Sarah Urist Green joins Butter team to help elevate Indianapolis artists
Indianapolis-based art historian Sarah Urist Green is part of the curatorial team for Butter fine art fair, scheduled Sept. 1-4 at the Stutz.
Arts/Culture
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Acclaimed Indiana authors shortlisted for biennial awards
Books written by Ashley C. Ford, Adrian Matejka, Leah Johnson and Tamara Winfrey-Harris highlight contenders for Indiana Authors Awards.
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Updated Eiteljorg galleries reframe the context of Native art
The $6 million upgrade of the Eiteljorg’ second floor exhibition space focuses on themes of Relation, Continuation and Innovation.
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Madam C.J. Walker mural to follow Major Taylor in ‘Legends’ series
Indianapolis artist Tasha Beckwith is set to paint a mural to celebrate the legacy of entrepreneur Madam C.J. Walker, who built a hair-care product empire and became known as the “first self-made female millionaire” in the United States.
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WonderRoad music festival organizers say they’ll succeed where others failed
During the past 20 years, several local festivals have come and gone. But WonderRoad planners say it has a reasonable shot at selling its first-year goal of 15,000 tickets.
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Articles
City to make equity focus of cultural plan
The Department of Metropolitan Development is creating the city’s first cultural-equity plan—an effort to guide investment and resources into arts and attractions in a way that serves the entire community.
Colette Pierce Burnette looks forward to ‘heart’ work at Newfields
The museum’s annual meeting included the Indianapolis debut of the incoming CEO, the unveiling of what’s next for the Lume and an update on #BlackLivesMatter muralists.
Live music roars back with jam-packed summer concert series
Plus, see IBJ arts reporter Dave Lindquist’s picks for can’t-miss shows at a variety of area venues.
New Conner Prairie exhibit to focus on hundreds of years of Black history
With financing from Lilly Endowment and support from the Smithsonian Institution, Conner Prairie’s Promised Land as Proving Ground exhibit is expected to be fully open in 2023.
IBJ launches ‘After Hours’ newsletter focused on arts, entertainment
“After Hours” will be written by veteran pop culture reporter Dave Lindquist, who joined IBJ in October to cover the arts, restaurants and retail.
2021 Newsmaker: Darrianne Christian, Newfields board chair
The board at Newfields chose Christian to serve as the chair and lead the arts campus out of a race-related controversy that led to the resignation of its former president.
2021 Newsmaker: Alan Bacon, Mali Simone Jeffers, GangGang co-founders
Mali Simone Jeffers and Alan Bacon had the idea for cultural startup GangGang just more than a year ago, while sitting together one night on their couch: Why not incubate the creative economy and culture like you might a technology company or sector, while promoting equity along the way?
Arts community will ‘keep creating’ into 2022
Thanks to a $500,000 City-County Council allocation made possible through the federal American Rescue Plan Act, the #IndyKeepsCreating initiative launched in 2020 will continue until March.
Indianapolis Opera takes shows on the road after buying its headquarters
Crews are spiffing up the grounds at the Basile Opera Center, the latest move in a rebirth of sorts for the opera company, which in August purchased the former church at 4011 N. Pennsylvania St. it’s been leasing for 10 years.
More hotels making galleries part of the guest experience
Many of the art-forward hotels, such as the Art in Denver and the Alexander in Indianapolis, work with local artists to either showcase their portfolio for a specific amount of time or commission one-of-a-kind pieces to display on site indefinitely.
Indiana Repertory Theatre to require COVID-19 vaccinations or testing for patrons
The IRT, which had previously decided to make masks mandatory for all patrons this season, said it’s decided to strengthen its COVID-19 protocols in light of the increase in cases.
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra to require COVID-19 vaccinations for concert audiences
The rule, which takes effect immediately, gives patrons the interim option of showing a recent negative COVID-19 test. But effective Nov. 1, all guests age 12 and older must be fully vaccinated in order to attend a performance.
IBJ Podcast: How is the Big Car arts group changing the Garfield Park neighborhood?
Host Mason King talks with Big Car CEO Jim Walker about the art campus the organization has developed in the neighborhood and how the group is trying to ensure artists aren’t eventually priced out of being there.
Big Car behind on Garfield Park revitalization, but confident it will finish
The centerpiece of the project—transforming a 40,000-square-foot former factory into an arts and cultural space—has not begun, but home renovations and greenspace development are underway.
Ticket sales for Newfields’ multisensory exhibit open to public July 6
“The Lume” exhibit, which launches July 27, will put visitors in the center of floor-to-ceiling projections of paintings such as “The Starry Night” and “Sunflowers” by Vincent van Gogh.
Carmel Christkindlmarkt to make measured return after last year’s cancellation
The last time the German-themed Christmas market was held in 2019, it drew more than 300,000 visitors. Event organizers aren’t sure if lingering concerns about COVID-19 will hurt attendance or if there will be a strong return.
Newfields’ new chair seeks to undo harm of race controversy
Darrianne Christian in May became the first Black woman to chair the Newfields board of trustees, just months after the art museum and gardens faced an uproar over its handling of race and inclusion issues.
$16 billion grant program for performance venues set to reopen for applications
The federal grant program, part of a larger pandemic relief effort, officially launched April 8, but its application portal crashed within hours because of technical problems. The portal is set to reopen Saturday.
Work on five-story downtown mural for Indy cycling legend to start next month
A mural honoring Indianapolis native Marshall “Major” Taylor, the first Black world champion cyclist, will begin going up in mid-May on a downtown building a block from Monument Circle, the Arts Council of Indianapolis said Monday.