The WEAV Art Project and Garden

The WEAV Plaza at Wishard Hospital


The WEAV Plaque



The old wing of Wishard Hospital


Today I was reminded of another project I as I waited for a doctor's appointment. I was involved with The Wishard Employees Against Violence memorial garden [WEAV] in 1996.



Wishard Hospital is an old institution. It became a premiere hospital during the Civil War. Later it would become the largest public institution serving the poor in Indianapolis. It was/is in the heart of the city and a mecca for crimes of violence. It has become one of the highest ranked trauma centers in the US, mainly from experience with so much violence. I worked there for over twenty years.

There use to be a janitor at Wishard Hospital named "Dubbie" White. He was a pleasant gentlemen in his mid-thirties who always had a big smile. As he was leaving work one day, he was car-jacked and murdered. The police theory was it was because a street gang wanted the expensive wheel rims on his car.

The WEAV Committee actually started out to build a memorial to him. It eventually evolved into a tribute to the thousands of the victims of violence treated at Wishard Hospital. As I was the vice-president of the Domestic Violence Network and facilitator of an anger management program, I was called to serve.

I am came up with the name, the logo, and the slogan on a long drive back from a weekend getaway with my wife in 1997.

The slogan was this, "We are more than a patch, we are part of the weave of our community."

The logo was nothing fancy. It was a Celtic weave cross adapted from a clip art.

The Victims of Violence Memorial evolved into a garden, wall, and walkway. It is located about 20 yards outside of the main entrance to Wishard Hospital and is decorated with a bronze plaque, flowers, and landscaping. When the flowers are in bloom, I will try to make a visit and take a series of photos.