Indianapolis Museum of Art Blog

Here is a post from one of my summer interns, Lucie Alig, that speaks for itself.

My desk in the conservation lab was situated amongst Renaissance sculptures, ornately painted vases, African artifacts, and yet I was there to devote myself to one specific artwork far too large for any lab: Robert Indiana’s 1970 sculpture, LOVE. Needless to say, it is a piece that prompts a nod of recognition. Whether identifiable from its centralized positioning on the grounds of the IMA, or through its plastic incarnation as a dangling, mass-produced key chain, most everyone seems familiar with the trademark tilt of LOVE’s “O,” as it has been so hopefully interpreted to symbolize a movement forward or—in the case of my research of LOVE’s conservation history—a rather complicated stepping back.

Lucie Alig considers LOVE

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The IMA Blog Team asked Kyle Hodges of Indy Jazz Fest to give his perspective on art, music and inspiration.

As I look at this incredible wood engraving, I can’t help but think ‘What jazz musician inspired this artist?’  What song, what record, what style of jazz was this artist’s favorite to listen to while he created the masterpiece that we see?  I know music is an art form that is inspirational in the lives of nearly everyone on this planet: allowing us to dream, create, or escape.  But what if there was no jazz, what if it was replaced by some other genre of music in this artist’s life? Would he have decided to create something drastically different?

Jazz by Charles F. Quest

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Ray Pawulich

The following post was written by Ray Pawulich. Ray currently lives in Indianapolis. He went to film school for a couple years, so he thinks he knows what he’s talking about. Here’s part two of his series on Summer Nights here at the IMA.

Every so often, someone tells me I remind them of John Cusack. When this comes from strangers, it’s kind of flattering. But when it comes from your own mother, it can be a little disturbing.

Such was the case in the spring of 2000 when my mother called to let me know she’d seen a movie called High Fidelity and insisted I’d enjoy it too. According to her, Cusack’s character in the film, Rob Gordon, was “just like” me.

On the surface, this was not a very complimentary observation. After all, Rob Gordon is no Lloyd Dobler, the tried-and-true romantic Cusack played in Say Anything. Nor is Rob as cool as Martin Blank, Cusack’s detached-yet-vulnerable hitman from Gross Pointe Blank. Instead, he’s neurotic, jealous, self-defeating, co-dependent and completely incapable of committing to anything. (Thanks mom.)

Image courtesy of PHOTOFEST

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Dear Team Builders,

So, it has been quite some time since we last blogged. Got tons of reasons why. Let’s see, we can start with our planning and facilitating our last Team Building meeting (which occurred in June). We’re also in production mode for our upcoming gallery and museum shows. We have family obligations that include end-of-the-school-year festivities. We have our other, extra-curricular activities such as martial arts and band practice.

But no excuses.

Wea culpa.

Members from a variety of IMA departments participate in the Type A project.

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Ray Pawulich

The following post was written by Ray Pawulich. Ray currently lives in Indianapolis. He went to film school for a couple years, so he thinks he knows what he’s talking about. Here’s part one of his series on Summer Nights here at the IMA.

Growing up in a relatively insulated Indianapolis suburb, many of the defining experiences of my youth were lived vicariously though film characters who came of age in the 1970s. The fact that early 90s suburban kids like myself were hungry for this kind of entertainment was not lost on the filmmakers of the day; for awhile there, it seemed all you had to do to get your movie on video store shelves was to pack it with drug references and give it a retro soundtrack. And while some of these films have endearing qualities (The Stoned Age remains a personal favorite), none can match the subtlety or artistry of Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused.

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