@uplandindy kept the beer (and conversation) flowing all night long.

@kylehodges1 aka DJ TwinPeaks manned the turntables.

IMA’s Top Blogger, Katie Neville graced us with her presence.

iPads in circulation. Always a people pleaser.

We’ve got a few ideas up our sleeve for the next BlogAnon. Until then, see you on the internets.

I mean, you can’t help but gawk at this guy as your driving down the street, right?

So we’ve seen how effective art on a billboard can be, but what about a billboard as art? Next time you’re driving south on Keystone on Indy’s north side, you can’t miss the two large billboards flanking the busy street. They feature murals with saturated colors and a loose, urban/graffiti vibe.

They are striking, artistic, and only subtly an ad.

from Flickr user DieselDemon

What’s kind of shocking about them is that they’re advertisements for Pabst Blue Ribbon. I thought they didn’t advertise? I thought that was their thing, their shtick.

Well, it seems as though we’re witnessing the results of an art contest in which Pabst lovers submit art in an attempt to get a year’s worth of PBR and some cash prizes. Well now.

The PBR campaign can be seen on walls, bus benches and wild postings. In some cities, art is on display in bars, with coasters and maps to let drinkers know the locations of the art. These are consumer-created, ‘participatory’ art/ads that were placed where traditional advertisements are not found- probably to help bolster PBR’s ‘non-mainstream’ image. In other cities, it seems like the muralists preferred buildings to billboards, but here’s an interview done with the guys who installed the billboard murals  in the Midwest. When PBR decides to advertise, they leave no stone unturned. To see the evolution of PBR’s advertising campaigns, click here.

from Flickr user lippert61

from Flickr user DieselDemon

from Flickr user {luminary}

To see more of the murals on Flickr, click here. Well done, PBR. You’ve won over at least one passer-by. And I don’t even drink beer!

Despi and I headed to Brooklyn to have lunch with Shelley at Juniors. [Quick side note: do you realize I ate cornbread, a fried chicken breast, mac and cheese, and mashed potatoes with gravy?] The food was absolutely delicious and it was a chance to catch up with Shelley about museums, technology and our projects. It’s rare to spend time with someone that is so honest and open and willing to collaborate or share experiences. That is what Shelley has done at Brooklyn and it’s that same spirit that we try to follow in Indianapolis.
This is not the first time the Brooklyn Museum has been mentioned in an IMA blog post. We routinely plug other institutions we admire, envy or _______. But in the world of museum technology and the visitor experience, Shelley and her team are simply brilliant, and I’m not ashamed to say that I really look up to them.

So – I’m not going to bore you with a complete transcription of our lunch conversation (although it actually would be pretty funny), but I will recap some of things we discussed and I really do want to highlight some of the Brooklyn projects. Yes, I am sending you away from our site – it’s very Web 3.0 of me. Here are few quick projects -

I tend to raise an eyebrow when people go nuts about Web 2.0 applications, etc. but flickr is a site I LOVE. And of course the Brooklyn Museum showed us (the museum us) how to successfully use it. So check out there page here or their Brooklyn Bridge group here. BTW, ours is here.

Facebook, Facebook, Facebook. What happens when you develop an application for Facebook that pretty much any museum can join? Well, ArtShare brings works of art from Brooklyn, IMA, the Met, the Walker and many more museums directly to your Facebook profile. Thank Brooklyn for that one.

When we were devising the IMA blog, guess who we looked to and called? Check out the Brooklyn blog. Multiple authors, lots of imagery, and frequent posts. It’s the only way to roll.

And finally, Shelley and others are organizing a community focused exhibition called Click! that is going to be a smash hit. Remember you heard it here second, so check it out here.

That’s the quick recap. We also talked about our IMA projects – but we always mention those in our blogs, so I’m taking a break today. I know this is a very surface level overview of our meeting, but sorry – I’m in New York, and in between meetings and shooting video, I’ve got to go find a cannoli. I’m sure Despi and Shelley will chime in.

This got me thinking. I often times work more efficiently outside my office. Maybe it’s the lack of distractions, maybe it’s the creativity produced by a new environment, but there’s something about getting away from my desk that fuels productivity. In this day-in-age of laptops, wireless internet, and remote access to networks, I’m convinced that working from bed (or at least from outside the office) is good for business.

So, because I’m still pretty sick and don’t really want to talk about serious work-related stuff, I’ve decided to put together a list of my favorite places to work that aren’t my office. (For the record, I really love my office. It’s comfortable, colorful and a bit messy, and that suits me perfectly.)

Bed – After yesterday, I’m convinced that it can’t get much better than working in flannel pants under a down comforter. I’m daydreaming about it right now, in fact.

Hubbard and Cravens – Another place that has free wifi. When the weather is nice I like to sit outside and work from their tiny café tables. I’ve done some great brainstorming at the Hubbard and Cravens on Penn & 48^th.

10 K path at Eagle Creek – Most of my most creative marketing ideas have developed on the 10K path at Eagle Creek. Sometimes it takes getting away from my office AND my computer to really get the best work done.

I’m in search of a few new places to add to my list. Got any other suggestions on places to work when I don’t want to work at my desk?

Ideally, I’m looking for a quiet place with WiFi and a cool atmosphere. The availability of coffee and/or beer is essential.