Indianapolis Museum of Art Blog

I’ve been obsessed with the forecast this week. Almost every hour from sunrise to sunup, I’ve visited weather.com to assess the temperature and rain chance for Saturday. On Monday and Tuesday the forecast called for rain. Yesterday thing improved significantly when the chance for rain dropped from 40% to 20%. Today, all weather stations are calling for mid-60 degree temps with no rain in the afternoon. PHEW! Mother Nature apparently is a fan of the parade. And why wouldn’t she be? Music, art, families, and projects with such fun and fantastic names as: “A Bag of Bees,” “Cinderella in the City,” and “Revenge of the Pinatas,” there’s something for everyone this Saturday.

So here are my final thoughts for all my loyal parade-lovin’ readers:

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An art parade is an intriguing thing. Over the last few months I’ve received a lot of questions from folks wondering about the art parade. So, I thought with 9 days to go, I’d compile (with the help of my colleagues) a list of the public’s most burning questions. Knowing that a list of questions alone is probably not helpful, I’ve also included a list of answers.

On Procession FAQs

Is there a Web site where I can find more information about the parade and the exhibition? Sure is! Visit www.OnProcession.org to learn more.

Can I still be in the parade? How can I sign up on the day of the parade?
Yes! You can still be part of the parade. You can register your project on the morning of the parade between 10:00 and 11:30 am at either end of the parade route. Registration tents will be located near the intersection of Virginia Avenue & S. East Street (WEST end) and near the intersection of Virginia Avenue, Shelby Avenue & Prospect Street (EAST end). If you’re not sure whether you are EAST or WEST, click here for more information.

I want to be a spectator on parade day. What are the vantage points?
The parade route will run the one-mile stretch of Virginia Avenue between the Anthem Building (located at the intersection of Shelby St., East St., and Virginia Ave.) and the Fountain (located at the intersection of Virginia Ave. and Prospect St.). Anywhere along the parade route will be traffic-proofed and ready for spectators! Click here to see the map.

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An homage to Tyler Green’s 5 Things I Think I Think.

Parades Are Really Hard Work -
On Procession is just 2 weeks away. This seems almost incomprehensibly imminent. After nearly 2 years of hard work, the IMA is ready to take art into the streets of Indianapolis for an exhibition on parade. From porta-potties to posters, participants to police the logistics of organizing a parade have been challenging and at times, overwhelming. And the real kicker is that the parade’s success is dependant as much on Mother Nature as it is on the last few months of hard work. Rain or shine, hell or high water we’re having this event. I’m certain that on April 26 we’re going to see the streets of Fountain Square flooded with people and not rain!

People Love Swag – The T-shirt contest is a real hit. In fact, it’s such a big success that we’re considering producing more IMA blog-related items. If you have thoughts as to what kind of additional swag you’d like to receive from the IMA, please comment on this entry. We’re open to any and all ideas - the cleverer the better. Oh and by the way, does anyone know where we can purchase a t-shirt gun?

Project IMA = Huge Crowd – Last Friday night we had almost 2,000 people attend Project IMA. It was exciting to see so many people at the museum in support of fashion art and local designers. Filled to the brim with the hippest folks in the city, the IMA was FIERCE (to borrow a word from the most recent Project Runway winner, Christian Siriano). In fact, the event was so well attended that we reached max capacity for the show almost 30 minutes before it actually began.

I Bummed I’m Missing MW2008 – I’m looking forward to a full report from my colleagues who are attending MW2008 this year in Montreal. Social Media, User-Generated Content, New Media Art AND CANADA…seriously, I’m a geek for this stuff. If you find yourself in Montreal near the Hilton Montreal Bonaventure, you should stop by. On Friday, the Nugget Factory’s very own Dan Dark will be part of a large group conducting a mini-workshop about YouTube.

I’ve taken the concept of bringing work home with me to the extreme. Last week, I traveled to my hometown with the IMA’s assistant curator of contemporary art, Rebecca Uchill, and the artist Allison Smith. The three of us (as well as many others) are all currently immersed in the final stages of planning and implementation of the IMA’s upcoming exhibition, On Procession. As the artist in residence at the Herron School of Art and Design, Allison has been working with dozens of students on her piece for the parade and exhibition. Here’s the official description of her work:

Smith’s project for the Indianapolis Parade, The Donkey, the Jackass and the Mule, will feature equestrian pull-toys with attendants in historical dress. Smith is currently collaborating with students from the Herron School of Art and Design in Indianapolis to create three large wooden pull-toy donkeys mounted on wheeled carts. To bring her donkeys to life, Smith is partnering with local Living History group, Freetown Village.

As fellow fans of history and living history museums, months ago Allison and I discussed with Rebecca the possibility of taking a weekend trip to the historic town of New Harmony, Indiana. Settled in the early 19^th-century, the community of New Harmony is an amazingly rich historic site complete with its own Richard Meier building. Just 20 minutes from my family’s farm in Southern Indiana, my parents were generous to offer their house for our accommodations. The dates were confirmed and my homecoming trip with the curator and artist was booked. Read the rest of this entry »

So I’ve made the giant shift from Ancient Art to Contemporary Art. From Roman Art from the Louvre to On Procession. It’s the diversity of projects that I get to work on that make my job exciting. Yesterday, we launched our latest Web presence OnProcession.org. We also ran an ad in NUVO announcing a call for participation in the Street Spectacular! On Procession is an IMA exhibition about parades and pageantry in contemporary art. The exhibition is comprised of two components. There will be an in-gallery exhibition that will take place at the IMA beginning in May, 2008. The second component is an actual parade. On April 26, 2008, artists and community groups will join together for a parade in downtown Indianapolis (Fountain Square area to be specific). Read the rest of this entry »