My first Pecha Kucha night, enjoyed from the squishy goodness of a giant red comfy sack in The Toby, was  like no other PowerPoint presentation I’ve been to. I left feeling inspired and liberated (since profanities could be shouted or whispered freely at any point). I’m definitely experiencing culture these days, maybe due to a motivating post by Meg. It’s true–as a marketer, and as a resident of Indy–we should all be experiencing the amazing galleries, games, plays, concerts, trails, architecture and exhibits offered by our friends. But why not also ask ourselves how as individuals we can create culture?

Matthew Hale, life-long resident of Indianapolis and graduate of Herron School of Art & Design, pitched his idea to make Indy a cultural landmark at the recent Pecha Kucha Night. “Letteracks: A 3D map for Indianapolis” is a coordinated system of 26 giant letter bikeracks, one for each letter of the alphabet, designed for the regional center of Indianapolis. The options for the use of these letteracks are endless–from field trip and jogging destinations to wayfinding and photo ops. Letteracks would add a unique system of nationally recognized landmarks to our city and increase the cultural language so-to-speak of the people in our city.

"Letteracks: A 3D map for Indianapolis"

While Matt didn’t win the $10k PK prize (in my opinion, he should have), his idea speaks to the idea of creating culture on a large scale. On a much smaller scale, as a child, I was a ballet dancer, I painted Tiger Lillies by the mailbox, I played the piano, I wrote poems and stories, I sang “Billy Boy” on the swing set, I planted mounds of pumpkin seeds and sunflowers in my garden, I took portfolios of pictures after a heavy snowfall, I read. Today, I rarely make time for these renewing acts or share them. What would Indy be like, if we each brought our own light and talents to our family, neighbors and city? What if we didn’t passively absorb culture, but actively created and shared it?

I heard an artist speak on the topic about a year ago in a sun-drenched gym on the Old Northside. “Do you have a picture to paint? A book to write? A dance class to take? Are you needed by someone?”

We should all have our day in the comfy sack, but I’m going try to make more time to create, converse and inspire.

Wilber in his comfy sack

]]> http://www.imamuseum.org/blog/2009/11/18/creating-culture/feed/ 4 http://www.imamuseum.org/blog/2009/10/27/rip-geocities/ http://www.imamuseum.org/blog/2009/10/27/rip-geocities/#comments Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:58:43 +0000 Matt http://www.imamuseum.org/blog/?p=9120 GeoCities, age 14, died on October 26, 2009. The cause of death is still unknown.

Born mid-1995 in Southern California, GeoCities lived on the world wide web and worked it’s way into the lives of millions by introducing casual internet surfers to pop-ups, pop-unders, animated gifs, and broken html markup until it’s death in 2009.

Survivors include Yahoo, WebCrawler, AOL, Twitter, and countless others. GeoCities was preceded in death by Jeeves, Compuserve, Netscape (the browser), and Angelfire.

Memorial services will be held at http://web.archive.org. Burial will be at http://geocities.yahoo.com/. Relatives, friends, memes, trolls, and search bots are welcome.

There are several websites that made a splash via GeoCities. Kate confessed to having a fan page of some sort at one point in time… and I had a few pages lurking out there somewhere too, though I’m struggling to remember what they were. Without GeoCities, we wouldn’t have the Icy Hot Stuntaz. Thankfully, the content will never die. Find a nice collection of screen captures of classic GeoCities websites at Internet Archaeology.

One of the most frequent comments I hear is about how we are located in a “strange place,” way up on 38th street. It’s true, we do not sit on “museum row” in downtown Indianapolis, but I think the current location gives us many different opportunities that the museum would never be able to explore if it remained downtown. There are many benefits from being slightly off the beaten path: the latest is a current project everyone is very excited about- 100 Acres, the Virginia B Fairbanks Art and Nature Park.

The local arts and culture community in Indianapolis is vibrant and thriving, in spite of the economy and our community’s singular sports focus (No judgment, I’m a huge Colts fan, 14 days ’til preseason starts, etc. I just don’t think sports need to come at the high price of culture) The Indianapolis Museum of Art’s current location has the potential to give us the feeling of a destination, a calm refuge in the heart of a bustlng downtown.

