrication, delivery, and installation are all part of one proposal. Request a proposal to start the conversation.
