OnTheCusp.org

Interview: Dave Voelpel

2011-07-01T13:17:00.000-04:00

After much delay and procrastination, I have finally managed to get this post up live on the blog. I had the opportunity to talk with local artist Dave Voelpel a couple months ago at an opening of his at the Circle City Industrial Complex. So, without any further delay, here is a brief I did with him. Enjoy and Thanks Dave for your patience and understanding.

INTERVIEW

1- How would you describe your work and artistic practice? How has this changed or evolved over the years?

I would describe my paintings simply as abstract landscapes. My work incorporates sometimes heavy paint as well as some thin washes and glazes mainly working in acrylics and water based mediums. I work in studio at my home and also enjoy plein air painting.
My work also incorporates collage elements as well(newspaper images, images found in magazines, my own photography work, found objects etc). Most work has also some element of texture whether its with just layered paint I also like to create texture with application with a painting knife. I have also experimented recently with coffee grounds and more natural materials.

I started in oil painting with abstract landscapes. Materials and different mediums have evolved over the yrs. Adding collage element, and found objects. Also my color palette has evolved. At first I would decide the palette to not be as intense or rich. Overall my palette has become brighter, richer color, more life!

2- You make a living as a professional painting contractor. Has this impacted your artistic practice in any way? Is it something you concsioulsy incorporate into or push against when making art?

As a professionally painting contractor I make my living working on painting interior and exterior houses. I am trained to painting precise perfect lines (next to ceiling walls/ trim work etc.) in finish paint has impacted me to go against these techniques I have learned. I feel I don't need to be restricted so I can express myself more loosely and not "perfect" more openly, and expressively.

3- Who or what have been your biggest influences or inspirations?

William De Kooning, Rauschenburg, Richard Diebenkorn, Andy Warhol. Mainly I feel more inspiration in Abstract impressionist and some Pop art. My faith in God, has made me want to embrace my talent and grow them, explore them, learn more..etc.

William De Kooning- His works from the 50's and 60's are more of my inspiration.

Raushenburg was a inventor is printmaking, theater, designing combine.etc etc.. Hes and inventor of abstraction and this is inspiring. Same with Warhol. Inventor as well, although my work is not similar, he changed art as people knew it at that time.

These artist works are very large pieces/ large scale and movement attracts me. The Ocean Park and Berkeley Series Paintings. Diebenkorn

4- How would you like your work to be perceived by the general art going audience? Is there a particular impact you would like your work to have on people?

I really simply want people to stop and look at my work. Not to just pass by, to get up close, interact, want to touch it! Explore it. I want the viewer to be open and think outside the box (not everything needs to be perfect and realistic in my belief). I want the viewer to question it, maybe try and figure it out. I'm not wanting to create puzzles, or mind games..just simply an interaction. I want to create an emotional connection though color and use of imagery, maybe this triggers a memory, an emotion. These may not be good perhaps but it has allowed me to strike them, make them think about it hopefully take that feeling or thought with them.

5- Given the opportunity, time and money aside, might you have any dream projects? What would you like to do if given the opportunity?

No holds! First goal would be to paint out west, travel and to plein air paint in the national parks. It would be great to own a working studio/ gallery. To put my daytime job aside and live my passion and paint/ create every single day. If I was given this opportunity financially i would be doing it..living it and not holding back! I would explore myself further with with art. Currently I am developing my photography, this is something I would like to cont to grow and learn about.

My biggest advise would to be keep going..keep doing. Don't Stop, no matter what criticisms lies ahead to know you believe and did your best, have faith.

Curious and Curiouser: Wayne White and Sarah Emerson

2011-04-16T22:56:00.000-04:00

Herron Galleries in Indianapolis recently exhibited the artwork of Wayne White, Sarah Emerson and Casey Riordan Millard in an exhibition called Curious and Curiouser. Curator Paula Katz has scored another home run with this excellent and unexpected grouping of artwork. The exhibition text describes the artists as featuring "cute" elements in their art, yet using these elements "in a subversive and sometimes abject way." This post will focus on the art of White and Emerson.

Wayne White has certainly followed an interesting and unusual path to finding his art in galleries. He grew up in northern Alabama and Chattanooga, and was inspired early on by the tourist industry of the latter, and also the bold lettering found in billboard advertisements and product design. In 1986, White got a huge break and was brought on to design sets and characters for Pee Wee's Playhouse. His designs include the iconic floors and wallpaper, which form a huge part of the distinctive visual vocabulary of Pee Wee Herman's world as well as characters such as Randy, Flooree, Mr. Kite, Countess, Roger the Monster, Billy Baloney, the Beatnick Gang, and helping with Klonky the Robot's design, along with contributing voice overs to several characters.
Wayne White and Pee Wee Herman at The Playhouse in the 1980s. Image from Wayne's website

After doing more commercial design work for television as well as creating comics and puppets, White eventually moved onto the canvas and created a body of work that began in 1999 comprised of 350-400 word paintings. White believes that the number one job of the artist is to make beauty. Regarding his artistic intentions, he states "I love humor in work. One of my goals is to bring fine art into the humorous." His word paintings certainly go a long way in achieving this objective. He starts with throwaway kitsch oil paintings that are easily and cheaply obtained, and paints sly, clever, snarky phrases on top of them in daring ways with colors and letter styles that really pop out of the painting and command attention. His wit and humor are equaled by his skilled hand, and the quality of his handiwork would make even the finest graffiti writers envious. He often incorporates two or more different original paintings into one piece, with the wording stretching across all of the canvases.

White engages art history in a clever way with this body of work, humorously slamming artists such as Marcel Duchamp and Donald Judd with his titles and content. Apt comparisons to Ed Ruscha have been made, but White insists he's more inspired by lettering he sees on barns than the work of other artists. Regarding the source paintings he uses, White does not feel that it is disrespectful to paint over the other artists' work (and it would seem audiences are certainly happy that he chose to), but rather that he is having a dialogue with the original artists. Alas, after creating so many word Paintings, White will now be moving on to making more puppets, and he has an upcoming live stage show in LA incorporating these puppets.

Sarah Emerson paints in an incredibly disorienting, eye-catching style that references the paint-by-numbers kits that were likely many people's first foray into painting as children. The themes, however, are much darker. The loss of innocence figures heavily into Emerson's work, as well as natural and unnatural disasters including mudslides and the BP oil spill. Many of her landscapes are depictions of civil war battlefields, but the focus is not as much on the events that occurred on the site as it is on the utter absence of anything living in the space that remains.

In addition to her works on canvas, Emerson enjoys creating murals, such as the stunning Pool of Tears, pictured below, that she created for the exhibition, due in part to the medium's absence of the art historical baggage that accompanies oil on canvas works. Pool of Tears commands attention upon entering the gallery. Three dimensional additions to the mural create relief, and the sprawling colors are truly incredible. The mural was inspired by the BP oil spill in the gulf. "Aside from being connected to the place that it was happening very personally, it was also very direct line with the kind of themes I like to work with anyway: darkness taking over something quite beautiful and then actually retreating and going underneath so it's camouflaged, and it's doing a lot of damage but you don't see it." The plague of locusts in the mural represents the blackness taking over the landscape.

White and Emerson are very different artists certainly, and their bright, eye-catching colors and playful styles contrast quite interestingly with some of the darker themes that exist within their work. Seeing them exhibited together in the same show is unexpected, but it works very well. It will be exciting to see what the future holds for the both of them.

I had a chance to sit down and talk with Wayne White and Sarah Emerson individually. See what they had to say in the videos below:

Sarah Emerson Interview from Austin Dickson on Vimeo.

Images courtesy of Herron Galleries. Thanks to Austin Dickson for photography and video help.

Site Under Construction

2011-04-03T00:42:00.000-04:00

The site is currently going under some redesigning and rebranding. Please forgive the chaos over the next several days, as we work through some much needed testing and design changes. We hope to have all the testing finished asap. We believe the wait will be worth it. A newly focused On The Cusp is coming soon! Thank you!

-Scott Grow

Malcolm Mobutu Smith

2011-04-01T10:33:00.002-04:00

We recently had the pleasure to sit down and talk with artist Malcolm Mobutu Smith while installing his show, Inner City Inspiration, at the Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art. It's an excellent show and much worth getting out there and taking a look.

From the press release:
Inner City Inspirations: An Artist’s Evolution in Clay features the work of Malcolm Mobutu Smith. Curated by Mark Ruschman, the exhibition provides an in-depth visual explanation of how Smith’s roots in the hip-hop and graffiti worlds inspired and informed his development as an educator and artist. The show will include a full-scale graffiti mural in collaboration with local graffiti writers FAB Crew, setting a visual stage for a broad sampling of three-dimensional ceramic vessels and sculptures, traversing his career as a contemporary ceramic artist.

Community partnerships include IPS School #2, Center for Inquiry grade school, located 725 N. New Jersey Street in downtown Indianapolis. Working with the art teacher, Ms. Daphne Draa, and the school’s 5^th and 6^th grade art club, Smith enlisted the students in the creation of the graffiti mural which will be included in the exhibition.

Malcolm Mobutu Smith is associate professor of Ceramic Art at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. He earned his MFA degree from the New York College of ceramics at Alfred University in 1996. As an undergraduate, he studied at both the Kansas City Art Institute and Penn State University receiving his BFA in ceramics in 1994.

Nathan Monk In NoSpace: A Collaboration with Tré Reising

2011-03-03T21:16:00.013-05:00

Indianapolis artists Tré Reising and Nathan Monk recently completed a collaboration resulting in the exhibition Nathan Monk In NoSpace. The exhibition, featuring all-new work, features yarn installations on gallery walls by Reising and responsive mixed media collage work by Monk. Building on the conceptual basis and momentum ofhis 2009 solo exhibition NoSpace, Reising elected to simultaneously expand upon and contract the ideas from that exhibition.

The expansion occurs by bringing in a collaborator. Monk and Reising were not acquainted before the collaboration, but Reising was familiar with Monk's collage work and approached him to see if he was interested in working on a collaborative exhibition. The contraction is due to the complete elimination of painting on Reising's part; his role here is to set forth "rules" that Monk must follow by creating a separate "space" within the gallery through the illusion of additional space that is created by geometric shapes made from yarn. Monk followed the "rules" by creating original mixed media works incorporating painting and collage media onto found wood cut to Reising's specified shapes and dimensions. The works succeed in appearing to jut out or fade away out of or into the illusionary space of Reising's confines.

Images courtesy of Tré Reising

The pairing of the two artists is certainly as odd as it is unexpected, but they pull off the collaboration with relative ease. The zany, surreal imagery of Monk's collages blends well with Reising's Sandback-esque experiments with yarn and space. Both artists share a penchant for bright colors and bold shapes, and Reising's bold lines "frame" Monk's otherwise bizarrely shaped mixed media works in a way that corresponds to the artists' unique sense of logic and space. The exhibition runs from March 4-31, 2011 at the Benjamin Franklin Gallery of Wheeler Arts Community.

The artists explain their new exhibition in the following video:

IMA Accepting Proposals for 2011 Indianapolis Island Residency

2011-01-24T10:09:00.007-05:00

Maybe you remember our post from last year about Indianapolis Island resident artists Jessica Dunn and Michael Runge? Well, now is your chance to take their place! The Indianapolis Museum of Art is currently accepting proposals for a new artist residency on Andrea Zittel's floating, livable sculpture. The call is open to artists from everywhere, not just Indiana. What are you waiting for? The full call for proposals appears below:

The Indianapolis Museum of Art is currently holding a call for proposals to customize and reside on Indianapolis Island. Students and recent graduates of art, architecture, and design are encouraged to apply for the opportunity to participate in this six-week residency. During construction and residency, the 2011 island resident(s) will be provided with a blog on the IMA website to be used as a platform to connect with an audience on a national and international scale.

Situated on a 35-acre lake in 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park, Indianapolis Island is an inhabitable structure complete with boat dock, sink, countertop, shelving, and an outdoor seating area. During its inaugural summer, the island was customized by Herron School of Art and Design (Indianapolis) students Jessica Dunn and Michael Runge who developed the conceptual basis for their own project titled Give and Take.

The summer 2011 resident(s) of Indianapolis Island will have the unique opportunity to use materials from the 2010 residency while introducing a project of their own to the island. The residency includes a $3000 materials budget and a $1500 personal stipend. Individuals, collaborative teams, and groups are encouraged to apply.

Visit http://www.imamuseum.org/page/indianapolis-island for more information and to apply for the residency.

Proposals due: February 11, 2011

Please submit all questions to Amanda York at ayork@imamuseum.org.

Studio Visit and Interview - Jason Zickler

2011-01-06T14:43:00.005-05:00

image courtesy of Kate Franzman

Jason Zickler has been an active artist in Indianapolis for years. Some of you may even know him through his dedicated work with IDADA (Indianapolis Downtown Artist and Dealers Association), which he has been a very active board member and leader for years. I have known his work and seen a good number of his exhibitions over the years but I had never got around to doing a proper studio visit until yesterday. As he is preparating for a new show, Kate Franzman and I headed to his home studio to chat and see where it is he makes his works. Many of you may already know that I always enjoy seeing the behind the scenes of an artists work, a good studio visit can tell a lot about an artists practice and his work. I hope these images and supporting interview with him will shed some light on the man and his art.

image courtesy of Kate Franzman

What do you draw inspiration from in your work and do you feel it is important that these inspirations come through in the final product?

That's a good question, and one I am asked a lot. It's a giant concept to me that I am not sure I completely have an answer for or even understand myself. One thing I can say for sure is that painting is an Obsession to me with a capital O. It's almost like a mental process you are asking me to explain. I Obsess about unfinished paintings in my studio, comments people make about my work, music I listen to while I create the work, the famous ab-ex painters of the 50's and 60's I wish I was, the business of selling art, and the creative process demonstrated by people like Walt Disney, Dr. Suess, and Frank Loyd Wright. Somehow it all impacts when I start and when I finish a painting. I appreciate the spontaneous feeling or urge I have to start something new in my studio, as much as I appreciate the spontaneous feeling I have to stop a painting.

I don't feel it is important (or even possible) that my mental process or my inspirations come through in my final work. If a viewer feels inspired by a painting of mine or feels a connection, that's great. It intrigues and satisfies me. More than likely, this feedback will even turn into inspiration for a new painting someday.

image courtesy of Kate Franzman

Can you describe your studio practice?

It's late at night, music or art documentaries blasting, and a ton of editing works-in-progress. I remember reading a passage by Dr. Suess's wife where she commented in a interview about her husbands art practice, "he enjoyed working after midnight - seldom during the working-day hours. He did not consider painting to be "work," so it had to wait till late at night. Painting was what he did for himself and not something he felt comfortable in sharing."

This comment has always summed up the way I could justify why I work on my art so late at night. It's exactly how I work in my studio.

image courtesy of Kate Franzman

How do you juggle a career, your studio practice and being a family man?

My family, art, and career are who I am. I cannot explain how I juggle any one of these things. I don't feel like there is a separation in these aspects of my life. These three things make me who I am.

What is your favorite and least favorite aspect of the local art community?

The Indy art community is actually pretty exciting right now if you (as an artist) have your eyes open wide. It seems that artists can shape their part and place in the Indy art community due to the infancy of the marketplace. Getting press, non traditional shows, gallery experience, sales, etc., is actually pretty accessible if you are willing to put in the work (and a little brute-force here and there). Anyone and everyone is not only invited but seemingly welcomed to participate.

My least favorite aspect of the art community is the lack of opportunities due to the infancy of the marketplace. The "buying local" awareness and education of art buyers has a long way to go and is likely to become a major goal for many arts organizations in town over the next year or two. I know Indy will get there.

Artistically speaking, is there any particular advice you have been given or insights you have come upon that you would pass on to others?

Network. Network. Network. I have always been taught to connect with as many thought leaders and professionals in any market I have worked in. IDADA is a great organization to get involved in to meet fellow artists, gallery owners, and art advocates.

The other advice I have for artists who want to sell art, is to be willing to "Do a deal". I know traditional art wisdom teaches artists not to devalue their art by offering discounts or preferred pricing. From my experience, the best way in this economy to sell art is to "Do a deal!". Discount your art, throw something in, provide additional services, don't charge for delivery, frame the work, etc. The bottom line is: sell your work! From time to time, I have even offered extended payment terms which not only closed the deal, but also increased the total sale by 200%. Good, bad, and ugly, it is what it is.

Notes To Nonself

2010-10-14T17:15:00.002-04:00

Notes To Nonself, currently on view at Herron Galleries in Indianapolis, is an incredible journey through the passageways of self-hood by artists Diane Christiansen and Soshanna Utchenik, both originally from Chicago. They aptly describe the exhibition, which was first installed at Chicago's Hyde Park Art Center, as a "metaphoric landscape for the activity of the mind." The exhibition's immersive environment is composed of an ego forest rife with clouds, an octopus of attachment, a campsite that cannot be entered, a meditation center/clubhouse that visitors may utilize, a video installation, and strings of prayer flags to which viewers are invited to add their own flags containing positive intentions. "The areas are things you get hooked on, things your mind gets hooked on and obsesses on," Christiansen explains. The octopus, for example, represents attachment: relational, body image, and attachment to youth. Each tree in the ego forest represents a false duality such as isolation/connection and sloth/activity.

Notes To Nonself is a decidedly quirky exercise in exploring human truths, relationships, and ideas of self and ego. Navigating through the exhibition necessitates some level of interaction with all of its different parts; this is not a series of flat works on walls or 3D works on pedestals but a complete environment that must be grappled with. It is deeply personal, yet the artists have succeeded in making a personal statement that forces viewers to have their own reckonings about ego, self-hood and the human experience.

For more words, images, and a video interview with the artists, head to OUTPOSTS FROM THE MATERIAL WORLD

It's A Thought

2010-10-07T17:14:00.006-04:00

Put me in Coach!

Indianapolis' fairly new Wake Press & Gallery recently closed It's A Thought, a combination solo and collaborative drawing project executed entirely in Wake's space. The exhibition was born from five days of collaborative drawing by current or former Herron School of Art and Design artists Sydney Webb, Michael Nannery, Marx Shoemaker and Adam Wollenberg. The result is a very interesting exercise in exploring and pushing the the boundaries of drawing, a medium often overlooked in the fine art world. In this case it is hard not to pay attention; how do four artists mold a collaborative work through such an intensive process and still leave their individual "mark?" Done entirely in gray scale, the lack of colors draws attention to the artists' working methods, usually abstract content, and varied line structure and shading. Materials used for the work in this show include spray paint, latex paint, graphite, charcoal and even plaster. Four unique artists have come together and managed to make a cohesive offering through their solo works and the epic collaboration piece that takes up nearly an entire wall. "Even our individual drawings have an aspect of collaboration to them because we've done all the work right here in the gallery and while we're working we're just going around talking to each other about each other's drawings," explains Michael Nannery.

For a more in-depth look at the exhibition, head over to OUTPOSTS FROM THE MATERIAL WORLD

NERS: "Sparkles, Sprinklers, and Bad Seeds"

2010-09-10T13:33:00.002-04:00

NERS recently unveiled his latest body of work at Harrison Center for the Arts in Indianapolis. Sparkles, Sprinklers, and Bad Seeds channels suburban angst and nature lust in the artist's characteristically bright and straightforward fashion. Works on colored paper with clean, simple lines and sculptures combining natural elements with unexpectedly painted areas in brilliant colors fill the Harrison Center's Gallery 2. The space was once a chapel and presents a novel and engaging if challenging environment for exhibiting contemporary art.

So what exactly is the significance or meaning of Sparkles, Sprinklers, and Bad Seeds? Sparkles reference diamonds and wealth, sprinklers reference summer, and bad seeds refers to misbehaving children. Sustainability is a recurring thread in NERS' work and is manifested in various ways. For the first time, the artist has chosen to employ pedestals in an installation and of course he could not do so in a conventional way. Rather than a standard white rectangle, NERS' pedestals are logs with the upper surface painted white. In one case, a log sculpture is situated atop a log-based pedestal, blurring lines between exhibition components and art. Painting the surface of the logs that holds the art white makes for an interesting syncretism between traditional gallery culture and the sort of nature maverick approach to art that NERS takes.

