Friday, May 29, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009 0
[image by John Brennan, Two Women (detail), 2004]
Some where along the week I lost a day. Appointments I thought were Friday were on Thursday, openings I thought were on Saturday are actually tonight. So for the short notice of the following event, I apologize. If you are in Bloomington this evening or interested in making the short drive, I would like to suggest the following exhibition.
The 4th Annual Kinsey Institute Juried Art Show
The exhibition opens May 29 and continues through July 31 at the Indiana University School of Fine Arts Gallery. This contemporary fine art exhibition features paintings, prints, photographs, ceramics, wearable art, metalwork, fiber art, and video installations by local, national, and international artists. The artworks explore themes related to sex, gender, eroticism, reproduction, sexuality, romantic relationships, and the human figure.
The opening reception will be held on Friday, May 29, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at the SoFA Gallery. The Kinsey Institute will have an open house on Saturday, May 30th from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. Visitors will be able to view the exhibition “Eros in Asia: Erotic Art from Iran to Japan” in the Kinsey Institute Gallery.
Opening reception
Friday, May 29th
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
SoFA Gallery, Bloomington, IN
For further details regarding the exhibition visit this link.
Monday, May 25, 2009
I would like to suggest reading the blog posted Monday, the 25th at http://theurbanophile.blogspot.com/ entitled "A Crisis of Values". Urbanophile writes about the ugly and dysfunctional storm drains recently installed in downtown Indianapolis. The city now has bumps at several intersections.
Is this an area of aesthetic the local arts community should be involved? When government agencies make choices that adversely affect the rhythm and visual nature of our urban environment should we take a stand? Should members of the art community be involved with engineers during planning stages?
We want a voice and to be heard with respect. Is this a field where artists can contribute to the quality of life for our community? There are lots of little things that individual government departments don't see as part of the whole scene. Visual artists should be able to help specialized professionals see the bigger picture. Artists of other disciplines should be able to relate their talents to create a healthier and successful civic future.
After reading Urbanophile's blog, replying with your opinions and comments would be welcomed.
Monday, May 25, 2009 2
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Tuesday was the first walking tour of a series hosted by Mindy Taylor Ross, Director of Public Arts for the Arts Council of Indianapolis. A beautiful day combined with a steady breeze provided a moving adventure. This video tries to convey some of what you should experience for yourself.
The above video was produced by OtC's Dan.
The following video was produced by Public Art Indy and the Arts Council of Indianapolis. For further information on the George Rickey exhibit check out Public Art Indy's site.
Join Mindy Taylor Ross, Director of Public Art for the Arts Council of Indianapolis and producer of George Rickey: An Evolution, for a walking tour of the outdoor show downtown. Meet at Annular Eclipse V by Chase Tower at the corner of Monument Circle and East Market Street. There is on-street metered parking or to find a near-by parking garage visit: http://www.indydt.com/parking.cfm. The tour route is outlined on the included map.
- Wednesday, June 24th at noon
- Sunday, July 19th at 3:00 p.m.
- Sunday, August 16th at 3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009 1
Monday, May 18, 2009
[Image credit: Eve Sussman & The Rufus Corporation, Photographic still from The Rape of the Sabine Women (Disintegration at Hydra), 2005. Photo by Ricoh Gerbl, courtesy of the artists and Roebling Hall, New York.]
Artist Talk and Reception with Eve Sussman
Thursday, May 21st, 6:30pm
at the Indianapolis Museum of Art
New York-based artist Eve Sussman is internationally renowned for her provocative and lushly filmed videos that reinterpret themes from the history of art in distinctly new ways. A leading figure in contemporary video art, Sussman has transformed the medium through a use of lavish production values and stylized methods of filming.
Sussman’s critically acclaimed video, The Rape of the Sabine Women (2007), which she created with the multi-disciplinary artistic collaborative the Rufus Corporation, is featured in the IMA’s exhibition Adaptation: Video Installations by Ben-Ner, Herrera, Sullivan, and Sussman & The Rufus Corporation. Filmed in Germany and Greece, this ambitious feature-length video presents an epic retelling of the founding myth of ancient Rome set in contemporary times.
