Meet Indy's First Yarn "Graffiti Gang"
Miss Linda poses with one of her colorful creations.
Driving along Delaware Street, you might notice colorful, flowery yarn wraps displayed on trees outside the Harrison Center. These "tree sweaters" were crocheted by Miss Linda Belton and her Yarn Graffiti Gang. Miss Linda is a long-term resident of the Martindale Brightwood neighborhood and an innovative fiber artist. Miss Linda is also recognized by the Harrison Center as a Greatriarch, someone who has helped write the story of the neighborhood. With help from gang members Destiny Tims, Mattie Kates, James LeFebvre, and Allison Schilawski, Miss Linda has led this project for the past two months.
Miss Linda and artist Allison Schilawski lay out the design.
Schilawski recounts how the pair first connected: "I was volunteering at the Harrison Center, and I was standing across from Miss Linda's First Friday table. She introduced herself and told me about her work. I said, ‘I crochet too!’ and she said, ‘Oh, do I have a project for you!’
Since then, their team has produced one completed sweater every two weeks, using Miss Linda’s original stitch pattern to make the environmentally friendly wraps. "I wanted something neat and tight that would show the precision and the quality of the stitches that go into crocheting, because it can't be produced by machinery," she shares. When asked about the inspiration for the project, Miss Linda says it symbolizes new beginnings, adjacent to the flowering theme of the Bloombox Festival. This annual event falls on June 21st and brings together community members to enjoy live music, an artisan market, roller skating, and more.
This pilot installation will be up through June, but this won't be the last time you see Miss Linda's yarn graffiti. She and her gang have big goals of creating more installations to connect people, build networks, and bring positive vibes to urban Indy through yarn graffiti. Want to join the team? Email info@harrisoncenter.org.