Sparkles, Sprinklers, and Bad Seeds finds NERS at an interesting point. Having weathered a personally challenging but perhaps artistically fulfilling fifteen month period after obtaining his BFA from Herron School of Art and Design, this show is one that would have taken place in the past if not for the personal upheaval that resulted in Magical Wonderfulness. The work still feels fresh in large part, and this show marks the end of logs, pinecone shapes and hand-drawn diamond shapes in the artist's iconology. Who knows what the future will hold for NERS, but indeed it will be a....bright one.

For more pictures and text and a video interview with the artist, check out Outposts From The Material World

Help Big Car Gallery

2010-09-03T05:52:00.002-04:00

Big Car and Second Story, two nonprofit arts organizations we really care about, are trying to get enough votes to win $50,000 from Pepsi for their new cultural space for kids and adults in Fountain Square. Please help them by voting every day in September to make this happen.

Just go to http://www.refresheverything.com/bigcar and vote.

Or, to make it even easier for you, I placed a little voting widget in our sidebar to the right. Thanks! And Good Luck Big Car!

2010-08-12T11:39:00.000-04:00

Well folks,

It's that time again. For you artists in and around Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio, the Central Indiana Community Foundation, is once again accepting applications for the Efroymson Contemporary Art Fellowship Grants. The deadline is just a little over a month away, so don't procrastinate, get your images and materials together and submit. What do you have to lose? May the best artists win!

2010 Fellowship Guidelines Announced for Contemporary Visual Artists in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio
Applications due September 24, 2010

Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF) is now accepting applications for contemporary visual artists that reside in select cities and counties in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio.

The Efroymson Family Fund, a donor-advised fund of CICF, will be awarding (5) $20,000 unrestricted awards to contemporary visual artists age 25 and older that work in the following mediums or disciplines: ceramics, installation art (materials used can include glass, video, metal, wood or textile), new media (computer generated still image or 3-D art), painting, photography, printmaking, or sculpture (materials used can include glass, video, metal, wood or textile).Applicants must provide proof of age and residency in select cities and counties in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky or Ohio.

Eligibility Requirements

Contemporary visual artists age 25 and over by September 24, 2010.
Must be a resident of select cities and counties in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky or Ohio.
Documentation proving full-time residency as of September 2009.
Recipients must reside in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio or Kentucky during the duration of the one year fellowship. (See below for further details.)

Geographic Eligibility RequirementsApplicants must prove that they have resided in one of the following counties since September 2009:

Illinois (Champaign-Urbana Metro): Champaign, Ford, Piatt or Vermillion county
Indiana (Bloomington, Indianapolis, Lafayette, Muncie Metro): Boone, Delaware, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Marion, Monroe, Shelby or Tippecanoe county
Kentucky (Lexington and Louisville Metro): Boone, Bourbon, Braken, Bullitt, Campbell, Clark, Fayette, Gallatin, Grant, Henry, Jefferson, Jessamine, Kenton, Madison, Meade, Nelson, Oldham, Pendleton, Scott, Shelby, Spencer, Trimble or Woodford county
Ohio (Cincinnati Metro and Columbus) : Brown, Butler, Clermont, Delaware, Hamilton, Licking, Fairfield, Franklin, Madison, Pickaway, Union or Warren county

Applicants must meet all of the basic eligibility criteria at the time the application is due.

Recipients of the 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009 Efroymson Contemporary Arts Fellowship are not eligible to apply.
Learn more about the Fellowship and download guidelines and application materials.

Dead Artists' Homes, Ethics, and Museums: Westermann's House For Sale

2010-07-26T16:27:00.007-04:00

It was with great surprise that I received an email this morning from a Connecticut realtor notifying me of the presence of the late H.C. Westermann's house on the market. The current status of the house had been the subject of questioning recently; although there has been scholarship published about the house, what happened to it after Westermann's wife Joanna Beale Westermann passed away some years ago was unclear to myself and others. Westermann's house was, perhaps, the culminating work of his extremely productive and storied career as an artist. Having braved difficult living conditions for nearly his entire life, he put his all into crafting the home that was the stuff of dreams for himself and his wife, as it was literally dreamed up by the two of them. Westermann painstakingly built the home from foundation to ceiling, all by hand and with very little assistance, using the most exacting standards of craftsmanship at great physical and financial cost. He was so dedicated to old-world methods of working that he refused to use Philips-head screws in constructing his house and used the finest wood he could find. Attached to the living space was a combination artist studio and gym, making the property place where he could both work and live with his wife in the relative seclusion they had so long desired. Hand-carved detailing throughout the home and studio mark the house as being Westermann's creation and reflect some of his life experiences. Sadly, Westermann passed away before he was able to move into the house. His beloved wife Joanna Beale Westermann lived there until her death.

So that brings us up to speed. The elephant in the living room is, who should have Westermann's house now that himself and his wife are gone? It is unclear whether it was in private hands after Joanna's passing but before right now, but it seems to me that it would be a travesty and perhaps an ethical issue to allow this incredible place to become a private residence. Does one person or family deserve to privately own what could be an incredible opportunity to educate the public about a very important American artist? On a very human note, is it ethical for someone to live in a house that someone labored so incredibly hard to build but passed away before being able to enjoy? The best answer is that a museum or cultural non-profit foundation should acquire the house, preserve it, curate it, and open it to the public. The artist's house as museum is a concept well-articulated by now; School of the Art Institute of Chicago does a fabulous job curating and maintaining the home of the late Roger Brown. To cite an architectural example, people travel from around the world to visit the home and studio of Frank Lloyd Wright. Perhaps it is a bit idealistic to propose such a scenario as the only option; especially in current economic times it would be assuredly difficult for most institutions to take on such a large project as this. Another scenario would be a private collector or group of collectors purchasing the house; this could still yield some scholarship and hopefully occasional public access to the space.

Westermann's example is important to the discussion on artist house museums for two reasons. First of all, in a general sense the preservation, curation, and opening to the public of the homes of prominent deceased artists is a profound educational opportunity for generations to come. There is still an overriding general sentiment out there that art and artists remain an esoteric and pompous corner of culture, and what better way to help the public learn about and begin to understand an artist and his or her work than allowing them to visit their home? There is so much that one's residence says about them and their lifestyle that a painting or sculpture could never begin to capture. Secondly, in this case the artist's home is a work of art in and of itself. Idiosyncrasy, superior craftsmanship, and an appreciation for woodworking are apparent throughout most of the art Westermann created during his life. All of this is perfectly embodied in his home. Additionally, houses were one of the main themes that Westermann esoterically brought into play throughout his ouevre. All of this renders his home extremely important as a potential public treasure and as a scholarly opportunity for the art and museum world.

As Westermann continues to secure his place within the canon of postwar American art, I sincerely hope that this incredible opportunity for scholarship and the appreciation of his life and work is not lost due to the house being sold into disinterested private hands. It seems to me that The Smart Museum would be the ideal candidate to acquire the house; they have contributed much to the scholarship on and appreciation of Westermann through exhibitions and writings. Westermann's wife Joanna left many of his personal affects and much of his art to The Smart Museum when she passed away, so The Smart Museum is more or less the possessor of the world's strongest Westermann collection and the foremost authority on his life and art. If it cannot be The Smart Museum or another institution, I certainly hope whichever individual or individuals that purchase the house respect it for what it is and treat it as such. Only time will tell what happens, but hopefully it will be the right thing.

**Update, 8-30-2010
The price has been reduced to $425,000

**Update, 7-28-2010**

-I contacted the staff of The Smart Museum about this opportunity, and they stated in response:
"The Smart Museum had also been alerted to the fact that H.C. Westermann's home was on the market. The Museum's leadership is evaluating the opportunity that this might present."

-Patty McManus, the Connecticut realtor who is in charge of selling Westermann's house, provided me with the following additional details:

"The wood studio is almost exactly as Westermann left it. It has been kept like a museum. The home also contains some of the shipping crates from his artwork, his lathe and a number of other items. The art studio still has his chin up bar, tools, etc. My client is willing to transfer the property with all of his items." She is contactable at pmcmanus@wpsir.com

-Fellow Westermann appreciator and artist R.L. Croft brought up a very plausible scenario that would be a great answer to the financial strife facing many museums at this time:
"It would be a shame for it to end up being changed or lived in without complete museum-like care. Someone wealthy needs to buy it, donate it, and provide funds for its upkeep. I certainly agree that the Smart Museum sounds like a logical choice, but any museum with money ought to be salivating to add it to a collection."

J.T. Kirkland: "White: Part 2"

2010-07-26T14:41:00.000-04:00

Last week, the second half of J.T. Kirkland's White exhibition opened at Christopher West Presents. The Virginia-based artist has produced a spectacular ending to an already strong beginning with the addition of color to his repertoire. "I strive to find clarity and resolution in line, color, and form, while challenging viewers' perceptions of surface and space through simple, precise gestures on wood," Kirkland states, and he has certainly achieved his objective here. The 24 works exhibited, titled Subspace_001 - Subspace_024, are all acrylic and polyacrylic on maple plywood and sized 12x12x1. They conjure Ellsworth Kelly's Panel series due to their shape, scale, monochromatic opacity, and choice of color, but the fact that they are painted on plywood makes them seem more painterly than Kelly's aforementioned works. This in turn brings some of Barnett Newman's genre-busting experiments to mind; it is difficult to say whether Kirkland's Subspace series is painting or sculpture. True to Newman, it seems most accurate and least confining to simply classify them as objects rather than paintings or sculptures.
This objectivity (in the sense of having the status of an object) is furthered by the way that the works in Subspace break the proverbial frame. The painted portions of the works do not stop in the conventional space of the picture plane but spill over onto the sides of the plywood. This results in a series of juxtapositions; the Subspace series seems at once to embody motion and stillness as well as flatness and space. Careful viewing of these works and looking at them from different angles is rewarding. It is also interesting to note the colors Kirkland selected; each piece only has one color besides the white pinstripes that carried over from the first half of the exhibition. The range includes white, black, most of the basic colors, and also some surprising choices such as pastels. All in all, there are some unexpected choices thrown in the mix and the total palate in addition to the arrangement of the works is quite satisfying.

The maple plywood Kirkland chose is certainly a good example of the artist's keen appreciation for the natural beauty of wood. The multiplicity of works in White: Part 2, all of the same size and media, have the added value of showcasing the various patterns that naturally appear in maple wood. The sharp lines and beautifully opaque colors painted onto the wood contrast nicely with the unique patterns of the plywood in each piece.

Kirkland is an artist who has an admirable clarity of vision and purpose in his recent work, and White has been a great opportunity for him to explore pursue that vision. It will be exciting to track his progress in the future, and if White is any indication it will be nothing but bright.

J.T. Kirkland: "White: Part 1"

2010-07-16T11:59:00.002-04:00

J.T. Kirkland currently has the first half of what will be a two-part show up at Christopher West Presents in Indianapolis. White: Part 1 is a strong, focused grouping of neo-minimalist wood sculptures, all of which hang on the wall. Elegant and understated yet also bold in their execution, the work in this show channels minimal art pioneers such as Robert Morris and Dan Flavin because of the way the art is so responsive to and derived from the physical gallery space that it occupies. Kirkland says he is especially influenced by the art of Robert Irwin in this regard.

The only media Kirkland employs in White: Part 1 are Wenge wood and a shade of white paint specifically chosen to blend in with the gallery walls. Thus, the work succeeds at times in obscuring the boundary between artwork and gallery wall. In each piece, it is interesting where and how Kirkland utilizes the white paint. He says that he chooses titles reluctantly, sometimes waiting years to assign a title to a piece. His inspiration from and emphasis on the inherent beauty of wood recalls H.C. Westermann, although it is manifested quite differently in the end result.

For more pictures, information, and a video interview with the artist, head to OUTPOSTS FROM THE MATERIAL WORLD

Interview: Wug Laku's Studio & Garage

2010-07-07T10:26:00.000-04:00

I have been asked to help supply some blogging content to the newly launched IDADA web site. Not initially knowing what I would want to offer by way of content that I felt their readers would want. I came to the decision to do a monthly column for their site and hyper-link to it from OtC. This way I would be able to offer this content to all of our readers here at OtC, by way of a snippet and a hyper-link, and hopefully help to draw more readers to their new site as well. In this column, I will be presenting the first in a series of monthly interviews with a number of local gallery owners and art organizations in and around downtown Indianapolis. A chance to introduce a number of these people who are integral to the life and vitality of the local art scene and give us all some insight into their role and perspective of the arts in our community.

This months interview: Wug Laku of Wug Laku's Studio & Garage

SG: Can you give us a little background on yourself and a brief summary on how the gallery came about?

Wug: I’ve been an Indianapolis artist for over twenty years. During that time I’ve belonged to several organizations, including the Coalition of Indianapolis Artists, which sort of got the ball rolling for the modern era of Indianapolis artists in 1987, along with the Massachusetts Avenue scene. I’ve started or been a founding member of numerous galleries and artist spaces, including the Glendale Mall Co-op, School 30, and Art in Hand Gallery in Zionsville. I’ve exhibited my work in just about every kind of venue locally, from hallway shows to formal gallery spaces and retail spaces.

In late fall 2006, I began to look for working space for myself, since a 10’ x 10’ room in my house was just too cramped for everything I do, from paintings to woodworking to lamp making. I explored the usual places like the Stutz and Murphy but they just didn’t feel right. I was talking with a friend, Jennifer Kaye Laughner, and she mentioned looking into the Circle City Industrial Complex. I checked it out, and found the perfect space at the perfect price. It wasn’t my intention to open a gallery, but I had enough room. I figured, why not, so I began showing my work and the work of friends, and publicizing the place, and it’s just built from there.

(READ MORE)

Opening Tonight: White: Part 1. Work by J.T. Kirkland

2010-07-01T12:15:00.000-04:00

[Sadly hit the save post rather than the publish post button. So, sorry for the late notice folks, but I highly recommend heading out to the show tonight to see Kirkland's work. I have been following his work for at least 5 years or more now. Glad to have to opportunity to see his work here in Indianapolis. Come on out and meet the artist tonight. Hope to see you there.]

White: Part 1. Work by J.T. Kirkland

Opening Reception, 5pm-8pm

christopher west presents is pleased to announce White: Part 1 & Part 2, a two-part exhibition of works by Virginia-based artist J.T. Kirkland. Opening reception for the artist will take place on Thursday, July 1st from 5pm until 8pm featuring work from Kirkland’s White Paint series. There will be a secondary opening July 22nd from 5pm to 8pm featuring Kirkland’s latest body of work, Exploratory Paintings. The entirety of the two-part show will run through August 14th.

Kirkland’s reductive work strives to find clarity and resolution in line, color, and form, while challenging viewers’ perceptions of surface and space through simple and precise gestures on wood. In White: Part 1, Kirkland uses pure white paint – the same found on a standard gallery wall – on Wenge wood to blur the boundaries between the physical space of the gallery and artwork. In White: Part 2, Kirkland introduces color into the works which are accentuated by a finely painted white line to delineate the colored form against the Maple wood grain. Kirkland has recently had solo exhibitions in New York City and Richmond, VA. He has also recently been awarded both an Artist in Residence at the Vermont Studio Center in January of this year and the Robert Riddick Memorial Award from the Rawls Museum in 2009. This two-part exhibition offers a unique chance to experience two different, yet related, bodies of work by Kirkland in the same gallery. This is his first exhibition at the gallery.

What To Take Away From "Indianapolis Island"

2010-06-30T16:35:00.009-04:00

Andrea Zittel's addition to the IMA's recently opened 100 Acres Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park, an island made of fiberglass and foam that is approximately 20 feet in diameter, is called Indianapolis Island. Zittel received many proposals for artists' projects involving the new island. Jessica Dunn and Michael Runge, both Herron School of Art and Design students, created a proposal entitled "Give and Take" that was selected, and they are inhabiting the island all summer long.

Below is an IMA video about the fabrication of the island:

Dunn and Runge have now been living on Indianapolis Island for about two weeks. They have launched their artistic concept on many levels. Dunn describes the concept:
"Andrea Zittel gave us the island for us to take and use for our own living needs and artistic concept. In return, we want to give back to the public and have them give and take with us as well as leave their own mark on the project. From this general concept, we developed our ideas for trade, messages, and the blog." The physical exchange of objects with visitors recalls a project by artist collective Gelitin that was called Tantamounter 24/7, which occurred in 2005 and saw the artists receiving objects from visitors and then physically recreating them by hand with what materials they had and giving the visitor their newly forged version of whatever object they received. Give and Take has its similarities insofar as being completely open-ended as far as what visitors put in, but here the object that they receive will be far more unpredictable, although it may be bartered for. Runge explains, "It's been fun to see how people interpret it. It's really fun to give no direction and see what people come up with. People interpret island life differently; a lot of people have brought us practical things like sunscreen and bug spray, some people have brought us things to keep us busy like games and books, and others have brought us food."

Runge describes the give and take aspects of the project: "That's still coming into it's own life. All of the things we are doing in this project have a give and take theme; the trades are most obvious. There's a tangible example by the object that people leave behind and the object they take with them. The messages they send are also a give and take; the idea of communication. Our blog is a way for us to communicate, the tours are a way to communicate, the message is a way to communicate. The gardens are growing. They take water, sunlight, nutrients, and design, and they give food. Compromise in the sense of living on the island is also a give and take. When you go to a place, you leave your mark on that place. You are physically changing everything in ways that you cannot see, but you are also changing the energy. It's a little more obvious what you take with you (experience, knowledge, different perspective). The trade idea was just a tangible example of that. The visitors are leaving their mark on their space, but they are also taking a souvenir."

Runge and Dunn are striving to live as simply as they can on Indianapolis Island. The space's physical constraints necessitate it, but it is also a sort of philosophical reduction of the many unnecessary things that surround us in modern life. As a part of this new way of life, they are attempting to grow some of the food that they will consume. Runge already has a garden and raises chickens in his personal home, and the island has a floating garden that the pair designed. The crops will not mature for a couple more weeks, but eventually they will become a sustainable food source.

What Runge and Dunn thought would be a secluded getaway and spiritual retreat has turned out to be quite the opposite. "I could get upset about it, but it allows me to treat it differently. It becomes more of a performance than a retreat," Runge explains. He feels quite a bit like an animal in a zoo not only due to the omnipresence of watchers, but due to their vigilant monitoring of his mundane daily activity and enthusiastic responses. Dunn adds, "It's just kind of surreal. Everytime we walk outside and look out on the porch, there are people, completely around the lake, staring, watching us all the time. One time I went on the porch, and the pier by Kendall Buster was completely full of people and they all yelled out in unison, 'Hi, Jessica!'"

In order to chronicle their experiences, Runge and Dunn are keeping a blog that is located on the IMA website. Besides providing records of physical trades of items that have occurred, photos and writings chronicling the pair's daily life on the island, and images of messages they receive from the floating capsules that they fabricated, the blog has also been an avenue for the pair to respond to questions they receive via message. They have recently completed a FAQ section to avoid redundancy, but unique questions may receive an answer on the blog. This allows the artists to add a "give" component in a situation where a lack of technology previously would have rendered it a mere "take;" by utilizing a publicly viewable blog, the pair is able to respond to often anonymous messages in a way that they never would have been able to before, lacking contact information from the messages' senders.

Stay tuned, as we will be checking back in with Michael and Jessica at different points during their tenure on the island this summer.

coauthored by Scott Grow and Charles Fox

Video of a conversation between Charles Fox, Jessica Dunn and Michael Runge on the opening day of the park

Conversations with Jessica Dunn and Michael Runge from Charles Fox on Vimeo.

Poll: Art and Nature Park

2010-06-25T16:45:00.000-04:00

Well, with the grand opening of the IMA's new Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park last weekend, we here at OtC were curious, what was your favorite work installed in the park? Please vote using our poll in the right hand sidebar. While we are certainly curious to know what the local arts fans think of the park, we expect the true test of its success may be in whether the general public adopts the park and uses it frequently. I expect once they get to know of it and see it first hand, they just may be swayed to become more involved and interested in the art our city has to offer. If you would like to comment further on your thoughts regarding the Art and Nature Park or any of the individual pieces, by all means do so in this posts comment section. The more discussion of these works the better.