In her lecture at the IMA, Surveillance as a Narrative Device in the Motion Pictures of the Rufus Corporation, Sussman will share insights into her wide-ranging experiments in film and video.
Adaptation Reception
Stay for a reception after the talk in Pulliam Great Hall from 8-10 pm. View the Forefront exhibition Adaptation, snack on light hors d’oeuvres and enjoy a cocktail from the cash bar.
Monday, May 18, 2009 0
Found Magazine will once again be coming to Big Car Gallery tomorrow evening for what should be a most entertaining event, as those who attended last year could attest. If you are looking for some new reading material or simply want a night of entertainment, check it out.
To celebrate the release of FOUND's brand-new book, Requiem for a Paper Bag, FOUND road warriors Davy and Peter Rothbart are climbing back in the tour van for a 55-city cross country odyssey. They stop at Big Car on May 19. Show starts at 8 p.m. and costs $8. Tickets for sale at the door. A portion of the ticket proceeds with go to support The Second Story, a nonprofit creative writing project for kids.
At each show, Davy (FOUND's plucky point guard) will share the latest magnificent and mesmerizing finds that've landed in the mailbox here at FOUND HQ, plus hilarious found tales from contributors to the new book including Seth Rogen, Chuck D., Sarah Vowell, Devendra Banhart, and Wire creator David Simon. And Davy's brother Peter (FOUND's international heartthrob) will dazzle with a glittering constellation of new breathtaking songs based on FOUND notes.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Visual Art
Vance Farrow, Jr.
Scott Grow
Gayla Hodson
Wug Laku
Michal Lile
Kipp Normand
Emma Overman
Amy Rheinhardt
Ginny Taylor Rosner
James Anders Sholly
Carolyn Springer
Nhat Tran
Carol M. White
Arts Administration
Rebecca Hutton, Theatre of Inclusion
David Kwasigroh, Indianapolis Art Center
Jaq Nigg, Eiteljorg Museum
Amy McKune, Eiteljorg Museum
Ellen H. Munds, Storytelling Arts of Indiana
William Simmons, InterAction Theatre
Jeffrey L. Sparks, Heartland Truly Moving Pictures
Christopher West, Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art
Installation Nation Artists Announced:
- Kathryn Armstrong & Jill Marie Mason (Indianapolis)
- Michele Bosak (Grand Rapids, MI)
- Julie Cifuentes & Brent Aldrich (Indianapolis)
- Jeff Martin (Indianapolis)
- Lori Miles (Indianapolis)
- Derek Parker & Jason Chakravarty (Bloomington, Plainfield)
- Brian Priest (Indianapolis)
- Debbie Rosenfeld & Jonny Roller (Columbus, OH)
- Scott Scarboro (New Albany, IN)
- Jeff Schmuki (Lafayette, IN via Gulfport, MS)
The 2009 Efroymson Award for Excellence in Cultural Tourism Development was announced yesterday during the annual Indiana Cultural Tourism Conference hosted by IU Department of Tourism, Conventions, and Event Management. Out of 18 assorted proposals, this years $25,000 award goes to the Indianapolis Theater Fringe Festival. Congratulations.
Friday, May 15, 2009 0
The Broad Ripple Art Fair brings together more than 225 artists from the United States and Canada, booths from local cultural organizations, a children's creative area, gourmet food courts, a beer and wine garden and live entertainment on four stages and the Frank M. Basile Auditorium.
The Art Fair takes place in ARTSPARK on the grounds of the Indianapolis Art Center.
Tickets to the Broad Ripple Art Fair (BRAF) are also available for purchase through May 15 at the Indianapolis Artsgarden. Adult tickets are $12 prior to event and $15 at the gate of event.
OUT OF TOWN:
SoFA Gallery (Bloomington)
Opening Reception This Friday!!
Opening Reception: Friday, May 15, 7:00 -9:00 pm
Bloomington Photography Club Annual Exhibition
May 12-22
Friday May 15 7pm -10pm
Artwork by :
Susan Hodgin
Debbie Kirby
Bobby Samples
Teri Barnett
Cara Moczygemba
Joanie Drizen
Katherine Kemp
John Dillard
Doug Arnholter
Lisa Prado
Suzanne Bowles
Please come meet the artists, enjoy wine and snacks provided by the gallery. Weather provided we will be able to enjoy the "Arts patio". The patio is looking beautiful and we have new artwork outside by Doug Arnholter.
