Mike Wolanin | The Republic Monroe Kiesler, left, climb on the former Exhibit Columbus installation Carousel while Hattie Peck paints a wall where the piece will be located at NexusPark in Columbus, Ind., Monday, June 30, 2025.
Painting volunteers are helping complete The Carousel for Companionship’s move to NexusPark, after the installation completed its time on Fourth Street as part of Exhibit Columbus.
More than 30 volunteers have contributed to the project so far, painting the room where the “carousel” is located in pinks, oranges and reds. The color scheme remains the same from when the exhibit was on Fourth Street in 2023.
The space will be used for the community and for children to climb and play on.
After being originally designed by a Chicago-based company Could Be Design, the Carousel for Companionship served Columbus as an outdoor space for children and families as a part of Exhibit Columbus in 2023. Columbus Parks and Recreation Department later had the idea to move the exhibit to another public area, allowing the Fourth Street space to be used for upcoming Exhibit Columbus exhibitions, said local artist, Jenni Kiesler.
Kiesler works as a muralist and window artist in Columbus but was brought in by the parks and recreation with the goal to recreate and preserve the community space for years to come.
In addition to the large carousel as the centerpiece of the space, visitors can see iconic Columbus landmarks painted on the wall, including the First Christian Church tower, the Bartholomew County Courthouse and Columbus City Hall.
Kiesler is used to painting murals downtown by herself. This time, she has the opportunity to share her work with members of the community as they paint together.
“The idea is for me to help people be owners of the space,” Kiesler said. “It’s nice that it’s getting people into NexusPark who haven’t been before, so they can see how it’s being revitalized.”
“This space just screams fun, and it’s a space that’s going to be used for kids,” Kiesler said.
Members of the community Monday were able to come to the exhibit with their kids and help paint. Kiesler even brought her daughter to contribute to the project.
“I’ve really enjoyed watching how the kids light up at being able to put paint to a wall in super bright colors,” Kiesler said. “This is something they’re usually told they can’t do, but now they can go ahead and do it. So it’s been really fun watching their personalities come out in how they paint.”
The only challenge for the muralist has been making sure she has enough for all volunteers to do. She coordinates who paints what, which is challenging when she’s never coordinated something like this, she said. On the first painting day, she was intentional about beginning from the ceiling down, so that children could reach their designated painting spaces at the bottoms of the walls when it was their turn to contribute.
Community member Katelyn Richey brought her two kids to participate in the project. They both were on the floor and painted pink lines along the baseboards.
Richey has seen Kiesler work before and said that was a large part of why her family was participating in the project.
“I enjoy watching her create,” Richey said. “it’s unique to be able to spend time with my kids and seeing them get creative.”
The exhibit is expected to be complete and open to the community by mid-July.
