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Big Car Collaborative’s Year in Review Highlights for 2024

Big Car Collaborative’s Year in Review Highlights for 2024

While we’re always looking ahead and are very excited about what’s next, we know it’s important to stop and consider how we arrived here and what we’ve accomplished together. So we’re sharing Big Car Collaborative’s look back at highlights from 2024. This all often happened in partnership with others and was only possible for our nonprofit organization thanks to our generous funders and supporters. Of note, we’re highlighting a variety of things that shed light, also, on how we learn and share what we’ve learned. 

Our approach is a cyclical one of innovating through trying testing ideas, learning from what works well and not as well, and adapting as we go forward. This is our approach to our ever-evolving and growing campus around Tube Factory in the Garfield Park neighborhood — including expansion into a 40,000-square-foot contemporary art museum space that opens in late 2025. 

Likewise, this is how we continue to work with artists and the community in public art projects like our DigIndy partnership with Citizens Energy Group. And you can hear our growth over the air with our always-improving experimental art and community FM radio station, 99.1 WQRT

Here are our 2024 highlights: 

First Friday patrons view Julian Jamaal Jones’ “Take Me Back” exhibit at Tube Factory in the Main Gallery.

January

  • Opened the exhibition, Take Me Back, by Indianapolis-based artist Julian Jamaal Jones in the upstairs gallery spaces at Tube Factory. 
  • As a new recipient of funding for live music from the Levitt Foundation, three Big Car staff members attended Levitt’s convening in Los Angeles where we connected with other organizations from across the country and picked up ideas and approaches for our concert series. 
  • While in Los Angeles, we visited museums linked to our plans for expansion on the Tube Factory campus — including MOCA Geffen, an early example of a former industrial building adapted into a contemporary art museum in 1983 with design by architect Frank Gehry. We were also able to experience Luna Luna, an artist-made amusement park brought back to life after being packed up for decades. 
  • Co-founder Jim Walker, and Lourenzo Giple — Big Car board president starting in 2025 — began co-teaching a class on art, placemaking, social justice, and society at Indiana University in Bloomington. Walker also began teaching his course, as he has for multiple years and is again in 2025, on public art in the MFA program at Herron School of Art in Indianapolis. 

Youth patrons decorate fans at the 2024 Lunar New Year event at Tube Factory.


February

  • Opened the exhibition, Hogar Dulce Hogar, by Indianapolis-based artist and musician Giselle Trujillo in the Efroymson Gallery in Tube Factory with a performance also on the First Friday in March of 2024. 
  • Co-founders Jim Walker and Shauta Marsh took a learning trip to Marfa, Texas — experiencing a few full days of touring spaces and learning more about the art and architectural work of Donald Judd who adapted much of a small town into a place for him and other artists to live, work, and show contemporary art. 
  • Hosted a successful Lunar New Year celebration with food, dance, fireworks, and socializing at Tube Factory artspace. 

Visitors view Giselle Trujillo’s “Dulce Hogar Dulce” in the Efroymson Gallery at Tube Factory.

March 

  • Closed on New Market Tax Credits and got Phase 2 of our campus expansion — the 40,000-square-foot contemporary art museum — under contract with Jungclaus Campbell.

Jessica Dunn talks with a guest while standing in the middle of her exhibit “Particular Fragments” in Tube Factory’s Efroymson Gallery.

April

  • Opened Rachel Leah Cohn’s exhibition, Mem, in the upstairs gallery spaces at Tube Factory where it stayed up until July. Cohn, who has shown around the world, is based in Indianapolis. 
  • Opened the multimedia Particular Fragments exhibition by Indianapolis-based artist Jessica Dunn in Efroymson Gallery. 
  • Hosted a solar eclipse event in Tube Factory at our outdoor area featuring a live performance by Dunn and M. Moskaliuk and a soundtrack show by Walker broadcasted at the time of the eclipse on WQRT FM. 
  • Four staff members attended the Expo Chicago art fair, staying up to date on trends in the contemporary art realm and attending panel discussions and visiting art spaces in Chicago.
  • Five staff members and artists from our collective and long-term residency program took a weekend trip to visit artist-run spaces and art museums in Cincinnati as part of our partnership with other artist-run organizations in the midwest. 

An overhead drone shot of the Tube Factory campus in May 2024.