For those of you who feel you need a reminder of the works or were unsure of the name of the work or the artist, I would like to persuade you to take a look at the IMA's nicely designed 100 Acres Publication here. There you shall be able to get any and all information you may need to help you with your decision.

For those of you who have not yet made it out there, I will forgive you on the condition that it had to do with all the rain we have been getting the past week but the next nice day you get, I highly recommend you to go and visit. The grounds are beautiful and the works are amazing. I know picking my personal favorite was quite difficult as there were so many factors to take into consideration. But trust me, I won't hold you to your initial decision. Congratulations to everyone who had a hand in the Art and Nature Park. Job well done. Your hard work has paid off and I believe will have a great impact on the local community. I for one will look forward to its continued evolution in the coming years.

Review: A Rush And A Push

2010-06-25T04:19:00.006-04:00

Charlotte Sometimes

2010

Enamel on Acrylic Panel

Diptych

8″ x 21″

A Rush And A Push

Jeffrey Cortland Jones

at Christopher West Presents

Auestere and subtle beauty. Walking into the gallery space you may find you are not confronted immediately with vibrant, bold works but wait... give them time. The works of Jeffrey Cortland Jones are at first glance nothing more than small pairings of minimal white paintings on acrylic but this, for the keen and paitent viewer, will soon enough see these works unfold to reveal the layers of his process and pallette. In many ways these paintings have a certain lineage with artists such as Mark Rothko and Robert Ryman though they are anything but stagnant rehashes of their work. Jones has managed to find his own way in these paintings to navigate the very fine line of being both "painterly" and "reductive". Minimal would more than likely be one of the first words out of someones mouth when attemping to describe them to another but they are so much more.

Wide to Receive
2010
Enamel on Acrylic Panel
Diptych
8″ x 21″

This exhibition is a first for Jones in presenting his paintings as diptychs. This pairing off of one paintings with another instantly creates a diaolog between the two paintings that we have not seen in previous shows but allows for the viewer to begin drawing their own comparrisons and contrasts between them. This very act helps expand the viewers attempts to look more deeply into the paintings, seeing the subtle shifts and passages upon its surface. Whether that is the pale greenish grey paint that peeks through a translucent layer of off white, the glow of orange reflected upon the wall from behind the painting (creating a light halo of color), or the more notable multi hued drips that become prevelant within a number of the larger paintings. All of these elements come together to create some dynamic paintings.

I have long been a fan of the artist and have enjoyed watching how his work has continued to evolve over the course of the past few years. Seeing this show in such a modestly sized space as Christopher West Presents, could have been considered a hinderance in the face of some artists but West and Jones together have managed to make a striking and impactful exhibition. So we soon learn that it is not the size of the works or the space that make the show but how well it is presented. And this is certainly one of the best looking painting shows I have seen in Indy in quite awhile. The show closes this weekend so be sure to check out in person as it is the best way to see these paintings. Trust me, they are very hard to photograph. So go and see them yourself.

Christopher West Presents

Review: Let's All Drown Ourselves Tonight

2010-06-25T02:45:00.004-04:00

I finally got around to see the exhibition, "Let's All Drown Ourselves Tonight" at Wug Laku's Studio and Garage this afternoon. The exhibition presents a diverse selection of sculptural works by Dominic Sansone, with works in cast bronze, iron, wood and ceramics. The works in the show offer little in the way of a direct line of narrative for the viewer but this was not to its detriment. I found myself walking around the space looking at individual pieces a number of times, occasionally glancing at the titles to for a clue to the intention of the piece by the artist. The pieces I was most intrigued by were a series of cast bronze and iron protective masks and goggles, from what appeared to be a bronze welding helmet to an iron child's gas mask. These works had a mystery and foreboding about them that actually continued to resonate in all of the works in the show.

There is a darkness about all of the works in this show. Drawing on themes of violence and war both personal and at the same time detached. Also present is the use of repetition through multiples. From a totem of eerie bald, goggled heads, or four armless torsos, ceramic pigs with guns attached, to a wood bomb like forms pushing off the wall on long steel rods. In short, I enjoyed getting to know more about the artists work through this exhibition as I had only gotten to see a glimpse of his work from a showing at Herron a couple months back.

There is a lot to take in this small but well presented showing of the artists work. Sadly it is only up for two more days. Closing this Saturday afternoon. So if you get the chance I do recommend heading over to check it out.

Friday, June 25th noon-4pm

Saturday, June 26th noon-4pm

Wug Laku's Studio & Garage

1125 Brookside Ave., Studio c7

In Indianapolis Art and Auction News: Two Updates

2010-06-22T12:35:00.007-04:00

Inaugural Indianapolis Contemporary: Art & Design Auction

A preview/reception will take place on Thursday, June 24th from 5 to 8 pm.

Auction to take place Friday, June 25th at 6 pm

Dan Ripley’s Antique Helper

2764 East 55th Place, Indianapolis, IN 46220

INDIANAPOLIS CONTEMPORARY: ART & DESIGN AUCTION SEEKS TO SUPPORT CONTEMPORARY ART IN CENTRAL INDIANA AND THE GROWTH OF INDIANA-BASED ARTISTS AND ART ORGANIZATIONS. APPROXIMATELY 150 CONTEMPORARY ARTWORKS AND STUDIO FURNITURE, SELECTED BY CHRISTOPHER WEST AND MINDY TAYLOR ROSS, WILL BE OFFERED IN ALL MEDIUMS AND PRICED FROM $100 TO $15000. FIVE PERCENT OF ALL AUCTION PROCEEDS WILL BE DONATED TO THE CONTEMPORARY ART ACQUISITION FUND AT THE INDIANAPOLIS MUSEUM OF ART.

Included in the auction are artworks by Anila Agha, Leslie Baker, John Berry, Amy Falstrom, James Wille Faust, Linda Adele Goodine, Scott Grow, Flounder Lee, Craig McCormick, Tyler Meuninck, Emma Overman, Anne Roecklein, DeAnne Roth, G.K. Rowe, Artur Silva, Betsy Stirratt, Jason Zickler and many others. Contemporary design and studio furniture offered by Nick Allman, Cory Robinson, Ted Ross and others.

More info and online catalog at: http://www.antiquehelper.com/

WFYI is looking for donations of Artwork for the Fourth Annual Online Auction.
In years past the Auction has included skillful but uninspired pieces of art: that changes this year with an open call to all readers of this blog.

WFYI knows that central Indiana’s Art scene isn’t “something in the making” or “almost there” but incredibly vibrant & creative. Your work can help: All proceeds from the auction go directly to WFYI’s annual operations budget – that keeps the programs you listen to every day on the radio, shows you catch on the weekends on TV, and WFYI’s commitment to continued learning going strong.

All donations are tax deductable for their fair market value. Once donated, WFYI owns the work. If not bid upon or won during the auction may hang on the walls of our building at 1630 N Meridian. That makes it win/win: your piece makes money for WFYI or it hangs where Big Bird and Charlie Rose are broadcast.

We’re accepting whatever you can throw at us. Large scale prints to tiny paintings, a set of hand-thrown mugs to found object assemblages, conceptual video to simple photography. And not to censor, but since images of your work will be accessible to all ages we will have to refuse questionable content.

The realm of what can benefit WFYI is endless but the time line is not: gifts should be submitted by July 31st for maximum exposure to our tens of thousands of members.
Public Broadcasting is for the people, so do your part by giving some art.

To donate contact Ben Traub at (317) 614-0399, visit www.wfyi.org/auction for more information, or write an email to auction@wfyi.org today!

Thank you in advance for your kind consideration and support of WFYI Public Broadcasting.

Grand Opening: Virgina Fairbanks Art and Nature Park

2010-06-18T06:48:00.000-04:00

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Well with the grand opening tomorrow of the long awaited IMA's Virginia Fairbanks Art and Nature Park, I have struggled to decide what sort of post to publish for this blog. What could I possibly post that would not just be a rehash of all the other press releases and published articles in any of a variety of sources, be it the New York Times, Art Review, NUVO, Indianapolis Business Journal, and many more. We had discussed some thoughts on interviews with different artists, staff and the installers but in short, availability and timing just didn't seem to pan out for us. We do continue to do some further posts in the coming months once we all get the chance to see the park in person (in its completed form) and the anxiety of the grand opening calms a bit. So considering this I thought I would simply post a brief rundown of this weekends events as well as link you to some of the published articles and include a couple of the IMA's video links.

I had been following the goings on with the park since I first heard of it with great excitement. This new venture for the IMA commemorates a new phase in the museums already long and distinguished history with in the community. Having talked a number of times with assorted staff these past few weeks I can say with out a doubt that everyone at the IMA has been busy and working hard everyday leading up to this opening. I can only expect that the kick off event will be a great relief for everyone involved.

Having seen a number of the works at different stages of completion these past months, I can't wait to see them all now finished and with crowds of patrons walking the grounds. I only hope that the weather will be cooperative though the sheer amount of rain we have been getting these past days is bound to make for some muddy walkways. So, don't where your good shoes this weekend and just in case, bring your umbrella.

For those of you who have yet to keep up on who the artists involved are and those of you who are simply interested in knowing more about them, I would highly recommend everyone head out tomorrow to check out the 100 Acres Artist Forum in the Toby Auditorium. It is free to the public but I expect a large turn out so you must reserve your free ticket online. For those of you who are planning on making it out, I will be there with you.

I am very interested in hearing your thoughts on the works being presented this weekend and on the park in general. Please give us your thoughts in the comment section.

So below are the details for this weekends events. [NOTE: The VIP viewing of the park is NOT FREE but for those of you who want to see it and can't afford the ticket price for the VIP event, check out the Sunday public opening ceremony.]

For a full rundown and details of the IMA's Virginia Fairbanks Art and Nature Park opening visit their site here.

Artist Panel
The Toby at the IMA
Saturday, June 19
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Hear from the artists and architects as well as museum staff who planned every detail of the Park.

VIP Opening (Note: this event is not free)
100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park
(Park at the IMA, shuttles available to the Park)
Saturday, June 19
6 to 7:30 p.m.
Park terrain is variable. Please wear appropriate footwear.

Tip Off and Public Opening
Carpark at White River Parkway East
Sunday, June 20
1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Join Senator Richard Lugar and Maxwell L. Anderson for a special opening ceremony involving the first baskets at the soon-to-be iconic sculpture, Free Basket. Festivities continue until 5 p.m. Sunday.

Addition ArtBabble Videos (sorry couldn't get them to embed)
100 Acres Visitors Pavilion
Los Carpinteros, In the Factory
Jeppe Hein, In the Factory

Reality TV and Art?

2010-06-08T22:16:00.000-04:00

So, on the eve of the newest art world reality tv show, "Work of Art: The Next Great Artist" (which premieres tomorrow, Wednesday, June 9th on Bravo), I thought I would post a few thoughts on the topic. I know I had been following this project for quite a long time now and am anxiously awaiting its initial episode. Do I expect it to be great? Absolutely not. Do I hope it is? Of course. What I expect will take place will be some wonderful train wreck with perhaps some insightful moments. But I shall let the series play itself out and I will be sure to DVR it. This is certainly not the first of the art reality shows. Anyone remember, "Artstar", the Jefferey Deitch project/show? If not, I fully understand why. I have yet to meet anyone who actually did see an episode. More than likely due to its extremely limited availability on some obscure HD channel. I have even spent hours searching for episodes online, all to no avail. Then there is the BBC's, "School of Saatchi" show. This one is new to me. But I did manage to download the first episode. I shall check it out tonight. But then again, it is quite difficult to track down online. You would think in the age of mass communications and digital streaming, being able to watch a show online would not be so hard, even if shown overseas. Region blocking really pisses me off!

So, I would only guess that most of our readers too are interested in seeing what will take place with this take on the Art world reality show. Hearing the following discussion from Mediaweek with the staff of the show doesn't quite help raise my expectations. Then again, perhaps that is what we all need, low expectations. Don't we all seem to have enough of that these days though? I will be sure to say this, any and all preconceived thoughts on the show have nothing to do with the artists, critics, etc. involved but more on the way in which the show appears to be set up. I may very will be wrong. We shall soon see. My concern is that the show expects or slants to search out, or crown only the talented multi-disciplinary artists. While this is becoming more common in the art world, it is in no way a good measure of an artists talent or validity. A great painter may not be in any way a good performance artists. And a great sculptor may simply make a poor painter. Let's hope the show does not go down this path as is the typical play book for other similar reality shows like, Project Runway or Top Chef. Well, that is it for now. But if you want some of the run down on the contestants, check out Art Fag City's post here. You know what I will be watching tomorrow night.

Weekend Preview

2010-06-03T09:31:00.000-04:00

PRIMARY COLOURS

Installation Nation

NW Corner of College and Michigan
500 N. College Ave.

Wander in and out of metal shipping containers that house art installed by visual artists. Each container will be a unique experience with elements ranging from interactive light and sound to environmentally friendly plant machines and living rooms. Outside the containers, hear live music performed by local artists and purchase food and drink from local businesses (including Sun King).

Details:
Friday June 4th, 6pm-1am
Saturday June 5th, 5pm - 11pm
Admission $8, $5 for IDADA members
Kids under 12 get in free

Music & Entertainment:

Friday
• 6 – 9 – DJ Rusty Redenbacher (of the Mudkids)
• 9 – 1am – DJ Kyle Long

Saturday
• 5pm – DJ Rod the Mod
• 7pm – Everything, Now!
• 8pm – Slothpop
• 9pm – Kate Lamont (with full band)

We’re also excited that Phoenix Fire Productions will be lighting things up during the event.

http://primarycolours.org/blog/category/installation-nation/

INDIANAPOLIS MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART

Evans Woollen: The Art of Architecture

at Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art (iMOCA)
Opening Friday, June 4 at 6 p.m.

The Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art (iMOCA) will open a photography exhibition focused on the six-decade career of one of Indianapolis’s most accomplished architects. Evans Woollen: The Art of Architecture will open at 6 p.m. on June 4 in iMOCA’s gallery in the Murphy Art Center.

Woollen is an internationally recognized architect responsible for significant projects around the country. However, Woollen had the most impact shaping the landscape of his native Indianapolis, with buildings ranging from progressively modern homes to notable local landmarks including Clowes Hall, the Minton-Capehart Federal Building and the recent expansion of the Indianapolis-Marion County Central Library. The show, curated by Mary Ellen Gadski and iMOCA board members Brandon Judkins (Board President) and Tom Vriesman (Board Secretary), will feature photographs spanning Woollen’s entire career from world-renowned photographers including Balthazar Korab, Ezra Stoller, and Timothy Hursley – as well as the local talent of Wilbur Montgomery, Craig McCormick, and Serge Melki.

In addition to his architectural work, Woollen has spent a great deal of time developing his skill as a painter. A collection of twelve of Woollen’s abstract paintings, many of which are being exhibited for the first time, will be on display upstairs in Mt. Comfort Gallery.

Evans Woollen: The Art of Architecture will run through July 24th with hours Thursday-Saturday 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. The exhibit is part of a series of events that will occur across the city focused on Woollen’s work. The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) will begin the events with a lecture by Woollen on June 3rd at 7 p.m. titled “To Build in Context.” Then, the day after iMOCA’s reception, Indiana Landmarks will offer a tour of six of Woollen’s early homes. The tour takes place on June 5th and runs from 1 – 6 p.m., with the tour headquarters at Butler University’s Clowes Hall.

WUG LAKU'S STUDIO AND GARAGE

'Let's All Drown Ourselves Tonight'
Dominic Sansone

at wUG LAKU'S STUDIO & gARAGE
Friday, June 4, 2010
6:00pm - 10:00pm

“So we beat on, boats against the current,
borne back ceaselessly into the past.”
The Great Gatsby

Sansone’s work confronts the seemingingly inescapable violence of human nature on both a personal and mass scale. Exploring how it’s incorporated into our daily lives through materials, objects and symbols, his work examines how thoroughly we construct destruction.

Please join us Friday evening, June 4, from 6-10 p.m. during the IDADA First Friday gallery tour. Dominic will be available to discuss his work, and the rest of the studios at the cIRCLE cENTER iNDUSTRIAL cOMPLEX will be open as well.

BIG CAR GALLERY

No Ceilings

at Big Car Galler
Friday, June 4, 2010
6:00pm - 11:30pm

"No Ceilings" is artist Tom Streit's depiction of the world's first
flying car accident. Filling Big Car Gallery with full sized models of
the not so distant future's flying cars, Tom humorously tackles the
question of "Where's my flying car?" with "What comes up must come down". The show runs through the end of June.

BOXCAR GALLERY

Meditations on Strange Fruit

In Boxcar Gallery
Friday, June 4, 2010
6:00pm - 11:00pm

LaShawnda Crowe Storm is an accidental artist that discovered the world of art after a cross-country hiking journey of personal discovery. During this adventure she examined which path her life should take, art or social services. While she may have chosen the arts, her work continues to be impacted by social justice concerns, both historically and currently.

"For me art is my form of 'social work' and I use it to open doorways to community dialog, which is the first step to healing, which in itself leads to wider social change." Exploring topics such as suicide, misogyny, lynching and slavery, she explores the ramifications of these issues on a broader socio-historical scale, as well as incorporates community-based aspects to the projects, traditional African spiritual practices and black American folklore.

Crowe Storm received her MFA in Sculpture from the Art Institute of Chicago in 2004, and has had work exhibited widely, including in Collaborative Vision Exhibition at Indiana State University in Fall 2009. She has also won numerous awards for both art and community service.

THE CONRAD

Works by Tom Mueller

at The Alcove at the Conrad
Friday, June 4, 2010
6:00pm - 9:00pm

Q7 Associates and Editions Limited Gallery are hosting an art opening experience. The show will feature works by Indianapolis-based photographer Tom Mueller. For over 25 years, Tom has worked his craft, first training under renowned area artist Ted Gelb, before attending the prestigious International Center for Photography in New York City. While selling work to private collectors for years, Tom had his first official gallery show in 2007 and sold nearly all his work during the exhibit.

SAKE GALLERY

New Works by Stacy Novak

at SAKE Gallery, Murphy Arts Building

Thursday - Double Header

2010-06-02T16:08:00.000-04:00

Jeffery Cortland Jones

Installing Exhibition

This Thursday kicks off a months array of worthwhile and exciting exhibitions here in Indianapolis. Typically June through August offers few exciting options for art exhibitions but this month is sure to stand out I think. With some exciting gallery openings this weekend, installation nation's sophomore effort, and then next week's grand opening of the IMA's Art and Nature Park. So, plan your dinner arrangements or nightly entertainment for tomorrow around the opening, artists receptions at Dean Johnson Gallery and Christopher West Presents.

Jefferey Cortland Jones will be exhibiting his second solo show in Indianapolis, his first with Christopher West Presents. Needless to say, I have long been a fan of his work and these pieces are amazing. I had the pleasure of helping out with the install of this show of new diptych paints. Some of you may remember his work from last years exhibition at Mt. Comfort Gallery. Those new to his work, you can get a sense of his paintings from the image above (more on CWP's web site) but I must emphasis that these works need to be seen in person. They are quite subtle and therefore difficult to photograph. If you are a fan of abstraction, painting and/or reductivist works, be sure to come out and see this show. Come Thursday and meet the artist.

In the adjoining rooms, Dean Johnson Gallery, check out the fabulous stools by Ted Ross a recent MFA grad from Herron. If you missed seeing these at the recent showing at the Herron Gallery, now is your chance to see them again. Their clean lines and intriguing presentation is worth it. If I had the cash I would certainly be walking away with a new piece of furniture by Ted Ross and a fabulous new diptych by Jefferey Cortland Jones.

(Note to self, I still need to commission a piece by Nick Allman, also on view in the space).

The National Front Disco

2010

Enamel on Acrylic Panel

Diptych

8″ x 21″

A Rush and a Push
Jeffrey Cortland Jones

at Christopher West Presents
Artist Reception, Thursday June 3rd, 5pm - 8pm
First Friday: June 4, 2010 5–9pm

christopher west presents is pleased to announce a A Rush and a Push, an exhibition of new paintings by Cincinnati–based Jeffrey Cortland Jones. Opening reception for the artist will take place on Thursday, June 3rd from 5 pm until 8 pm. The exhibition will run through June 26th.

