Indianapolis Museum of Art Blog

Acclaimed film director Julie Dash worked with six area high school students over the course of their participation in the IMA’s Museum Apprentice Program to produce short films featured in the exhibition Smuggling Daydreams into Reality: Yesterday, Today and Forever.

The exhibition opened Saturday and runs through January 18, 2010 in the IMA’s Star Studio. I spent my Tuesday lunch in the exhibition. The students’ video works and the film documenting the process with Dash drew me in. I was also tempted to add my own daydream to an IMA Flickr set shown in the exhibition as a slideshow. But my stomach was growling so I’ll have to go back.

I was delighted to sit down with Julie for a quick chat earlier this year.

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No knack. I don’t get it. I work in a wonderful world of creativity surrounded by artists and generally brilliant people, and I have the ultimate creative block. I can’t put a brush to canvas to save my life. Now mind you, I have canvases at home. I even had an easel till I sold it to my more creative neighbor Trevor in my garage sale a few weeks ago. And don’t get me started on my blogging ability. I just don’t think I’m a good blogger. I believe Despi and the cool kids asked me to blog thinking I could spread some of my everyday humor into this thing, but I’m just not funny in a blog. My wit and quirkiness is lost on paper. Go ahead, quit reading now – you’re just wasting your time. I’ve had suggestions of just being around scribes who can record my funniness in type, or maybe I’d be the first blogger to turn in a blog on video or podcast. After all – the Nugget Factory gave me a Flip Camera for On Procession, and those videos turned out pretty stinkin’ hilarious, If-I-do-say-so-myself.

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In Star Studio, we spend a lot of time explaining to visitors that the drop-in art making space is not a “kids’ area” where parents sit while their children make artwork…it is a space for all of our visitors. The idea of the space is that any visitor (even grown-ups) can stop by and make something in response to the work on display. Many people take us up on the offer (you can see the results here), but often we meet adults who seem to think of the production of art as a child’s endeavor, something that you leave behind when you get a job and a mortgage.

In the years since Star Studio opened, countless visitors have declined the invitation to make something in the drop-in studio by saying “Oh no, I’m not creative.” Huh. I’ve never had a child say that, though. Read the rest of this entry »