May

  • Hosted the Region Ninety group exhibition in Guichelaar Gallery, a house gallery on our campus curated and managed by artists in our long-term residency program. The Region 90 show featured 23 artists from Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky addressing censorship. 
  • Marsh and Walker visited art museums on the east coast as part of their ongoing research — most notably the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. 
  • Hosted the Learning Tree’s national Common Ground Gathering opening event with keynote speaker Mindy Fullilove. 
  • Marsh and Walker presented about Big Car’s work and attended the Congress for New Urbanism conference on the theme of Restorative Urbanism in Cincinnati.
  • Welcomed our latest artists in the long-term residency program as we finished renovations on our 18th affordable home for artists on the Tube Factory block with our lovely Terri Sisson Park in its center.

Jim Walker, Shauta Marsh, and other SPARK partners speak at Placemaking Week by Project for Public Spaces in Baltimore.

June

  • Opened SPARK on the Circle for 2024 — our fourth year of activating Monument Circle with human-scale cultural programs in partnership with the City of Indianapolis, Downtown Indy, and others (2015, 2022, 2023, 2024). 
  • Marsh, Walker and SPARK partners presented at Placemaking Week by Project for Public Spaces in Baltimore and attended this conference and visited art spaces and public places across the city.
  • Hosted the A Portrait of Motherhood photography exhibit by Kelley Jordan Schuyler, an artist based in our Garfield Park neighborhood — in Tube Factory’s Efroymson Gallery. 
  • Celebrated the start of work on the contemporary art museum expansion on the Tube Factory block with a groundbreaking event with Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett and many of our funders, supporters, and partners.
  • Brought New-York based poet Ariana Reines to Tube Factory artspace for a reading event and to create a commissioned poem for the Chicken Chapel of Love.

Japanese experimental vocalist Hatis Noit performs at Tube Factory.

A shot from the Main Gallery portion of Elisa Harkin’s “Ekvnv (Land), the Sacred Mother from Which We Came.”

July

  • Walker presented — along with the Indiana Communities Institute at Ball State — about arts-focused placemaking and community development to Hancock County, Indiana leaders.

Jim Walker and Shauta Marsh (second and third from last) pose with Big Car’s ARTI Award for Neighborhood Impact at the Indy Art Council’s annual Start with Art event.

August

  • Received an ARTI Award for Neighborhood Impact from the Arts Council of Indianapolis at Start with Art.
  • Walker led a conversation about art and baseball with visual artists and former Major League Baseball player Micah Johnson at GANGGANG’s Butter Art Fair in Indianapolis. 
  • Opened the Sound Field visual and audio exhibition in Guichelaar Gallery by two of our long-term resident artists, Rob Funkhouser and Justin Cooper, in collaboration with Landon Caldwell, a Big Car staff member.

Members of “Forgotten Tribe” perform at a concert in the 2024 Levitt VIBE Indianapolis Music Series in Garfield Park.

September 

  • Kicked off the seven-week Levitt VIBE Indianapolis concert series located, in 2024, in Garfield Park.
  • Walker and Marsh continued their research by visiting multiple historic and contemporary utopian communities, and important cultural and architectural locations. 

Teens in the 2024 TeenWorks Summer Program sit on the benches at the Bean Creek Outlook.

October 

  • Celebrated the opening of the Bean Creek Outlook — a new gathering space to appreciate art and nature along Bean Creek on the Tube Factory campus primarily built over the summer with TeenWorks youth.
  • Received awards for SPARK on the Circle from Indy Chamber and Accelerate Indiana Municipalities (AIM).
  • Walker led a workshop for communities on placemaking and socially engaged art for the Indiana University Center for Rural Engagement. 

A shot of a busy day at SPARK during the Taylor Swift weekend at SPARK on the Circle.

November

  • Hosted more than 10,000 Taylor Swift fans and other visitors over a busy weekend full of music and artmaking at SPARK Monument Circle.
  • Opened Reflejos Grabados, a solo exhibition in Efroymson Gallery by Alejandra Carrillo, an artist in our long-term residency program.
  • Opened New! and Impervious to Natural Elements, a solo exhibition in Guichelaar Gallery by Christen Baker, an artist in our long-term residency program.
  • Our co-founders visited Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin home and studio in Wisconsin.
  • Opened Julie Xiao’s A Journey exhibition in Tube Factory and celebrated her new Fire Mother mural on the Chicken Chapel of Love. 
  • Hosted a multi-day gathering of midwestern organizations who are, like Big Car, part of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts’ Regional Regranting Program. 
  • Awarded six $10,000 grants to Indianapolis-based artists through our Power Plant Grants program funded by the Andy Warhol Foundation.
  • Walker presented on the topic The Future of Design Process as part of a panel in The American Institute of Architects Regional and Urban Design Conference in Indianapolis.
  • Six staff members and artists from our collective and residency program presented in and attended the MDW Summit of midwestern artist-run spaces in Kansas City. 
  • Walker led a workshop on arts-focused public space activation as part of the Project for Public Spaces Making it Happen series. 
  • Marsh participated in a curatorial workshop on art and censorship in New York City. And Marsh and Walker visited galleries and adaptive reuse spaces — including Judd’s preserved former home and studio, 101 Spring Street.
  • Began a curatorial exchange partnership with The FRONT, an artist-run space in New Orleans. Marsh selected Indianapolis based artists Bryn Jackson and Nasreen Khan to exhibit. We’ll host a show in return at Tube Factory in 2025. This enables Indianapolis artists access to exhibit work out of state, engaging a new audience. 

