Indianapolis Art Center
Encyclopedia
The Indianapolis Art Center (known colloquially as the IAC) is an art center
located in Indianapolis, Indiana
, United States
. The Center, founded in 1934 by the Works Project Administration during the Great Depression
as the Indianapolis Art League, is located along the White River
. It features fine art exhibitions, art classes and studios, a library with over 5,000 titles, the ARTSPARK nature and art park, and the Basile Studio Shop, with hand-crafted work by over 75 local and regional artists. As of 2008 the Indianapolis Art Center featured over 50 annual exhibitions and had over 3,000 members.
project under President Franklin D. Roosevelt
's administration during the Great Depression
. Kaeser, an Austrian
graduate of the Herron School of Art and Design, had started organizing adult education
art study groups, starting with a group of ten women at Public School 72. In 1938, the art study groups formed into the Indianapolis Art Students' League, its name and character influenced by the populist Art Students League of New York
.
Due to gas rationing during World War II
, classes were located at various venues throughout Indianapolis, eventually settling at Public School 66. By the 1950s, the group had to seek other quarters and finally settled at the Holliday House at Holliday Park in 1952. The House served as the first permanent venue for the Indianapolis Art League until it burned down in 1958.
After the fire, the Art League began raising funds
for a new facility, and in 1960 they became incorporated
as the Indianapolis Art League Foundation. Major gifts were made by members, corporations, the public, the Elsie Sweeney Foundation and the Indianapolis Foundation, as well as a land gift at 3103 North Pennsylvania St. by John and Marguerite Fehsenfeld. The Art League built its first new facility with two art studio classroom
s and a lobby
.
Twelve to fifteen years later, the League sought new space, and in 1976 raised $300,000, with large gifts from the Indianapolis Foundation and Lilly Endowment
. With director M. Steele Churchman, they built a new 10200 sq ft (947.6 m²). venue along the White River
in Broad Ripple Village
; it had five studios, a gallery, a library
and offices. Classes doubled within the first year—totaling 40 a week. With these successes, in 1976 the Art League hired its first executive director
Joyce Sommers; she was a former student who had become a board member at the Center.
In the early 1980s the Center attempted to run a retail store on site, but it failed and they closed it. The sale allowed the Center to buy more land. The Art League's architectural expansion began in 1989 with the Riverfront Performance Terrace. By 1993 the Art League hosted 100 classes a week with 55 part-time faculty members.
By 1994 they had raised $7.6 million in their capital campaign and completed the new building in 1996. That year the Art League changed its name to the Indianapolis Art Center, in accordance with its major expansion. In 2009 Sommers retired after 33 years of service.
After a national search Carter Wolf became chief executive in July 2009. Already located in Indianapolis, Wolf formerly worked at the Horizon House
.
. Graves, a former high school classmate of director Joyce Sommers, was handpicked by Center leaders. He was given complete creative control over the project, $6 million at the time of original construction. Funds were raised by a capital campaign, a major contribution from the Ruth Lilly
, the Lilly Endowment
and other corporate and civic organizations. Construction was completed by Indianapolis-based Shiel-Sexton Company, who was chosen by a committee of local architects, and was completed on time and on budget.
The first phase was started in October 1994 and completed in August 1995 with a stucco
building housing a 225-seat auditorium, art gallery and six art studios. Upon the demolition of the original building, the second phase began, to be opened May 31, 1996. The new $8.2 million facility would feature three art galleries, 13 art studios, a gift shop and auditorium. It is four times larger than the previous building. The Center features Grave's signature style: the building's entry portico
has 32 feet (9.8 m) columns, large rectangular and round windows flank smaller counterparts throughout the facade, and the stucco is painted peach
, red ochre and blue
. The back of the building features another portico that overlooks the White River and a sculpture garden.