But why does it matter where we are located? Is the difference between downtown and 38th St. such a great one?

Other museums have explored different options for their unique needs of “place,” for different reasons. Several museums have opened up satellite locations: the Guggenheim spread to multiple countries, including Spain and Germany, (and Las Vegas!) increasing the international audiences the museum is accessable to. The Getty has the Villa, which specifically houses their Roman and Etruscan art collection, so that location can focus on that one subsection of their collection. Other museums operate without physical locations, such as The International Museum of Women. It doesn’t yet have a physical site, but builds community through exhibitions online,  lectures and events as they work toward a physical building.

All of these museums are reacting to their visitors and what they need from each institution. The most important aspect of location for museums and cultural centers is visitors and community. Physical space is a large part of what defines communal identity, and concepts like nationalism and even the sports team you favor arise from where you were born. We as humans like what we know, and we know what’s around. Shouldn’t our closest neighbors love us and visit the most? Yes, but often, they don’t.

Museums are defined by who comes to visit them and who they are reaching, something all museums should have a firm grasp on. We want to know who comes, and more importantly, know who doesn’t. This is where it gets tricky. I feel that ultimately, the current model of visitor-to-institution relationship comes down to the same patterns. Museums seek out new and different audiences, but they don’t come, regardless of the effort. Generally, the same people who care about the museum keep coming, and the museum continues to tailor it’s exhibits and activities for that same group. I suppose it’s only up to us to change this… more on that next time.

Do you have any memories related to Robert Indiana’s Love sculptures? Or Anish Kapoor’s “Bean” in Chicago? What about Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s saffron-colored gates in New York’s central park? How about one of those giant spiders by Louise Bourgeois…or those cows on parade? Did you ever take a picture with one of these or another public art work? Well, I surely have (see me below). Something about the interactive nature of public art, and the feeling that it informally exists in its spot for me, rather than for a gallery space or for someone’s wall, really helps me enjoy public art. And I think regardless of if you like a piece or don’t, it inevitably makes you aware of your space, your participation in it, and someone’s efforts to enrich or change it. As a friend recently reminded me, these works at least make you ask, “Why is this here?”

Saying hello to a Juan Munoz sculpture

The definition of public art differs depending on whom you ask and why you are asking. For example, must the government supply the funding for a project to officially be labeled as public art? Is graffiti public art (see also: Banksy)? Is my neighbor’s daughter’s sidewalk drawing a piece of public art? Is the Love sculpture even public art if it sits on the Museum’s private property? Raquel Laneria sheds some light on this murkiness in her Forbes article “Why We Love – And Need – Public Art.” But whatever the official definition – to me, its an art work in a public space that I can personally access – and I agree with those “nonprofits, federal organizations and private investors who believe it is something indispensable to city life,” and with Darren Walker, who is quoted in the article as having said, “public art is a public good.”

My collage of art, found within a three-block stretch of Washington Street in Indianapolis.

I recently attended the walking tour of George Rickey: An Evolution (I highly recommend it – the last guided tour is August 16) in downtown Indianapolis. Our guide, Mindy Taylor-Ross, prefaced the tour with some Arts Council info and mentioned that Indy was at one time pursuing a ‘percent-for-art ordinance,’ which would provide a more or less stable (though small) funding source for public art in Indianapolis. Many other cities, including Seattle and Chicago, already have similar ordinances. A percent-for-art ordinance states that a percentage of publicly funded capital improvement projects (usually between .5 and 2%) is reserved for the commissioning of public artworks, which generally end up inside the building or on its outlaying property. In my interpretation, this ensures that as long as the city spends money on building projects, public art projects will exists in these spaces. While I’m sure there are a lot of politics and red tape involved in this process, theoretically, this is a good idea. Though with the current government leadership such legislature is likely not a priority, perhaps it could be pursued once more when times are less rough. The Project for Public Spaces website indicates a few other funding sources for public art – public/private sector collaborations, percent and non-percent for art programs, soliciting developer participation, and several other alternatives.