Guests fill the Main Gallery during a sound healing event in coordination with Julie Xiao’s exhibit “A Journey.”

December

  • Walker continued research travel to cultural, arts, utopian, and organic architecture spaces in Phoenix including Taliesin West, the Japanese Friendship Garden, and the Heard Museum. 
  • Installed a new abstract mural called Waiting for the Light to Tell Them What to Be by Walker in the windows of the Listen Hear space on Shelby Street. 
  • Kicked off our Big Table matching campaign with IHCDA and Patronicty for the culinary arts program and spaces in the expanded contemporary art building currently under renovation and set to open in 2025. We met our goal in early February of 2025. 
  • Began self-reflection and restorative events in the Tube Factory main gallery linked with Julie Xiao’s exhibition. Happening weekly through mid February of 2025, these included sound healing, yoga, and restorative story time.
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Thanks for supporting Big Car’s Water World / Bean Creek Outlook Project!

Thanks for supporting Big Car’s Water World / Bean Creek Outlook Project!

Big Car has transformed an overlooked, overgrown spot along Bean Creek on our Tube Factory campus into a beautiful public place for peaceful reflection, socializing, and learning about nature. Visit this peaceful area by the creek next time you come to Tube Factory!

Thanks to donor and funder support we were able to:

1. Remove a section of asphalt currently located very near Bean Creek, where we created a space for an outdoor classroom and gathering area. This intimate space — inspired by the Happiness Garden located in the 19th Century utopian community of Zoar, Ohio — features permeable landscaped paths surrounding native pollinator plants.

2. Add a path near the creek and stones as steps down that will allow visitors better access to this year-round waterway enjoyed by fish, water birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals like muskrats and mink.

3. Continue to work with experts to remove invasive plants in the area near the creek, replacing these with native plantings.

4. Clean up any trash and junk in the section of Bean Creek that borders our campus.

5. Begin planning to program the area on First Fridays and with special small events to bring social and educational activities, conversations, and performances from commissioned artists.

6. Begin to collaborate with our neighborhood organizations and cultural partners on social and arts-focused gatherings.

7. Repair the parking lot area adjacent to the new restorative space.

8. Highlight the existing rain garden on our campus by replanting it with native pollinators.

9. Create an outdoor classroom and social space surrounded by native plants adjacent to Bean Creek.

10. Build a privacy gate that will include additional awnings and educational displays. This gate will hide away our dumpsters and restrict access to our storage area, creating a safer environment for young visitors.

This project was made possible through our Water World campaign with Patronicity & The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority and by the following donors:

Malina S. Bacon ; Polly Harrold ; Kimberley Pflueger ; Benjamin F. Rose ; Paul J. Hinton ; Beth Webber ; Holly J. Sommers ; Marisol M. Gouveia ; Hannah S. Campbell ; Norbert Krapf ; Heath Hurst ; Matthew L. Gonzales ; Shauta Marsh & Jim Walker ; Georgia Cravey ; Wendy Castillo ; Ursula David ; Raymond McMaster ; Molly Martin ; Matthew J. Rooney ; Jason Burk ; Jane A. Henegar ; Diana Mutz & Howard Schrott ; Bernie Price ; David & Caryn Anderson ; Joshua S. Compton ; Cari Guichelaar ; Frank & Katrina Basile ; Kerry Dinneen & Sam Sutphin ; Jungclaus-Campbell Co., Inc. Charitable Fund ; Ben & Connie Berg ; Linda & Cory Brundage ; Synscapes of Indiana, LLC ; Jenifer & Sean Brown ; Christopher & Ellie Clapp ; Katie & Bwana Clements ; Anne Laker & Joe Merrick ; Friends of Garfield Park ; Garfield Park Neighbors Association ; Cheryl Dillenback ; Katie Sanford & Stephen Evanoff ; Bean Creek Neighborhood Association via Villa Baptist Church ; Ed & Mary Jayne Mahern ; Patronicity & IHCDA ; the Big Car staff ; and the TeenWorks Summer 2024 crew.