The two buildings are connected by the Churchman-Fehsenfeld Studio. The west building is home to the Ruth Lilly Library, an octagonal two-story atrium with 12 feet (3.7 m)-diameter circular windows on all sides, and a fireplace with ceramic tiles fired in the Center's own kiln. The west building features the Center's administrative offices, the Stan & Sandy Hurt conference room, a studio prep and storage area, painting, drawing, printmaking, photography and computer graphics studios. The east half of the building consists of studios for woodworking, glassblowing, ceramics, metalsmithing, steel and stone sculpture and benchwork.
With this building, Graves was not seeking an Indianapolis connection in the architectural design, but a look related to the industrial look of studio art spaces and renovated industrial spaces of San Francisco
or SoHo
. The east and west side of the building are capped by chimney
s—one for the library and one for the kiln, adding to the industrial look and feel of the space. Upon its completion, Sommers stated, "The new building has given us greater visibility and a much stronger community profile."
The Marilyn K. Glick School of Art serves as the Center's on-site educational facility, with programming including classes about glass making, woodworking
, steel fabrication
, ceramics, metalsmithing, textiles
, painting
, furniture
refinishing, and photography
. The Center also offers artist referral services and a library with over 5,000 volumes that are open to the public.
IAC offers nearly 300 courses per semester to the public, with the fall and spring semesters hosting over 4,000 students. Summer school is also offered working with upwards of 1,400 students. The IAC's Fine Arts Day Camp which teaches children ages 7–12 a variety of creative skills and youth age 10–13 specialized skills. Picasso Camp serves pre-school children and involves learning about fine art and music. These youth camps hosted 400 youth in 2009. In 2010 IAC started providing educational programming for Fall Creek Academy
, providing students with access to the campus and classes taught at the Center and at the school. IAC offers scholarships, opportunities in continuing education, selected certifications and classes for Marian University credit.
and the Midwest region. They held their first annual art competition at the Lyman Brothers art gallery and throughout the city with exhibitions such as "The Indianapolis Art Students' League Annual Exhibition" which was held at the William H. Block Co. for 15 years, the "500 Festival of Arts" in downtown storefronts until 1973, "Art 500" at the Indianapolis Convention Center, and since 1976 the biannual "Indiana Directions and Regional" at the Art League galleries.
With its current home, three exhibition spaces anchor the Main Gallery in the center of the building, which stretches from the entrance to the rear exit. IAC hosts a juried student show with prize money and opportunities for students to sell their work. The top five student winners receive the opportunity to exhibit during the faculty show.
The Center also hosts traveling exhibitions alongside its own curated exhibitions. In 1999 IAC hosted "Graham Nash and Nash Editions", organized by the Butler Institute of American Art
, featuring the photographs of Graham Nash
and related photographs from his Nash Editions. As of 2010 Patrick Flaherty has served as exhibition director who through his work at IAC "would like to see is a demystification of art."
sculpture
s, models and sketches of Indiana artist George Rickey
. The Center also worked with the Arts Council of Indianapolis and the City of Indianapolis to exhibit works of Rickey's throughout the city.
connected to the Monon Trail
and with access to the White River. With a goal to bring "art, artists, and the community together through multi-sensory sculptures in an open-air setting," the park serves as a gallery without walls and a space for creating art outside. Features of the ARTSPARK include the Nina Mason Pulliam Sensory Path, an amphitheater, a riverfront deck, and over 30 public
artworks. The concept for the ARTSPARK formed in 1996 upon the completion of the Grave's designed building. Funds began to be raised in the early 2000s, and by 2003 the Center had raised $2.6 million, with a goal of $5.5 million. Groundbreaking
took place for the park the first weekend of June, during the celebration of the 70th birthday of the IAC, A special groundbreaking took place that Friday at the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
to celebrate an area of the ARTSPARK dedicated to the students, which would feature the artwork Circle
created by artist Sadashi Inuzuka and students from the school. The park features artworks by Gary Freeman
, Robert Stackhouse
, Truman Lowe
, Arnaldo Pomodoro
, John Spaulding
, among others.
