When one thinks of the city Carmel, one of the main things that crosses their mind is roundabouts. The city is internationally known for them. Since the late 1990s, Carmel has been replacing intersections with roundabouts to create an easy flow in the traffic and reduce the number of fatalities and serious-injury accidents.

According to the government of Carmel, there are now more than 150 roundabouts in the city, with each one being landscaped properly with flowers and trees or having a significant and unique structure on them. However, they are still developing the city to create more of them. One of the new ones, being placed on the intersection of Main Street and Lexington Boulevard, is near this school. Being created by Casto Solano, a Spanish artist, the roundabout is a metal structure of a human’s head with thoughts and doodles coming out of the brain to represent the creativity of people. 

However, as much as Solano’s work may be iconic pieces, the city should start having local artists design artwork and sculptures for Carmel’s future roundabouts. Roundabouts represent Carmel in many ways, and what better way to represent the thing we are most famous for, with our local artists?

Having local artists provide artworks increases the bonding of the community and cultivates a sense of culture. It allows citizens to have more spirit and pride for their own city. 

Not only does it help boost local morale, but having local artists provide artworks helps with the cost. Paving the concrete and adding more roads has an expensive cost, but also having a sculpture being created and transported from an international or national artist adds on to the bill. However, with local artists, the transportation costs will be adequately less and artists will be able to promote their work easily, which can support small businesses throughout the town. 

Not that there aren’t many places where you can actually see local artists’ works, such as the Carmel Clay Public Library, but with a roundabout and so many people passing through them to get to other cities everyday, it creates an efficient jump in Carmel’s identity.   

So, even though we have many sculptures created from many famous artists around the world to provide an aesthetic look to Carmel, the city should start promoting their local artists and have them display or create their artwork for the future roundabouts as they help elevate the city’s identity and culture.