Jones, a native of East Tennessee, received his MFA in painting from the University of Cincinnati in 2000. He sees painting as a physical activity and a material process rather than as a language that conveys narrative meaning. He is interested in how chance happenings and the union of formal opposites such as geometric versus organic and controlled versus spontaneous, challenge and instruct the work. His work has recently been exhibited in New York City; Brooklyn, NY; Los Angeles, CA; Oakland, CA; San Francisco, CA; Boston, MA; Cincinnati, OH; Cleveland, OH; Philadelphia, PA; St. Louis, MO; Atlanta, GA; Indianapolis, IN; Nashville, TN, and Chicago, IL; as well as in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Haifa, Israel; and Berlin, Germany. This is his first exhibition at the gallery.

New Work by Ted Ross

at Dean Johnson Design
Opening Reception: Thursday, June 3, 2010 5–8pm
First Friday: June 4, 2010 5–9pm

Ted Ross was born in Nashville, Tennessee and received his MFA in Furniture Design from Herron School of Art and Design in Indianapolis. In his work, Ross attempts to muddle through the very nature of simple aesthetics. His works are not typical furniture forms, and thus require the viewer to attach their own meaning and use, making the work very personal to the user. Ross, deeply rooted in the traditions of craft, incorporates non–traditional materials like fiberglass and acrylic in his unique forms. Ross has had exhibitions in North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana. This is his first solo–exhibition with the gallery.

Another Bootleg Exhibition

2010-05-14T00:34:00.000-04:00

Bootleg Exhibitions: Carnival

Bootleg Exhibitions’ fourth show Carnival is a one-night only multiple-artist exhibition featuring contemporary art and live music from local band, The Accordions. Invited artists were asked to interpret themes of amusement, games, fair rides, clowns, freaks and sideshows. The exhibition will include sculpture, photography, paintings, and drawings addressing these themes. Complimentary beer will be available from Pendleton, Indiana brewer, Sean Tucker of Reluctant Hoosier Brewing. Participating artists include locals Greg Hull, Brose Partington, Brad Dilger, Andrew Perry Davis, Erin Harper Vernon, Michele Signorino, Aaron Leif Nicholson, Stacey M. Holloway, Kipp Normand, Deanne Roth, Tyler Meuninck, and Jason Bord. Out-of-state participants include Michael Wickerson from Kansas City, Missouri, Araan Schmidt of Bowling Green, Ohio, Mary Johnson of St. Paul, Minnesota, James Darr of Nashville Tennesee, and Andy Hunter of San Diego, California. In conjunction with Carnival, Ben Valentine will be showing his Museum of Mobile Art (MoMA), a related exhibition taking place in a U-Haul in the Bootleg Exhibitions parking lot.

Friday, May 14th, from 6pm - 10pm
1656 English Ave., Indianapolis

Weekend Preview

2010-05-07T10:52:00.000-04:00

Once again a but if a late update but don't let that stop you from checking out these shows tonight or later this month. There is bound to be something for everyone this month and as you usual I have simply offered up a limited run down of the options out there. For further openings and shows, check out the IDADA First Friday Map in the sidebar. I hope to see lots of you out there. Enjoy.

Indianapolis Art Center

April 23-June 6, 2010

The Indianapolis Art Center kicks off the spring with exhibitions opening on May 7, 6-8 p.m. (in conjunction with the Broad Ripple Village Spring Gallery Tour):

Freaky Forests: Works by Casey Roberts
Churchman-Fehsenfeld Galley
Whimsical cyanotype paintings by Indianapolis artist Casey Roberts mixing the familiar with eerie undertones. Cyanotype is a Civil-War-era process that yields vibrant blue images. With everyday items such as baking soda, bleach and peroxide, Roberts achieves a range of colors and textures through controlled chemical reactions. He repeats the process, adding many layers until the image is fully realized, often finishing with watercolor painting or a collage element.

Harrison Center for the Arts

Friday, May 7th, the Harrison Center presents the group show, I AM MAY in the Harrison Gallery featuring the work of Phillip Lynam, Ben Valentine, John Ross, Lindsey Lord, Amelia Morris, Tascha Horowitz, Thomas Lemanski, Gary Hutchison, Heather Hudson and Kris Arnold. Also that night, in Gallery No. 2 - Into the Maelstrom - new work by Brian Hull. In Hank & Dolly's Gallery and the Gallery Annex - artwork from the inaugural class of Herron High School* seniors. Mary Claire performs in the courtyard. Across from the Harrison Gallery - Youth Music Exchange. The Harrison Center's 21 artist studios will be open to explore.

Big Car Gallery

May 7, 6-11 p.m. as part of IDADA's First Friday Gallery Tour.

Although painted over 500 years ago, Hieronymus Bosch's triptych THE GARDEN of EARTHLY DELIGHTS has lost none of its allure, beauty or ambiguity. Theories attempting to illuminate its hermetic iconography abound yet noone seems to have been able to definitively pin down what exactly the artist is attempting to do in the painting or why. Is it a visual representation of the alchemical process? a cautionary depiction of the dangers of the flesh or just the opposite: a voyeuristic revel extolling the pleasures (and consequent dangers) of free love? Regardless of original intention, the painting functions as a mirror of the viewer: we take away from it what we wish to see and it becomes many things to many people.

With this in mind, http://replantingthegarden.blogspot.com">REPLANTING the GARDEN brings together the works of over 40 artists and craftsmen from all over the country who were simply given the directive to create a piece in direct response to Bosch's greatest work. The show is curated by New York-based artist Richard Saja.

Also Friday night musical performances by winners and others from the recent Thrift Store Music competition including Tonos Triad, Sonic Assault Duo and more. And a new electronic set from Marck Ferrari. Music starts at around 10 with Tonos playing at 11:15.

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The Big Picture Show

Join the Indianapolis Film Fest and Lodge Design for The Big Picture Show, a First Friday experience at Mt. Comfort (next door to Big Car) on Friday, May 7. Big Car is providing the space and Lodge and the IIFF and are filling it with film posters reinterpreted by 30 of our favorite designers and illustrators in town. You'll see everything from "Bull Durham" to "Star Wars" re-imagined and on display. They'll even be available for purchase. The exhibition's free and the art's unique - we'll see you at the show.

Learn more http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#%21/event.php?eid=111455878883296&ref=ts

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Live Music this weekend

Rock, Folk, 'n' Roll --- Accordions host Elam Blackman and Arlo & the Otter at Big Car this Sunday Night, May 9!

Accordions -- Indianapolis' own indie rock band with antique feeling -- host friends Elam Blackman, and Arlo & the Otter at Big Car this Sunday, May 9th at 8pm. Only a $5 cover for the bands.

Elam is exactly what y...ou would want to see for just a guy with his guitar. With his bass/baritone voice and plucky guitar, he tells stories about his travels through Mexico, his hometown of Knoxville TN, tales of quaint yet heartfelt romance, and his cat Mr. T. http://www.elamblackman.com

Arlo & the Otter are a new band from Columbus, OH with a sound somewhere between Danny Elfman and Neil Young. They mix fiddle, piano, harmonica, guitar, bass, and drums into a lush wall of rock 'n' folk that will keep calling out to you long after you hear them. http://www.myspace.com/arloandtheotter

Check out Accordions here http://musicalfamilytree.com/band/_accordions

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Eluvium coming to Big Car with ESW

Portland-based ambient/experimental act Eluvium will come to Big Car on May 25 at 8 p.m. with awesome local act ESW and Charles Stanyan (member of Concert Silence). $8 cover goes to the bands.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=118635204831320&ref=ts

Find out more and listen to their music at http://www.eluvium.net
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/eluvium-similes1

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Know No Stranger in the last of the MFEO series at Central Library

Wednesday, May 26, 7 p.m. at Central Library - The Know No Stranger collective will perform musical show with a handmade feel that offers a whimsical analysis of ordinary life. The group provides local, community-oriented entertainment with a focus of encouraging creative unity.

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Find out more about our Made for Each Other project at http://www.made4.org

become a fan here: http://www.facebook.com/madeforeach

Herron School of Art and Design

While the opening was last night, be sure to check out the MFA shows in each of the Herron Galleries. Worth the drive. Check their site for details.

Wug Laku Studio and Garage

wUG LAKU’S STUDIO & gARAGE is pleased to introduce a bold new talent to Indianapolis, Eric Hudgins. Combining the qualities of H. R. Geiger, Salvador Dali, and tattoo art with themes of science, technology and spirituality, Eric’s work is a powerful testament to what’s possible when an unschooled artist brings a singular vision to life. Please join me in welcoming Eric to our community on May 7, from 6 - 10 p.m., and as always, enjoy the rest of the artist studios and galleries in the cIRCLE cITY iNDUSTRIAL cOMPLEX.

‘A Working History of Things to Come’ continues through May 29.
wLS&g is open 12-4 on Fridays and Saturdays, or by appointment.

Across from Wug's Gallery, once again check out Approaches to Abstraction
works by Dave Voelpel.

A few show and more...

2010-04-16T14:44:00.000-04:00

INSTALLATION NATION

Its that time of year again. Primary Colours in their sophomore round of Installation Nation. I was intrigued last year but hoping to see what they can do this time around. I hope for a bigger and better event this time. If you want to participate, now is your chance to apply. See the following information to see how.

Primary Colours seeks contemporary artists with experience in creating installation art for a unique June exhibition in Indianapolis. Artists will submit a proposal to create an installation piece within the confines of a 20-foot metal shipping container. From the submitted proposals, a jury will select seven projects and give artists each $750 to create his or her vision. Applications are available from Primary Colours and are due on Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at 5 p.m. EDT. Submission fee is $20.

Selected artists must be available to set their installation up in Indianapolis during the week of the event, beginning Monday, May 31, 2010. Pieces will highlight Installation Nation, a weekend exhibition taking place on Friday, June 4, and Saturday, June 5, 2010. If you have any questions about the event, please contact Dane Sauer at danesauer@primarycolours.org or (317) 413-7720.

Primary Colours (primarycolours.org) is a 501(c)(3) Indianapolis-based nonprofit visual arts organization.

MANIFEST GALLERY, Cincinnati

Well, on occasion we like to alert out readers of shows outside of Indy that are interesting in their own right and/or involving some local art talent. I have been keeping up with the Cincinnati gallery, Manifest for awhile now. They have shown some Indy artists on occasion and have an interesting lineup of exhibitions. Tonight opens a couple shows there, one of which will include one Emily Schnellbacher. Below is the info from the press release. While it may be last minute notice, those of you who happen to be in the Cincinnati region, for art, friends, IKEA, whatever, I think you should check out this gallery.

Indianapolis Artist Emily Schnellbacher
Featured in “Rites of Passage” Exhibit in Cincinnati
6th Annual RITES OF PASSAGE
April 16 - May 14, 2010
Opening Reception: Friday, April 16, 6-9 p.m.
Manifest: 2727 Woodburn Avenue, Cincinnati Ohio 45206
www.manifestgallery.org

RITES OF PASSAGE curated by Tim Parsley was conceived and initiated in 2005, The Rites of Passage exhibits were developed in order to support student excellence by offering a public venue for the display of advanced ‘creative research’; to promote young artists as they transition into their professional careers; and to bring the positive creative energies of regional institutions together in one place.

A total of 530 works were submitted by 90 artists. Out of these, a set of 131 semi-fi nalist works were narrowed down to 10. The 2010 Rites of Passage exhibit features these ten works by eight artists from 7 schools in 5 different states.

The exhibit will include works of painting, photography, drawing, and mixed media by: Leigh Bornhorst (Senior, Miami University - Oxford), Jase Flannery (2009 Gradaute, Ohio State University), John Grgas (Junior, University of Cincinnati), James Linkous (Senior, Austin Peay State University), Stacia McKeever (Senior, Western Illinois University), Abigail McLaurin (2009 Graduate, Coker College - South Carolina), Aidan Schapera (2009 Graduate, University of Cincinnati), and Emily Schnellbacher (Senior, Herron School of Art and Design).

STUTZ ARTIST OPEN HOUSE

Before I forget, I thought I remind everyone of the upcoming Stutz Artist Open House that opens next weekend. From the press release:

Stutz Artists Open House, more than 70 local artists are feverishly hanging art and cleaning up their studios in anticipation of the thousands of guests who attend this annual don’t-miss event.

The Stutz building is a 400,000-square-foot former car factory that’s been renovated into artist studios and offices. Once a year, the artists open their studios to visitors for a two-day open house and art show.

Located on an entire city block downtown, the historic building becomes a massive maze of creativity and fun, with art, live music and food around every corner. Throughout the building, artwork ranging from paintings and jewelry to sculpture and photography is complemented by classic automotive design in the form of building owner Turner Woodard’s vintage car collection.

Admission is $10 in advance at select Old National Bank centers or $12 at the gate. Proceeds support the Stutz Residency Program, a scholarship that provides free studio space and utilities for emerging local artists. It is one of the largest grants to individual artists in the state.

WHAT: Stutz Artists Open House

WHEN: Friday, April 23, 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 24, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

WHERE: Stutz Business Center, 1060 N. Capitol Ave. (Free parking at specially marked lots; enter from 10th or 11th streets.)

COST: $10 advance tickets at Old National Bank centers; $12 tickets at the gate; Kids 16 and younger are free on Saturday only

INFO: www.stutzartists.com, 317-503-6420

A Spring Day at the IMA and Tara Donovan

2010-04-15T17:47:00.002-04:00

Prologue

For the last week I have been home sick, fighting off an everlasting head cold. And for the past couple months now I have had an overwhelming feeling of concern for my own lack of any substantive arts writing for this here blog. Be it other distractions, obligations, or simple procrastination, I thought today I would trudge out of the house and head to the IMA to check out the Tara Donovan show in particular and enjoy the great Spring weather. The following are some fragmented thoughts and observations on todays viewings as I blog live from the IMA. Keep watching later for some in depth writings leading up to the grand opening of the Art and Nature Park.

The Good

The weather if absolutely beautiful today. The sun is shining and there is a nice breeze blowing. A great time to walk around the IMA's grounds with some many of the trees and flowers beginning to bloom. A couple people having a picnic on the front manicured lawn. Brilliant. Heading inside I go straight to the Contemporary collection. Just my usual approach... I am pleased that in the past few years that the IMA has managed to rearrange their collection as often as they do. Seeing these new juxtapositions of works helps to see pieces in a new light. I think I actually liked seeing the Lee Krasner piece today, perhaps for the first time. Is it due to the new proximity to the Joan Mitchell and the Hans Hoffman or just given enough space this time to be seen in a better way? I do not really care really, just glad to see it with new eyes today. I was glad also to see that the Kara Walker piece had been removed and replaced with a new video work. Not that I have anything against the Walker piece, quite the contrary, I love the work but it has been up for a very long time. Maybe now I can one day anticipate seeing it again and be surprised when I do. The Ellsworth Kelly pieces looked particularly fresh today since last I saw them. I chalk this up to the great light coming in the windows of the adjoining Fred Sandback room. I do love that orange/red yarn piece! And for me, I quite enjoyed the fairly recent installation of the Richard Tuttle drawings and sculpture. Seeing these pieces together create, for me at least, a great peek into his work and use of materials. The economy of his choices... And perhaps last of the little surprises that stood out to me today, was a nice recent acquisition of a quilt from one of the Gees Bend pieces. Thinking back to that show, I do believe that that show had grown on me and made me appreciate those quilts in particular.

The Not So Good

Some people may say I am being nit picky here, and yes I am. But one of the things about coming to the IMA or any major art museum for that matter, is that once you raise the bar to a certain level in the quality of the works and the presentation of them, I feel we should hold them to that bar. I am certain they understand these concerns and more than likely these will be taken care of soon but I shall mention them here simply for the purpose that these things in particular did bother me when walking around the collections and some of these have bothered me for quite a long time. I may not be alone on these thoughts. To start, once again some bumbling patron has touched the Donald Judd sculpture, leaving very noticeable, distracting and annoying fingerprints on the brass. Did they not teach people to not touch art works like in elementary school. I do not place blame here on the museum of the security staff, but you out there who have at one time touched the art works. Stop Touching the Judd! In all the years I have seen this piece, I think I have only seen it fingerprint free twice. Quite annoying. Sadly a the only spot light focused on the Richard Pousette-Dart painting was out. I quite enjoy that painting but with out proper lighting its a very difficult painting to appreciate as it is already a dark painting. The bigger concern for me today was that one of their video/sculpture pieces (the Michal Rovner vitrine piece) was out of commission more than a month ago when I came here and today, it remains that way. Seriously? I would rather just see it leave the floor all together if its not going to be fixed within a week. The hallways area outside the glass room, typically showing works on paper, remains empty this month as well. Disappointing. I would have liked to see the previous works remain on view until it was time to hang a new group of works. This may have been a small thing to me if it wasn't for the fact that the Forefront Galleries are still blocked off and empty this month too. I point these out to show that I, as a frequent patron, notice these sort of things. Seeing as I had to renew my membership today, something I really should not be spending money on at this time, I want to see that I get the most out of these visits when I come out. I love to see things change and shift with each visit. And now, for something that I have long wanted to see happen that I am just going to throw out there, I think it is time to retire two works in particular. The Alice Aycock monstrosity and the Nam June Paik. Don't get me wrong. I like a lot of Paik works, this just happens to be one I really can not stand looking at. And that Aycock piece... Aside from looking like some mechanical torutre device, its just time to waken that entire corner of the Contemporary floor up with an overhaul of new works and juxtapositions that we get elsewhere. I expect the size and weight of these piece make moving them and storing them more difficult and therefore may impact why they seem to hang around. But, I vote on ousting them for a couple years. Whether its the economy, lack of available staff, over extended on the project front (the recent Tara Donovan opening and the Art and Nature Park) or some combination of these, I hope to see some shifts on these fronts in the coming months.

Tara Donovan Untitled

I have long been on the fence when it came to Tara Donovan's work. Seeing most of her work only in books, videos, magazines and online certainly has an impact on my expectations. I have seen a handful of her works in person but was not quite sure how I would like an entire exhibition of works. Would it be too much or would all the piece add up to much more? Today, I attempted to check out the show free of expectation. In hopes of just allowing the show to come to me as I saw it.

The first few rooms were devoted to her works on paper. Prints and drawings. The printmaker in me was instantly taken in, but in a way that I think mostly printmakers would get into them. I was more interested in the process than I was in the final outcome. This was not always the case, a series of large black and white prints, from what looks to be printed from shattered glass were quite impactful and quite graphic. Graphic being a word I would seldom associate to her work in general. Perhaps my personal favorites of all the works on paper were a series of drawings that appeared to me to be made from the use of ink and bubbles. There was an interesting and subtle quality to these particular pieces that stood out to me amidst the other works in the area.

Having reflected for the past hour or more after seeing the show, I strongly feel that the works on paper are quite minor in comparison to the larger three dimensional works. There is something about the larger installations that transcend the viewer and their experience with the work that you do not get in the works on paper. While the sculptures seem to embrace the process and obsessive compulsive nature of making these works to create a new experience, the drawings and works on paper feel more like documentation of the process and with some exceptions, ends there.

Walking into the rooms with the larger installations, I was amazed at how much they changed the rooms. In the context of the large installation configured out of plastic cups, I was taken by the play of light and color throughout the piece. Quite unexpected. I instantly began drawing parallels to aerial landscapes and alien topography. Neither of which I am quite certain of whether this is intended, as I have yet to read much in the artists own words. But the large undulating field of plastic cups or the huge bed of craggy black tar paper create to me, elegant and surreal alien landscapes out of the minutest, insignificant materials. Though a massive amount of each. Perhaps this reading into alien moonscapes and the like or aerial topography stands out to me strongly today due to the fact that I woke up today watching a number of old sci fi films from the 30's - 60's. There is an elegance to these works that I find myself falling for. In the last room stands a large, playful piece made from spherical like forms, composed of contorted sheets of mylar. I hate to use the term alien again, but it just seems to fit. Like some bizarre alien sculptural form that seems somewhat plantlike and organic while being made out of such an obvious man made material as mylar sheeting. It is this use of materials and their transformation where Donovan truly shows her talents. While not all the three dimensional works come together fully for me, the three centerpieces for this show, absolutely embody the best Donovan has to offer.