, Eli Lilly and Company
, Irwin Union Bank and Trust, IUPUI, KeyBank, as well as former chief executive Joyce Sommers. The Art Center's endowment consists of nine individual funds and entrance is free to the Center and grounds.
s and mental health
programs, sending volunteers to teach art classes to those imprisoned and suffering from mental disabilities. The Center began working with the city to create murals at public housing sites, creating art experiences for 10 housing sites, as well as the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
and St. Vincent New Hope
.
In 1989 the Art Center started its ArtReach program which strives to bring art awareness to youth at risk. ArtReach programming provides young people with two hours of weekly art training, visits to the ARTSPARK for exploration of the art and grounds, and an opportunity to participate in the Michael Carroll ArtReach Exhibition in the Spring, allowing the students to have their artwork professionally exhibited at the Center. On the success of the program, former director Joyce Sommers states: "It's not over dramatic to say that art has helped so many kids find a way to find faith in themselves... when they start making art they are looking inside of themselves and they end up with a product and their self esteem builds. We use the instrument of art for that, besides its intrinsic value." In 2009 IAC introduced The American Scene, which during its inaugural year hosted 56 youth ages 5–18. The American Scene encourages young people to make an impact within their community with public art
. Students work with a professional artist to select the location for the artwork, and collaborate with each other and the artist to create a themed artwork relating to Indianapolis. The American Scene ended with artwork made by the children and individuals of the Wheeler Mission being exhibited at the "Beyond Perceptions" exhibition. The SMART program allows 14 young people and their mentors to attend 16 class sessions, three workshops and field trips in the summer.
; the IAC directly benefits from the admission fee paid by guests. The festival features over 225 juried artists and craft
speople from the United States and Canada
, live music
, children's activities and food.
(also known as All Saints Day) on November 1 to celebrate the growing Latino
ethnic population in Indianapolis. Through bringing people of different backgrounds together, IAC seeks to share the historical, artistic and cultural experiences of the holiday to the city. A major exhibition of altars and shrines takes place, Latino artists are exhibited, and workshops and a celebration are featured.
Arts centre
An art centre or arts center is distinct from an art gallery or art museum. An arts centre is a functional community centre with a specific remit to encourage arts practice and to provide facilities such as theatre space, gallery space, venues for musical performance, workshop areas, educational...
located in Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Center, founded in 1934 by the Works Project Administration during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
as the Indianapolis Art League, is located along the White River
White River (Indiana)
The White River is a two-forked river that flows through central and southern Indiana and is the main tributary to the Wabash River. Via the west fork, considered to be the main stem of the river by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, the White River is long.-West Fork:The West Fork, long, is...
. It features fine art exhibitions, art classes and studios, a library with over 5,000 titles, the ARTSPARK nature and art park, and the Basile Studio Shop, with hand-crafted work by over 75 local and regional artists. As of 2008 the Indianapolis Art Center featured over 50 annual exhibitions and had over 3,000 members.
History
William Kaeser founded the non-profit Indianapolis Art League in 1934. The group that would eventually become the Indianapolis Art Center was funded as a Works Progress AdministrationWorks Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
project under President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
's administration during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. Kaeser, an Austrian
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
graduate of the Herron School of Art and Design, had started organizing adult education
Adult education
Adult education is the practice of teaching and educating adults. Adult education takes place in the workplace, through 'extension' school or 'school of continuing education' . Other learning places include folk high schools, community colleges, and lifelong learning centers...
art study groups, starting with a group of ten women at Public School 72. In 1938, the art study groups formed into the Indianapolis Art Students' League, its name and character influenced by the populist Art Students League of New York
Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New York is an art school located on West 57th Street in New York City. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists, and has maintained for over 130 years a tradition of offering reasonably priced classes on a...
.
