Top 10 lists are actually one of my guilty pleasures of the New Year, especially when the list pertains to popular culture. After a visit to Google Analytics, I pulled the top 10 most read IMA Blog posts of the past year (according to pageviews). Some of these were actually written before 2010, but our readers kept them popular. So, in case you missed any of the original posts, here are the favorites of the past year…

10.  We’ll count ‘em down starting at number 10 with a post by Noelle. Searching for those wonderful interns we adore, Noelle posted a WANTED ad for Spring 2010 interns. As a former IMA intern, I can say the experience gained at the IMA is above and beyond most other internship programs. If you’re interested in the Indianapolis Museum of Art Internship Program, applications for the Summer Session are due next Friday, January 7.

9. At number 9, Rob gave 5 Reasons Why TAP should be Your Museum’s Next Mobile Platform. From first-class content management to open-sourced and community owned, this post is one to revisit for those interested in the technical aspects of the IMA’s TAP tours.

8. Rolling in at number 8 is an IMA TV episode filmed in 100 Acres Art and Nature Park. IMA TV chats with Associate Curator of Contemporary Art, Sarah Green, while installing Atelier van Lieshout’s Funky Bone Benches in 100 Acres. (Bonus shot of little baby Henry Green included.)

7. Lucky number 7 is another IMA TV episode from 100 Acres. Watch Laurie Gilbert discuss how the IMA Design Team used creative methods to establish the maps and way finding signs in 100 Acres. A group of visitors were asked to find about 7 landmarks using the signage provided (no map) to help the Design team better understand if the signs were working and where people might be getting lost.

6. Posted just last week, the number 6 most read post of the year comes from Ed. It seems that many of you were interested in learning how to level up your lingo, as Ed shares some of the modern tools he uses to brush up on foreign languages.

5. Capping off the top 5 is a post by Kate titled, MTV “Covers” Reality TV, Indie, and New Media. While the post was actually written in 2009, it still takes honors in the number of pageviews it received in 2010. Kate previews a new MTV series called $5 Cover. As MTV takes steps to add more relevant programming, the show promised a ‘fascinating experiment in new media storytelling, combining the unabashed narcissism of reality TV with the raw, rough edges of indie cinema.’ Some critics are now saying this isn’t exactly what the show delivered.

4. Number 4 is another blast from the past (posted in 2008) and comes from guest blogger Patrick Smith – an airline pilot, author, and air travel columnist. In his post, The Jetliner as Art, Smith exemplifies his fascination with and insurmountable knowledge on aircraft design. Starting in the mid-60s and fast forwarding to current times, the post describes aircraft transformations in both design and functionality.

3. The number 3 most read IMA Blog post of 2010 is by Charlie. In Capitalizing on Perception, Charlie discusses the resurgence of 3D in the movie theaters and other media outlets. After reading this post, I was curious to see which 3D film has scored the highest Box Office numbers. According to BoxOfficeMojo.com, Avatar tops the list, which isn’t too surprising. It is pretty remarkable though that the film has grossed almost double the number 2 film (Toy Story 3).

2. The number 1 and number 2 posts tell us that our readers LOVE to participate. We asked you to vote for your favorite Project IMA: Fashion Unbound Designer and you answered our call. It was a very close race, but our readers crowned Amanda Helmsing winner with 29% of the vote.

And finally…

1. Here it is – the most read IMA Blog post of 2010 – a Vote for the IMA’s Next Top Blogger. The IMA called out to those interested in sharing their opinions, musings, and perspectives as a guest writer for the IMA blog. Katie Neville won the crown as the IMA’s Next Top Blogger, and has since written 4 posts for us.

Well, there you have it – the top 10 of 2010. Anyone want to take bets for 2011?

Explore how designers of the 20^th century shaped the direction of avant-garde fashion by using modern construction and unexpected materials to contort, conceal, reveal or mock their wearers.

A while back I wrote a post on mannequin preparation for our exhibition, Body Unbound. Around the same time, I began working on short behind-the-scenes video with the Nugget Factory. Welcome to my first IMA TV interview.