In all, I think I may now be less on the fence with her work and will stand on the fan side. At least for today. It also pleased me to hear that a number of Herron students (some 20 or more) were brought in to help with the installation of this exhibition. I think this experience will be a great benefit to up and coming art students to get an idea of the amount of work that goes into a piece for a show of this scale. So props to the IMA for working with the local art school students and giving them this opportunity once again. We will certainly be discussing this further in the coming month.

If you get the chance, come on out to the IMA on a nice day, walk the grounds and then the collections. For the most part it is free, though the Tara Donovan show is a special exhibition and therefor costs some dollars but I think you will be fine with doing so. Enjoy.

[Note: Thanks to the IMA staff for the images used on this post.]

Big Ideas in The Big Paper Show

2010-04-13T22:46:00.005-04:00

For First Friday in April at the Murphy Art Building, Mike Graves and Justin Cooper exhibit a series of giant paper works called “The Big Paper Show”.

The acquisition of the paper and its size prove to be an exciting venture for Cooper and Graves. Eleven mural-sized, paper artworks cover the walls of the space while eight smaller paintings give a short place to momentarily pause and reflect.

The materials and size of the works are enough to draw an audience into the space. The paper works were done on scene paper, background paper for photographic shots.

While positioned on the wall, the artists used ladders to reach the highest points on the paper. The paintings endured much turning and layering as the work developed. Graves reveals that some of the pieces were layered with up to five under paintings.

Simple but expressive, the artworks in this series are mainly black and white. Looking closer, some paintings contain bits of colored washes and splatters. Other pieces exude tones of blue or exclusively show lone reds or greens or yellows.

Two large boxing paintings can be seen in the secondary main space. For these particular works, Graves and Cooper collaborated with photographer Jeff Jeffries using one of his boxing images and a projector to enlarge the photo. Then the artists painted the figures, giving a life-size energy to the wall space. Each piece is a reflection of the other. Both works side by side engross the viewer in the action.

For the artists, the large paper artworks in this exhibit were intended to be studies that are important to the collective’s development. Graves explained that some would go on to be future, detailed paintings. One work titled “Big Fight”, that appears as a giant wall piece, has already been repainted in a smaller version.

“Big Fight” explores characters of good and evil. In this comic book action scene, Sherlock Holmes and The Joker are simultaneously keying into the same locked door. A valkyrie swoops in from the left, top side of the paper while a fallen maiden dramatically collapses in the right, bottom corner. Much action occurs while the Judge or Referee, looking suspiciously like Genghis Khan, sits nearby. Words in the painting ask, “Who Has Whom in Battle?”

The ideas of “Big Fight” are not singular in their context. Graves explains that during this time, he and Cooper were looking at a booklet that described ways of how to put on Victorian coats. Graves and Cooper further the contextual meaning of the artwork by integrating the ideas of rules as a set system that is ready to be broken.

They suggest that rules or manners and the “proper” ways of doing things are subject to scrutiny and reform. “Big Fight” reflects upon ‘Who makes the rules and who breaks the rules? Who follows the rules and who chooses to break them? When do they decide to break them and how do they decide to do this?’

A feeling of breaking the rules follows throughout the exhibit. Next to boxers and superheroes, pin-up girls are the third type of subject matter that appears in these large paper works.

“Bad Umbrella Pin Up” shows a girl extending her leg sensually amidst a Chinese landscape during a rainstorm. The landscaped mountains are painted as ink-like language characters. The girl doesn’t seem to mind being drenched. The title suggests that the malfunction of her umbrella has either ruined or enhanced her presentation.

In a second piece, “Torrential Pin Up” again, the model is soaked in a rainstorm. Using watered-down acrylic, Cooper and Graves have layered blue paint cascading from the upper, left side downward in a diagonal direction. Graves points to curiosity, shock, and humor as reasons for portraying pin-ups.

Graves says that he could choose to paint something controlled or realistic but intentionally uses an expressive manner. He explains how the expressiveness of the paintings gives way to the overall impression and understanding of the art. “It doesn’t matter what subject is painted” necessarily, but that it is painted freely and passionately. Exploring the rawness of splattering, dripping, and mark-making provide an intense satisfaction for the artists.

For the BRIDGE Collective, the beauty of creating the artwork is that the artists get to contribute their unique talents. For this series, Graves set up the papers to be painted. Both artists discussed ideas and planned out their subjects. Cooper painted the dark, linear outlines for the figures. Then both artists expressively added to each work by censoring with white paint and repainting. Overall it is a push and pull process where each artist temporarily breathes a new identity into the work until completion.

The BRIDGE Collective chooses to push the boundaries of art through their exploration of fresh subject matter and re-contextualizing of social ideas in a multi-faceted manner. Graves states that the large pieces seek to create “tension” thoroughly achieved by the sheer size of the works. The massive spill-strokes and the subjects of moral dilemma encourage the viewer to further contemplate these artworks.

The exhibit will be up through April 20th.

Photo submitted by Shannon Wilson

Tonight: Spawn

2010-04-09T12:56:00.000-04:00

At the Harrison Center for the Arts

The Harrison Center presents "Spawn" - new work by Carla Knopp with an artist reception Friday, April 9 from 6 to 9pm. Knopp's work reflects a dually-focused purpose. She seeks artistic revelation from both personally-derived expressionism and from formal experimentation. These two impulses guide her work, either separately or in tandem, and form a portfolio of work which embraces both mystical imagery and abstraction.

Also that night: Works by Scott Grow, Tyler Meuninck. In Gallery No. 2 - UINDY Artists - A Word from the Southside; in Hank & Dolly's Gallery - Anthropomorphism - new work by Herron School of Art senior, Emily Schnellbacher; in the gym - 1950s sci-fi movies; in the courtyard - Blue Stone Folk School's Geoff Davis performs; across from the Harrison Gallery - Creative Renewal Fellow Jeff Sparks (Heartland Truly Moving Pictures) presents photos and speaks about his recent trip to Thailand.

Weekend Preview

2010-04-02T02:03:00.000-04:00

Sadly, well not so sadly for me, I will not be making it out to this months IDADA First Friday event, as I am still in NYC. Spent all day today gallery hopping Chelsea. Loved it, but thats for another day or another post. With the Tara Donovan exhibition up and running at the IMA this weekend I would recommend that those of you who were not able to make it to the preview last night should head out there this weekend during the day, maybe walk the grounds a bit while you are there and the weather is good. Bit, save your Friday night for your local gallery hop.

As per usual, if you would like further details on the IDADA First Friday events, and a map, click the link to the right.

Sorry folks for the lack of images in todays post. I am simply exhausted tonight and need some sleep. Enjoy the shows.

IMOCA

"Seeing is Becoming"
Opening Reception, Friday April 2nd, 6-11pm.

The Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art (iMOCA) opens a show created from the curatorial vision of Jay Jordan featuring six artists from across the nation titled “Seeing is Becoming.”

The show opens Friday April 2 from 6-11 pm and will run through May 15.

Lexington, KY artists Louis Bickett and Dmitry Strakovsky, Louisville, KY artists Letitia Quesenberry and Chris Radtke, and Los Angeles artists Julie Orser and Shizu Saldamando, resist easy, fixed notions of identity and point to potential new ways of seeing and being.

“The work does not aim at a single, correct interpretation,” says Jordan. “But examines the artist’s attempt to grapple with the problematic nature of reality.”

For example in Saldamando’s pieces Looking at Art, The Reception, she slyly reverses the position of the viewer and the subject. The subjects, the artist’s friends attending a gallery opening, are drawn in ballpoint pen on canvas. They gaze out expectantly, placing the viewer in the unusual position of the artwork.

In Bickett’s work, carefully archived objects appear to be the collected personal effects of a presumably fictitious ‘Daddy.’ The objects and their labels suggest a complex and often contradictory narrative around their absent owner.

“These artists introduce ideas, and to a certain degree they explain them, but they don't tell us, not completely anyway, the problems to which those concepts are a response,” explains Jordan. “These gaps are openings, allowing us as viewers to become co-conspirators with the artists.”

Museum hours of Thursday-Saturday 11-6, closed on holidays.

Four Star Gallery

HERRON SCHOOL of ART DESIGN
SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHY STUDENTS
Cue the Violins

653 Massachusetts Ave.
OPENING RECEPTION: April 2nd from 5pm to 9pm
Video Screening at the Wheeler Building

Exhibition: April 2 to April 30
Gallery Hours: 11-5 M-Th 11-7 F 12-7 S

The senior photography students are presenting their final show of the year. Be there to see distinctive work created from every day nature, intimacy, life, and reality. Meet the artists and view their art while eating good food.

Exhibiting Artists:
Ceara Baskerville. Nicole Bock. Megan Bryant. Carol Cashen. Ashley Gilbert. Justin Jett. Ronne Stone. Laurel Lee. Kristine Bedwell. Jennifer Meeker. Paul Miller. Kurt Nettleton. Kyle Smith. Joan Taylor. Erin Van Leer. Justin Walsh. Brittany Williams. Esther Wolf.

Mt. Comfort

DECAY/SUSTAIN

Music by:
7:30 - Helado Negro (http://asthmatickitty.com/helado-negro)
8:15 - Julianna Barwick (http://www.juliannabarwick.com/)
9:00 - Epstein (http://cargocollective.com/robertocarloslange)
9:45 - Kid Primitive Fam (http://www.myspace.com/kidprimitive)
10:30 - Berry (http://www.myspace.com/berry)
11:15 - Abner Trio (http://www.myspace.com/abnertrio)
12 - Jookabox (http://www.myspace.com/jookabox)

Art by:
Jonathan Dueck (http://www.intransitcentre.info/)
Ryan Irvin (http://saiddesign.com/)
John Berry (http://johngberry.com/)
DM Stith (http://dmstith.com/)
(Art show runs from April 2 - April 30)

Tickets: $5 (at door)

Sponsors:
http://method-ad.com/
http://asthmatickitty.com
http://joyfulnoiserecordings.com
http://transpanthergroup.com
http://indyhub.org/
http://bigcar.org
http://mtcomfort.blogspot.com
http://myspace.com/indievolumes

Athenaeum ArtSpace

"Charming Displeasures"
April 2-29, 2010
Opening Reception, Friday April 2, 6-9pm

“Charming Displeasures” is a collaborative senior thesis show put on by Herron School of Art & Design Printmaking majors Courtney Coriell and Socorro Rico. This show explores personal identity, which is expressed through appearance, relationship, and experience. We wish to demonstrate how these 3 issues are unique to ourselves, but also how they can be translated and interpreted to apply to everyone. As young artists it is integral that we begin to build a connection with the community.

401 E. Michigan Street

Dean Johnson Gallery
Objects by Ray Duffey + New Drawings by Tess Michalik
Opening Reception, Friday April 2nd, 6-9pm

The Dean Johnson Gallery is proud to announce an exhibition of Objects by Ray Duffey + New Drawings by Tess Michalik. This exhibition brings together two artists working in different mediums but with a similar minimalist aesthetic. Duffey is interested in the potential ambiguity of objects. His highly refined sculpture and furniture emphasize form and craft, yet often allow the viewer to associate their own interpretations. Michalik's drawings utilize paint and pencil to convey their own formal messages. Here a simple brush stroke or pencil mark create a beautiful composition that, as in Duffey's work, is open to interpretation.

An opening reception for the artists will take place Friday, April 2nd from 6 until 9 pm.

Dean Johnson Gallery
646 Massachusetts Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46204

Big Car Gallery

A selection of paintings, drawings, ephemera, objects found and transformed, flyers, posters, and documentary video clips culled from the archives of John Clark, the inventor of pLopLop will open at Big Car Gallery April 2 at 6 p.m.
Inspired by dada, surrealism and fluxus activity, pLopLop started life as an experimental arts and literary zine nearly 20 years ago. pLopLop grew beyond publishing to encompass live performance, video experiments, multimedia installations and visual art innovations based on collaboration and transformation.

The pLopLop show at Big Car gallery reflects the ongoing experimental and collaborative energies of the inventor of the zine---and pLopLop's influences, contributors and fellow DIY pioneers as we work together to explore and transform the rugged terrain of an increasingly homogenized world. pLopLop #12 will be released to coincide with the opening and available to purchase for $5.

http://www.ploplopzine.org/

The show runs through April 17.

Music by Normanoak and Pharm Accident will start at 9:30 p.m.

Wug's

cat·ty·wam·pus [kat-ee-wom-puhs]

–adjective
1. askew; awry.
2. positioned diagonally; cater-cornered.
–adverb
3. diagonally; obliquely.
-gallery opening
4. off kilter; abnormal: the body of work and life outlooks of four
fine arts students from Ivy Tech.

Cattywampus will be an exhibition of work by graduating students enrolled in the Fine Arts and Visual Communications program at Ivy Tech Community College, Central Indiana. This show will be curated by the students enrolled in ARTS 250: Senior Seminar.

Showcased will be the work of:
Ashley Brewer
Phil Cardenas
Rachel Foreman
Mckenzie Hogan

as well as selected student work from the Visual Communications Department. All works will be up from April 2nd to May 1st, 2010.
wLS&g is open Fridays and Saturdays from 12-4 p.m.

Five Seasons Studio Gallery

Approaches to Abstraction
works by Dave Voelpel

Voelpel's abstract work features predominately landscapes in both acrylic and oil. Known for his use of vibrant color, impasto and knife work, Voelpel has exhibited professionally for over 15 years. As a member of the International Society of Experimental Artists, his paintings have been displayed in shows in Indiana, Illinois, and Florida. Voelpel is also a member of and has exhibited with The Hoosier Salon and the Watercolor Society of Indiana. The artist's reception will be from 6 - 10 , Friday April 2 at Five Seasons Studio, 1125 Brookside Ave. in the Circle City Industrial Building (off 10th Street just east of College and the interstate) and is a part of IDADA's First Friday Art Walk. Voelpel's work will be on view for three weeks and may be seen by appointment by calling 345-3426.

Editors Note: I had the opportunity to head over to check out this showing before I left for NYC. I think my initial expectation was that these pieces would have been hung in more of a gallery like setting rather than presented in another artists crowded studio space. I feel that the work does suffer some from not have a good and proper gallery wall hanging so that the audience can better appreciate the works themselves. That said, I think you should go and see these works for yourself. If you are interested in more information though, you can check out Rachel Steele's recent blog post about it. Also check out some of the images from the show on her blog post as well. Follow this link.

THURSDAY: Tara Donovan Preview at the IMA

2010-04-01T01:16:00.001-04:00

I was hoping to make it out to this event but instead I am writing this from New York City. You can expect to see more writing on this in the coming weeks as I plan on covering this new work when I arrive back in Indy. In the mean time, those of you who have nothing going on tonight, should head on over. Particularly if you are already a museum member. For those of you who are not, it will cost you $20. So, perhaps its time you become a member. With all the great things coming to the museum and all the events like this one they have going on each month, it will certainly be worth the price. Note: You may want to check out the IMA's site for purchasing your tickets in advance for tonight. Enjoy.

Tara Donovan: Untitled Opening Reception
Thursday, April 1 / 7:30-9:30pm
Pulliam Family Great HallPublic $20 / Members Free

Attend an exclusive preview and celebration of this extraordinary exhibition highlighting MacArthur Genius Award-winner Tara Donovan's layered landscape-like installations made from common everyday materials, such as plastic cups, tar paper, cut electrical cable, pencils and Elmer's glue. Cash bar and refreshments will be available.

From Artbabble.org:

Ed McGowin: Name Change

2010-03-31T15:53:00.003-04:00

Ed McGowin's retrospective exhibition Name Change is currently up at Herron Galleries through April 17. Upon entering the gallery, it is difficult to believe that all of the art on exhibition was created by one person. There is photography, brass sculpture, painting, woodcarving, and minimalist sculpture. The subject matter is as varied as the media, ranging from iconography of dogs in odd scenarios to exploding ice cream cones to depictions of specific people and storytelling narratives. McGowin has had his name legally changed a total of twelve times, and creates art for each of the names (including Ed McGowin). Each section of the exhibition contains a framed, screen printed copy of the official name change document for the respective artistic persona. It is truly incredible how each "artist" has his own style, subject matter and quirkiness.

McGowin is certainly a multi-talented artist, but his prowess in woodcarving stands out the most. Some of his art is embellished with elaborately carved frames, as in the photo below. His art is extremely curious; it almost verges on kitsch at times yet it is so bizarre and interesting in its subject matter and execution as well as choice of materials that it has no trouble securing its place in the world of fine art.

For more words and images and a video interview with the artist, head to Outposts From The Material World

One Night Home Art Show

2010-03-28T10:40:00.010-04:00

As galleries come and go these days in Indianapolis, it’s nice to discover the different ways in which artists reinvent the methods of exposing their art to the community. One type of space worth mentioning is the home.

Home spaces are usually interesting because they contain other art and non-art objects that relate or give an eclectic feel to the displayed artwork. The homeowner also influences the viewer’s perspective by providing the comfort of a lived-in space.

On March 20th, a residency on East Ohio Street presented a one night viewing of “A Different Kind of Home Show”, an exhibition of mixed media artworks by Justin Cooper and Mike Graves of the BRIDGE Collective.

Covering the inside, upstairs and downstairs walls of the home were a collection of Cooper and Graves’ artworks from the past eight years. Fittingly titled, the paintings tied together a stream of socially conscious artwork rather than aiming to perpetuate a pure, aesthetically pleasing space.

Each artwork in the show was either done exclusively by each artist, or created through collective efforts of both artists together. The collaborative process and individual efforts of both artists result in a blurring of subject matter and interests in which neither artist can, nor needs to be identified as much as the expression and message of the work becomes the forefront and focus.

The BRIDGE Collective is a group that seeks to make meaning through expressive/ experimental art, ideas, and materials. In this thread of works, there is a social commentary and commitment to which the artists are truth-tellers in an abstract and playful manner. Graphic-style images mixed in with surreal forms and existences provide a statement of intent in which perceptions are not always ‘seeing is believing’.

Using materials unconventionally is a strong commonality between Cooper and Graves. Graves has always used media manipulation to constantly refresh his skills and challenge himself. Cooper has expressed his desire for learning how materials interact with one another as a personal pursuit since he was not able to gain the knowledge and experience from local college level art school.

Many of the paintings in this exhibition, influenced by comic book characters, are shiny-coated in an idealistic manner giving props and acclaim to the powers of the subjects portrayed. The triptych in the front room successively titled “Storm”, ‘”You’re a Liar”, and “It’s Only Water’” is a compilation of superhero images and dialogue. The main character spouts, “Aren’t there times you wish you were ‘Normal’….No. Not for a Moment. Not Once.” Fantasy and reality are meshed between the entertainment of a comic book and the reality of every day life.

The messages in each artwork create an awareness of varied realities through viewpoints, words, and images that blend and separate truth. In an artwork by Graves, titled “Ronin’s Abilities”, the character Ronin is painted over church sheet music implying that the strength of a comic book character is as mystical and empowering as the church itself.

Another artwork titled “Old Couple” displays a picture of the Egyptian greywacke sculpture “King Menkure and Wife Khamerernebty”. Khamerernebty is next to her husband, Menkure, one arm encircling his waist and the other hand touching his arm in a solid and confident manner as they stand firmly together. This artifact from art history and its new title makes for a lengthy discussion on the values of marriage and relationships in the 21^th century. There is beauty in the multiple meanings found in this artwork.

While some artworks were animated, other works by Cooper featured more natural subject matter. Animal portraits of a frog, red panda, and dog were painted over a patterned background. Cooper suggests that the way in which animals were once hidden by their environment through patterning, are now clearly apparent, exposed, and subjected to the maze in which they now live.

The home show included other bits and pieces of Cooper and Graves’ artwork. On the entry way table a postcard book filled with Graves’ paintings including his erotic series were available for sale for $25. Cooper also had a self-designed business card for the taking.