Due to gas rationing during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, classes were located at various venues throughout Indianapolis, eventually settling at Public School 66. By the 1950s, the group had to seek other quarters and finally settled at the Holliday House at Holliday Park in 1952. The House served as the first permanent venue for the Indianapolis Art League until it burned down in 1958.
After the fire, the Art League began raising funds
Fundraising
Fundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...
for a new facility, and in 1960 they became incorporated
Incorporation (business)
Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation . The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organisation, sports club, or a government of a new city or town...
as the Indianapolis Art League Foundation. Major gifts were made by members, corporations, the public, the Elsie Sweeney Foundation and the Indianapolis Foundation, as well as a land gift at 3103 North Pennsylvania St. by John and Marguerite Fehsenfeld. The Art League built its first new facility with two art studio classroom
Classroom
A classroom is a room in which teaching or learning activities can take place. Classrooms are found in educational institutions of all kinds, including public and private schools, corporations, and religious and humanitarian organizations...
s and a lobby
Lobby (room)
A lobby is a room in a building which is used for entry from the outside. Sometimes referred to as a foyer or an entrance hall.Many office buildings, hotels and skyscrapers go to great lengths to decorate their lobbies to create the right impression....
.
Twelve to fifteen years later, the League sought new space, and in 1976 raised $300,000, with large gifts from the Indianapolis Foundation and Lilly Endowment
Lilly Endowment
Lilly Endowment Inc., headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana is one of the world's largest private philanthropic foundations and is among the ten largest such endowments in the United States....
. With director M. Steele Churchman, they built a new 10200 sq ft (947.6 m²). venue along the White River
White River (Indiana)
The White River is a two-forked river that flows through central and southern Indiana and is the main tributary to the Wabash River. Via the west fork, considered to be the main stem of the river by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, the White River is long.-West Fork:The West Fork, long, is...
in Broad Ripple Village
Broad Ripple Village, Indianapolis
Broad Ripple Village is one of six areas designated as cultural districts in Indianapolis, Indiana. Located about six miles north of Downtown Indianapolis, Broad Ripple was established in 1837 as an independent municipality and annexed to the city of Indianapolis in 1922...
; it had five studios, a gallery, a library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
and offices. Classes doubled within the first year—totaling 40 a week. With these successes, in 1976 the Art League hired its first executive director
Executive director
Executive director is a term sometimes applied to the chief executive officer or managing director of an organization, company, or corporation. It is widely used in North American non-profit organizations, though in recent decades many U.S. nonprofits have adopted the title "President/CEO"...
Joyce Sommers; she was a former student who had become a board member at the Center.
In the early 1980s the Center attempted to run a retail store on site, but it failed and they closed it. The sale allowed the Center to buy more land. The Art League's architectural expansion began in 1989 with the Riverfront Performance Terrace. By 1993 the Art League hosted 100 classes a week with 55 part-time faculty members.
By 1994 they had raised $7.6 million in their capital campaign and completed the new building in 1996. That year the Art League changed its name to the Indianapolis Art Center, in accordance with its major expansion. In 2009 Sommers retired after 33 years of service.
After a national search Carter Wolf became chief executive in July 2009. Already located in Indianapolis, Wolf formerly worked at the Horizon House
Horizon House
The Horizon House is a daytime-only homeless shelter in downtown Indianapolis. It is organized as non-profit, with no religious affiliation....
.
Architecture
The Indianapolis Art Center's 40000 square feet (3,716.1 m²) building was designed by Indiana-born architect Michael GravesMichael Graves
Michael Graves is an American architect. Identified as one of The New York Five, Graves has become a household name with his designs for domestic products sold at Target stores in the United States....
. Graves, a former high school classmate of director Joyce Sommers, was handpicked by Center leaders. He was given complete creative control over the project, $6 million at the time of original construction. Funds were raised by a capital campaign, a major contribution from the Ruth Lilly
Ruth Lilly
Ruth Lilly was an American philanthropist. She was the daughter of Josiah K. Lilly, Jr., and Ruth Lilly, and the sole living heiress to the Eli Lilly and Company pharmaceutical fortune built by her great grandfather, Colonel Eli Lilly.Lilly made headlines in November 2002 when she pledged stock...