For more information please visit our website at www.galleryone36.com
Gallery One36
136 E. Main Street
Westfield, Indiana 46074
317-867-4139
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Forgive the numerous changes over the next couple days as I play around with new layout options and color changes. You will soon see some new links added and with any luck a new header. Anyone want to design a new header for On the Cusp? Perhaps I can make it a contest. Winning header design could win an art related DVD. Maybe not new, possibly from my collection. After all, I am a bit low on funds at the moment. If anyone has any suggestions for link additions or design ideas, drop me a line in the comments section or email me. Patience. Things will be completed shortly.
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While I have yet to fulfill my promise of some link updates and some new layout changes, I want to take this opportunity to share a link with those design minded readers out there. As the area of design is still a field in which I am attempting to get further acclimated with, I thought it was good to share this local design blog, The Design File. Still a relatively new blog on the scene, it looks to be a great addition. Check out the blog soon and you may win a set of two tickets to this weekends Broad Ripple Art Fair.
Friday, May 08, 2009
[Image: Untitled No. 29, 2008, Chromogenic Print, 24" x 20". Courtesy of the artist and Lee Marks Fine Art, Shelbyville.] Jen Davis: New Photographs Opening Reception for the artist TONIGHT from 6 to 9 pm. FREE Davis' self-portraits evaluate her self-image as an overweight female in her late 20s dealing with the pressures and expectations of the outside world, while her photographs of men create an intimacy with her subjects that she yearns for and does not have emotionally or physically. In 48 Cubed - iMOCA's 48 Cubic Foot store-front exhibition space: Holes on the Wall: New Installation by Lauren Zoll Zoll's Holes On the Wall are made from deconstructing drywall. She constructs the holes by cutting, kicking and tearing intuitively into the drywall, eventually gluing the holes onto paper and into a frame. While the act of hanging a hole on the wall could be seen as subversive, her intention is to renegotiate our often categorized and preconceived ideas of what we think things should be and should not be. 
Friday, May 08, 2009 0
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Harrison Center for the Arts
1505 N. Delaware St.
This First Friday saw Artur Silva with buoyed spirits after just getting news that the Fort Wayne Art Museum is purchasing two paintings. Silva had been holding a weeklong sale in his studio to make some additional space available.
He pulled out some older large canvases which made it easy to compare the painting style of just 2-3 years ago to the prints he concentrates on today. The most striking similarity is the use of white space (negative space). His paintings include a realistic subject left all alone in the middle of it's own universe. The eye is forced to engage the focal point. Current projects involve a lot of photography followed by intricate layering in Photoshop to produce complex designs produced in very limited edition prints. Political, social, and economic issues are portrayed in a subtly graphic fashion that allows the viewer to reach their own conclusions.
Entering the exhibition of Cheryl Paswater's "Garden Party" caused confusion over whether I had found a young students workshop show instead of the one for a highly educated New York artist. Paswater's paintings on paper had the appearance of being sketches for future ideas rather than material for a solo show. Her work from a few years ago is much more solid and engaging. She has deliberately simplified which is a perfectly fine goal, but it's like she's become more childlike. Instead of innocence, her abstractions and palette choices chased me straight out the back door.
Big Car Gallery
1043 Virginia Ave. Suite 215
Tom Christ's show was on my must-see list. I was intrigued by the online advertising showing this piece with the description of "...The face speaks volumes even when at rest, never completely muted in its stillness or silence. It is for me a constant and compulsive muse."