This was also made possible through Central Indiana Community Foundation’s Summer Youth Program Fund, with Capital support from Lilly Endowment Inc. & Program support from Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation Inc. for the 2024 TeenWorks Summer Program at Tube Factory.

Thank you to all who made the Bean Creek outlook and Happiness Garden educational space possible!

Find more pictures on our Flickr.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

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Join our long-term affordable artist residency program

Join our long-term affordable artist residency program

Big Car’s Artist and Public Life Residency (APLR) program – which offers affordable housing to artists who support the community – seeks artists of all disciplines for a discounted, nicely renovated rental home near Tube Factory artspace and Garfield Park. APLR artists enjoy access to Big Car facilities and support from this artist-focused community.
More on the home:
  •  1 bedroom, 1 bath, new appliances (including washing and dryer), street side parking. $600 per month
APPLICATION CLOSES MAY 12
How does it work?
  • As an exchange for deeply discounted rent cost, artists dedicate about 16 hours per month to work with the public in the community. These hours can include time
    on your own public-facing projects, related training and meetings, research, and time supporting our neighborhood, Big Car programs, and citywide efforts.
  • Artists share a detailed plan and goals for the upcoming year and beyond for their public work as part of APLR .
  • Resident artists share progress and plans.
  • Artists participate in group public engagement efforts on our block.
  • Artists have opportunities to participate in exhibition and collaboration opportunities. We encourage partnerships between resident artists, visiting artists, other local artists, and our staff artists.
  • Artists residents are communicative, collaborative, and considerate with our neighbors, Big Car staff, volunteers and partners.
  • Resident artists receive research, promotion, and training support from Big Car staff and others as they will represent our partnership in the community.
  • Resident artists have access to tools, resources and spaces on our campus.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A RESIDENT ARTIST?
We view the label of artists broadly to include all creatives, makers, visual artists, performers, culinary artists, writers, musicians, designers. Anyone who considers themselves an artist is eligible to apply. Click here to apply. (edited) 
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Announcing the 2023 Power Plant Grant Awardees

Announcing the 2023 Power Plant Grant Awardees

Big Car Collaborative, has regranted a total of $60,000 to artists living and working in the Indianapolis area. These Power Plant Grants — made possible by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts based in New York — fund visual artists and collectives producing public-facing work that’s experimental and brings new energy to the city’s arts community.

Big Car is one of 32 regional regranting organizations across the United States working to support artists via funds from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. “We are grateful to our Regional Regranting Program partners at Big Car Collaborative for their ongoing dedication to supporting artists in the Indianapolis area,” says Khadija Nia Adell, Regional Regranting Program Manager, “The Warhol Foundation is excited to see the projects awarded in this cycle come to fruition and to continue to help artists thrive and make thoughtful and exciting contributions to their communities.”

This is the third round of Power Plant Grants in Indianapolis. The program started here in 2020 as emergency grants distributed during the height of the pandemic. Big Car also awarded $60,000 in project grants to artists and artist-run spaces in 2021 and 2022.

“Power Plant Grants energize the Indianapolis arts community and support visual artists by encouraging them to grow by taking chances, realizing untapped potential, trying

experimental projects, collaborating with each other, and bringing work to unusual places,” said Big Car program director Shauta Marsh. “We’re excited by the quality, dedication, and innovation we see in the work of these artists in our city. We’re so glad to be able to support them and what they’re bringing to audiences in Indianapolis.”

Power Plant grants support visual artists who live, work, or run spaces in Indianapolis with six project grants of $10,000. This year’s awardees were selected by past Power Plant winner Andrea Jandernoa, Indiana-based artist Kelvin Burzon, and Cierra Rembert of SPACES in Cleveland, Ohio.

These are the funded projects for 2023:

Zola Lamothe “Ransom Place: Unveiling a Forgotten Legacy.” This project will center around recreating household and community scenes on the Indiana University Indianapolis campus where people’s homes, churches, and livelihoods once stood. Lamothe’s goal is that viewers will be able to not only witness the juxtaposition of what the land housed then and now but also bear witness to what was lost and wonder what could have been. The work will be released and shared with the community along with information about Indiana laws and future reform to avoid gentrification and displacement. In addition to the public gallery exhibition, Lamothe also plans to donate prints to the Through 2 Eyes organization that offers Indianapolis walking tours on the city’s history.

Lamothe hopes to release a photo book of the project that includes quotes and interviews from those who used to live in Ransom Place and their descendants. Her goal is for the book to be available in public libraries, the Indiana University Indianapolis bookstore, and the Indiana State Museum gallery shop.