, the Lilly Endowment
Lilly Endowment
Lilly Endowment Inc., headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana is one of the world's largest private philanthropic foundations and is among the ten largest such endowments in the United States....
and other corporate and civic organizations. Construction was completed by Indianapolis-based Shiel-Sexton Company, who was chosen by a committee of local architects, and was completed on time and on budget.
The first phase was started in October 1994 and completed in August 1995 with a stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
building housing a 225-seat auditorium, art gallery and six art studios. Upon the demolition of the original building, the second phase began, to be opened May 31, 1996. The new $8.2 million facility would feature three art galleries, 13 art studios, a gift shop and auditorium. It is four times larger than the previous building. The Center features Grave's signature style: the building's entry portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
has 32 feet (9.8 m) columns, large rectangular and round windows flank smaller counterparts throughout the facade, and the stucco is painted peach
Peach (color)
Peach is a color that is named for the pale color of the peach fruit. Like the color apricot, the color called peach is paler than most actual peach fruits and seems to have been formulated primarily to create a pastel palette of colors for interior design...
, red ochre and blue
Blue
Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
. The back of the building features another portico that overlooks the White River and a sculpture garden.
The two buildings are connected by the Churchman-Fehsenfeld Studio. The west building is home to the Ruth Lilly Library, an octagonal two-story atrium with 12 feet (3.7 m)-diameter circular windows on all sides, and a fireplace with ceramic tiles fired in the Center's own kiln. The west building features the Center's administrative offices, the Stan & Sandy Hurt conference room, a studio prep and storage area, painting, drawing, printmaking, photography and computer graphics studios. The east half of the building consists of studios for woodworking, glassblowing, ceramics, metalsmithing, steel and stone sculpture and benchwork.
With this building, Graves was not seeking an Indianapolis connection in the architectural design, but a look related to the industrial look of studio art spaces and renovated industrial spaces of San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
or SoHo
SoHo
SoHo is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City, notable for being the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, and also, more recently, for the wide variety of stores and shops ranging from trendy boutiques to outlets of upscale national and international chain stores...
. The east and west side of the building are capped by chimney
Chimney
A chimney is a structure for venting hot flue gases or smoke from a boiler, stove, furnace or fireplace to the outside atmosphere. Chimneys are typically vertical, or as near as possible to vertical, to ensure that the gases flow smoothly, drawing air into the combustion in what is known as the...
s—one for the library and one for the kiln, adding to the industrial look and feel of the space. Upon its completion, Sommers stated, "The new building has given us greater visibility and a much stronger community profile."
Education
Historically the Art Center's program has been influenced by Western art history and techniques. Artists such as Elmer Taflinger taught at the Art League until 1965. The mid-1990s renovations allowed for new art studio and classrooms to be built. An overhead crane is on campus for transporting steel and stone into the sculpture studio. The glassblowing studio had enabled the Center to become one of only nine facilities in the country to allow regular public classes. As of 2008 the Center was working towards a fundraising goal of $15 million to complete a master plan for the glass art program.The Marilyn K. Glick School of Art serves as the Center's on-site educational facility, with programming including classes about glass making, woodworking
Woodworking
Woodworking is the process of building, making or carving something using wood.-History:Along with stone, mud, and animal parts, wood was one of the first materials worked by early humans. Microwear analysis of the Mousterian stone tools used by the Neanderthals show that many were used to work wood...
, steel fabrication
Fabrication (metal)
Fabrication as an industrial term refers to building metal structures by cutting, bending, and assembling. The cutting part of fabrication is via sawing, shearing, or chiseling ; torching with handheld torches ; and via CNC cutters...
