Connected Skies: Paint by Number Original at Pride Fest ‘26

Republic Airways, in partnership with Indy Pride, will be bringing a unique “Paint by Numbers” community activation to Indy Pride Festival this year, located in the Family & Kids Zone at White River State Park.

For this special experience, Republic Airways partnered with talented local queer artist Matt DeLoughery to create a custom original piece designed specifically for the festival activation. Festival attendees will have the opportunity to help bring the artwork to life throughout the weekend.

Once completed, the final piece will be auctioned, with proceeds benefiting Indy Pride and supporting its mission and community programming.

Artist Statement

My work dismantles facades of perfection by thoughtfully unmasking expectations around identity, visibility, and belonging. This begins with the belief that art is not a finished thing to be observed from a distance but a living process that belongs to everyone willing to participate in it.

Through public art, collaborative experiences, and arts integration programming, I create spaces where people are empowered to experiment, contribute, and express themselves authentically. Bold color, accessible processes, and community centered making are how I invite people in.

Whether in schools, workshops, or public spaces, my work asks people to recognize the value of their own voice and to trust that what they bring to the table matters. The most powerful thing art can do is remind us that we are all capable of creating something beautiful together.

Mural Statement 

Connected Skies

Every journey begins with a departure. A moment of courage, of choice, of reaching toward something beyond the horizon. Connected Skies traces those journeys: the flight paths we take through life, the routes that cross and curve and circle back, the moments where one story intersects with another and neither is ever quite the same.

Inspired by aviation and the spirit of Pride, this mural reimagines the sky as a space of radical belonging, where every path is welcome, every destination is valid, and no one flies alone. The intersecting flight paths aren't just decoration. They're a map of the community itself.

Pick up a brush and add your story to the sky. Find us at Indy Pride 2026 and help us build something beautiful together.