The BRIDGE Collective combines the expressive endeavors of many different artists in the community. The home show was just a sample of the collective’s projects and activities. For more information contact Shannon Wilson at (317) 362-8104 or shannonkaywilson@gmail.com and at www.BRIDGECollective.org.

Photo submitted by Shannon Wilson

Indy Contemporary Art Auction and Fund Raiser

2010-03-26T12:13:00.000-04:00

I have been meaning to post this for the past several days. Unfortunately I missed getting it up in time for a recent informational meeting discussing this project, that was held last night. All apologies. In an attempt to help raise funds for both local artists, while also raising funds for the Contemporary Art Acquisition Fund for the Indianapolis Museum of Art. I leave this to those artists reading this to decide if this is something you would like to try and/or support. Below is the information available regarding this opportunity. If you have further questions, contact either Mindy Ross or Christopher West who are spearheading this event. Hopefully we see some great art being offered up and we can raise a good amount of money for the acquisition fund.

from the press release:

Mindy Ross and Christopher West are seeking consignments in contemporary art for the first in a series of contemporary art auctions to be held on Friday evening, May 21, 2010 from 5pm to 8pm at Dan Ripley Auctions (2764 E 55th Place, Indianapolis, IN 46220). The auction will include lots cosigned directly from artists as well as pieces from the secondary market and will include a mix of local, regional and national artists.

For more information or to propose contemporary art or design for the auction, please contact either Mindy or Christopher by email using the information below:

Mindy Taylor Ross - artstrategies@me.com

Christopher West - cw@christopherwestpresents.com

Why are we doing this?

To support the growth of offerings in contemporary art in Central Indiana and to support the growth of our Indiana-based artists and organizations in this tough economic time. In addition to helping to generate sales for you, this initial auction has a charitable benefit--5% of the hammer price of each artwork will be donated by Ripley to the Contemporary Art Acquisition Fund at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. We're all struggling and we need to support each other. This charitable contribution does NOT effect your net from the sale. It is a donation given by the auction house from their proceeds.

Why should you consider being involved?

For the same reasons stated above and to work to establish a secondary market record for your work. Additionally, this outlet offers you a new way to reach buyers outside of the Indianapolis-area through Ripley's marketing efforts and his well established network of on-line and phone buyers.

What you can do to help?

Consign great pieces of contemporary art and design and tell your patrons and supporters to come out and buy on May, 21st! We'll be crafting emails to potential buyers who may not know a lot about auctions. We want to demystify the auction process and to have everyone come out, have fun, and BUY SOME ART. This is NOT just for experienced auction buyers.

Here are the details:

Consignment form is attached. Up to 75% of the sales price is paid out to you! Consignments from individual artists will have a 25-35% commission to the auction house, which is far less then most contemporary galleries are able to accept when working with emerging artists.
All consignments will be published in a 4-color print and on-line catalogue
The auction will be advertised in local and national print publications and on prominent on-line sites such as artnet.com
Sales results may be listed on artnet.com (meaning you too may get listed on artnet.com)!

To propose consignments for the sale send us ASAP the following information via email to the addresses above:

Digital images of work available for consignment. Please be sure each image is titled to match a corresponding description list. (There are no image size requirements but please be sure it is a good clear image of the work.)
A Word Document that contains descriptions of each artwork and which clearly corresponds with the names of the digital image files. Descriptions should contain:

Your contact information [include US mailing address, email address and phone number(s)]
Title of the work, Year of execution
Medium
Dimensions
The price that you believe you would normally be able to sell this work for in a gallery setting.
Any descriptive information that you think would be helpful for our consideration and/or for a catalogue description

We will notify you about pieces we are interested in consigning. A consignment form will need to be executed for each artwork.

All artworks will need to be delivered to Dan Ripley's auction house by Monday, April 19th, 2010 so they may be photographs and logged for the catalogue.

When is this Happening?

Thursday, May 20th, 2010--Preview party at Ripley's Auction House (time TBD)

Friday, May 21st, 2010--Live auction here in Indy (time tentatively set for 5-8pm)

And where?

Dan Ripley Auctions

2764 East 55th Place

Indianapolis, IN 46220

Mindy and I hope to hear from you. Please send us an email with artwork you would like to have considered in this sale.

All the best,

Christopher

NERS: Magical Wonderfulness

2010-03-17T12:54:00.004-04:00

NERS currently has a solo show at Big Car Gallery in Indianapolis called Magical Wonderfulness. The iconography in this body of work is largely based on animals, which is inspired by NERS' experiences in national parks during his voyage. Animals have often figured into his artwork in the past, but they are especially prominent here. The familiar rainbows that NERS loves to utilize are also present, but in Magical Wonderfulness the art has become decidedly more violent. There is lots of gore and disembowelment throughout the work, which provides an interesting juxtaposition to the rather light and flowery iconographic elements that the violence combines with in these drawings. There is also a great emphasis on what is drawn due to the large amounts of negative space, which is used as a compositional element. Since there are few backdrops or background details, each image commands the viewer's full attention.

For more pictures, information and an artist interview visit OUTPOSTS FROM THE MATERIAL WORLD

Erin K Drew: METAMORPHER

2010-03-17T12:42:00.002-04:00

Erin K Drew's show Metamorpher at Big Car Gallery in Indianapolis showcased various recent artwork including sculptural installation, site-based painting, and framed works. Combining what appears to be innocent, cartoon-like iconography on the surface with more cynical undertones, Drew says that this body of work is helping her to get the past out of her system and move on with her life. "There's a lot of oversimplification of imagery," she says to explain the juxtaposition between childlike forms and dark emotional backdrops. The work evokes the imagery of the Tom Tom Club's cover art and the work of artists such as Bruce Nauman, Christopher Wool and Richard Prince through its reference to neon signs, its semiotic wordplay and its sharp sense of wit and humor. Some of the images below showcase Drew's artistic process insofar as it flows from source research material to the artist's notebook and finally to the gallery wall. For an added bit of irony, Drew utilized rejected blends of house paint for the wall mural in this exhibition, slyly mirroring her feelings of dismay.

For more pictures, information and artist interviews visit OUTPOSTS FROM THE MATERIAL WORLD

Weekend Preview: In Brief

2010-03-05T13:36:00.000-05:00

I expect that tonights IDADA First Friday event will be a well attended one. The weather is nice and there is a lot to see. Also of note tonight, for those who are looking to buy some art in support of IDADA, their annual fund raising event, First In Line is tonight only. Where at you may ask, well it is in the old GC Lucas Gallery space on Mass Ave, next door to R Bistro. A first come art buying/fundraising event. Several artists have donated works to sell, each for only $100. Some artist are giving all the proceeds directly to IDADA while others are donating 50%. Help IDADA raise some funds for their upcoming projects. No need to stop there, all the usual venues are open tonight as well. Enjoy the weather and see some art. As per usual, for more details and a further openings check out the IDADA First Friday Map, link in our sidebar. See you around tonight.

at ArtBox:
Intersections
ARTBOX Gallery invites you to join us for the opening reception of "Intersections." "Intersections" features new paintings by Michal Lile, Mark Pack and Bob Hunt. This show will run from March 5th through March 29th, with the opening reception being held on Friday, March 5th from 5pm to midnight. ARTBOX Gallery is located downtown, in the historic Stutz II building, with entrance and parking on Senate between 9th & 10th.

at Harrison Center:
FOOD CON
This month the Old Northside will be teeming with "foodies" as they make their way to Food Con, an unconventional convention that features art exhibitions, poetry, films and lectures, hands-on activities and more. In a joint project between the Harrison Center and the Indiana Humanities Council's Food for Thought campaign, Food Con will be a first-of-its-kind showcase and exploration of the art and culture of food in Indiana. Artists include Ben Valentine, Bruce Campbell, Penelope Dullaghan, Carolyn Springer, Kim Lohr, Kyle Ragsdale, Elizabeth Goerlitz, Leah Gauthier, Kristin Hess, Tom O. Reed and Craig McCormick. 20+ foodie exhibitors, progressive storytelling, 21 open studios and much more.

at Big Car Gallery:
Magical Wonderfulness
After a tough break up, Indianapolis based artist NERS set out on his own and headed West. From this trip he produced Magical Wonderfulness, a series of drawings that will open at Big Car on March 5 at 6 p.m. The imagery from the show was inspired by the dramatically different landscapes, flora, fauna, and culture of the American West that he experienced during his recent travels. NERS chronicled this journey with a blog entitled “The Magical Wonderfulness of PBS Goes West." http://magicalwonderfulness.blogspot.com/ “The blog was a way to vent some of my feelings and share that I was alive and alright," said NERS. "The trip itself opened my eyes for better and for worse. It helped me produce an intensely personal body of work." Also that evening Outside Orchestra, an ensemble of local, contemporary classical musicians will play that night starting at 9:30 pm. The show will run through March 20, with business hours Thursday-Saturday 11-6.

at Mt. Comfort Gallery:
David Schalliol
If you're all stressed out because you missed the opening last month due to the "first friday blizzard of 2010" relax, don't worry, it's still up. Join us this First Friday at the "new and improved" mt.comfort (a space for champions) as we welcome back the amazing Chicago based photographer, David Schalliol and his Isolated Building Studies. David is indeed a Chicago based artist, BUT he's from Indianapolis, so he's also a hoosier, I'm just say'n. David is also a Ph.D. student in the Department of Sociology at the University of Chicago. His photographs and writing have appeared in such publications as American Photo, The American Sociologist, Contexts, Proximity and Revue Geste. He continues to work on the Isolated Building Studies, as well as on other projects exploring the transformation of urban centers. his website is ... http://davidschalliol.com check it out, you'll love it.

at Indy Swank:
Alice in Fashionland
Visit the other side of the looking glass at IndySwank on First Friday, where the magical imagery of collage art reigns and fashion is queen. Collage artist Stuart Cecil has added new pieces to his installation, which is a must to view if you haven't already. We are also launching IndySwank's collaboration with local fashion designer Berny Martin. Models will be wearing the amazing pieces created by Berny soon to be available at IndySwank. As always there is a lot going on at the Murphy, so hope to see you there!

Stake Your Claim: Tonight at Wabash

2010-03-01T10:12:00.000-05:00

Stake Your Claim
Monday, March 1st, 8pm - 9:30pm
Wabash College
Crawfordsville, IN

Two Wabash faculty, Kristen Wilkins and Jeff Eisenberg, will be opening an exhibition on Monday, March 1st at 8:00 p.m., on campus in the Eric Dean and Permanent Collection Galleries. The exhibition titled Stake Your Claim! unlike anything we have featured in our galleries before, is representative of a growing direction in the contemporary art world. It breaks from a long-standing notion that the visual artist is a solitary being working in seclusion, as this show features collaboration between two artists and a number of other members of our community. Professors Wilkins and Eisenberg met this year here at Wabash. Quite naturally, they discovered overlapping interests in their creative visions and have been working in tandem developing this exhibition since last November. This exhibition removes the distance between artist and viewer and encourages participation, inviting visitors to become actively involved in this world of art and commerce, of transient culture (where people under 40 will change jobs an average of 10 times), and where the American Dream becomes redefined. The exhibition creates a world, both actual and virtual, that meets consumer culture head-on and suggests that we consider the complexities of our contemporary society.

The exhibition is an immersive experience as it includes painting, photography, a video installation, a video game, sound art, a “trading” table, and more. Please join the Art Department for the premiere of Stake Your Claim! (And bring your pack mule).

Simultaneous Lectures: Indy Art and Globalization

2010-02-23T00:57:00.004-05:00

Simultaneous Lectures on Feb. 24

7 p.m. at Central Library, free

Local cultural experts will simultaneously present short lectures with powerpoint on the topic of art and culture in Indianapolis and its role in the global scheme of things. Yes, these lecturers (in two groups of five) will present at the same time. These two rounds will be followed by a moderated discussion/conversation with the panelists and the audience.

Lecturers: Gautam Rao, Kelli Mirgeaux, Andy Fry, Craig McCormick, Michael Kaufmann, Wil Marquez, Flounder Lee, Anna Landsman, John Clark and Richard McCoy. Moderated by Jim Walker and Michael Runge.

This is part of the IndyTalks series and is the first of Big Car's Made for Each Other events this winter and spring at Central Library in partnership with IMCPL and Know No Stranger.

The event's goal is to help start some thought or continue some thought about the role of art now in our city and how that connects with the role of art in the world and how art in our city --and this is broad so it includes architecture, the internet, etc. -- connects us with the rest of the world in physical ways (people visit here, we visit there or move here or there) and in virtual ways via the internet.

Opening Night Reception for "Art from the Heartland" video

2010-02-11T15:07:00.004-05:00

A larger, high quality version can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyHJvMyLqyE

Kathryn Refi: Records

2010-02-10T14:41:00.003-05:00

The new exhibition at the Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art (iMOCA) features seven years worth of Kathryn Refi's art and is called Records. Refi is based in Athens, Georgia and holds an MFA from the University of Georgia, Athens. Her art investigates daily life through the lens of scientific processes. She records data from her normal activities and uses the results to create very controlled art, which ironically gives her more artistic freedom. Beginning to question notions of subjectivity and objectivity helped lead Refi to the implementation of scientific processes in her art. Just as a scientific experiment must contain controls, so does the process of creating art for Refi; controls serve to make sure that she only collects and represents in the final artwork exactly what data is relevant to the question she is probing. "The controls I put on the work give me more freedom and actually allow me to be free to some extent from the academic training I received as an artist. I don't use many of those things I've been taught, so it actually allows more freedom for the work to just be itself and not have to conform to ideas of aesthetics," she says.

Refi, a self-described creature of habit, has noticed that her daily life is very routine as a result of her explorations. Although the data collected in most of Refi's work that is on display here are directly referential to her own experiences, they still make the viewer question their own personal experience and the world around them. Unlike many artists who focus on a way of working or a specific theme for long periods of time, Refi sets out to explore a question and then moves on. As a result, her body of work is constantly changing and reflecting new questions, ideas and processes. "Ultimately, the questions that I'm trying to answer in my work are unanswerable, and that's half the point, and half the point is just keeping on searching even if you don't find an answer," Refi explains.

The body of work presented in Records is thought-provoking in its uncommon methodology used in dissecting what appear to be very mundane experiences. Truly beautiful art has emerged from Refi's explorations. The scale and meticulous discipline and detail in each piece in the show is very impressive. The art could function as aesthetically appealing abstract, minimal work even without its conceptual backing, which is interesting considering how grounded and controlled it is by its conceptual basis. Engaging Refi's art means reevaluating one's daily life and what happens within it, as well as engaging questions of subjectivity and objectivity in the world around us.

For more words and pictures and a video interview with Refi, go to OUTPOSTS FROM THE MATERIAL WORLD

Interview: Martin J. Kuntz

2010-02-08T17:06:00.000-05:00

Opening this weekend:

"Go To Your Room"
New work by Martin J. Kuntz

Friday, February 12, 2010
Opening Reception: 5:00pm - 10:00pm

at Invoke Studio
970 Fort Wayne Avenue, Suite C.
Indianapolis, IN

An Interview with Martin J. Kuntz
January 13, 2010
The Lockerbie Pub

Interview conducted and submitted by Robert Evans III

Robert: Sitting here at the Lockerbie Pub with artist Martin J. Kuntz, getting ready for Martin’s second solo show in Indianapolis, Feb, 12th 5pm at Invoke Studio, presented by Vergence Incorporated (VI). The show is called “Go To Your Room.” So Martin, tell us about your work.

Martin: My work predominately deals with themes from my childhood. Growing up with a somewhat turbulent upbringing, art functioned as a way for me to escape and create my own worlds.

Robert: Where did you grow up?

Martin: I was born in the Netherlands, but grew up in Indy. I stayed here until I left for college – Maryland Institute of College of Art where I was lucky enough to get a decent scholarship. I graduated Dec 2008.

Robert: One of the things I love about your work and why I have been so excited to show it is that it has a very modern iconographical basis. It deals with a lot of the imagery that people in our age group, between 25 and 35, looked at for inspiration when we were young.

The other is a very robust masculinity in your paintings. I think that is really different from a lot of contemporary art. Feminism is taught in schools and easily integrated into art where masculinity is somewhat negated. Typically, the robust alpha male icon that you use is something contemporary artists look at as a negative, oppressive symbol. It holds the weight of colonialism and sexuality. You take a different approach to it.

Martin: Pop culture for me – whether it was video games, comic books, or television – was just another means of escape. The title of the upcoming show, “Go To Your Room” relates to being put on “time out.” Being in my room all the time was both a punishment and an escape for me. I had to make due with what I had.

In college, I began with a lot of classical themes, figurative work, interior spaces; but I soon got bored with it. I had to ask myself what I originally enjoyed about art, so I went back to my roots. It was looking at comic books, video games, and it was what was most fun for me about making art. Trying to draw superheros and such. It was a way to reconcile my childhood, but it was also fun.

My dad was gone by the time I was about 7, so the work deals with trying to find masculinity in those pop cultures icons. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Terminator comes up a lot in my work. In Terminator 2, he serves as a surrogate father. You have this kid from a bad up-bringing, and this hero father figure comes in to save him, giving him purpose.

Robert: There is a dichotomy between your working with childhood themes and icons., it is both turbulent and playful. How do you think you communicate the depth of the message to your audience?

Martin: Well, my work is so personal to me. I think a lot of chaos comes through in disparate imagery, combining very flat areas of shape and color. Looking at masculinity and pop culture and trying to figure out what you are supposed to be as a man when you grow up. A lot of it deals with the physical aspect of masculinity vs. what it means to be a man.

I touch base on the physical attributes of comic books. The deeper meaning is showing how I had to figure it out for myself. Having my mom try to be a mom and a dad. She never dated anyone so you’re on your own, and the things I was given to figure it out go into my paintings. There are not always positives to the physical aspect of life: it does not always teach you about morals or what to do with the physical stuff. My father was physically and verbally abusive, so going to my room was better than some of the consequences I could have gotten.

Robert: So would you say your work creates a place of solitude?

Martin: No, I would not say that at all. Much of it strives to create a visual cacophony – a lot of things coming at you at once. A lot of times it’s hard to decipher what is important. Occasionally, there is some aggression.

The painting, “Every Other Weekend” is about having to go to my dad’s every other weekend. On one side, there is my face, and the other is a gorilla representing my father. I use animals to personify human aggression and vibrant colors to create dissidence.

Robert: The work is also really big, so you are confronted by color, shape and icon.

Martin: I like to work really big also. No smaller than 4feet by 4 feet and above.

Robert: I wonder with the changes in culture now, cartoons and pop culture have changed since we were kids. I wonder what types of imagery and personal subjects you think you will look to in the future. How do you think they have changed for you and will change in the future?

Martin: I hunt on the Internet a lot. I don’t think I have extrapolated everything form my childhood, but eventually I think I will come to a point where I am talking about what is going on now as an adult man.

Painting childhood as a theme and making art as an adult, there is something everyone can relate to. There is simplicity in childhood, but there are just as many messages that can be conveyed in talking about childhood as in adult life. I have a lot of fun making work, and I don’t think it would be as much fun working with adult ideas.

IMA Loses Super Bowl Bet. Goodbye Turner!

2010-02-07T21:47:00.000-05:00

Most of you have already been keeping up with the sideline bet between the Indianapolis Museum of Art's Max Anderson and the New Orleans Museum of Art's E. John Bullard on who will win the Super Bowl game. Up for grabs? The IMA's Turner painting against NOMA's painting by Claude. For those of you who have not been keeping up you can catch the play by play, by Tyler Green of Modern Art Notes.

Sadly, Max and the IMA have lost the Super Bowl bet and will therefore be loaning its Turner Painting to the New Orleans Museum of Art.

Bravo to both Max Anderson and the IMA and to E. John Bullard and NOMA for making this entire dialog an entertaining one.

Bon Voyage Turner... You will be missed.

Weekend Preview

2010-02-05T05:38:00.000-05:00

For further details and openings, check out the IDADA First Friday Map.

