As soon as the first photographs were produced in the 1830s, there was a desire to make an accurate color photograph.  Images were painted, dyed, and colored with various inks for years until James Clerk Maxwell devised a way to make true color images that finally worked in 1861.

The first color photograph, a tartan ribbon, using Maxwell’s method.

Maxwell’s idea was to use standard black and white film and to take three images: the first with a red filter, the second with a green filter, and the third with a blue filter.  It was a clever idea that merged the idea of art’s color wheel with the scientific ideas of light frequency.  Almost all color imaging uses Maxwell’s principles to this day.

When motion pictures were invented in the 1890s, there was once again a desire for color images.  By 1900, the Pathé company in France had designed an elaborate system to hand-color film frames with the use of stencils.  Others developed ways of tinting film to make certain scenes have a different artistic feel.

Still photographers had no trouble using Maxwell’s method of making color images, but it was more difficult for motion picture cameramen.  While the still photographer could simply load a new plate, put up a new color filter, and reshoot, the motion picture cameraman had to take at least 16 images per second!

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Filed under: Film, Public Programs, The Toby

The Eames are everywhere. Design blogs spill over with images of their iconic furniture. They’re stars in LACMA’s Pacific Standard Time exhibition, California Design, 1930-1965: “Living in a Modern Way (as well as others).  Ice Cube professed his admiration for them. But as a new documentary shows, though they may have started with a chair, their real impact lies in the multi-faceted nature of their work and the unfettered creativity they brought to their four decade long career. Like Ice Cube said, “They were doing mash-ups before mash-ups even existed.”

A few months ago, Richard McCoy – the IMA’s Conservator of Objects and Variable Art – and Tricia Gilson conducted a two part interview on Art21′s blog with Daniel Ostroff, a consultant for Herman Miller and producer/editor of EamesDesigns.com, a website rich with information about the Eames and their work. If you haven’t checked it out yet, it’s a must-read (part one here, part two here).

The IMA will continue the celebration of this dynamic duo tomorrow with a screening of Eames: The Architect and the Painter in the Toby at 7pm. Come and see if it sparks any ideas of your own. As Charles Eames said, “Ideas are cheap. Always be passionate about ideas and communicating those ideas and discoveries to others in the things you make.”

Filed under: Design, Film, Public Programs, The Toby

Recently at The Toby we hosted a talk by an expert on beads named Lois Sherr Dubin. Referencing the Native American art, Nigerian art, and fashion art on display at IMA right now, she led us on a mind-bending trip through time and place, reflecting on these diminutive glass, ceramic or bone doo-dads that humans have endowed with the power to signify social status, connect to the spirits, and more. The earliest known beads, made from seashells, date back to 100,000 BC.

What about the earliest-known drawings? They exist in a cave in France, and are believed to be more than 30,000 years old. The newest film by documentary filmmaker Werner Herzog (of Grizzly Man fame) is a journey into the Chauvet Cave, and a reflection on the profound urge to represent reality—with pigment on a surface.

image courtesy IFC films.

Egged on by Herzog’s rapturous narration, the film’s camera washes over the cave paintings with lavish attention. Beasts of all sizes are depicted. Charcoal brush strokes capture the grace and strength of a horse in motion. Footprints hint at rites of passage and perilous journeys. The film is immersive; the drawings are ghostly, and yet so there. (Read reviews of the film here).

Cave of Forgotten Dreams premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. I saw it at the 2011 South by Southwest film festival and fell in love.

You can see it here at the Indianapolis Museum of Art any of four times between Christmas and New Years. Use it as an excuse to get out of the house and get a fat dose of profundity.

Filed under: Film, Public Programs, The Toby

Lyle Tuttle didn’t know in 1945, when he was 14 years old and running away from his hometown of Ukiah, California to go see the circus in San Francisco, that years later he would be seen as the Father of Modern Tattooing. He didn’t know the heart with “mom” tattooed in a banner that he got at that circus would spark a lifelong interest in the history of tattooing, or that he would participate in bringing major changes to the industry. In fact, if you ask Lyle, he’ll tell you that he didn’t know a hell of a lot back then, while he laughs at himself as a dumb, young kid.

Whatever Lyle didn’t know, however, he did find a way to start his career in tattooing and by 1949 he was tattooing professionally after working under Bert Grimm. His first solo shop opened in 1954 and was located in a building next to the bus terminal in San Francisco. Lyle didn’t feel comfortable in the area and wanted a quick out in case he needed it. Being beside the terminal also brought him a lot of clientele. But what really changed the kind of clientele that walked into Lyle’s shop during the 1960s was the advent of women’s liberation. With women getting a new found freedom they could get tattooed, if they so desired. It greatly expanded the market, and according to Lyle, he tattooed nothing but women for three years.

