All summer long, art students at Indiana University Northwest have been working to make Gary more beautiful.

For one of the students, the project is deeply personal.

Fine details matter to Jackie Player-Sanders when it comes to art and her hometown.

"There's such a strong sense of community in Gary that sometimes the media doesn't seem to recognize that," said Player-Sanders.

Others may paint Gary with a broad brush — but not Player-Sanders.

 "Gary does mean a lot to me because there are more people in Gary that I love than anywhere else in the world," she said.

Gary is where Player-Sanders grew up, where she retired, and now at 75, where she goes to school. She is studying art at IU Northwest, where she and other art students were commissioned for a big project.

"We're really honored that the city of Gary has placed this trust in us," said Erin McHugh, director of arts programming at the School of the Arts at IU Northwest.

Since May, the IU Northwest School of the Arts has collaborated with the city to create colorful panels featuring famous people from Gary.

"We are preparing to install these very beautiful murals again that honor famous Gary athletes, Gary entertainers," said Christopher Harris, executive director of redevelopment for the City of Gary.

On busy Broadway in Gary, that work begins with five 17-foot-long murals on a building that already features a giant Jackson 5 mural.

"We want people to have a different impression," Harris said. "This is one of our most heavily trafficked corridors in the city, and what people see on Broadway is often their impression of Gary, Indiana."

Impressions can change with time, hard work, and a little paint.

"When you ride down Broadway, think of these people," said Player-Sanders.