On a recent stroll through the IMA grounds, visitor Stanley D. Abell captured the following image of his son in front of Robert Indiana’s LOVE sculpture.

© Stanley D. Abell, 2011

Later that day he uploaded this image, along with a few others from his time at the IMA, to his personal Facebook page. IMA staff gives a tip of the hat to this photograph and its posting online as a prime example of fair use of an image taken on the grounds and shared through social media – well done sir, well done!

In comparison to this casual moment captured and shared by Stanley D. Abell, Sara Morris details her experience as a professional photographer coming to shoot on the IMA grounds:

Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Art and Nature Park

Today’s blog post was written by Public Affairs intern Dori Thayer. Dori is a recent graduate of DePauw University where she studied Art History.

IndyChannel recently launched their A-list ballot for 2011 – a yearly poll that highlights the best of Indy. The IMA is proud to say that we have been nominated as a contender for best museum. The wide-ranging list below, in the form of a TOP ten, are just a few reasons why you should vote in support of the IMA as Indianapolis’ BEST museum. We know you already agree but we hope to reassure you anyway.

10. First and foremost, the IMA is an ART museum, even though it provides films, talks, events, galas, and workshops that may convince you otherwise, the enormous and comprehensive collection is at the heart of our existence. The IMA strives and achieves in providing an art museum environment that is friendly and non-threatening to those without an artistic background, embracing the community as a whole. Those with a love and passion for the arts can mingle amongst peers and schedule an entire weekend of events solely with IMA activities.

9. The IMA has had a remarkable year which included a recent performance at the Venice Biennale, representing the US on a global venue. As you know, the IMA has been working tirelessly on this event, which has garnered amazing responses to Allora & Calzadilla’s works. The IMA represented Indianapolis and the US in an authentic and innovative way through this artistic duo. Did I mention the IMA represented the ENTIRE UNITED STATES? Just checking.

Photos by Andrew Bordwin.

8. In recent years, the opening of the Randall L. and Marianne W. Tobias Theater, aka The Toby, has drawn some big-named speakers into our Indianapolis sphere. Most recently Stefan Sagmeister came to speak about design and happiness from his personal studio, Sagmeister Inc, which was founded in 1993. Sagmeister has designed for the likes of The Rolling Stones, HBO and the Guggenheim with his maxim’s made of both conventional and unconventional mediums using his words and design as a “tool for social renewal.” The Toby has also hosted, Temple Grandin, a woman living with Autism, who is praised with her humane design for handling livestock facilities. An HBO film biography on her won seven Emmy awards! With an amazing turn out for the Toby’s first year (almost 37,000 visitors) the future only looks brighter. Who will the Toby draw in next?

7. Not only does the IMA host galleries filled with ancient arts and artifacts from cultures around the world, it also hosts its own contemporary art wing from a world-wide net. Do-Ho Suh’s contemporary work, Floor is  a very awe inspiring piece. Viewers are allowed and meant to step upon this expansive platform where hundreds of male and female figurines seemingly hold you up. The hundreds of figures that cover the underside of the 32 individual squares allow each viewer’s weight to be held up by their tired plastic arms. The IMA has a contemporary collection worth noting as well as artist showcases, presently being Mr. Thorton Dial—whose exhibition Hard Truths runs through September 18.

6. Spring has sprung and summer is fully fledged! 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park is an amazing outdoor experience that is definitely worth its own visit to the IMA. On these beautiful Indianapolis summer days, 100 acres is a perfect getaway from the bustle of the city (even just for a few hours)! With eight sight-specific works commissioned, the park shows how art and nature intertwined in a contemporary style. Joep van Lieshout, with his studio Atelier van Lieshout, created Funky Bones, and interactive large-scale sculpture of a Halloween-esque skeleton to be multifaceted, as both art and as functional benches. Plus, where else can you row out to an artist-inhabited island? Pretty sure we’re the only one.

5. In 2008 the IMA was named an Energy Star partner with a pledge to reduce energy consumption. In turn, we reduced natural gas consumption by 48 percent and electricity by 19 percent. In 2010 the IMA was named one of 11 museums to receive recognition by the Environmental Protection Agency which sparked the IMA’s own “greening committee”- displaying art and protecting the environment, one day at a time.

4. We love to collaborate! The Indianapolis International Film Festival has again paired with the IMA’s Toby theatre and DeBoest Lecture hall and will be running from July 14-July 18. This festival will show films from all over the world of varying genre, skill level and lengths. From one minute films (Check out Dinosaur Ballet) to full length feature films, this festival will have a film to suit everyone’s taste. The IMA bringing a small piece of the world to you through this collaboration is sure to be an eye-opening experience. (It also includes a film by one of the IMA’s own staff, be sure to check out Type A!)

3. A certain buzz has been generated from the unveiling of the enigmatic Miller House and Garden in Columbus, Indiana. This acquisition marks an expansion that the IMA knows no bounds and will restore and display art of many forms while also showcasing Indiana’s architectural gem, the city of Columbus itself.