Lauren Daughtery: Transformal Textiles

Textile Transformations will focus on themes of grief and loss, transformation, and empowerment through textile work. Using textiles related to a late child (crib sheets, clothing, colors associated with the nursery, etc), mothers will create their own textile work to memorialize their child and to provide a process-based approach for containing and transforming thoughts and emotions.

Textile work has been found to be beneficial in trauma work, allowing women to cope with grief, depression, and other physical ailments. Working in textiles provides sensory stimulation, promotes a feeling of centeredness or grounding, and can be used as a

coping mechanism that can improve mood. This grant will support two iterations of Textile Transformations. Any mother who has experienced loss of a child due to miscarriage, birth trauma, post-birth complications, or any other means will be invited to participate. Sessions will be led by an art therapist and practicing artist alongside a licensed mental health counselor. There will be an optional exhibition for the participants.

Kelsey Simpson: Railroad City Bookmobile

Railroad City Bookmobile is an extension of the work that the locally based Gluestick group does within the Indianapolis community including teaching workshops, distributing free art supplies, publishing collaborative zines, and hosting an annual festival. As the digital world takes over, books and zine making are becoming more like art objects. Our plan is to fill a small vehicle with zines, comic books, and general interest books and distribute them across Indianapolis. In the long run we would love to make connections with community representatives and make return visits to certain locations. We envision ourselves having an item for everyone. We would love to connect with Hoosiers and ask what they would like to read or share with others. We want to see the bookmobile become a collaborative project with all who encounter it.

The Power Plant Grant will be used to purchase a vehicle and transform it into the Railroad City Bookmobile. This mobile workshop will make its public debut at a Read-in event with workshops and other creative opportunities for visitors at the Major Taylor Skatepark on the near westside of Indianapolis. Gluestick plans to document the Read-in experience and publish it as a zine to promote the Railroad City Bookmobile.

Bryn Jackson and April Knauber: Markings of Remembrance.
This collaboration engages a form of Filipino storytelling through abstract patterns found in ancestral body art, or tatak. By engaging stateside practitioners, ancestral objects, colonial-era manuscripts and contemporary texts, Jackson and Knauber see their ultimate goal to be creating space for collective remembrance and understanding of an artform nearly lost to hundreds of years of religious and political subjugation of the indigenous peoples of the islands now known as the Philippines.

Prior to the creation of new sculptural and video works, the project will consist of the formation of a cohort of Filipinos interested in researching their lineage and sharing their findings and personal experiences, continuing a long tradition of cultivating collective memory through oral history, which will inform a tailored curriculum through which the group will learn about the archetypal symbols central to various Filipino tattoo traditions.

Jackson and Knauber will research and share individual histories, the islands from which their families migrated, the languages spoken within their families, and the roles family members held within their communities.

Carlos Sosa: “Reflexiónes de Los Júziers: A New Visual Ethnonym and A New Consciousness Portrait Series”

Sosa will produce and exhibit a dozen multimedia artworks — portraits, dioramas, and textile pieces — with accompanying text in Spanish and English. The work is based on decades-old photos of Hispanic individuals and families with roots in Latin America who chose to call Indiana their home. The artworks will be displayed in high-traffic areas in multiple parts of Indiana. Also, during scheduled discussions and public meetings, these images will foster dialogue to address issues of identity and immigration, migration and borders in our own lives.

Sosa’s goal is for these works to help us think more about identity, survival, energy, and movement. Today’s Júziers will hopefully connect with “their” origin stories: a collection of faces and narratives that is easy to explore and make their own. His approach is focused on the belief that images will reflect or provide access to a period’s views and actively participate in acknowledging those views de vida in the first place. A history of images has an impact on remaking, which itself constitutes a valuable record and purpose of people’s lived lives.

Evren Wilder Elliott: Imagining Home: Liberatory Theatre and Speculative Solutions for Housing Justice

Elliot’s social practice and performance art project, “Imagining Home: Liberatory Theatre and Speculative Solutions for Housing Justice” aims to utilize critical dialogue, art and liberatory theater to examine the housing crisis in Indianapolis, specifically among the experiences of Black, Latine, Indigenous, LGBTQ2S+, and other historically marginalized communities.

By gathering community members affected by housing insecurity, as well as partnering with local organizations within the Indianapolis Housing Continuum of Care, we will engage in play, improvisation, imagination, and storytelling practices to collectively envision solutions and policies that can drive meaningful change. This project will employ a participatory approach, inviting individuals to become co-creators and active agents in the exploration of housing issues. Through a series of workshops, participants

will be encouraged to develop their narratives through story circles, written accounts, performance, image-making, and other creative mediums.

