Indy firefighter forges lasting legacy in central Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS — Ryan Feeney has a variety of irons within the hearth. The complete-time Indianapolis firefighter spends his free time as a steel employee at Indy Artwork Forge, the steel working firm he’s owned for 20 years.

“Like all firefighters, you’ve acquired to have one thing to do on the facet,” Feeney stated.

That facet job stems from a lifelong curiosity in artwork.

“I feel I did my first oil portray once I was 8,” Feeney stated.

Whereas in school, Feeney started exploring metalworking. Along with residential jobs like fences and furnishings, Feeney’s items may be discovered all through central Indiana.

Feeney’s Peace Dove statue may be discovered on the Indianapolis Central Library. The 750-pound statue is made out of weapons seized from the streets of Indianapolis. It was unveiled in 2014.

2014: Peace Dove unveiled

After three interviews, the Indianapolis Colts employed Feeney to craft the Peyton Manning statue exterior Lucas Oil Stadium. Feeney stated the challenge was, “like a dream.”

2017: Ryan Feeney lands Petyon Manning statue

Feeney additionally made the bald eagle perched on prime of a beam from The World Commerce Heart on the Indiana 9/11 Memorial.

2011: Indiana 9/11 Memorial

“Indiana has been fantastic to me,” Feeney stated.

One in every of Feeney’s present initiatives is a 7-foot tall, bronzed red-tailed hawk boasting an 8-foot wingspan that shall be positioned contained in the roundabout at 106th Avenue and Faculty Avenue.