2. Summer Nights is a summer film series that has been widely received by the Indianapolis community. Not only can you sit amongst your friends, and enjoy a great film in the evening, but you can lounge in an amphitheatre setting reminiscent of the ancient Greeks and enjoy food and refreshments. This series is widely popular and lets you escape from the air-conditioned doldrums of the standard blockbuster while enjoying an acclaimed film and a nice summer breeze. Are you convinced yet?

1. In the words of a beloved YELP reviewer: “…an art museum that’s free? Must be a joke or not worth going to. Turns out that I was wrong.” You heard right, to everyone’s utter amazement and enjoyment, admission is FREE! VOTE NOW for the IMA as the BEST Museum in Indianapolis!

Filed under: Around the Web, Current Events, Local, Polls

It is officially summer but we’ve gone from stifling heat to comfortable warmth. It’s so freaking weird. Last winter’s snow and ice cover caused me to bitch constantly. It just would not go away. But now in my garden at home I have multiple non-hardy plants growing luxuriously (and a good thing as I’ve planted almost nothing at this point). Eucomis (pineapple lily), Amorphophallus (voodoo lily?), Nerine bowdenii (Guernsey lily), dahlia (why did I dig any of them), Plumbago “First Love” – all came back, thanks in part at least, to the insulating properties of the white stuff. The oddness continues as the season progresses. My Phlox paniculata “Blue Paradise” is in full bloom, probably two weeks ahead of normal. Normal. What a concept. Anyway. Also blooming at this time is the Monarda didyma – bee balm, which is what I really wanted to talk about. Well, that and the problems with Echinacea but I just didn’t want to research on that right now. So, on with the Monarda.

Monarda is one of those perennials I go back and forth on to some extent – love it, hate it, tolerate it, love it again. Right now I’m loving it. They are also loved by bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. In addition to the gorgeous flowers, the foliage has a wonderful scent as well, reminiscent of mint yet totally different.

For some time, Monarda was quite the thug in a garden. It was also a powdery mildew slut. Breeding programs have helped on both accounts. The newer dwarf cultivars are less aggressive and no breeder would introduce a plant that was not more resistant to the mildew. Bear in mind that the mildew is constantly evolving so your perfectly clean plant today could be dusty white next year. Also remember weather affects mildew intensity. Good air circulation is helpful in the mildew wars.

Monarda can vary greatly in height, from the new dwarf cultivars staying near one foot tall to the four or five feet tall amazons of the garden. I like the first of the dwarfs, “Petite Delight.”

Mainly because of the color. Hey, color is important.

Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Art and Nature Park, Horticulture

The IMA has selected Katherine Ball to be the summer 2011 resident of Andrea Zittel’s Indianapolis Island, an inhabitable installation in 100 Acres. Throughout her residency–which will take place between August 9th and September 22nd – Ball will engage Indianapolis Island, the surrounding 35-acre lake, and visitors to the Park through public programs and ecological interventions.

Ball’s project will center on the improvement of the lake’s water quality through the implementation of mycofilters, a water purification system consisting of hemp tubes, wood chips, and mushroom mycelium. Visitors will be welcomed to Indianapolis Island at regularly scheduled times to have afternoon tea with Ball and observe her initiatives more closely. Ball will communicate her findings through a series of drawings and ongoing blog posts, as well as through close interaction with Park visitors during activities such as weekly nature walks and yoga sessions. Stay tuned for more details about how to become involved with Katherine’s residency—further details will be posted on this site as the residency draws closer.

Ball’s artistic practice is founded on a hands-on approach to environmental activism and social engagement.

In 2010, Ball filmed a documentary (to be released this winter) about small-scale, yet effective, solutions to climate change as she bicycled with a small group from Oregon to Washington, D.C., where they met with legislators and shared their findings. Afterward, Ball traveled to Cancun, Mexico, to participate in the United Nations Climate Change Conference. From 2009–10 Ball co-directed SEA Change Gallery in Portland, Oregon, which developed exhibitions and activities to encourage social and environmental equality. Ball is currently enrolled in Portland State University’s Art + Social Practice MFA program and participated in an exchange at the School of Walls and Space in Copenhagen this past spring.

Filed under: Art and Nature Park

Alexander Girard was involved in nearly every aspect of the design of the Miller House — a fact made obvious in the surviving documents that make up the Miller House and Garden archives at the IMA. Among the files is the correspondence between the Millers and Alexander Girard, and for a researcher of mid-20th century design these materials are a dream.

One of the treasures in the Miller House and Garden archives is a collection of over 1,000 3 x 5 inch index cards stored in a small file box. In the upper right hand corner of each card is a handwritten number, and on the front is typed information about items the Millers purchased with Girard’s assistance for the house.

Last spring Bradley Brooks, the Director of Historic Resources, and Annette Schlagenhauff, Associate Curator of Research, asked if I might be interested in helping them and IMA Archivist Jennifer Whitlock to make sense of what the archives contained. I immediately said yes. The House and Garden would be open in the spring of 2011, and the race was on to learn as much about the history of the house as possible.

Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: IMA Staff, Miller House