Monument Circle is known for lighting up during the holiday season. Long strings of sparkling colors encircle the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, providing the type of Instagram opportunities people wait all year for.

Now it's about to glow year-round in a big way. Think museum-grade lighting that washes color over the monument, video-mapping that tells stories on surrounding buildings and local artists performing on a portable stage.

In other words, it will be "woefully underlit" no more, said Bob Schultz, senior vice president of marketing and events for Downtown Indy Inc. On Tuesday morning, the organization announced the details and upcoming schedule for stories and events that will comprise "Shining a Light on Indianapolis."

"Everyone can remember what an Olympic opening and closing ceremony looks like. They're beautiful, they're iconic," said Conrad Piccirillo, president of Innovative, a creative agency that's a partner on the project.

"Everybody remembers what the London Eye looks like and what the Sydney Opera House looks like because they light it and they project on it every day, and they're gorgeous. And we're going to do that here."

In December, Downtown Indy and the Indiana War Memorials Commission received more than $7.6 million from the Lilly Endowment to bring more life and events to the Circle. The grant was part of $48.8 million the endowment gave to arts and cultural organizations in December to make Indianapolis more creative and better its quality of life.

Additionally, to sustain "Shining a Light" for the longterm, Downtown Indy is fundraising to continually update the video mapping, provide more decor, support artists and offer more free and public events.

The monument's programming will begin Nov. 9 with a nightly "Signature Salute" that honors military service members. And a lot more is coming after that.

What you'll see on Monument Circle

A main focus of "Shining a Light" is the ongoing story of the Hoosiers who have served and are serving now.

"They signed a contract saying that they would give up their life as they knew it and would ultimately give their life so that all Americans would live free. And what we want to do, we want to now dig down and tell you stories about Hoosiers," said J. Stewart Goodwin, the executive director of Indiana War Memorials.

"We are going to use that technology, specifically targeting the younger people, to teach them about Indiana history and Indiana's storied military history."

Drawing on Indianapolis' roots as a hub for monuments honoring the military, Goodwin said that means letting people know about deployments and humanitarian programs service members are involved with, like taking people to hospitals during natural disasters.

He said Indiana War Memorials is open to suggestions for programming as well. After Nov. 9, each day at dusk will bring new stories of Hoosier veterans. Innovative has put together the content for the displays.

"Holidays on the Circle" — with performances, treats and music — will begin Nov. 30 and continue for the next three Saturdays.

Additionally, Downtown Indy and the Indiana War Memorials Commission are welcoming more arts and culture events. Through Oct. 21, they're accepting applications from arts and culture organizations who will bring performances from local artists to the Circle from March to November 2020. They will choose eight and give them in-kind programming costs.

Overall, what appears there is meant to bring history, arts, patriotism and storytelling to the city's central marker.

With the programming, Schultz made clear what the plans do not include: advertising, sponsorship plugs and becoming Times Square.

How the displays work

Crews are installing several layers of sound and lighting equipment that will function as a single system to meet the needs of the salute and other upcoming programming.

Stories, videos and the most multimedia-heavy shows will be projected onto two buildings on the southeast side of the Circle. The architecture of the Indianapolis Power and Light Co.'s building and Circle Tower lent themselves to the best projections, said Andy Meggenhofen, production manager with Dodd Technologies. Through laser scanning and mapping, Dodd Technologies figured out the buildings' curves so the projections will pop even more.

"When we light these buildings, it actually kind of cuts around the corner," Meggenhofen said. "We're actually lighting down the spokes (streets around Monument Circle) a little bit, too. So we're really trying to make this inviting."

Making that happen is a 240,000 lumen, 4K laser video projection system. For comparison, the typical home theater projection system is between 3,000 and 4,000 lumens, said Dodd Technologies president Mark Dodd.

Four pit pods will be placed beneath the statues around the Circle. Meggenhofen said they'll wash the statue in museum-quality lighting that cuts down on light pollution. Eight light posts, which were newly installed and match the posts that are already in place, have moving lights that will project different shapes, like basketballs, snowflakes or footballs, onto the buildings around them, he said. They can match themes or events in the city.

Eight searchlights on the tops of the buildings will create lighting that appears as a sort of crossroads. A sound system is built into the light posts and pit pods.

Schedule for Monument Circle

Nov. 9: The premiere of the "Signature Salute," which will run year-round, will kick off with a celebration from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The premiere of the "Signature Salute," which will run year-round, will kick off with a celebration from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 10 and beyond: The nightly "Signature Salute" will happen every night at dusk, which will be adjusted depending on the time of year. From November through March, it will be around 6:30 p.m. Video and light projections highlighting history will be on the building facades and last five minutes. The monument will be washed in red, white and blue to a synchronized score of a work by John Colby and recorded by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. During the Circle of Lights presented by IBEW 481, the salute will take on a holiday theme.

The nightly "Signature Salute" will happen every night at dusk, which will be adjusted depending on the time of year. From November through March, it will be around 6:30 p.m. Video and light projections highlighting history will be on the building facades and last five minutes. The monument will be washed in red, white and blue to a synchronized score of a work by John Colby and recorded by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. During the Circle of Lights presented by IBEW 481, the salute will take on a holiday theme. Nov. 30 and Dec. 7, 14 and 21: "Holidays on the Circle" will run from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. with holiday music, performances and treats.

"Holidays on the Circle" will run from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. with holiday music, performances and treats. March-November 2020. More arts and culture program will be announced.

Find more information about the project at www.downtownindy.org/shiningalight.

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