Indianapolis Museum of Art Blog

Bikes, with their cute mechanical simplicity and efficient way of using of energy, fascinate the engineer in me. Combined with the thrill of blurring past the seemingly static world with fleshy swirling feet grafted to steel and rubber, bike riding confuses me for a bit into thinking I’m a mechanized version of myself. You know, a Philbot. So, this last weekend when nearly 180 of my mechanized brothers assembled in Monaco for the start of the 2009 Tour de France,  I shifted my cyborg eye away from art and marketing for a few hours to watch my favorite sporting event and cheer on the race for the coveted Maillot jaune.

As you all are hopefully aware, the leader of many a mechanized-two-wheeler assault peloton, Lance Armstrong, has come out of retirement and is competing in the 2009 Tour de France to promote cancer awareness through his Livestrong organization. What you all may not be aware of is that Lance has a thing for art and has commissioned some pretty notable artists and designers to create bikes for him.

For example, Marc Newson, whose designs were included in our recent exhibition, European Design Since 1985, is responsible for the graphic treatment on this time trial bike.

Marc Newson's bicycle for Lance Armstrong

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I was recently given the book River Grace by Makoto Fujimura, a contemporary artist whose art and life changed with the terrorists attacks of September 11, 2001. The book was a frank autobiography by a popular living artist who described his walk of faith and the influence it has on his art. This was a first for me. You might think being behind-the-scenes of exhibitions, artists interviews and the creative process, the topic of faith would come up more often.

I am a Christian. I am also an artist and creative, and what I do is driven by my faith experience. — Makoto Fujimura said in a 2007 article by Associated Press reporter Eric Gorski

One might argue that the origin of art is religion and that the two have been interconnected throughout history. We certainly have a fair share of religious art. So why is it that today art has become a secular topic? It seems strange in my opinion that someone’s career in art doesn’t merit a discussion of beliefs or nonbeliefs or their inspiration or guiding force. In a time where people in film and music, and even sports and politics openly discuss faith, why do the visual arts shy away from sensitive questions and stick to the “creative process”? Perhaps it’s because it makes us uncomfortable? Read the rest of this entry »

I’m glad to have Irvin’s report that clearly shows spring is on its way and to know that in a matter of weeks the sky won’t be that low, oppressive grey. This means soon I’ll be working on the outdoor sculpture – from washing, cleaning, and waxing to the occasional, necessary repair. You may have seen some of the conservation work we’ve done on the IMA’s famous LOVE sculpture in this youtube video.

But this year I’d like to ask you to lend me a hand in taking care of the IMA’s outdoor sculpture. No, no, I’m not talking about actually getting you to join me in doing the labor, but I’d like to ask you to participate in a kind of experiment in documenting some of the sculpture on the grounds – that is to say make Wikipedia entries and upload some pictures of the IMA’s sculptures. If you don’t’ already know, anyone can make Wikipedia entries!

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