Indianapolis Museum of Art Blog

I AM A FASHION ADDICT.

It all started at an early age. As a young girl growing up in Southwestern Indiana, my Aunt Donna was far and away the most fashionable person I knew. She owned a few designer handbags, quite a few pairs of Ferragamo shoes, and an extensive jewelry collection. Always an impeccable dresser, she was the height of fashion in my young world.

20 years later, my passion for fashion has expanded significantly, but my Aunt is still at the heart of it all. I have inherited her shoes, her handbags, some of her jewelry, and most importantly, her appreciation for all things chic. I work hard at emulating her style. I’m not going to lie…I subscribe to 5 different fashion magazines. I also do my fair share of internet reading. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of Web sites and blogs dedicated to fashion and I probably read about half of them.

Until recently I felt guilty about my style addiction. I only read www.style.com behind closed doors, because I felt it was frivolous and indulgent. However, with the opening of the IMA’s latest exhibition, Breaking the Mode: Contemporary Fashion from the Permanent Collection, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the tutorial of the IMA’s curator of textile and fashion arts, Niloo Paydar, I have learned that my love for fashion is another variation of my passion for art. PHEW!…I’m not nearly as shallow and superficial as I thought I was! Read the rest of this entry »

You may be familiar with a miniature horse named Cheesecake who warmed the hearts of spectators at the April 26 On Procession parade in Fountain Square. What you may not know is the tale behind the parade that brought him to that day. This is my personal account of Cheesecake, the miniature horse who could.

Wednesday, April 23
Three days and counting until parade day. My husband and I were checking out the parade route and scoping out bike racks in Fountain Square. We decided to ride our bikes over to Garfield Park and discovered the Pleasant Run Trail. After perusing in the spring air for an hour, it was time to head back home. Still on the trail, I slowed down upon catching sight of an adorably plump, but unusually small statured horse being brushed on a front porch. I excitedly shouted something like, “Look at the little horse!” and sped past. My more patient husband stopped for a closer look before catching up with me. How often to you see something like that? Read the rest of this entry »

Get up on the dance floor and boogie til you just can’t boogie no more. No designer symbolizes the 70’s like Halston. Disco dresses, halter tops, beads, and sequins. Lots of Halston red. Niloo Imami-Paydar (IMA Curator of Textile and Fashion Arts) has put together quite a show of pieces from the early 70’s to the early 80’s for Simply Halston. Now this ain’t gonna be no high-brow fashion critique. I was asked for my opinion, and sister, that’s what yer gonna get. These days my idea of fashion is matching my favorite chicken with my favorite vintage shantung silk jacket. (Thanks to Brad Bell for the feathers and silk shot.)

But Halston, well he had a bit more going on. Bear in mind that like many of us he was a product of the Midwest – born in Iowa and raised in Evansville, Indiana. That’s in southern Indiana for those of you who think the state ends in Bloomington or Brown County. If you remember from my bio I was born and raised in southern Indiana so I have a certain extra amount of pride when one of our own does well in the big world. Read the rest of this entry »

The IMA has a new installation in the Efroymson Entrance Pavilion and I can’t remember the last time a work of art has brought me such child-like bliss. Every time I see it, I want to lie in the middle of the Museum’s entrance—arms and legs spread snow-angel style— and just stare up at the ceiling. While it seems like a strange way to look at art, it really is the best way to see Friends With You’s new installation, Dream Maker.

A giant mobile 40 feet across and almost equally as tall, Dream Maker is a sight to behold (even if you’re not laying flat in front of the ticketing counter as I was today to snap the above photograph). As you approach the Museum you can see the brightly colored structures floating in the entrance. Even when viewing it from the parking lot, the piece generates a sense of wonder and awe. But it isn’t until you walk under the structure that the true joy of Dream Maker hits you. It’s just unbelievably happy. Honestly, you can’t help but smile as it smiles at you. And who doesn’t want to see something that’s going to make them smile.

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This won’t be a long post, because I’m exhausted! It’s a good tired though, and I would not give up the last 48 hours for all the sleep in the world. Just yesterday morning I was gearing up for the art parade in Indianapolis, and now I’m in Denver at the American Association of Museum’s (AAM) annual conference. Phew…It’s been quite the whirlwind.

I’ve got exciting news to share from the Mile-High City…The IMA Dashboard received the top prize of gold at the 19th annual AAM Museum and Technology Committee Muse Awards. Just a few hours ago, I was happy to accept the award on behalf of the entire Museum and the amazingly talented IMA Web team that collaborated to produce the site.

The Muse award is the second news story from the IMA’s history-making weekend. The first, of course, was the parade on Saturday. As promised, the weather couldn’t have been better, and the air of Fountain Square was filled with an overwhelming excitement as hundreds of participants marched and hundreds of spectators watched art in the streets of Indianapolis. Check out images from the day by clicking here.

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