PLAINFIELD, Ind. — The Town of Plainfield marked a milestone Saturday with the unveiling of a towering Aku sculpture, the dedication of Swarn Park, and a community celebration at Hobbs Station.
The centerpiece of the event was a 25-foot Aku sculpture known as the "Dream Gazer" — the result of a collaboration between the town and internationally recognized artist, author, and former MLB player Micah Johnson.
Three additional Aku statues, ranging from 6 to 9 feet tall, will be installed throughout the park, including one of Aku throwing a rocket and another of Aku pointing to the sky.
Johnson said the character was born from a simple but powerful question.
"A few years ago, a young boy asked if astronauts could be black, so I started painting him as an astronaut," Johnson said. "That evolved into the character you see behind me — Aku."
The Dream Gazer has already made its mark on a national stage, having been featured at the MLB World Series and serving as the official gift of the MLB All-Star Game. But Johnson said this installation, the largest sculpture he has created to date, took nearly two years to bring to life.
"From beginning to end, this might have been a 1.5, 2-year process of deciding what we wanted to do from the sculpture perspective, the colors, the scale of it," Johnson said.
The 25-foot fiberglass sculpture is built to withstand Indiana's unpredictable weather, coated with urethane protection, though Johnson noted it will require touch-ups over the years, something he said he is committed to.
One of the sculpture's most talked-about features is Aku's helmet, which has never been removed in the five years Johnson has worked with the character.
"Aku can be anybody," Johnson said. "I have collectors and supporters in Hong Kong, Ireland, Brazil — all over the world — and it's people who believe that they can be Aku. That's why the helmet stays on, because it's ambiguous."
Johnson also pointed to the backpack Aku always carries and a heart on his shirt, a nod to Plainfield's community values that was specially integrated into the Plainfield installation.
The sculptures sit within Hobbs Station, a $300 million mixed-use development, and the park is connected to the Vandalia Trail, including a recent 2.3-mile extension.
The celebration also formally dedicated the 2.83-acre green space as Swarn Park, honoring Lemuel Swarn and his descendants. Born into slavery in Raleigh, North Carolina, Swarn relocated to Indiana after the Civil War, settling in Sugar Grove in Hendricks County. He became a respected landowner whose commitment to faith, education, and community shaped future generations.
"The park stands not only as a celebration of creativity through Aku, but also as a tribute to a family whose legacy helped shape Plainfield," said Town Manager Andrew Klinger.
For Johnson, a Lawrence Township Schools graduate who grew up at 56th and Emerson in Indianapolis, the installation carries a deeply personal message.
"I did not have any art classes growing up. I did not have any private baseball lessons growing up. Yet here we are, achieving crazy things," he said. "I just want kids to be able to see what's possible — just go chase crazy things."
Johnson visited Plainfield Middle School the day before the unveiling to share that message directly with students.
"I told them, anything is possible," he said. "I grew up on Fifty-Sixth and Emerson and went on to play Major League Baseball. And now here I am creating art and installing art back home in Indiana."
The park will also feature a playground, pickleball courts, a fenced dog park, gaming zones, and an event lawn. Aku's newest book, Aku: Journey to Ibra, was released earlier this week as part of Johnson's national book tour.
