Indianapolis Museum of Art Blog

Alice with students at Cold Spring School

What does it mean to say, “I live in Indiana”?  What is distinctive about that, as opposed to saying, “I live in Colorado,” or, “I live in Florida”?  These questions came to my mind as I listened to chef, author and food revolutionary Alice Waters speak at The Toby on December 2 as part of the IMA’s Planet Indy series. Alice was describing the simple delights of eating local, seasonal food, as well as the simple genius of rebuilding local economies around sustainable practices. In Alice’s economy, producers of organic vegetables, fruits, dairy items and meats know that their products will supply local markets and restaurants instead of being shipped across the country. Organic producers make a decent living; their neighbors enjoy fresh, high quality food and improved health.

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There are actually more than 10 reasons to visit

What, you haven’t been to the IMA’s new Tobias Theater yet? Consider this your personal invitation…along with ten good reasons to get thee to The Toby to catch a film in the next two weeks:

1. To be surprised: Little Fugitive, a black-and-white beauty made in 1953, is probably a film you’ve never heard of. Let that be a good thing. This 80-minute indie gem is about a boy who runs away to Coney Island. Think of it as Leave It To Beaver infused with art, subtlety, and cinematography to die for. Sneak away and see it at The Toby Tuesday, December 30.
2. The sound rocks: As the museum’s senior AV technician, sound hound Chris Cruz made sure the sound system in The Toby is top notch. Three refrigerator-sized speakers lurk behind the movie screen to give you blasts of aural delight.

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Imagine its 1916, and you’re lying ill in the city hospital.  Surrounding you are aisles of other hospital beds full of other patients.  As you suffer with a fever, you stare at the sterile, blank hospital walls.  If you were fortunate enough to be in Indianapolis, that city hospital would have been what is today Wishard Memorial Hospital.  Idyllic landscapes, groups of children playing, and portraits would have adorned the walls.  The soft colors and soothing images would have encouraged your healing process.

Clifton Wheeler, Women and Children. 39" x 70". Photograph by Tad Fruits.

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New Media, Developers, our IT staff, members of the Design Studio, and Marketing are currently working on a new space in the museum.  It’s an area that in the past has experimented with visitor-focused technology.  Some of these projects have included an interactive approach to exploring highlights of IMA’s collection, a chance to interact with Asian objects in a dream-like, 3-D environment, and the opportunity to explore the Roman Forum, virtually of course.

The X Room, shortly after the IMA reopened in 2005

2009 will bring a new approach to this tech environment, that I hope encourages our museum visitors to talk back to us.

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The IMA pharmacy prescribes the following links to combat Monday online anemia.

Herb and Dorothy Vogel were here. Check out some pictures from their visit and the new exhibit.

Style Wars - “The original hip hop documentary.” Graffiti, hip hop, urban culture and one of my favorite websites of all time. Try the music player, check out the trains, and marvel at the design of this site.

Mr. Picassohead, developed by the public relations agency Ruder Finn, allows you to create a painting, sign it and send it to a friend. Search the gallery to see works by people you know.  Our own Noelle, gave it a twirl.   (And here’s another cool one.)

Escama Studio makes some really neat purses from recycled can tabs. Turns out we have them in the IMA gift shop. Gift idea?