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Catchings is one of the most decorated female basketball players. She led the Indiana Fever to its first ever championship win in 2012 and has earned four Olympic gold medals.
Darron Cummings / AP PhotoAfter an international call for artists, South Bend’s Nate Baranowski has been selected to create a new portrait mural of Women's National Basketball Association and Indiana Fever star Tamika Catchings.
Catchings is one of the most decorated female basketball players. She led the Indiana Fever to its first ever WNBA championship win in 2012 and has earned four Olympic gold medals.
The 24-foot mural painting would be displayed on a residential building at the intersection of Massachusetts Ave., New Jersey St., and Michigan St. and adjacent to the existing Etheridge Knight mural. It is expected to be completed in time for Indianapolis’ hosting of the WNBA All-Star 2025, July 18-19.
The artists’ search committee narrowed down their choice to four finalists in February, including artists from Atlanta, Detroit and Spain. The finalists were asked to create concept designs after they spoke with Catchings to learn more about her and how best to reflect her personality and legacy in their designs. A public opinion poll was conducted to help select the artist.
According to a press release from Indy Arts council, “Baranowski was selected because his concept best captured Tamika Catchings’ sunny and joyful personality, along with both her basketball legacy and her current contributions to Indianapolis.”
Baranowski holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has experience with a range of art mediums, including 3D chalk painting and street art.
“Tamika Catchings is a magnetic personality and an amazing force for good to those around her and in her community,” Baranowski said, according to the Indy Arts Council press release. “She is not just a legendary basketball player, but also an entrepreneur, activist, broadcaster, volunteer, mentor, and motivational speaker. I wanted my design to reflect this high-energy force surrounding her.”
Indy Arts Council will own and maintain the mural, which is expected to remain in place for 15 years. The mural is funded by a grant from the Marion County Capital Improvement Board.
Farrah Anderson is an investigative health reporter at WFYI and Side Effects Public Media. She can be reached at fanderson@wfyi.org.
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