Lyle tattooed Cher and Janis Joplin, as well as Peter Fonda and The Allman Brothers, just to name a few of the stars that helped bring about Lyle’s appearance on the cover of Rolling Stone in October of 1970, a first in major media coverage for any tattoo artist. This was followed by a front page article in the Wall Street Journal in 1971. This publicity was not only good for Lyle’s career, but for the entire industry as well, bringing information about tattooing to a significantly larger audience that until then had only the knowledge of old stereotypes that had been passed down over the years.

Then Lyle began traveling the world. During this time he tattooed on six of the seven continents, learning from those around him and sharing his knowledge and experiences. He brought these experiences back to the United States and began sharing them with other tattoo artists, participating in the first tattoo convention in the country.

Eventually Lyle started collecting tattoo memorabilia and currently has the largest collection in the world.  Some day this will be showcased once more, as it was in the 1970s when the upper floor of his building next to the bus terminal served as a museum. His collection of memorabilia and equipment is an important part of preserving tattoo history so that those who come after us, artist and enthusiast, can see how tattooing has grown from humble beginnings in back street shops frequented by sailors and criminals to a respectful art form enjoyed by all walks of life.

Over the years, Lyle has become a legend and a teacher for the tattoo industry, in which he participated as an artist until his retirement in 1990. To this day, he is still an active and important figure in the industry, as he still travels worldwide to speak on subjects from tattoo machine maintenance and building, to listening and talking to the younger generations about the art form. Celebrating his 80^th birthday this past October, Lyle is still going strong and looking forward to coming to the IMA for “Deep Ink” with Chief White Wolf James of the Eiteljorg Museum; Junii Shimada, a female tattoo artist from Japan now working in San Francisco; and myself on November 5^th, 2011, at 7 p.m. in the Toby.

Filed under: Art, Public Programs, The Toby

In its eighth year, the Indianapolis International Film Festival has screened hundreds of films that might otherwise not grace the big screen in Indy. For the third year, the fest takes place exclusively at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Screening July 14-24, we are proud to share 100 more selections we hope will entertain, challenge and expand perspectives.

The mission of the Indy Film Fest is to create a shared experience around film. Increasingly our fans and friends tell us they want more than just access. They want to participate in talks, meet-ups and to be part of a community where local filmgoers and filmmakers can connect and interact.

The IMA serves as the perfect setting for us to further our mission and provide just that type of interaction. With three theater spaces to screen films, meeting rooms for panels and Nourish Cafe for lounging, there are plenty of places for people to mingle during the festival. Not to mention the museum’s exhibits and green spaces – perfect refuges for thoughtful, inspired breaks between films.

The Indy Film Fest board and volunteers team have worked towards creating a more engaging and interactive experience for you, and this year’s lineup offers plenty to see on the screen and more to do in-between.

On the Screen

 Summer Nights
This is our first year to partner with IMA on their popular Summer Nights Film Series. We can’t imagine a more carefree, magical way to spend a summer evening than watching a good flick under the stars with a glass of wine from Nourish. First up, Clerks on July 15. Then, stay tuned for our Secret Screening on July 22. Will it be a cult classic, or something new? We’ll announce this very soon, but for now you’ll just have to wait and see!

 Subtitles, please!
In the Songs of Love and Hate, a teen daughter explores her sexuality amidst the backdrop of her family’s lush vineyard. It’s a dark portrayal of a father-daughter relationship toeing a taut rope-walk of tension, sexual and otherwise. I’m still mulling over the characters’ psyches. (For fans of Twisted Roots from the 2010 Indy Film Fest).

 Short Shorts
I’m a huge fan of the little film that packs a punch in two minutes or less. There are a few gems in this year’s fest that do just that, including Los Gritones. Sometimes sharing your love with the world isn’t as perilous as sharing it with the one you love. Watching people react to this film is just as joyous for me as the first time I watched it. (For fans of I want to Spend the Rest of My Life with You from the 2010 Indy Film Fest)

Still from short film "Los Gritones."

This is just small sample of the selections from this year’s fest. See the full lineup for the 2011 Indy Film Fest here.

In-Between & More

Panels and Talks Galore
Stick around after select screenings to catch visiting filmmakers offer a Q&A session in-house. For some filmmakers who aren’t able to attend, we arrange to Skype them in to answer your questions. Between these Q&As, panels, and workshops, we’re building in more ways for you to learn about the craft that goes into the films.

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Filed under: Film, Local, Public Programs, The Toby