INDIANAPOLIS — The Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood is changing with new apartment developments and renovated houses. A new exhibit tells the neighborhood's story from the eyes of its oldest neighbors.
The Polklore Micro-Museum recently opened within the Polk Stables building, which once served as the horse barn of the long-defunct Polk Milk Company. The Harrison Center for the Arts established the museum as a response to the changing neighborhood to showcase the stories and culture that built the community.
"It can be kind of scary to see a neighborhood change, it feels like your story is being erased," said Harrison Center for the Arts executive director Joanne Taft. "What if you use the power of art to elevate and preserve? That's what this museum is about."
The museum uses augmented reality to play video testimony from Martindale-Brightwood residents when you aim your phone camera at the displayed objects.
Lula Hilliard and her daughter Linda Belton both shared their stories with Polklore. Hilliard has owned the family home on Lewis Street for more than 50 years and watched as a new apartment building rose across the street.
"I was the sole person that was in this neighborhood for six years," Hilliard said. "When we moved in, it was welcoming and they were glad to see someone come in and fill a spot."
Belton hopes the new museum will bridge the gap between the older Martindale-Brightwood residents and the people who recently arrived to the neighborhood.
"The way it is now, we don't know any of the people, they don't speak to you. That part of the neighborhood has been lost," Belton said. "Just throw a hand up and wave and say 'Hey, we recognize you over there.'"
Polklore is free to the public and is still looking for stories from longtime Martindale-Brightwood residents. You can learn more about the micro-museum at this link.
