City of Bloomington Selects "Undulate" by Local Artist Jon Racek for Hopewell Commons 1% for the Arts Installation

The City of Bloomington, in partnership with the Bloomington Arts Commission, has selected local artist Jon Racek’s proposal of Undulate as the public art installation for Hopewell Commons, funded by the City’s 1% for the Arts program.

Racek was selected from four finalists invited by the city to submit full proposals for the project. The process began in March 2024, when the city issued a Request for Artist Qualifications, seeking submissions for a signature artwork to enhance the new Hopewell Commons area.

A recommendation committee comprising members of the Bloomington Arts Commission, City of Bloomington staff, and community stakeholders reviewed the proposals, considering artistic quality, alignment with the welcoming and communal nature of Hopewell Commons, and feasibility of installation. Public feedback was also a factor in the decision.

The installation of Undulate is tentatively scheduled for the summer of 2025. The project has a budget of $100,000, funded through the City of Bloomington’s 1% for the Arts Ordinance, which designates at least one percent of the city's contribution to capital projects for public art.

The City of Bloomington will host a public project update on the Hopewell neighborhood on Wednesday, Oct. 23, from 5:30-7 p.m. at the John Waldron Arts Center, 122 S. Walnut St. The event will cover the development timeline, park features, and common spaces of the Hopewell project.

About Jon Racek

Jon Racek is a versatile designer whose work spans architecture, furniture design, public art, sculpture, landscape design, and play spaces. He is the founder and program director of Comprehensive Design at the Eskenazi School, a program focused on human-centered design across multiple scales. In 2022, Racek received a Fulbright Scholar Fellowship for a project in Sri Lanka titled "Engaging Students in Frugal Innovation: Community Design/Build Projects using Minimal Resources."

His work has been exhibited globally and featured in prominent publications, including the New York Times and TIME Magazine.

About Hopewell Commons

Located just south of downtown Bloomington along the B-Line, Hopewell Commons will be the first phase of the Hopewell neighborhood to be developed and is poised to be a community-oriented area composed of green space, areas for active and passive enjoyment, and arts programming.