INDIANAPOLIS — The next time you visit Indianapolis International Airport, take a moment to enjoy the new mural depicting Madam C.J. Walker.
The mural, at 11-feet high and more than 75-feet long, is titled Entrepreneurs Awakening: The Making of a Legacy and it honors Madam Walker’s life and lasting contribution as the first self-made Black female millionaire.
“This endeavor has been in the works for more than a year, and it took a diverse group of community partners and talented individuals to bring it to life,” said Indianapolis Airport Authority Executive Director Mario Rodriguez. “It is an incredible piece of artwork, worthy to represent the tremendous inspiration Madam Walker is to the history of American entrepreneurship and our great city.”
The Indianapolis Airport Authority partnered with the Arts Council of Indianapolis and the Madam Walker Legacy Center to curate the mural, which depicts Walker’s lasting impact on the physical, social, cultural, and economic legacy of Indiana Avenue, the Walker Theatre, and the City of Indianapolis.
Tasha Beckwith, an Indianapolis-based visual artist, created the mural.
“When I first started the concept, I asked myself what Madam C.J. Walker meant to me, as a black woman born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana,” said Beckwith.
Beckwith designed the mural to show Madam Walker’s legacy with figures of contemporary Black women inspiring them and – men and women of all backgrounds – to follow their dreams as Walker did and become their generation’s own Madam C.J. Walker, the airport said in a statement.
Beckwith’s creation is on display in Civic Plaza inside the Indy airport terminal and should be available to the public well into 2022.