The first thing that struck me was that most of the other portraits were darker and muddier as the multiple lines making up the features intermixed. Christ is successful at what he's doing based on what he has written: "My paintings exacerbate this exchange, imposing a paranoid, hallucinatory view of the subjects. Here they exist as cartoonish illuminations for the human condition; characters in an absurd comedy..." Christ's "flirtation with human form...embodying disquiet and psychic tension" seems to be a cruel mutation between Fauvism and LeRoy Neiman. Murphy Art Center
1043 Virginia Ave.
Congratulations to Jeremy Efroymson on the opening of his studio in the Murphy Arts Center. Efroymson's first show, "Signs", was a safe exhibit in space that still had that just-moved-in feel. His photographed subjects were exactly what the show title says: signs. The shots I overheard being talked about the most were of a church sign with a curved metal frame that looks like it could have once been a beer ad, and a peeling, faded wall painting for the Super Museum in Metropolis, IL (displaying painted images of Kirk Alyn, George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, and Dean Cain).
Dean Johnson Gallery
646 Massachusetts Ave.
Dean Johnson Gallery put on one of the better shows I've seen there with "Dreamtime", a show inspired by the PBS series of the same name. With several paintings in the show, Sofiya Inger finally found a compatible environment for her psychological struggles and symbolic angst to be viewed. It's not surprising to find that paintings based on such personal stories can find additional meanings and gain more profound interpretations when surrounded by skilled artists working in a similar vein. Usually artwork is expected to stand on it's own, however an element of context can intrude to effect our sensory relationship.
In the far room at Dean Johnson is a video experience created by IU's Margaret Dolinsky. The two collaborative works involved a programmer, animator, musicians, and quite a bit of equipment. While standing before the large plasma screen, face recognition software and filters put the viewers in the ever-changing choir. As more people are recognized, the choir intensifies and gets louder. It's a lot of fun, and Dolinsky was ready to provide visitors a printout of their participation.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009 0
Monday, May 04, 2009
CIB (Capital Improvement Board) voted last week to suspend, kill, squash, withdraw funding to the arts and tourism budget. Read more of the details in this Indy Star article. This just a couple weeks after our Culture Matters Rally where the Mayor decided to speak about how important the arts were to the growth of the city and its residents. Flop. Times and the economy are tough. We all understand this and I think we all expected some budget cuts and I very much remember the debates we hashed out here and at the Save Indy Arts blog several months ago, but this decision is ridiculous in my opinion.
Monday, May 04, 2009 3
Friday, May 01, 2009
Just a quick notice, a bit of redesigning and link updates are in the works this week. I am doing a bit of spring cleaning of the blog so to speak, modifing our current links and categories section in the right hand column, perhaps a new header and a couple new things that I hope will make the blog more user friendly. If you have any suggestions, please let us know. Email us or simly leave a comment to this post. Thank you.
Friday, May 01, 2009 0
Midland Arts & Antique Center
Town Hall Meeting
An exhibition of works by 9 Midwestern artists who have since migrated to New York for the sake of art.
Opening Reception Friday, May 1, 2009
907 East Michigan Street
Mt. Comfort
New to the local gallery scene is the gallery/project space hosted and curated by local artists Casey Roberts and Jessica Sowls. Featuring the work of Nat Russell, Erin Drew, Danielle Rante, and Amy Bird Noblitt.
for more info....
http://mtcomfort.blogspot.com
Mt. Comfort hours:
Friday May 1, 6pm-12am
Saturdays all May, 1-6pm
and by appointment
Located at the corner of State and English (used to be the Erstwhile Gallery space)
Wug Laku's Studio Garage
It was two years ago in May when WLS&G opened it's doors to the public. Since that time, we have had the honor and the privilege of working with some of Indianapolis' best artists and surrounding ourselves with their art. Please join us in celebrating their artistry and lives during the IDADA First Friday gallery tour on May 1, from 6 - 9 p.m.
Bernadette Ostrozovich
Patrick Flaherty
Eric Jones
Rachel Steely
Mark Pack
Jim Gerard
Pam Fraizer
Nancy Lee
William Ray Denton
James Ratliff
Wug Laku
NEW HOURS!!!
Fridays and Saturdays, 12 - 4 p.m.
First Friday of every month, 6 - 9 p.m.
Big Car Gallery
With Martin Kuntz showing paintings in sidecar and live music at around 9:30 p.m. by Pons.