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Thanks for helping us meet our CreatINg Places match!

Thanks for helping us meet our CreatINg Places match!

We want to thank our individual donors who helped us with a successful campaign to raise funds matched by the IHCDA CreatINg Places program with the State of Indiana. This campaign — which brought in $50,000 from donors matched by $50,000 from IHCDA — is supporting improvements underway to our Cruft Street Commons campus and adjacent block. Many donated anonymously and we aren’t listing their names.

Indianapolis Foundation, PNC Foundation, Lumina Foundation, Buckingham Foundation, Jenifer Brown, Diana Mutz, Ed Mahern, Ursula David, Marianne Glick, Katie Clements, Frank and Katrina Basile, Anne Laker and Joe Merrick, Jane Henegar, Emily Masengale, Russell Clemens, David Yosha, Stephen B Gates, Ben & Connie Berg, Janet Fry, Connie Christofanelli, Martha Steele, James C Kelly, Kurt Bokelman, Carlie Foreman, Steve Guichelaar, Thomas Batista, David Anderson, Chelsea DuKate, Daniel E. Marquis, Alex Tourney, Jim Walker, Katie Carlson, Bethany N Bak, Georgia Mason, Molly Martin, Iris L. Williamson, Mali Jeffers, Paul J Hinton, Joan Wyand, Sarah Spiewak, Sarah J Stiles, Felix Medina

With your help, our staff and many artists will team up to further beautify our block for people to celebrate art, poetry, and each other at a welcoming public place filled with color, light, and nature.

All of this work – centered around community collaboration – continues to develop social infrastructure that helps make places inclusive, equitable, and comfortable. Thank you for your investment in Big Car Collaborative and for sharing our belief that art and vibrant public spaces are crucial to the quality of life for everyone!

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Help us meet our match to beautify our art block!

Help us meet our match to beautify our art block!

Today through Dec. 22, each dollar you give in support is matched by Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority (IHCDA)’s CreatINg Places program.

Please donate today. Your tax-deductible support will help us further beautify our block on the near southside for people to celebrate art, poetry, and each other at our welcoming public place filled with color, light, and nature.  You can also help us by sharing the word about this opportunity that also comes with fun rewards for donating.

With this project on our contemporary art campus (now with 16 artist homes and three cultural and community buildings) we’ll improve the streetscape by bringing the artist’s homes alive with color, light, and plantings. And we’ll add commissioned public art around the block (including poets and musicians as well as visual artists) as we launch a seasonal art walk series that will include the resident artists as it becomes a regular celebration for the public.

Learn more and donate at www.patronicity.com/abloom

What we’ll do with your support (often working with and paying commissioned, neighborhood, and other locally based artists):

  • Paint artist houses on the block with vibrant and welcoming colors.
  • Add light elements to homes and streets for night-time art walks and year-round beauty.
  • Utilize a projector to show bright and colorful digital art on the side of our soon-to-be-renovated big building — visible from much of the block.
  • Bring public art to surprising places on the block — like the chain-link fence around our parking lot (colorful flower mural), street sign poles (a perfect place for poems), and the dead-end barrier at the end of Cruft Street (kinetic sculpture).
  • Add benches around existing trees along Cruft Street and install attractive planters for residents to use for growing food in spring.
  • Install wayfinding and informational signage around the block.
  • Start the first of an ongoing tradition of seasonal art walks around the entire block (winter, spring, summer, and fall) that include galleries, installations, and performances at the different artist’s homes and yards.

We hope you can join us for a donation-optional art openings and fundraiser celebration during First Friday on Dec. 2 from 6-10 p.m. at Tube Factory artspace. 

Proceeds from that night will go toward this campaign. As always, we thank our friends at Sun King for their ongoing support. 

DONATE TO OUR MATCHING CAMPAIGN

If you’d prefer to write a check, please also note Patronicity in the memo. You can mail/drop your donation in person at the following address:


 Big Car Collaborative
1125 Cruft Street
Indianapolis, IN 46203

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Circle SPARK Fest Artist & Vendor Call Out

Circle SPARK Fest Artist & Vendor Call Out

Sat & Sun, October 22-23 1-5 PM on Monument Circle

Big Car Collaborative in partnership with Downtown Indy, Inc. are bringing Circle Spark Fest on Monument Circle and are seeking artists to participate.  

400 to 600 guests are expected at the following event, the majority of which are downtown for work, and a good number of downtown residents as well. A required Vendor Submission Form is Due September 29 @ 12pm.