, ceramics, metalsmithing, textiles
Textile arts
Textile arts are those arts and crafts that use plant, animal, or synthetic fibers to construct practical or decorative objects.Textiles have been a fundamental part of human life since the beginning of civilization, and the methods and materials used to make them have expanded enormously, while...
, painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
refinishing, and photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
. The Center also offers artist referral services and a library with over 5,000 volumes that are open to the public.
IAC offers nearly 300 courses per semester to the public, with the fall and spring semesters hosting over 4,000 students. Summer school is also offered working with upwards of 1,400 students. The IAC's Fine Arts Day Camp which teaches children ages 7–12 a variety of creative skills and youth age 10–13 specialized skills. Picasso Camp serves pre-school children and involves learning about fine art and music. These youth camps hosted 400 youth in 2009. In 2010 IAC started providing educational programming for Fall Creek Academy
Fall Creek Academy
Fall Creek Academy is a free, public K-12 charter school in Indianapolis, Indiana.Fall Creek Academy is part of the . The school offers a Middle College Program, allowing students to earn college credits....
, providing students with access to the campus and classes taught at the Center and at the school. IAC offers scholarships, opportunities in continuing education, selected certifications and classes for Marian University credit.
Exhibitions
The Indianapolis Art Centers's exhibition programming began in 1937, featuring the work of artists from IndianaIndiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
and the Midwest region. They held their first annual art competition at the Lyman Brothers art gallery and throughout the city with exhibitions such as "The Indianapolis Art Students' League Annual Exhibition" which was held at the William H. Block Co. for 15 years, the "500 Festival of Arts" in downtown storefronts until 1973, "Art 500" at the Indianapolis Convention Center, and since 1976 the biannual "Indiana Directions and Regional" at the Art League galleries.
With its current home, three exhibition spaces anchor the Main Gallery in the center of the building, which stretches from the entrance to the rear exit. IAC hosts a juried student show with prize money and opportunities for students to sell their work. The top five student winners receive the opportunity to exhibit during the faculty show.
The Center also hosts traveling exhibitions alongside its own curated exhibitions. In 1999 IAC hosted "Graham Nash and Nash Editions", organized by the Butler Institute of American Art
Butler Institute of American Art
The Butler Institute of American Art, located on Wick Avenue in Youngstown, Ohio, United States, was the first museum dedicated exclusively to American art. Established by local industrialist and philanthropist Joseph G. Butler, Jr., the museum has been operating pro bono since 1919...
, featuring the photographs of Graham Nash
Graham Nash
Graham William Nash, OBE is an English singer-songwriter known for his light tenor vocals and for his songwriting contributions with the British pop group The Hollies, and with the folk-rock band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Nash is a photography collector and a published photographer...
and related photographs from his Nash Editions. As of 2010 Patrick Flaherty has served as exhibition director who through his work at IAC "would like to see is a demystification of art."
A Life in Art: Works by George Rickey
In the summer of 2009 IAC played host to a retrospective exhibit on the kineticKinetic art
Kinetic art is art that contains moving parts or depends on motion for its effect. The moving parts are generally powered by wind, a motor or the observer. Kinetic art encompasses a wide variety of overlapping techniques and styles.-Kinetic sculpture:...
sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
s, models and sketches of Indiana artist George Rickey
George Rickey
George Rickey was an American kinetic sculptor.Rickey was born on June 6, 1907 in South Bend, Indiana.-Life and work:...
. The Center also worked with the Arts Council of Indianapolis and the City of Indianapolis to exhibit works of Rickey's throughout the city.
