Indianapolis Museum of Art Blog » holiday

Happy Holidays

Kate — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 15:12:57 +0000

So we know the IMA doesn’t actually look like this today… but we can pretend, right?

(via hanginthere)

Happy Holidays everyone!

Shop & Celebrate!

Noelle Pulliam — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:45:45 +0000

Pulling the IMA magazine together is probably one of the most enjoyable aspects of my job, aside from Monday Web team meetings. And with the winter (November-January) issue, we usher in a new era of the magazine. No longer called Previews, but simply known as the IMA magazine, the cover and pages present the Museum’s new graphic identity. With a new look also comes fresh content and ideas that incorporate the intersection of art, design and nature. In this issue, we went out on a limb and decided to do our first retail holiday photo shoot–presenting items for sale in the Museum’s shops–rather than rely on product photography from the design house or manufacturers.

After a full day of shouting “Watch your eyes!” as the strobes went off, we found the results well worth our efforts. The shoot took place on a Monday in the IMA’s new Design Center (store) for easy access to product. Our challenge was to include items from the Museum Store, Design Center, Greenhouse Shop and the newly opened Nourish Café. Keeping a consistent look and feel between these entities took some extensive product planning, and having holiday products in early September also posed some limits. Luckily, we had Tascha as our pro photo editor, Matt the daring designer, and Tad and Mike, two amazing photographers on the team.

A little humor you won’t spot in the published pages of the magazine — We included a pair of cat salt and pepper shakers in the shoot full of bird decorative items. A porcelain origami crane ornament took the hungry kitties’ place in the final shot. We also all fell in love with the Charles and Ray Eames House Bird available in the Design Center for $210. You might call that funny too…

Look for the “Shop & Celebrate” photo spread in the new issue of the magazine this October, and have your holiday shopping list handy.

My “Nice” List

Noelle Pulliam — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:21:42 +0000

Recently, I’ve run across a couple of great holiday gifts for the art enthusiast in your life. The first is a profound film based on book that has been re-airing on WFYI over the last several weeks. The Rape of Europa, based on the book by Lynn H. Nicholas, documents the pillaging of art in Europe during WWII. The images are breathtaking and the individuals who were on the front lines of war with a mission to protect art, brave and inspiring. The recovery of this art continues today. If you work in the art world or love art or history, it’s a must-see or must-read.

The book Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thorton is another excellent find. “A judicious and juicy account of the institutions that have the power to shape art history, based on hundreds of interviews with high-profile players, Thornton’s entertaining ethnography will change the way you look at contemporary culture,” according to the book’s publisher. I haven’t read it yet, but it’s at the top of my wish-list. Read a review from The Washington Post.

Those are my two finds. I’m leaving the rest up to you. Your prime shopping date: Friday, December 5 – “First Friday” offers your best bet to buy art at the local galleries. Share your finds below…