Details about Crist's show: It is the shock of the face that continues to inform my work. Caught in laughter or in tears, suspended in moments of joy or sorrow, the myriad expressions and contortions of this enigmatic human mask is of perpetual fascination for me; an impetus to create.
The face speaks volumes even when at rest, never completely muted in its stillness or silence. It is for me a constant and compulsive muse. Simultaneously familiar and strange, an almost alien encounter, the face of another. Even one's own likeness can have this effect when viewed from the distance of the photographic image: who is this stranger who wears my face? This notion urges on my investigation into the deceptively simple language of this complex visage; how we read others and how we are read.
My paintings exacerbate this exchange, imposing a paranoid, hallucinatory view of the subjects. Here they exist as cartoonish illuminations for the human condition; characters in an absurd comedy retold ad nauseam. One is immediately aware of the claustrophobically shallow space these figures inhabit. Often this is a turgidly hued void or a nowhere place. Uneasy stares and menacing smiles are held here in captivity.
The occupants of these paintings are born of anxious and obsessive line; repeated passages define basic features of eyes, nose, mouth and teeth in a frantic and sometimes horrific display. Being only soft flirtations with human form; the figures are built up over time in vivid color embodying disquiet and psychic tension. At times they are mere rudimentary constructions. Most recent are overwrought hysteria, snap shots of lives suspended in conflicts and couplings.
Found returning to Big Car
To celebrate the release of FOUND's brand-new book, Requiem for a Paper Bag, FOUND road warriors Davy and Peter Rothbart are climbing back in the tour van for a 55-city cross country odyssey. They stop at Big Car on May 19 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $8 and will be sold at the door.
At each show, Davy (FOUND's plucky point guard) will share the latest magnificent and mesmerizing finds that've landed in the mailbox here at FOUND HQ, plus hilarious found tales from contributors to the new book including Seth Rogen, Chuck D., Sarah Vowell, Devendra Banhart, and Wire creator David Simon. And Davy's brother Peter (FOUND's international heartthrob) will dazzle with a glittering constellation of new breathtaking songs based on FOUND notes. Will he bring back "The Booty Don't Stop"?
Ruschman Gallery
Yesterday & Tomorrow: Issues in Contemporary Photography
(In collaboration with Lee Marks Fine Art)
An exhibition that explores a medium, grappling with issues and undergoing major changes—technically, aesthetically, in subject-matter and in the market-place. The work of eight photographers: Jeffrey Becom, Andrew Borowiec, Wendy Burton, Mariana Cook, Jen Davis, Lucinda Devlin, Tyagan Miller, and Mike Smith.
AV Framing
“Inside Out”—paintings by Veronica Smith and Erin Swanson
Two women find themselves from opposite directions. “Inside Out” is a study in divergence. One artist discovers from within and the other from without. Both display stunning works of intense self-expression.
Artist in the Gallery on Friday May 1, 2009, 5-9pm.
Stutz Art Gallery
“Class: Faculty/Student Show”
Stutz Art Space Gallery, 212 W. 10th St., B110 (Enter from 10th Street from Bearcat Alley)
Friday, May 1, at noon with an opening reception from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Harrison Center for the Arts
Friday, May 1, 2009, 6:00pm - 10:00pm
In the Harrison Gallery: Topple - an exhibition of new works on paper by Cheryl Paswater
In Gallery No. 2: Souvenirs & Shiny Things - an installation and performance by Annie Quick
In Hank & Dolly's Gallery: THIS SIDE UP - new work by Michael Altman
In the Courtyard: Keep Indianapolis Beautiful courtyard beautification installation. Grab a shovel and be a part of the art!
In the gym: Indy Contra Dancers are back! Free lessons at 6pm and 7:30pm
Throughout the building: The Yarnburners knitting graffiti gang members "vandalize" the Harrison Center with their spun tags.
21 open studios.
Efroymson Studio/Gallery
Friday, May 1, 2009, 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Murphy Building, Fountain Square, Suite 214
Photographs by Jeremy Efroymson. Stop by and see an exhibit of photos in his new studio in the Murphy Building, just down the hall from Big Car. Some of you may know the space as the former studio of Casey Roberts and Scott Grow.