For fun, I polled some friends to find out their favorite and least favorite public art works. Many respondents voluntarily said that the reason they liked it was because they can still vividly see it when they think about it. Pretty cool.

“Loved it”
Eero Saarinen, Gateway Arch (the St. Louis Arch); J. Seward Johnson Jr, The Awakening; Juame Plensa, Crown Fountain; James Yamada, Our Starry Night; Igor Mitoraj, Tindaro Screpolato; the Pineapple Fountain in Charleston, SC; Jim Benedict, Forks, Cheese, Hangers; Magdelena Abakanowicz, Agora.

“Not so much”
Julian Opie, Ann Dancing; Pablo Picasso, Untitled, Chicago. (especially with the baseball caps); Claes Oldenburg and Coosje Van Bruggen, Big Sweep.

What public art works do you like or dislike?

The Awakening

"Installation Nation" at College Avenue and Michigan Street vacant lot

The local photo blog The Heidelberger Papers presents a regular visual exploration of Indianapolis through photographs and captions. The upcoming IMA exhibition Judith G. Levy: Memory Cloud will employ plastic photo viewers containing 35 mm slides to conjure memories, many of which visitors will have the chance to peer through, others of which will be out of reach. These two items prompted me to post my snapshots from the past weeks. Do we have some shared experiences?

Metal shipping container lit up at "Installation Nation"

Watching a vacant lot transform into a small village of warmly lit installations and speckled crowds, all from my living room window, was a delight. But it was the people, not the art that charmed me. “Installation Nation” was presented by the Indianapolis-based arts nonprofit Primary Colours.

Street view of downtown by The Maxwell condos

The Maxwell is one of several new condo buildings downtown. Your guess is as good as mine as to whether this one will fill up.

Italian Street Festival

The 26th annual Italian Street Festival near Fountain Square was packed with people eager to taste some real Italian heritage. I got my hands on homemade spaghetti, fettuccine and a chocolate cake dessert and was literally encircled by welcoming families.

Some dogs can't hold their pasta.

Let’s just say the trip home from Italian Fest involved some heavy lifting.

Summer Nights June 12th film "Roman Holiday"

Highly recommended by my mom, “Roman Holiday”, starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, was one of this year’s Summer Nights films. It sold out within an hour at the IMA so I’m happy I watched it from the comfort of my couch thanks to Apple TV.

"European Design" billboard on Delaware and 15th Streets

One of my favorite billboards from the “European Design Since 1985″ advertising campaign, the location of this message staring you head on while driving up Delaware is ideal. The Whippet Bench, even cooler. (The exhibition closes at the IMA June 21 — take your dad! Tickets are 2 for $10.)

Independent Music + Art Festival

The Independent Music + Art Festival presented by the Harrison Center for the Arts hosts countless talented bands and artist. Why did I choose to highlight one? Not only is his work fun to photograph, but I was entertained by Michael Altman’s paintings on cardboard last year. Altman creates his robots, dogs and other funky characters on found cardboard for two purposes. 1) To create an entry point for young collectors. Cardboard is cheap and so is the art. 2) To be green. Painting on cardboard gives each work character and also prevents it from going in the trash.

Work by artist Michael Altman at IMAF

]]> http://www.imamuseum.org/blog/2009/06/17/snapshots/feed/ 1 http://www.imamuseum.org/blog/2009/05/12/everyones-a-winner/ http://www.imamuseum.org/blog/2009/05/12/everyones-a-winner/#comments Wed, 13 May 2009 00:08:12 +0000 Emily Lytle http://www.imamuseum.org/blog/?p=5061

IRT Facade

I recently got the chance to go see Crowns at the Indiana Repertory Theatre. It was great- the actors had good voices, the hats were compelling and fun and funny, the set was interesting and transitioned well for the actors from scene to scene. Most importantly, the audience loved it and really got into the story. To my surprise, there were a lot of kids there who enjoyed it, too. Way to go, Indy people, for taking your kids to the theatre.