IMOCA

Records:
Work by Kathryn Refi

Opening Reception 6pm - 11pm

Mt. Comfort (a space for champions)

David Schalliol
The Isolated Building

Opening Reception 7pm - 11pm

[Note: this is the first opening in their new space at the Murphy Arts]

Big Car Gallery

Metamorpher:
New work by Erin K. Drew

Opening Reception 6pm - Midnight

Harrison Center for the Arts

A Beautiful Mind
new work by Elizabeth Guipe Hall

Opening Reception 6pm - 9pm

wUG LAKU'S STUDIO & gARAGE

Undertow
Paintings and collage by Kate Oberreich

Opening Reception 6pm - 10pm

AV Framing Gallery

"Strumpets and Squares"
New Works by Jenny Elkins

Opening Reception 5pm - 9pm

Carreno Studio & Gallery

Profusion
Works by Bernie Carreno

Opening Reception 6pm - 9pm

Thursday Night Openings

2010-02-04T01:11:00.000-05:00

Christopher West Presents

Do-it-yourself Utopias
New work by Jeff Eisenberg

For his first solo exhibition in the Midwest, Eisenberg focuses on DIY architecture and the theory in biology called convergent evolution that describes the acquisition of similar or same biological traits in different species, such as wings in both bats and birds. Eisenberg sees something very similar going on in the buildings of disparate communities that, for different political or ideological reasons, choose to unplug from the grid and create alternatives to conventional society and it’s surrounds. The drawings that he creates to explore these observations depict imaginary structures with some sense of logic and order, yet no discernible use or purpose. A loose cosmology of hobo magic, paranoia, superstition, and a hippie can-do spirit permeates the work: Fetishes and feathered charms hang from branches nailed to boards that bar entrances; bric-a-brac building supplies precariously engineer dwellings that read both as friend and foe.

Eisenberg lives and works in San Francisco, CA and is currently serving as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, IN. He received his MFA in Painting at the San Francisco Art Institute in 2005. He has exhibited his work extensively throughout the world including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Lisbon and London. This is his first exhibition with the gallery.

Opening Reception: February 4th, 5-8pm

Christopher West Presents
646 Massachusetts Ave.

Dean Johnson Gallery

The Secret Museum
Recontextualized Objects by the Committee of Vigilance

What was lost, is found.
What was plain, is beautiful.
What was discarded, is treasure.

Such is the manifesto of the Indianapolis based Committee of Vigilance. For the second installment of Secret Museum in Indianapolis, the collective finds high style and design in lost and often discarded objects. Found photographs and a World War II era practice bomb make up just a small portion of the work in this exhibition in which these objects have been re-assimilated into a contemporary vernacular. By presenting the work in new and imaginative ways and, in some sense, even highlighting their flaws, what was old is beautiful again.

Opening Reception: February 4th, 5-8pm

Dean Johnson Gallery

646 Massachusetts Ave.

Jill Marie Mason: LET'S PLAN OUR ESCAPE

2010-01-20T16:27:00.003-05:00

Jill Marie Mason recently had a show called LET'S PLAN OUR ESCAPE in Indianpolis. Mason is currently finishing up her MFA in printmaking at Indiana University's Herron School of Art + Design. The show was an interesting combination of installation elements and framed prints. The juxtaposition of the campground environment that Mason created with the more traditional gallery feeling evoked by the framed prints on the walls is thought provoking. In creating this installation, Mason strives to "call to attention its constructed nature, exemplifying the illusory nature of the perception of reality." At once, you are transported from the gallery setting and then reminded that you have failed to, well...escape it.

Mason states that she constructed the campsite "to act as a metaphor for both escapism and the melancholy of longing." Very personal in nature, LET'S PLAN OUR ESCAPE explores the themes of nostalgia, nature and escapism and is largely inspired by Mason's childhood experiences including camping and playing with her sister, pretending to be other people. This is combined with a more contemporary desire to reflect and escape.

To see video interviews and more images and text, visit OUTPOSTS FROM THE MATERIAL WORLD

Back in Indy

2010-01-18T02:27:00.006-05:00

Well, for those of you I have not already run into, and/or those who have not already heard, I am back from my two month stay in Berlin. It was an amazing experience and I could easily fall in love with that city. I did not expect that in a brief two months abroad that I would have been affected as much as I feel I have. I lived with a great bunch of girls at the artist residency from all over the globe. Two from New York, and one each from Hong Kong, Canada, Spain, Uruguay, South Africa, Australia and Ireland. All talented and each in their own way added greatly to my experience. Perhaps at a later date I will write more on my time there but I am still digesting all my thoughts and trying to get acclimated to being back. I have been home now for two weeks and have not blogged in two months but I am slowly working myself back into the daily scene here in Indy. Please be patient.

Over the course of the next week I will be doing some much over due redesign and updating of On The Cusp. We will be working to update its look and revamping all the links, tweaking a few options and possibly adding some new features. I know I have several out dated links in place and a handful of new links that have yet to be put on the site. If you would like to suggest a possible link to be added to our local listings, please drop me a line. Some of you may have done so in the past few months but I must admit that my inbox had gotten out of control while I was away and some messages may have been lost in the shuffle. I hope to return to my full on blog posting once I get these updates finished and get settled in. Job hunting you know, has to be a priority. If anyone has any leads, drop me a line. ^^

Well, for now that is all I have for you. Nothing but this brief notice that I am back and will be blogging again soon. I want to give a very sincere shout out and thank you to all of those who helped out here on On The Cusp and those who contributed posts while I was gone. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! It is very much appreciated and I quite enjoyed catching up on many of the posts. I must admit though that two month vacation from blogging for the first time since December of 2005 was quite enjoyable. But, no worries, I have some high hopes and aspirations for the blog for 2010 and I hope several of those who have helped contribute in the past two months will be willing to continue doing so even though I am back. The more content the better. Hope to see you all out there in the galleries, museums and the bars soon. Until then...

NOTE: I am aware of the current formatting problems, I hope to have these fixed shortly.

Art without objects?

2010-01-17T12:18:00.005-05:00

There's a really interesting article in New York Times about a sort of performance art that is equally about human interaction. I thought it would be a good conversation starter ... especially when you consider the artists' quote that ends the story:

“For the last two or three hundred years in human society, we have been very focused on the earth. We have been transforming the materials of the earth, and the museum has developed also over the last two or three hundred years as a temple of objects made from the earth. I’m the guy who comes in and says: ‘I’m bored with that. I don’t think it’s that interesting, and it’s not sustainable.’ Inside this temple of objects, I refocus attention to human relations” -- Tino Sehgal.

Read the full story here.

Last Minute Preview

2010-01-15T14:33:00.000-05:00

Mt. Comfort (a space for champions)

We've Been Friends Since Before I Can Remember
new work by Chris Tracy

Opening Reception:
Friday, January 15th, 7pm - 11pm

Mt. Comfort
1651 English Ave. (corner of State and English)

Note: This is the last Mt. Comfort exhibition in its current location. Come show your support tonight. More from Mt. Comfort coming soon.

Tre Reising: "No Space"

2009-12-22T16:42:00.006-05:00

images by Charles Fox and Paul Miller
Tre Reising currently has a solo installation up at Big Car Gallery in Indianapolis called No Space. Reising has worked in printmaking before, but his artistic practice consists primarily of installation art and sculpture. No Space, and art in general at this point in Reising's career, represents somewhat of an internal struggle. Sure, it has deeper significance than what immediately confronts the viewer, such as the concept of being stuck between two pages of an artist's sketchbook and the investigation of drawing and painting's relationship to sculpture. On the other hand though, Reising just wants to make art. As Frank Stella would say, "What you see is what you see." With that said, Reising's art is abstract and its independence from figurative representation is, of course, a definite step towards art for art's sake.

Despite being abstract and in a square room, No Space succeeds in creating the effect of a Cyclorama. In this regard, Reising's new work has some similarity to Kara Walker. Regarding the Cyclorama and its effect, Walker states "It's like the pique of the painter's creative enterprise to make the painting surround the viewer and to create the illusion of depth and of space, and to lure the viewer into the feeling of being a part of the scene." Reising creates illusions of depth and space through his use of similar shapes in varying sizes and lines that do not form right angles. Reising has also explored the territory first mapped by Fred Sandback through three dimensional yarn sculpture in the past, but in this installation the yarn stays on the walls. Painted shapes always take precedence over yarn in No Space, literally breaking the yarn's continuity, and this is also effective in creating illusions of depth. Overall, No Space is an intense and enjoyable aesthetic experience that surrounds the viewer with appealing colors and shapes that really pop off--or into--the walls.

I had a conversation with Tre in three parts, which occurred at an early stage of the installation, during the middle, and after its completion. Check out what Tre had to say about No Space and see the rest of the pictures at Outposts From The Material World

Nick Allman at Dean Johnson Gallery

2009-12-07T13:03:00.003-05:00

images by Charles Fox, Nick Allman and Christopher West

On Thursday, December 3 a new show opened up at Dean Johnson Gallery called New Design: Nick Allman, Morgen Bosler and Lauren Zoll

Quoted from Dean Johnson Gallery's website is a description of the show, which was curated by Christopher West:

Three local designers put their own unique spins on what are traditionally mundane items. Nick Allman imagines an environment where an entryway table and an iconic Arco Floor Lamp burst through (or crash into) the existing architecture of a home or building. Morgen Bosler handcrafts ceramic urns designed to honor a loved one’s individuality and spirit. Each piece is an expression of pure art and design created to bring a lifetime of comfort. Finally, Lauren Zoll has created a series of vases intended to represent the antithesis of design. Using materials such as rebar, Zoll is able to combine the brutality of the materials with the beauty of a functional vase.

Nick Allman recently won First Prize for a furniture piece in the Herron Galleries Undergraduate Student Exhibition, and the work he has featured in the Dean Johnson show is daring, strong and surprisingly functional. Destroying drywall in order to insert or remove objects, Allman creates furniture pieces that question perception and undermine traditional notions of design, space and aesthetics. Upon first viewing Allman's work in this show looks like a series of disasters rather than intentional design, and it is this element of surprise and rethinking function that gives the work its strength.

I had a conversation with Nick in two parts, during the installation and upon its completion. Hear what he had to say at Outposts From The Material World

Miami Part Two

2009-12-05T10:37:00.022-05:00

Hopped on a shuttle Friday morning and headed back to Miami’s Wynwood Arts district to make my way towards two private collections, The Margulies and Rubell Family collections. One idea for the organizers of the Miami fairs: Please figure out a way to coordinate one single comprehensive shuttle system that stops at all the major locations. The current system seems to be certain individual fairs sponsoring their own shuttles, which make the arduous and time consuming haul from Miami Beach to the arts district, drop-off and pick-up at disparate locations, and just doesn’t work well. A circuitous route with shuttles running every 15 minutes would be much better.

After a 15 block walk from the closest shuttle stop, I joined my Chicagrapher pals at the Margulies Collection at the Warehouse. This private collection rivals the Menil Collection in Houston, and honestly is worth a trip to Miami in itself. In it’s current installation, you are greeted by major work by Sol Lewitt, Richard Serra, Dan Flavin, Donald Judd, George Segal and more. That’s just the beginning. The cavernous warehouse seems unending, and two mezzanine spaces contain even more art. The Margulies collection is balanced between major works of 20th century art and contemporary art, representing all mediums, and especially my favorite – photography.

Ranging from a great installation from the New York photo league of the 30’s and 40’s and early photographs by Margaret Bourke-White to contemporaries Justine Kurland and Alec Soth, the photography work here is amazing. A favorite of mine: Jason Schmidt's portraits of artists, of which I have seen a few, but the Margulies collection displayed ninety-four.

I could go on and on about this collection, but time does not permit. More favorites below.

Danny Lyons, 74 photos from 'Conversations With the Dead.'

Paul Fusco images from the Kennedy Funeral Train

Ursula Schulz, bus stops

Justine Kurland

Angel Marcos, Un Coup De Des #16

An incredible light installation by Anthony McCall, You and I, Horizontal (III), which pictures cannot really capture the experience of

The Olafur Eliasson skylight rooftop installation Your Now is My Surroundings

Chul-Hyun Ahn's Well

After the art overload of Margulies, we headed a few blocks over to the Rubell Family Collection. It was also impressive, but very postmodern by our analysis. images below.

Matt Siber studies Piotr Uklanski's Nazis, 1998, perhaps my favorite piece in the collection

Uklanski's Untitled (American Eagle)

Kelly Walker's "Black Star Press, Star Press Star, Black Press (Rotated 90 degrees clockwise)" and Wade Guyton (from Hammond, IN) X

Gallery of work by Aaron Curry

A great set of early Cindy Sherman prints, Untitled #427-446 from 1976

We left the Rubell and promptly recaffienated at a great little local cafe. We then headed to Pulse, which was a great fair. I'll have to blog that in the next post - back to the fairs for now!

Craig McCormick

Miami Part One

2009-12-04T09:41:00.017-05:00

Above, Workshop Workshop at Design Miami

The brutal 6am flight to Miami via Baltimore became worthwhile when I stepped off the plane into 86 degree heat, a welcome change from the waning temperatures in Indiana. I dropped my bags, devoured a plate of fish tacos (the kind that you get in the south with cabbage and vinaigrette), removed my socks and diligently headed toward the art fairs.

For those not familiar with the Miami art fairs, let me say this: They are THE events in the US for art galleries to showcase and sell new work. Here is a link that I am using with a comprehensive look at the fairs, just to give you an idea of the scale: http://www.boydlevel.com/pdf/MiamiGuide2009_FinalV3.pdf. Take these 24 fairs and multiply by VIP parties, brunches, lectures, and book release parties, and you get a sense of the overwhelming nature of this week.

First stop – the Design District to catch Photo Miami and Design Miami.

This is my first trip to the fairs in Miami, so I have little context for the changes which have occurred year to year. I’m told by friends that some photo dealers have left Photo Miami for the other contemporary fairs Pulse and Art Miami. Knowing some of those galleries, I could see their absence as lessening the overall impact of Photo Miami.

As a conceptual fine-art photographer myself, my first pass through photo Miami left me disappointed for a few reasons: First, because there was so much large-scale diasec-style (front-laminated print to acrylic) work which had so little substance – a trendy presentation method with little photographic mojo to back it up. Secondly, there were so many highly-romanticised photoshop-created works which relied upon misty sepia tones or depth-of-field manipulation or fauvistic color to create a dreamy yet contrived surrealism… I just couldn’t stomach most of these, yet I know that people buy them. People buy precious moments figurines too. Third, there was so little work that was about anything. Maybe I’m the one falling behind, but I find substance and depth in serial works of photography that dance around a concept. One more thing – and this is a straight up diss from me personally, a large-format photographer: If you’re shooting 35mm or medium format or even digital, don’t blow your prints up to 6’. Why would anyone intentionally lose the quality in their image to gain some massive proportion? Bigger is not better. Better is Better.

All that said generally about the fair, there was some great work to be seen. The work shown by Stephen Cohen Gallery (Los Angeles) was strong. In particular, I really liked the images of Icebergs in Greenland by Olaf Otto Becker.

They were peaceful and beautiful and relevant. I also liked Austrian Josef Hoflehner’s images of posts and sticks – immaculate and finely printed work which reminded me of Harry Callahan’s work, but a bit broader and more interesting.

Of the more abstract work, I admired (but was not totally taken by) the work of Nicholas Ruel, represented by Galerie Orange of Montreal.

These layered images are printed on aluminum or stainless steel, which can be entirely gimmicky. But these were the first I’ve seen that tonally blended well with the metal, utilized interesting photographs (which might stand alone) as layering material, and just presented a comprehensive and interesting image a la Rauschenberg, but different.

My favorite gallery and artwork of Photo Miami was MR Gallery (Mother River) of Beijing, China. Work by Tibetan artist Mo Yi (pictured below)

documents cultural phenomena of his neighborhood in objective series. I was also very fond of the work of Qiang Jin, who photographed Chinese villagers in reenactments of iconic catholic religious history, including the birth of Jesus and the last supper. At first I thought these were constructed images which spoke to the nature of China and how it’s growth and change was subsuming American Culture. Then, when speaking to Mr. Toni Nan Li from MR Gallery, I got the real story. These remote villagers from Liuhe Village had been converted to Catholocism 200 years ago and were devout. The photographer discovered this, and asked the villagers to re-create these historical Biblical scenes, which they did to glorify God and serve Him. I found this story very interesting in light of China’s changing culture… not to mention that the pictures were immaculate.

Also notable was the disturbing series of images from Jasper Debesier titled ”Udongo.” Irvine Gallery from Washington DC showed nice work by Phil Nesmith titled “Flight Patterns,” which were exceptional photograms on emulsified black glass, as well as some incredibly rendered fictional photographs (yes, photoshop constructed!) by Kahn & Selesnic.

I really loved Design Miami. My friend Dung Ngo, a Senior Editor at Rizzolli International publishers, curator and all-around design guru, told me that the fifteen or so exhibitors at the fair was about ten less than last year – a sad consequence of the economic downturn I’m sure. Below I'll post some of my favorites from Design Miami without much elaboration due to my time constraints - but great design speaks for itself as you will see.

After the fairs, I hit a whirlwind of mixers including a Rizzoli book launch party for "Indochine-Stories" at the fabulous Mondrian Hotel; Next met up with Chicagraphers Brian Ulrich, Matt Siber and John Gitelson at a really mediocre event party hosted by the Scope Fair where the muscle at the door turned away VIP Scope guests (me included) who failed to procure a blue wristband during the day; And finally we hit a party hosted by David Byrne promoting his work with bicycles at the amazing Standard Hotel. We didn't get to meet David, but we did sip cocktails waterside in the ocean breeze and geeked out with our iPhone apps for a great end to a long day.

Lamp and Table by Tom Dixon:

Amazing work by Maarten Baas:

"Tassenkast" by Lotty Lindeman:

Now, back out into the wilderness for more...

Craig McCormick

Miami

2009-12-03T00:20:00.004-05:00

Heading to Miami early Thursday for the art fairs and will do my best to blog on what I see. Should be hanging with some interesting peeps - artists, publishers, musicians and surely more, so I hope to expand my own perspective beyond the highly conceptual and minimal preferences of my own tastes. I'm gonna freestyle the blogging a bit - from both my phone and my old skool clamshell iBook when I can find wifi, so stay tuned!

Craig McCormick

Last September's First Friday

2009-11-28T09:13:00.002-05:00

Jay Parnell and Jacobina Trump provided a delightful tour of their show at Dean Johnson Gallery. I've been terribly busy and gotten obviously behind on my video editings; however, even though this is old news, I hope you find this entertaining in how Jay took over the show.

Berlin Residency (Days 1-15)

2009-11-15T17:40:00.000-05:00

Most of you are most likely aware that as of the morning of October 31st, on Halloween, I stepped on to a jet to Berlin by way of JFK. The flight overseas took less time than the accumulated time I spent in the airport lobbies awaiting my flights. But come 8:30 am, November 1st my Berlin flight touched ground and I set foot on German soil for the first time in 12 years. I was last in Germany merely in passing on my way from France to Prague, but this would be my first time ever in Berlin. Getting used to that first, expected alienation of a new country, new airport, and all but forgotten language I had not attempted to speak since 7th, maybe 8th grade. At least I was armed with "Sprechen Sie Englisch?", which to my great benefit typically bailed me out of a situation as most people I came across could at least speak some basic English. I very much felt embarrassed by my lack of knowledge of another language. Though the longer I am in Germany the more my French seems to be coming back to me, which is certainly not helpful at all. I find myself wanting to order or respond to a question in French instinctively. Quite sad...

(the residency if on the floor directly above the Jager Klause)

I am staying at the Takt Artist Residency in what I believe is part of old East Berlin. The residency resides in a building just above an old bar called the Jager Klause. While I have yet to set foot in this particular establishment, from the sounds that rummbles up into my room some nights, it would appear that they often have some loud bar bands performing and one night in particular bands of the surf variety. A bit odd.

Currently the residency is home to myself and 8 other artists from around the globe, all of which are girls. We have two girls here from the States, one from Canada, one from South Africa, one from Spain, one from Hong Kong, one from Ireland, and another from Uruguay. To my great luck, English happens to be the language of choice this month at the residency. I have very much enjoyed getting to know everyone so far and seeing and hearing about their projects and hometowns. It is this sort of communal bonding that made me opt to attend a residency such as this rather than simply finding an affordable studio space somewhere in the city.