Filming turned out to be a bit nerve-racking for me. “Act naturally,” is a phrase easier said than done. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy witnessing what exactly we do to prepare for an exhibition.

Body Unbound is now on open and looks fantastic. Be sure to stop by the IMA before January 2011 and see for yourself.

No mannequins were harmed during the making of this video:

Here at IMA TV, we do whatever it takes to bring you the story- even if it means putting our lives on the line. You heard me. Lives. Our most treacherous assignment yet involved us getting up close and personal with the IMA’s bee hive.

Soon after our arrival, Chad Franer, Manager of Horticulture (and part-time bee whisperer) put our minds at ease with some calming words and a bee smoker.

Check out the video below to learn more about beekeeping at the IMA. No bees (or Nuggets) were harmed during the making of this video.

The form of the building takes inspiration from the structure and geometry of a fallen, folded leaf. The large angular deck folds back on itself to form the canopy above, both of which are constructed to allow for the free flow of sunlight and rain water, and the unique visible steel structure of the building is reminiscent of the leaf’s skeletal veins.

(via Flickr)

Here’s something really cool: the Pavilion will be a LEED certified structure, with careful attention paid to environmental sensitivity and energy efficiency throughout the design and construction process. To find out more about the eco-friendliness of the Pavilion, click HERE.

And since you’re here, check out this conversation between architect Marlon Blackwell and structural engineer Guy Nordensen:

Ask us, and well, after last week, we might have to say Felder Rushing. IMA TV stopped to chat with the Southern gentleman in the Oldfields orchard while he was at the IMA for his talk as part of our Planet Indy series. Check out the latest IMA TV episode and you’ll see why we’re crazy for this offbeat gardening guru.

Before this more than 2,000 year old artwork came into my Objects and Variable Art conservation lab, it was safely stored in two separate boxes—one box contained the ceramic vessel, the other contained the 9 pieces that were detached from it.  There’s a photograph in the historical files dating to the early part of the 20^th century showing how the vase was assembled when it was acquired in 1928.

My job was to carefully re-assemble these pieces and fill the missing areas to make the joints appear more seamless.  Finally, I inpainted my fills to make them less visible (if you get up really close to the case, you can see my work).

Aaron Steele, the IMA’s Digital Assets Specialist & Associate Photographer, photographed this object before and after my conservation treatment up in his photo studio.  Have a look:

Before treatment photographs

After treatment photographs

Practical shoes? (via boston.com)

This may have been our most treacherous episode of IMA TV yet. But we Nuggets strive to bring you the latest news from behind the scenes at the IMA, and gosh darn-it, we’ll get out hands (and high heels) dirty to do it.

Yesterday morning, we got the call with our assignment. So after donning hard hats, we trekked down to 100 Acres lead by intrepid project manager Dave Hunt. Adrenaline coursing through our veins, we entered the construction site for Los Carpinteros’ Free Basket. Surrounded by potentially threatening loud noises and up to our metatarsals in mud, we braved the elements to bring you this nice little IMA TV episode:

Los Carpinteros has developed a large-scale site-specific installation titled Free Basket for 100 Acres: The Virgina B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park that continues their interest in the juxtaposition of the practical and the imaginary. Free Basket draws on the form of the basketball court, turning it into an aesthetically surprising entity that also offers a site for the community to engage in recreational play.

A rendering of Free Basket

In developing their project, Los Carpinteros chose to draw on the rich history of sports in the city of Indianapolis. Their project seeks to bring together art, culture and sports, providing an interactive platform for the larger community that engages them in art. Free Basket will be Los Carpinteros’s first long-term public commission in the U.S. Click here for more info.

Los Carpinteros

Joep van Lieshout, with his studio Atelier van Lieshout, will present a group of 20 benches with drawings of large bones that will together form the shape of an enormous, stylized human skeleton.

The work grows out of ideas about native heritage and cultural development, with bones iconically referring to artifacts and remains from previous occupants. The artist, who encountered visitors sitting on rocks and other natural perches on his visit to Indianapolis, wanted to create benches as sites for resting in 100 Acres.

The IMA Design Team used creative methods to establish the maps and wayfinding signs in 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park. Join them as they ‘get lost’ to help others find their way: