Art can be selfish. I definitely have times when I’m writing “just for me” because performing your art without an audience can be extremely therapeutic. I think that’s why so many people are silent in galleries—they don’t want to disturb anyone so everyone can have their own experience; effectively making each piece you pass “just for you.”

I don’t think Julianne Swartz had me in mind when she constructed Terrain, but maybe I was more in the process than one would think. Terrain is a contemporary work that was originally in the Efroymson Family Entrance Pavilion but has been re-strategized to spider web the Caroline Marmon Fesler Gallery in the Contemporary Art Collection. It has a network of speakers that hang over head from a rainbow of wire.

The speakers play the voices of 37 different volunteers whispering. They start and end on their own accord and echo thorough out the space. As you move through the room and pick-up on varying voices it’s like you’re the conductor of 37 hushed ghosts. Basically, it’s really creepy. Logging time in the gallery, I watched quite a few people enter, get freaked out and leave. However, those who stay just long enough to read the label are rewarded.

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Filed under: Art, Contemporary, The Collection

Today I went with a couple of colleagues to meet with a representative at IPS TV. We are in the planning stages of forming a partnership between IMA and IPS that would provide free access to IMA video content for classrooms throughout the Indianapolis Public School system. It is great for us because it gives us a chance to reach out to local schools, grow our audience for video and get some feedback about the content we are producing. We hope that this partnership will help IPS diversify art offerings on their system-wide network and give teachers new content to share with students.

Image courtesy of Stock.XCHNG

IMA has been talking a lot recently about education and technology. We want to give teachers and students great resources. We already have a lot of things to share, but we haven’t really figured out the best way to get them to teachers. So we are talking about what to put on our website, what teachers might like to find there and how to spread the word about all the stuff IMA has to offer (like free video!). If you have ideas you should feel free to share them here!

As I type this blog I am finishing up the last of the March uploads of new content on our iTunes U site. You will find some new videos that include the amazing Julianne Swartz intro that Daniel blogged about last week.

I feel exhausted by this rainy Monday, so my post will be short today. I know you will be waiting for my triumphant and enthusiastic come back next Monday.

Filed under: New Media

Our new media schedule is planned for the rest of the year. In some cases, we already know key projects in 2009. Our team of four is productive, organized and prolific. We’re fortunate to have a talented team, great equipment and colleagues who take time out of their own busy schedules to participate in new media productions.

This post is about our new video on the new installation by Julianne Swartz. It actually wasn’t on the schedule, but our team created it anyway. When there is a chance to capture some nuggets, we’ll be there. So here’s the breakdown –

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Filed under: New Media