As the lights go out in the MAP students’ summer homeroom for the last time, I’m once again left with that mix of emotions that comes at end of a summer when a new group of teens have left their imprint on the program and on me. It never gets old to see the transformation in how students begin the program quiet, reserved and unsure, but leave confident, bonded and lamenting the program’s end.

As with every year, the program takes on a slightly different feel. This summer, the MAP students’ objective was to welcome and encourage 100 Acres visitors to interact with the Park’s natural environments, and its installations through games and activities which they facilitated. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Art and Nature Park, Education

I’m pretty far behind the blogging curve, this being only the third item I’ve written.  And thanks as always to Kate, without whose help I would still be working on the first one!  I mention this lack of tech savvy because it was very much on my mind when I received a request to give a tour of the Miller House and Garden to a group of architectural bloggers whose itinerary and experience were being arranged by the Columbus Area Visitors Center.

Michael Shapiro of ModernCaptital (left) and Barrett "Baz" Crites of Atomic Indy (right)

Taken together, the participants constituted a pretty impressive group. (By the way, has there yet been coined a word for a group of bloggers?)  Atomic Indy’s Baz was there, along with the Urbanophile (that’s some SERIOUS blogging), Apartment Therapy, and many others, about 15 in all.  I had visited some of their blogs prior to the June 12 tour, but my own digital world is on the narrow side, I have to confess, so most were new to me.  Suffice it to say that as folks were introducing themselves, I could only smile and nod, and reflect inwardly on my opportunity to see the Miller property act as one of the agents that would transform – if only for a weekend – a virtual community of iPhone-addicted hipster inhabitants of the blogosphere into a real-time, flesh-and-blood fellowship of Columbus, Indiana, architectural enthusiasts. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Design, Local, New Media

It seems like just yesterday, we were hanging with the Barnacle crew in L.A.

Or team building with the Type A dudes.

Or long jumping with Los Carpinteros.

So what can you expect this weekend? Expect to have your mind blown. Giant grasshoppers, popular bulldogs, throat singing, strawberry shortcake, and more.

See you there.

Filed under: Art, Art and Nature Park, Current Events, New Media

Ever wondered what happens to your favorite exhibition after it closes at the IMA?

Sometimes artwork and objects are dispersed back to the lenders who own them.  Other times, exhibitions travel on to another institution for display.  This was the case with European Design Since 1985: Shaping the New Century. Remember it? A portion of this IMA-organized exhibition is now on display at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.

High Museum of Art

Often, when the IMA sends an exhibition to another institution, our registrars, curators and/or conservators accompany the artwork to the borrowing institution so that we may oversee the installation.  Associate Registrar Brittany Minton, Conservator Richard McCoy and I were lucky enough to travel to Atlanta to work with the High Museum to make a second showing of European Design a reality.

Traveling an exhibition is always a fun and challenging experience.  You are in an unfamiliar gallery space working with staff you’ve just met.  You have a set amount of time to get a show completely installed before you head for home.  In this case, it meant moving crates, unpacking over 250 objects, inspecting them individually to ensure they traveled safely, and installing them in their exhibition locations…..all within two weeks.

Here’s a quick overview of exhibition installation:

1. Unpacking

Euro Design travel crate

Brittany and High Chief Preparator Cayse discuss unpacking Tord Boontje’s Night Blossom from its crate

Each crate is carefully unpacked.  Traveling artwork requires specialized packing which helps each object withstand the stress of travel.  Each container is designed specifically for the object that it holds.  Many thanks go out to IMA’s amazing packing and crating team: Rob Waddle, John Ross, Jesse Speight, and Jim Bayse.  I may be partial, but I think they create some of the most thoughtful art packing.

For example, here’s how Philipe Starck’s Bedside Gun was packed:

Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Exhibitions, Travel

What happens at the intersection of music and art? Composer Jim Beckel has a pretty good idea.  A few months ago, we decided to join forces with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra to create a short video.

Behind the scenes shot of Dan filming the horn section's rehearsal

And we couldn’t have asked for better subject matter. ISO Principal Trombone (and composer) Jim Beckel’s, In the Mind’s Eye, Images for Horns and Orchestra features the five members of the ISO Horn Section and is inspired by paintings from the collections of the IMA.

The video speaks for itself, I think (watch it below)…an extraordinary partnership between two Indianapolis cultural institutions. You can see the performance in person May 14-15 at the Hilbert Circle Theater.

Filed under: Art, Current Events, New Media