Gardens and grounds
The Art Center's semi-wooded grounds cater to private and public events including the Indiana Microbrewers Festival, Broad Ripple Music Fest, and the Broad Ripple Art Fair. Located to the west of the main building is the Cultural Complex which was acquired by the Art Center in 2003 as a home for the fabric department, Writer's Center of Indianapolis, and a studio space.ARTSPARK
Founded in 2005, designed also by Michael Graves and located on IAC grounds, the ARTSPARK is a 12.5 acres (50,585.8 m²) sculpture gardenSculpture garden
A sculpture garden is an outdoor garden dedicated to the presentation of sculpture, usually several permanently sited works in durable materials in landscaped surroundings....
connected to the Monon Trail
Monon Trail
The Monon Trail is a rail trail in Indiana. It uses a portion of the Chicago-Indianapolis main line of the former Monon Railroad, which was abandoned between Indianapolis and Delphi, Indiana in 1987.The trail serves both bicyclists and pedestrians...
and with access to the White River. With a goal to bring "art, artists, and the community together through multi-sensory sculptures in an open-air setting," the park serves as a gallery without walls and a space for creating art outside. Features of the ARTSPARK include the Nina Mason Pulliam Sensory Path, an amphitheater, a riverfront deck, and over 30 public
Public art
The term public art properly refers to works of art in any media that have been planned and executed with the specific intention of being sited or staged in the physical public domain, usually outside and accessible to all...
artworks. The concept for the ARTSPARK formed in 1996 upon the completion of the Grave's designed building. Funds began to be raised in the early 2000s, and by 2003 the Center had raised $2.6 million, with a goal of $5.5 million. Groundbreaking
Groundbreaking
Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are often attended by dignitaries such as politicians and...
took place for the park the first weekend of June, during the celebration of the 70th birthday of the IAC, A special groundbreaking took place that Friday at the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, or ISBVI, established in 1847 as the Indiana School for the Blind is a residential school for the visually impaired and blind youth of Indiana in Indianapolis. Students attend the school from grades preschool through high school...
to celebrate an area of the ARTSPARK dedicated to the students, which would feature the artwork Circle
Circle (sculpture)
Circle is a public artwork by Sadashi Inuzuka. The artwork is located in the ARTSPARK on the grounds of the Indianapolis Art Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States.-Description:...
created by artist Sadashi Inuzuka and students from the school. The park features artworks by Gary Freeman
Gary Freeman (sculptor)
Gary Freeman , is an American sculptor from Indianapolis, Indiana. He is Professor Emeritus of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and served as head of the Herron School of Art Sculpture Department for 33 years, from 1968 until his retirement in 2001.Freeman was born in Wellington,...
, Robert Stackhouse
Robert Stackhouse
Robert Stackhouse is an American artist and sculptor. Stackhouse graduated with a Bachelor Degree from the University of South Florida in 1965. He later earned a masters degree at the University of Maryland, College Park in studio art...
, Truman Lowe
Truman Lowe
Truman Lowe is a Ho-Chunk sculptor and installation artist living in Wisconsin. A professor of fine art at the University of Wisconsin, Lowe is the former curator of contemporary art at the National Museum of the American Indian...
, Arnaldo Pomodoro
Arnaldo Pomodoro
Arnaldo Pomodoro is an Italian sculptor. He was born on 23 June 1926, in Morciano, Romagna, Italy. He currently lives and works in Milan. His brother, Giò Pomodoro was also a sculptor....
, John Spaulding
John Spaulding (artist)
John A. Spaulding was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was born in Lockefield Gardens, the city of Indianapolis' first public housing project. He was the youngest of five children. He attended Indianapolis Public Schools 24 and 26 and attended Arsenal Technical High School. He was a self-taught...
, among others.
Administration
The Indianapolis Art Center is a 501(c)(3) corporation governed by Carter Wolf and as of 2009 consists of 32 staff members and 616 volunteers. IAC is governed by a board of 36 individuals and is led by Board Chair Tanya Stuart Overdorf. Board members represent a variety of regional organizations including Indiana UniversityIndiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
, Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly and Company is a global pharmaceutical company. Eli Lilly's global headquarters is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States...
, Irwin Union Bank and Trust, IUPUI, KeyBank, as well as former chief executive Joyce Sommers. The Art Center's endowment consists of nine individual funds and entrance is free to the Center and grounds.