But, I’m not actually interested in making this a theatre review. I have been thinking lately, spurned on by the recent culture rally Indy Culture Matters, about the large amount of cultural offerings we have available to us here in Indy. I have also been thinking about how much this defines the city as a thriving, important global community with an invested, artistic population. Most of our residents care about culture, and support it. But, I think the part that some people forget about is that fact that the institutions and organizations that comprise the local arts scene all actually support Indianapolis residents. Jobs, tourism, revenue- and more than our sports teams bring in, too.

So, get out and see the newest show at IRT, Interpreting William (which is based on the story of the founder of Conner Prairie.) If you aren’t into theatre, try something else.  Some events have shockingly cheap tickets. Indianapolis has countless offerings: Museums, gallery walks, historical houses, gardens, the zoo, the symphony. We have so much going on all the time, and it’s a shame to let all that amazing culture be wasted on JUST the tourists.

Feel free to comment and let me know of all the cool Indianapolis hot spots I left out!

So now that I have ventured south and summer is just about here, I am anxious to explore the cultural happenings of Indianapolis this summer. I’ve turned to my ever trustworthy colleagues, who know the city better than I, to find out what it is that I should not miss.

Charlie & Phil – Both agree that the Indy 500 (May 24), The Brickyard (July 26) and the Rib America Festival (Sept. 4-7) are some of the summer’s best. I think I’ll skip the actual consumption of ribs, but for $5 and tons of live music, Ribfest sounds like a good choice.

Kate – The Indy Jazz Festival (Sept. 21-27) is Kate’s favorite. I didn’t know this was a week-long event – and with Rob Dixon on board as one of its leaders this is definitely going on my list.

Daniel & Ed – Called “The Best Four Days in Gaming”, Daniel and Ed both like Gen Con Indy (Aug. 13-16). I’ll be honest and say that I had never heard of this before, but it sounds like a pretty big deal. Daniel shared some photos and it looks like these people seriously know how to party.

Gen Con 2008

Noelle – Another IndyCar Series race fan, Noelle’s second pick for summer is the annual Independent Music + Art Festival (June 13). Local musicians, visual artists and other “independents” come together for an all day outdoor festival. I’m all for enjoying free, original live music and shopping for art.

Matt G – Matt’s favorite Indy event is actually in the Winter, The Indiana Microbrewers Winterfest. (For those who like wheat beers better than winter ales, Kate informed me that there is a Summer equivelent to this event on July 18, in Broadripple). Another event Matt likes is Oranje, a contemporary art and music event focused on creating a stimulating and interactive art and music experience. With the tagline “Indulge Your Senses”, this event might take the Gold for an absolute must check out. The website hasn’t been updated with the 2009 schedule, but hopefully it will be soon!

And last, but certainly not least, a couple of my colleagues mentioned the IMA’s Summer Nights as an essential part of their Indianapolis summer experience. With films like The Goonies (July 3) and The Rocky Horror Picture Show (July 24), how could it not be?

As this Saturday’s graduation marks the completion of my Masters degree and thereby the end of my internship here at the IMA, this will be my last blog post. But I do hope to see all of you at some of these great summer events! Who knows, maybe I’ll even show up in costume.

Rocky Horror

Every good rally has a chant, right? There’s the infamous “Hell no, we won’t go!” Or how about, “Say it aint’ so, Joe.”

Although the Indy Culture Matters Rally in downtown Indianapolis Monday didn’t have a memorable chant, it had music, influential speakers and a crowd of about 2,000 with a whole lot of heart. I only wish IMA Director Max Anderson would’ve emailed us his post-rally thoughts earlier to use as a pre-rally chant – “Culture counts and we need to be counted!”

How this Movement got off the Ground
Here are the basics: A movement started with conversations among leaders of cultural organizations throughout Central Indiana. Not long after, the movement started popping up on the Web via Twitter, Facebook, eblasts and on the newly created Web site indyculturematters.org. A logo was designed and t-shirts were ordered (IMA members got one free). The rally on Monument Circle was an opportunity for Central Indiana’s cultural institutions, and anyone who believes that Indy culture matters, to make some noise! We demonstrated that Indy Culture matters in our lives, our economy and to the future of Indianapolis.

