The following blog post was written by Sara Croft, Print Room Intern. She worked out of the Registration Department which is part of the Collection Support Division of the IMA.

With the twenty-fifth anniversary of Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant’s book “Subway Art,”  I have started to think about the placement of subway and graffiti art in Indianapolis.  One of my most recent findings –one that will be familiar to many that make the work commute on Keystone Avenue, are the two interesting designs at the top of the Keystone Towers.  I could not help but notice it when I drove by the building the other day, which made me wonder how many other fellow city goers think about the graffiti or let it pass them by without being introduced.

Check out street art in Indianapolis (image from obakadan)

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Filed under: Art

As I’ve worked in the museum technology field for the past several years, I’ve come to really appreciate the need for museums have for good easy-to-use software tools that we can each share and extend.  We’re simply too small of a market to do it all our own way.

So, at conferences and parties, I invariably end up on a soapbox talking about how museums need to build tools to give away to each other. I’ve done this more times than I’d care to admit. (I know, not the best way to spice up the party!) Chris Mackie from the Mellon Foundation gives this spiel better than almost anyone I know. Maybe Chris or others will chime in and help me refine my list.

I decided to take a crack at it myself – and to work it into 100 words or less.

OK, so I cheated by only doing this in outline form, but if you care to read the explanation behind the spiel click through for more.

So, next time your stuck in an elevator with your museum’s director and want to convince him/her about why your museum should use open-source software – whip this little baby out of your pocket-protector, and try not to get fired!   -Rob

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Filed under: Technology

The Pharmacy prescribes the following links to combat Monday online anemia.

astridandinez.com/blog

Blog: astrid & inez

astrid & inez is really just one person, Jessica, who claims, “I’m no expert on design or web graphics.  I couldn’t even say that I’m a two-bit designer–I may only be a one-bit.  I just love graphic design and handmade things, and sharing them with other people.” Check out her blog for all things design and DIY .

ArtBabble Video: Eleanor Antin: ‘Helen’s Odyssey‘

Art21 presents: Eleanor Antin’s exhibition Helen’s Odyssey (2007) installed at Ronald Feldman Fine Arts in New York. Antin discusses the historical figure Helen of Troy, and how she became the inspiration for photographic works such as Constructing Helen (2007).

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Filed under: Art, Design, New Media

Before I arrived at the IMA, I worked in the for-profit, residential landscaping trade.   During the period of  January through mid March when work would pause due to ice and cold, I sometimes worked as a substitute teacher.  I enjoyed the time in classrooms at Pike High School except for one problem:  more than half the classrooms had no windows.  I would arrive in the dark morning and leave in dusky afternoon.  I felt like a plant unable to photosynthesize.  Worse, I had no connection to the world, no sense of wind, rain, heat or cold, nor natural sound.  I felt like I had been numbed and wrapped in cotton balls.

Those sun-shiny memories are meant as preface, sympathizing with cubicle dwellers, retail and restaurant staff, and factory workers.  Rise up comrades!  And step outside.  Even in a place with as much asphalt and concrete as the IMA parking areas, you can meet natural wonders. Just slow down and look.

There is an asphalt roadway three lanes wide, in and out of the IMA’s underground parking garage.  The low shrubs on either side, caught between the curb and concrete retaining walls are fragrant sumac.  Being careful about traffic, reach down and rub a twig and leaves gently between your hands.  Now smell.  Spicy, refreshing?

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Filed under: Horticulture

Hey, remember this post? It wasn’t too long ago that we heard the news that Polaroid was stopping production of its iconic instant film. Well, guess what? It’s back!

image from Flickr user * f l o r

With the help of Urban Outfitters and The Impossible Project,  Polaroid film will be back in production in 2010. When Polaroid stopped manufacturing instant film in 2008, The Impossible Project bought all the equipment and machinery. This year, Urban Outfitters will release 700 limited edition sets of Polaroid cameras and one pack of Polaroid film. Eventually, they’ll  sell film packs too.

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Filed under: Art, Current Events, New Media