Event Details

Event:  Circle Spark Fest

LocationSW Quad of Monument Circle (in front of Emmis)

Parking Provided (1 vehicle per artist) on Monument Circle on the SE and NW quad curb lane. 

Schedule

Event Time:   1:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Load-in Time:   11 am

Load-out Completion: 9 pm

Artist Requirements:

  • We will require a $50 refundable deposit for artists to participate once accepted. Artisan vendors will be refunded their full deposit upon attendance.
  • Artists must provide their own setup (which could include a 10×10 tent, table, chairs, signage, etc.)
  • A signed Services Agreement that Downtown Indy, Inc. will need returned at least 48 hours prior to event

Big Car Collaborative and Downtown Indy, Inc. will provide:

  • 1- (12×12) space along the curb lane or the inner part of the SW quad of The Circle
  • Access to electrical outlet for $10 fee (limited number available)
  • Overall logistics/event management
  • Police officers to close the SW quad of the Circle
  • Overnight security of vendor booths
  • Port-o-lets and handwashing stations
  • 1 parking space per artist
  • Liability insurance for vendors
  • Marketing and promotion of event (vendors will be required to market their participation of the event, Big Car and Downtown Indy will NOT promote any single vendor)
  • Live music, games, and artist-led activities

Eligibility

Circle Spark Fest is open to all individual artists and artisans over 18 years of age living in central Indiana, but preference will be given to those living in downtown Indianapolis. All artwork must be original art or fine craft and made by the artist/s and/or artisan/s present at the event. We define “fine craft” as functional objects such as unique one of a kind ceramics, jewelry, etc. and also include creative functional non-art objects such as artisan made soaps, clothing, etc.  Imported or commercially made objects will not be accepted.

All 2D and 3D media are welcome. However, due to the nature and timing of the event, it is recommended that all items are offered in an accessible size and priced relative to the environment ranging from the low end of $5 to a median $50 and higher end between $150 and $250.

Selection Process:

Artists/Artisans will be selected based upon the quality and uniqueness of their work as well as its appropriateness for a variety of downtown audiences.

Fill out the Submission Form here.

  • This form will take 5-10 minutes to fill out if you have your upload materials ready.
  • Via the online form, applicants are to submit 5 images depicting examples of the artwork/fine craft they intend to sell at Circle Spark Fest as well as an (optional) photo of their booth set up.
  • You will be notified by October 3 if you’ve been selected to be a featured artist/artisan for the Fest.

Timeline: 

Wednesday, September 29th by noon: Application Deadline

October 3: All artists/artisans are notified whether or not they have been accepted into Circle Spark Fest. Those accepted will receive further instruction on load in that they have been chosen and will be given further instruction on load-in and parking.

By Friday, October 14th: All required documents must be returned.

More information about the organizers of Circle Spark Fest:

With SPARK on the Circle in 2022, the artist-led cultural and community organization, Big Car Collaborative, is teaming up with Downtown Indy and the City of Indianapolis to spark downtown with free, human-scale activities like playing games, enjoying live music, making art, and socializing in a comfortable place to take it easy, spend time together, and enjoy our city. SPARK activities are free for everyone to enjoy.

For specific questions, please contact spark@bigcar.org 

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SPARK on the Circle 2022

SPARK on the Circle 2022

Who and what? We at Big Car are teaming up with Downtown Indy and the City of Indianapolis — with support from the Capital Improvement Board and the Indiana War Memorials Commission— to spark Monument Circle with human-scale activities like games, live music, artmaking, and socializing in a comfortable place. Everything is free for people to enjoy. 

When? We started this round of SPARK in the last week of June. We’ll be going through the end of October — Mondays through Thursdays 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Fridays 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 

In September: we add 5-9 pm Wednesdays and Circle SPARK Festival on Oct. 22-23 (Saturday and Sunday). Our last day will be Oct. 28.

Event info and more at circlespark.org and sparkplaces on Instagram. 

Where? We’re based from the southwest quadrant in front of the Emmis.

Why? SPARK’s goals are to: 

  1. Honor the history and civic importance of Monument Circle while working to bring vitality to the space today and support a bright future for the Circle.
  2. Help improve the quality of life of those who enjoy the Circle by supporting a thriving, welcoming, inclusive, comfortable, and fun civic and social space in the center of our city.
  3. 3. Provide enjoyable, memorable, creative, and surprising experiences for visitors.
  4. Support and pay Indianapolis artists working in many genres.
  5. Spark economic opportunities for local business owners and entrepreneurs — including artists. SPARK focuses on supporting Downtown businesses on or near Monument Circle.