Mission
Outreach
From the 1950s into the 1980s IAC provided outreach programming for prisonPrison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
s and mental health
Mental health
Mental health describes either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and...
programs, sending volunteers to teach art classes to those imprisoned and suffering from mental disabilities. The Center began working with the city to create murals at public housing sites, creating art experiences for 10 housing sites, as well as the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, or ISBVI, established in 1847 as the Indiana School for the Blind is a residential school for the visually impaired and blind youth of Indiana in Indianapolis. Students attend the school from grades preschool through high school...
and St. Vincent New Hope
St. Vincent Indianapolis Hospital
St. Vincent Hospital is a hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. It is the flagship installation of St. Vincent Health which operates 20 facilities over 46 Indiana counties and is one of the largest ministries in the Catholic health care organization Ascension Health.-History:The Daughters of...
.
In 1989 the Art Center started its ArtReach program which strives to bring art awareness to youth at risk. ArtReach programming provides young people with two hours of weekly art training, visits to the ARTSPARK for exploration of the art and grounds, and an opportunity to participate in the Michael Carroll ArtReach Exhibition in the Spring, allowing the students to have their artwork professionally exhibited at the Center. On the success of the program, former director Joyce Sommers states: "It's not over dramatic to say that art has helped so many kids find a way to find faith in themselves... when they start making art they are looking inside of themselves and they end up with a product and their self esteem builds. We use the instrument of art for that, besides its intrinsic value." In 2009 IAC introduced The American Scene, which during its inaugural year hosted 56 youth ages 5–18. The American Scene encourages young people to make an impact within their community with public art
Public art
The term public art properly refers to works of art in any media that have been planned and executed with the specific intention of being sited or staged in the physical public domain, usually outside and accessible to all...
. Students work with a professional artist to select the location for the artwork, and collaborate with each other and the artist to create a themed artwork relating to Indianapolis. The American Scene ended with artwork made by the children and individuals of the Wheeler Mission being exhibited at the "Beyond Perceptions" exhibition. The SMART program allows 14 young people and their mentors to attend 16 class sessions, three workshops and field trips in the summer.
Events
IAC hosts a number of events to fundraising purposes with the most notable being the Broad Ripple Art Fair. Major indoor events and lectures take place at the facilities Frank M. Basile Auditorium. IAC's summer gala fundraiser is ArtSparkle, which hosts upwards of 400 people, benefiting the Center's educational programming. Film series are also part of event programming, taking place within the Basile Auditorium. In 2008 the IAC hosted the Klipsch Chinese Film Festival.Broad Ripple Art Fair
Every year the IAC hosts over 22,000 visitors for the Broad Ripple Art Fair. Started in 1971, the first "art fair" was held in a private home, then the streets of Broad RippleBroad Ripple Village, Indianapolis
Broad Ripple Village is one of six areas designated as cultural districts in Indianapolis, Indiana. Located about six miles north of Downtown Indianapolis, Broad Ripple was established in 1837 as an independent municipality and annexed to the city of Indianapolis in 1922...
; the IAC directly benefits from the admission fee paid by guests. The festival features over 225 juried artists and craft
Craft
A craft is a branch of a profession that requires some particular kind of skilled work. In historical sense, particularly as pertinent to the Medieval history and earlier, the term is usually applied towards people occupied in small-scale production of goods.-Development from the past until...
speople from the United States and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, live music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, children's activities and food.
Day of the Dead
Since 2000 IAC has been marking an annual Day of the DeadDay of the Dead
Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and around the world in many cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico, where it attains the quality...
(also known as All Saints Day) on November 1 to celebrate the growing Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
ethnic population in Indianapolis. Through bringing people of different backgrounds together, IAC seeks to share the historical, artistic and cultural experiences of the holiday to the city. A major exhibition of altars and shrines takes place, Latino artists are exhibited, and workshops and a celebration are featured.