Speakers at the rally included:

• Superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools Dr. Eugene White
• Community member Pam Davidson
• CEO of Central Indiana Corporate Partnership Mark Miles
• President and CEO of WellPoint, Inc. Angela Braly
• CEO of Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association Don Welsh
• Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard
• Arts Patron Frank Basile

How do we keep the momentum of this movement?
Here’s what you can you do to demonstrate that Indy Culture Matters:

1. Visit our cultural destinations
2. Introduce new audiences to Indy Culture
3. Tell your elected representatives that Indy Culture Matters
4. Join the Facebook group and upload your own images from the rally!
5. Check indyculturematters.org for updated information and stats

Being part of a rally was a first in my lifetime, and to speak on behalf of all the IMA staff, we’re proud to be part of Indy culture with so many other amazing cultural organizations. Everywhere I looked, I knew the friendly, talented and richly-spirited faces in the crowd. The only disappointment of the day was that most of us didn’t bike there because of pre-rally rain and cold. Regardless…

“Hell no, Indy culture won’t go unnoticed!”

[Submit your best Indy culture rally chant or tell us why Indy culture matters to you below.]

If you were out Sunday afternoon in Indianapolis and happened to see a sculpture flying mid-air across town, don’t worry — you weren’t imagining things.

The sculpture, East Gate/West Gate by Sasson Soffer took flight at around 6 pm and safely landed about ten minutes later. The work is one of four outdoor sculptures the IMA has loaned to Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis — otherwise known as IUPUI. Three of the sculptures were relocated earlier in the year, but East Gate/West Gate was too big to transfer via truck. Measuring 24 x 40 x 30 feet, the sculpture could only be moved via helicopter.

The IMA mapped a route along the White River that allowed for the fewest traffic interruptions, and the sculpture made a smooth landing with a welcoming crowd on IUPUI’s campus to greet it.

I bet you wish we had video of that, huh? Well, here it is, straight from the Nugget Factory:

The four IMA sculptures will join newly commissioned works of public art to be located along the Indianapolis Cultural Trail. The trail will connect neighborhoods, entertainment amenities and Indianapolis’s five downtown cultural districts. The western corridor of the trail, to be completed in 2011, will pass through the campus of IUPUI along Blackford Street and will run adjacent to two of the four sculptures from the IMA collection.

Sculptures on loan to IUPUI include:

East Gate/West Gate, 1973
Sasson Soffer (American, b. 1925)
stainless steel
24 x 40 x 30 ft.
82.56

Spaces with Iron, 1972
Will Horwitt (American, 1934 -1985)
cast iron and bronze
54 x 84 x 68 3/4 in.
81.220

Mega-Gem, 1989
John Francis Torreano (American, b. 1941)
heliarch welded aluminum plate, 36 cast aluminum anodized rosettes
7′2″ x 11′ x 7′2″
1997.6

Portrait of History, 1997
Shan Zou Zhou (Chinese, b. 1952)
Bronze
100 x 24 x 30 in.
2001.388

I searched the web for other interesting stories of relocating large pieces, but had a hard time finding anything. If you know of any, please comment about them. And if you have video or imagery — even better!!

The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Summer Nights 2008

Now it’s time to mark your calendars for season #34 of Summer Nights, June 5-August 28. As one of the few art museums in the country with an amphitheater, the IMA offers a unique movie-going experience. All you need is a blanket, some friends and a picnic basket full of goodies. And, by popular demand, another special midnight screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show is in the works.

VOTE NOW! Below are four categories of films. Vote for your favorite film in each of the categories as often as you like. Polls close at noon on February 25, and results, including the full Summer Nights schedule, will be announced in March on the IMA Blog.

VOTING IS NOW CLOSED.
STAY TUNED TO THE IMA BLOG FOR OFFICIAL RESULTS IN MARCH!

*Licensing fees and restrictions may prohibit certain selections from being screened. However, the IMA will do all that is possible to secure and show all winning films.