Priority list includes symposium inspired by Mari Evans, new use for VHS tape, more

Zilvinas Kempinas

Thought those old VHS tapes you’ve got stored in your attic are worthless. Think again. At Herron this week, kinetic artist Zilvinas Kempinas debuts “V Formation,” a 112-foot-long, site-responsive work that makes use of VHS magnetic tape and other materials that create a drop ceiling of sorts. Elsewhere at Herron, you can visit an undergraduate painting exhibition and works from the school’s draing and illustration program. Opening March 7  Herron Galleries

“Harold Lloyd and the Reel West”

The Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra’s annual life accompaniment of a silent film is actually a double feature this time. In addition to Harold Lloyd’s wall-climbing classic “Safety Last!,” the ICO will play along with the lesser-known Lloyd film “An Eastern Westerner” in conjunction with the Eiteljorg’s “The Reel West” exhibition. March 10  Schrott Center

“Mari Evans’ ‘Ethos and Creativity Three Decades Later: Art and Race in Indianapolis”

In 1989, poet Mari Evans (now known to more Hoosiers thanks to the mural of her on Mass Ave) wrote about the effects of the discrimination and the destruction of communities on creative spirit. For this conversation, writers and visual artists Phyllis Boyd, David Hoppe, Adrian Matejka, Carl Pope, and LaShawnda Crowe Storm relate Evans’ three-decade-old words to their own experiences and raise questions about the relevance of her observations today. The audience will also be invited to comment on the essay and remarks and ask questions. March 8 Herron School of Art and Design

Also this week

Howard Jones performs at the Tarkington March 9.

Ben Bedford is the Indy Folk Series headliner March 10.

John Vessels performs “Lillian Baxter & Friends…We Enjoy Being a Girl” March 9-10 at the Studio Theatre.

The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra welcomes Yefim Bronfman for a weekend of performances of Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto, led by Krzysztof Urbanski March 9-10 at Hilbert Circle Theatre.