When I moved home from college, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and ready to start my career, Indianapolis did not have much to offer me in the way of fashion design work. I interviewed at all of the three places in town and finally got a position as a Production Designer for a company working on sports licensed apparel. While I can’t complain because this job ultimately led me to museums and the IMA, I was forced to admit there was a dearth of style in my beloved Circle City. I thought this was something I was just going to have to deal with.

Fast forward four years, (five? I can’t keep track,) and a legitimate scene has developed in Indianapolis. Maybe it’s the hubbub surrounding the Big Game (you know the one), but things are abuzz.

First, there were a few blogs I started to see references to everywhere. I can’t decide if they were simply made more visible to me by social media, but all of a sudden, stylists, photographers, make up artists, dealers, and aficionados started coming out of the woodwork.

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The IMA always has many interesting events on the calendar. From films to performances, there is always something (or several things) coming up which I personally want to make time to see. Throughout the year, our Public Programs department is busy lining up events to help Indianapolis be culturally adventurous (the Toby’s tag line), and New Media is often ready to capture an event so more people can experience it later on our Website and on ArtBabble.

Here are three IMA events we have recently posted video of, all of which I saw in person. The funny thing is, in each case I noticed or appreciated something new while watching the video that I had missed during the event.

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I sat down with IMA Designer Matt Kelm to talk about his recent work on the title treatment for Andy Warhol Enterprises, and the innovative and popular sign he designed to welcome visitors to the exhibition. You can see the sign in the Pulliam Family Great Hall and visit the exhibit until January 2, 2011.

What is the project?

This is the title graphic for Andy Warhol Enterprises, an exhibition curated by Sarah Green and Allison Unruh, exploring the commercial component of Andy Warhol’s work. For the title graphic, we wanted to explore a design that referenced formal aspects of Warhol’s art including repetition, vibrant colors, and a tight grid. The solution we created, made up of 4000 posters and combined into 20 pads, also provided a unique opportunity for visitors to take a part of the experience home with them.

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If you have been in the IMA recently, you saw the spectacular and commanding work Gravity’s Loom by Ball-Nogues Studio, comprised of miles of colorful string and arranged in a dizzying spiral. Amanda York blogged about the creation of Gravity’s Loom during the week it was installed. Now, I see groups of visitors gathered under it daily- it is a great way to enter the museum.

Benjamin and Gaston gave a talk at the Museum after the install, where they showcased both their knowledge of architecture and commitment to their process as well as their wicked senses of humor. In case you missed it, here is the lecture. And if you haven’t seen Gravity’s Loom, get to the Museum as soon as you can!

This summer, the IMA was fortunate to have the opportunity to host the meeting for the Association of Art Museum Directors. We interviewed some of the visiting members and assembled this mini-documentary about their meeting:

We hope everyone enjoyed their visit!