(my live/work room)

(my bed)

There is something comforting about having other artists around you as you acclimate to your new surroundings. And it certainly took me some time to acclimate. To start, my cell phone simply will not work in Europe. Why it is I can call someone in Europe while I am in the states but once I am actually in Europe, I can not receive a signal, is simply annoying. To date, I have yet to pick up a track phone to use while here even though they are relatively cheap, but I expect in the next week or so I will probably get around to it. Other major hurdles my first couple days had to do with figuring out the public transportation system (not only how they work, their routes, but also how to go about getting a 1 month pass which is a must here), finding an International ATM machine as most places will not take American credit cards or debit cards, and how to go about getting groceries. I never quite thought about it before, but I have come to realize how much of my usual shopping has to do with visual memory or package design. My first time at the grocery store took me more than an hour to but 30 Euro worth of food as I was simply out of my element. I have since gotten much more comfortable with this as I tend to have to go to the same grocery every couple days.

On to the Art:

My first few days I had already been scouting out which art exhibitions I was needing to see before they closed. A number of the exhibitions were in their final days, so timing was vital if I wanted to see some fabulous shows. I set out in one day to hit 9 galleries and 2 museums, most of which were spread across the city. (I only ended up making it to 7 galleries and 1 museum that first attempt, so not too bad.) Rather than give you the full run down of the venues I went to and what I saw everyday, I will guide you through some of the highlights.

My first stop was to Galerie Max Hetzler for a fabulous drawing show titled, Access All Areas, organized by Arturo Herrera und Tanja Wagner. This show was quite impressive and I was very pleased to see the inclusion of Katharina Grosse, a personal favorite of mine. The works were quite varied in this show from large to small, from drawing with paint, to sculptural works, and slide projector works. This was a great start to my Berlin trip.

I then headed off to see a fabulous Adrian Schiess, solo exhibition at Galerie Wilma Tolksdorf Berlin. Seeing Adrians work in the context of a gallery, rather than in a museum as we saw it here in Indianapolis, was a great experience. This particular exhibition ranged from some of his smaller works on cavas, large digital prints on canvas, as well as one of his wall sculptures. I quite enjoyed this show and was pleased to catch it before it came down the following day.

I was hoping to catch the Joe Bradley show at the Berlin - Peres Projects but unfortunately got lost and the show closed before I could make it out there. Though I do expect I will check out their newest show in the coming weeks.

Quite possibly the most amazing gallery space I have ever set foot in, (the place is just beautiful on the outside and inside) and a gallery I have longed to visit, as I am a huge fan of most of their stable, was Contemporary Fine Arts Berlin, which was showing a show of Georg Baselitz, Dr.Freud und andere Musik. The paintings and sculpture look amazing in this space. I can only imagine that pretty much any work of art would look better in this space. I am looking forward now to their next opening.

The Thomas Demand show at the Neue Nationalgalerie, is possibly a great show at absolutely the worst possible venue for the work. This building is amazing. I love it from the outside but it is all windows. To put this show on, huge grey curtain walls are arranged throughout the space upon which to display the works. I arrived as the sun was low in the sky and just flooded the pictures with so much light that the glare made it near impossible to see the images and the colors well. And really, looking at this images hanging on large grey curtains was already painful and distracting enough. I heard there was a Jeff Koons show of sculptural works in this space that was amazing. And I bet it was. Large sculptural exhibitions would rock out in this space but unfortunately Thomas Demand couldn't.

I headed over to check out the Deutsche Guggenheim, where they had a show of Julie Mehretu's exhibition Grey Area. I was disappointed to find out that a couple weeks before I arrived they had a show of works by Blinky Palermo, Joseph Albers and others that I would have loved to have seen but this show was much more impressive than I thought it would be. I have only seen her work in books and magazines up till now and it just does not do the work justice. Overall this was a nice exhibition but I was surprised that the venue was smaller than I had expected it to be. Seems nearly half if not more than the entire space is made up of the ticket lobby and the gift shop.

What might be one of the most unique and interesting museum like venues I have been to was the Hamburger Bahnhof. The space is just amazing and the collections in which they house are phenomenal. This place houses several extensive collections of works by many contemporary greats. One section housed dozens of Joseph Beuyes works. I easily spent a good three hours there and plan on visiting again before I come back. To call this a museum may be a bit misleading. It is something of the Kunsthalle or some other type of venue. But, if ever in the area, be sure to visit this space. And they have an amazing bookstore I could have easily dropped hundreds of euros in. I showed great restraint by only buying one book, Joe Fig's, Inside the Painters Studio. (Oddly this was a book I was planning on ordering before I left for Berlin but was afraid it would not arrive before I left. I have had the book only a week and am 90% through it. I highly recommend it to all artists and particularly painters.)

A special shout out goes to Marc LeBlanc, an exChicago curator who is now living in Berlin and watching over Chicago's Kavi Gupta Gallery's new satellite space in Berlin. Marc has been very helpful while I have been in Berlin, with some ever handy gallery guides and maps, some tips on some very interesting venues and exhibitions and some general getting on in Berlin advice. He was also quite helpful and forthcoming before I even arrived. So thanks Marc, much appreciated.

My Projects:

Well, outside of spending hours walking around Berlin and looking at art, parks and architecture I have actually been able to put in quite a bit of work on 8 new paintings, read a Joe Fig's book, and do some cooking for the ladies every few days. I am very much enjoying my time here in Berlin and I feel if I had a better grasp of the language I could easily be swayed to want to stay. I have been all over the city at all times of day and I have never felt unsafe. And on a side note, I have never seen so many flower shops in my life.

For those who might be interested in what i have been working on, here are a few images of the 8 paintings I have been working on over the course of the last two weeks. These are acrylic paintings on unprimed linen, stretched over cradled wood panels and secured with copper tacks. These are roughly 9" x 12" once stretched, but then again things are all metric here. Sort of taking it back to the old school. I have not worked in this manner in years. I typically do not use acrylics but the art supply store here happened to have a brand new line of acrylic paints by my favorite paint manufacturer, Old Holland. I had to give them a try. So far I am liking them. So for you process interested people here are some progression images:

Well, folks. That is in a nutshell the first two weeks here in Berlin. I will try and give you some further thoughts and updates about my residency here for those of you who might be interested in the coming weeks. I know we are getting ready for an open studio at the end of the month and I hope to have these paintings much further along by then and most likely three new small sculptures that I have in mind. (Was going to begin those today but after traveling all the way to the art supply store today, I came to realize that they are closed on Sundays, Ahhhhh!) So many places closed on Sundays here. First thing tomorrow then... Have a good Thanksgiving. Myself and the two other Americans here are planning our own big Thanksgiving Dinner for the rest of the residents and some invited guests this year. Any reason to bring everyone together for good food and friends. What more can you ask. Take care Indy!

conversations with Tony Luensman

2009-11-11T15:55:00.003-05:00

Image: Tony Luensman at Herron Galleries next to his piece Literalization of Transubstantiation (A Child's Vision of the Sacred Heart)

Last week, we at Herron were fortunate to have Cincinnati-based artist Tony Luensman with us for a lecture and studio visits with MFA students. Luensman has two pieces up in the current group show at Herron Galleries, which is called Between History and Memory and is open through November 20. He has a solo exhibition up at Clay Street Press in Cincinnati called ABRADE. Luensman was educated in painting and sculpture at Kenyon, has had multiple residencies in Taiwan, is a recipient of the 2008 Efroymson Contemporary Arts Fellowship among many other awards, and his art is held in many public collections. He has been widely exhibited both nationally and internationally in group and solo shows, including a 2007 exhibition entitled Arenas at the Cincinnati Art Museum where his art was placed throughout the space so visitors could revisit the museum's collection while seeking out his art.

Luensman believes titles are very important, and often thinks through words rather than images in his art. "My ideas come verbally," he says. A lot of his art straddles the line between innocence and a darker reality quite poignantly, but through the the more adult-like themes that exist within his art he is also trying to restore the sense of innocence in experiences that would not traditionally be interpreted that way. He views some of his art as "a way of making sexual issues not so serious" for himself. His art's ability to embody completely different meanings and situations simultaneously is its greatest strength. "I like setting up that tension where people may be unaware of what they are doing," he explains in reference to viewers' interactions with his art.

I recently had the pleasure of having some conversations with Tony here at Herron Galleries. See the videos and also some photographs of some of his art with his explanations at Outposts From The Material World

Weekend Preview, Take 2 (scaled down)

2009-11-05T19:48:00.000-05:00

Well, it is quite late here but I am going to give this ago once again. Thanks for those who helped contribute some previews already. Much appreciated. So, with the knowledge that some of the weekends events have already been posted I have scaled this back some. And while I failed to send out notice in time for the opening at christopher west presents, I will lead with that one, just note that it opened on Thursday and not on First Friday. Anyway, I hope you all have a good night out. Looks like some interesting shows.

cristopher west presents

Women:
New work by Craig Doty

christopher west presents
646 Massachusetts Ave
Indianapolis, IN 46204

Bootleg Exhibitions, Vol. 2

Araan Schmidt
Stacey M. Holloway
Aaron Leif Nicholson

Friday, 6pm - 11pm

“Bootleg Exhibitions: Vol. 2,” at 1656 English Ave, across the street from the Mt. Comfort gallery. This exhibition will be showcasing the work of Araan Schmidt, Visiting Assistant Professor of Sculpture at Bowling Green State University, Stacey M. Holloway, Sculpture Technician and 3D Design Instructor at the Herron School of Art and Design, and Aaron Leif Nicholson, Visiting Lecturer at the Herron School of Art and Design. Come join us for our opening reception on Friday, Nov. 6th from 6pm to 11pm and our closing reception on Saturday, Nov. 21st from 6pm to 10pm.

“Bootleg Exhibitions: Vol. 2” will display the work from three artists that attended graduate school at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus. Araan Schmidt will be creating a site specific multi-media installation in the basement gallery. Stacey M. Holloway will be displaying three-dimensional landscapes about home, memory, and the Midwest. And Aaron Leif Nicholson will be exhibiting photographs and relief sculptures that he created during his residence in New York City from 2007 through 2009. All three artists will also contribute to a collaborative piece in the Barber Shop.

Mt. Comfort (a space for champions)

Public Works
New works by Tyler Meuninck

Friday, 6pm - 10pm

Is Tyler Meuninck the best painter in Indianapolis? yeah, most people think so.
Please join us, and most people, this Friday Nov. 6th for the opening reception of public works, brand new work by Tyler Meuninck.

mt.comfort (a space for champions)
1651 English Ave
Indianapolis, In 46201

While you're in the neighborhood check out the bootleg show across the street, it's going to be a great one.

Harrison Center for the Arts

Historical Fiction
New work by Kyle Ragsdale

Friday 6pm - 9pm

Kyle Ragsdale will exhibit new work in the solo show, Historical Fiction this Friday. Inspired by his interest in films of the Merchant-Ivory genre, this work looks at how one time period interprets another based on its values and even reinterprets styles based on the fashions of the moment. His figures are romantic, ethereal, celebratory, but tinged with sadness - in some cases shifting from participants in a parade to mourners in a funeral procession on the same canvas.

In the Gymnasium - Civil War Ball with live music and re-enactors of the era in costume.

In Gallery No. 2 - Memories in the Making presented by American Senior Communities and Alzheimer's Association.

In Hank & Dolly's Gallery - Amateur Surveys by General Acres

The work hangs through November 28th.

Big Car Gallery

Both Sides of the Beat and Dead Zone Boys

Friday, 6pm - Midnight

Nov. 6, 6 p.m. to midnight

Dead Zone Boys art show inspired by the new album by Jookabox.

Artists in the show: Jessica Sowls, Jim Walker, NERS, Liz Janes, John Clark, Erin Drew, DM Stith, Ryan Irvin, Craig McCormick, Casey Roberts and Tom Streit.

Also that night, Pattern-Hungry Records will be presenting a night of hip-hop, spoken word, and everything in between. Exploring the art of poetry on and off the beat, Both Sides of the Beat will showcase hip-hop and spoken word artists presenting their most adventurous work. Featured performers will include Pattern-Hungry Records recording artists Lorax, Ligyro, and Yeti One appearing together as Twin Monster alongside spoken word artists TJ Reynolds, Ace One, Neil Cain and Dan Marquis.

Stutz Art Space Preview: Sight/ Insight: Artists & Places of Inspiration

2009-11-05T00:02:00.006-05:00

Sight/ Insight will be at the Stutz Art Space from November 6-25, 2009. The show incorporates a variety of styles ranging from abstract slashes of paint, abstract quilted fabric, exaggerated recognizable forms, jewelry, and paintings and photographs that display clearly recognizable subjects. The artwork is juxtaposed leading the viewer to flow back and forth between the styles creating a dialogue amongst this diverse set of visual ideas. It is a conversation between eleven different artists, with different modes of visually communication, and different perspectives on the same subject.

The curator, Carol L Myers, chose artists whose work fit the theme of 'inspired places'. Carol herself has lately focused on drawings. She states that her "vocabulary is natural form, but inspired place happens between pencil and paper." She finds that drawing is a form of praying. I was attracted to one of her quilted painting pieces entitled, Boardwalk. The painting in the work gives the piece a sense of space and light. On top of the painting, sewn rectangular shapes overlap and break up the space, while the process of sewing the material draws the fabric and adds slight texture.

Artists in the show:
Susan Brewer
Lydia Burris
Leigh Dunnington-Jones
Karen Land
Colleen Lauter
Susan Mauck
Carol L Myers
Kate Oberreich
Jerry Points
Ginny Taylor Rosner
Martha Vaught
Julia Zollman Wickes

Visit RachelSteely.com for reflections on a few individual works from Sight/Insight .

Join the conversation about inspired places starting this coming First Friday, November 6th.

Friday Preview: Wug Laku's Nerve

2009-11-02T23:57:00.014-05:00

First a short introduction

I have always been drawn to natural, organic objects and choose to portray them with oil on textured surfaces. I often present my subject in “dynamic still life” with a shift of time through movement or growth-decay. I am an emerging Indianapolis visual artist attempting to multitask without pulling myself too thin. I try to breathe in by experiencing other artists’ art and the created world. I breathe out by painting, drawing, photographing, teaching and blogging. Presently, I am working on a butterfly series (Fluttering Cosmopolitan, at left) that makes use of motion and pattern to walk a line between abstraction and realism. You can view my work as well as read reflections on art at my portfolio site and blog, RachelSteely.com. I'm also on Twitter @rachelsteely where you can follow me to get your weekly artist birthday with exemplary work.

A Preview of Nerve

During the month of November, stop by Wug Laku’s Studio and Garage to see, Nerve, a collection of some of the gallery owner’s personal work. His drawings and paintings are worth an extra trip downtown when his gallery is not crowded with people and conversations, but if one only has time to view them during a First Friday, stop by the opening on November 6th.

The drawings and paintings deserve more than a cursory glance. Do not pass them by as minimalist renderings of form, but envision the works as simplified mirrors reflecting both physical and metaphysical thoughts. Open and honest communication is at their core. Parallel to his work, his artist statement is a simple poem that opens Laku up to the viewer and leaves room for abstract ideas to breathe.

Main Gallery

In the gallery’s main area, he has work from 1993, inspired by a county road north of Zionsville, IN (and a Burger King cup). Within this group, he juxtaposes negative/positive space, layered paint, planes of solid color, and value transitions. One can see a simplification of nature–very direct, concrete but beautiful in Butterfly Clover. This piece has three sections. 1) The background is a completely smooth green color. 2) The butterfly is a simple triangle that contains a slight amount of brush strokes. 3) The purple clover is the focal point. Here alone, the color changes in value and the strokes are free and visible. This group is connected to his later work (mostly from 2001) that is found in the red room through the conscious simplifying of nature.

The Red Room

The later work refines the simplification. The work’s referent is less obvious, but not less important. The color palette and texture of the images are limited, yet they are not minimal–only simplified. Three Daisy Jazz (located in the red room) represents the continuity, journey, and conversational quality of the entire show. This medium-sized painting shows process with its un-erased graphite lines, leftover tape, straight and jagged edges, and additive pieces.

Based on my visits to Laku’s gallery over the past year, he appears to enjoy displaying multiple stages of an artist’s work. This both contrasts and unites one body of work to another to showcase the development that defines an artist’s style. Laku continues this practice with two prior bodies of his own work.

While you are viewing Nerve, be sure to check out Nancy Lee’s beautifully designed metal jewelry.

A small disclaimer: Laku has represented my work at his gallery, so I am not a complete stranger to him.

Up Next: A Preview of Site/Index

My next post will be a preview of Site/Index at the StutzArtSpace. The show concerns inspired places such as gardens, farms, art studios, abandoned spaces, and urban settings. Participating artists include: Susan Brewer, Lydia Burris, Leigh Dunnington, Karen Land, Colleen Lauter, Susan Mauck, Carol L. Myers, Kate Oberreich, Jerry Points, Ginny Taylor Rosner, Martha Vaught and Julia Zollman Wickes.

Weekend Preview, or not

2009-11-02T18:58:00.001-05:00

Well folks. After having spent the last two hours plus, on organizing and putting together this months Weekend Preview, moments before posting it, I lost it all. Blogger's oh so timely, auto save function (in a true case of bad timing) saved the moment I accidentally erased everything I had written, while simply attempting to delete a single line of html. Go to highlight a single line of text to delete not realizing you actually highlighted everything written, and Poof. Gone. Certainly not a first but pisses me off to no end each time it happens. I am uncertain if I will now get a Weekend Preview up this week, if so it will be later in the week. If I do not, be sure to visit the IDADA home page to view a map of this First Friday happenings. Sorry everyone. I will see if I can muster up the patience to redo it but not promising anything... Have a good First Friday anyways!

Know No Stranger Presents Optical Popsicle

2009-11-02T14:44:00.006-05:00

Last Friday and Saturday, everyone who attended Know No Stranger's Optical Popsicle was treated to a visual feast. It was advertised as a visual variety show, and it did not disappoint. Comprised of a wide variety of seemingly disparate skits and vignettes, Optical Popsicle left the viewer with a sense of unity and empathy with the human experience. The show felt very contemporary in its scope of thematic material while maintaining a deeply ingrained sense of nostalgia. The skits were evocative of National Film Board of Canada Vignettes in the sense of being short, lighthearted and whimsical bursts of creative energy. It was a lo-fi look at a hi-fi life, evoking the feeling of facing current life issues through the guise of warm, fuzzy memories and "technology" (think projectors) that has become so outdated that it is nostalgic. There was lots of optical trickery incorporating overhead projectors, and although simple it was amazingly fun and effective in stimulating viewers.

I recently had a chance to sit down and talk with Know No Stranger's Michael Runge regarding the show and what the future holds for Know No Stranger. Read the rest of the post and what Michael had to say at Outposts From The Material World.

Linda Adele Goodine

2009-11-01T18:54:00.003-05:00

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Charles Fox and I want to thank Scott for the opportunity to join On The Cusp as a contributor. I am finishing up my MA in Museum Studies at IUPUI, and I also work for Herron Galleries. I got my start blogging at the Hyde Park Art Center in Chicago this past summer.

I will be posting content to On The Cusp that is linked from my own blog, Outposts From The Material World. If you are interested in something that I post to On The Cusp, you can view it in its entirety on my personal blog.

I will start out with a post about Linda Adele Goodine, who has taught at Herron School of Art + Design for 20 years (photography, installation, sound, video, performance) and also teaches distance learning classes at Vermont College. She is trained as a modern dancer and also teaches yoga and sings.

On Wednesday, Goodine gave a lecture, "The Constructed Journey: Fine Art, Photography + Video" as part of IUPUI's Cutting Edge Lecture Series. Her artistic practice encompasses dance, poetry, performance, video, photography, images produced using scanners. During the lecture, Goodine screened images and video from her Seneca Honey series, produced between 2007 and 2009. Goodine states that she is "thinking of honey in terms of healing" in this body of work. "You can't live a life without suffering," she muses.

Image: Ghat from the Seneca Honey series

Read the rest at Outposts From The Material World