Of note: In 2015, we at Big Car Collaborative teamed up with the City, Downtown Indy, and many others to test — over a stretch of one summer — to test the big idea of prioritizing Monument Circle for people. Funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts along with support from CICF and the City, this project (also called Spark) proved very successful.

You can find the 2022 schedule and more information at circlespark.org. 

Details 

DAILY OFFERINGS

Circle Sounds — During all open SPARK hours, Big Car artists are programming Circle Sounds through the Circle’s amazing audio speakers. Circle Sounds also airs citywide on our community radio station, WQRT 99.1 FM and streaming at wqrt.org. It’s a mix of upbeat instrumentals — from jazz to world music to pop — that also includes work by local musicians. In between batches of songs, we share, instead of commercials, audio projects being created there. This includes commissioned poems in response to the Circle, haikus submitted by the public visiting the Circle, quick thoughts by visitors on why they love the Circle, and more. WQRT is also doing live DJing at the Circle and taking requests Fridays from noon to 1 p.m.

All weekdays — A range of pop-up offerings and opportunities to play games, make art, record poems, send free postcards, hang out in a shady spot, and get info from staff artists on site. 

Tuesdays — Each week at noon, we offer Lunch Break Live presented by Lake City Bank featuring local (mostly pop and singer/songwriter) musicians curated by Indianapolis musician The Girl Called Books. (See full musician list below).

Wednesday evenings — Guided walks about history and culture offered the evenings each week. Wednesdays also feature Evening Embers: Ambient Music at Spark Monument Circle — organized by Indianapolis ambient artist Rob Funkhouser. (See full list of walks and Wednesday evening series musicians below).

Thursdays — From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., free, quick-stop artist interactions and hands-on activities ranging from block printing or live painting, to portrait drawing or henna hand art.

Fridays — Open until 9 pm for people enjoying the Circle and getting started on the weekend.

SPECIAL PROJECTS

Circle Artist in Residence — Yeabsera Tabb is working on ideas related to play and exploring the Circle. One project includes playful prompts printed and located on the sidewalks. (See more information from Yeabsera below). 

Circle Anthology — We’re commissioning 25 writers to share work inspired by the Circle. Their poems will air on WQRT FM during Circle Sounds playing from the Circle speakers and we’ll do a live reading with this group at 7 p.m. on Oct. 12. This is linked to our Haiku Here that encourages people to submit their own haikus inspired by the Circle to air on WQRT and play on the Circle speakers during Circle Sounds each day. 

No More No Place — Organized by Indianapolis musician and IUPUI professor Jordan Munson, this project pairs instrumental music by local composers with video accompaniments projected on the Circle. Debuts at 8 p.m. on Oct. 12. 

Circle SPARK Fest — Oct. 22-23 from 1-6 p.m. each day. We’ll showcase local artists and musicians with a brand-new, two-day celebration of art and harvest time. Artisan vendors, live music, performance art, pumpkin decorating, and lots more. On Saturday, bands playing are Radar Gold, Books & Straight As, Vertice, and The Brothers Footman. On Sunday; it’s Addie Kosten; Beatty and the Bayonets; Kristen Bales; Ricardo. Artist Derek Tuder will bring his mobile art gallery and selfie studio and Big Car’s Wagon of Wonders will be there.

Halloween on the Circle — Oct. 26 a Halloween-themed walk at 6 pm. and a live soundtrack to the silent scary film, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920), at 7:30 p.m. on the Monument steps. Film and soundtrack by local musicians in partnership with Classical Music Indy. 

Boot Scoot and Vintage Market on the Circle — Oct. 27 at 6  p.m. Hosted by artist John Stamps, this will be an evening of line dancing and country music on the Circle. Costume contest that night too. Massive line dance and costume contest led by John Stamps/Kevin Hofmeister.

What if people have ideas or want to partner on an idea? 

They can reach out to us at spark@bigcar.org.

More details 

Lunchbreak Live musicians (Tuesdays at noon, free)

Sept 6: Emma Peridot (synth pop)

Sept 13: Sheeza (rock & soul) 

Sept 20: Florelis Jimenez Vejas (Venezuelan pop)

Sept 27: Bitter Proof (experimental classical, jazz)

Oct 4: The Hammer and The Hatchet (Americana)

Oct. 11: Katie Jo Robinson (Indie jazz-pop)

Oct. 18: Indy Annies (country)

Oct. 25: Crescent Ulmer (folk, singer-songwriter) 

Walking tours (Wednesdays at 6 p.m., free)

Sept. 7— Indy’s German Heritage: Explore Indianapolis German American History with architectural historian Bill Selm. You don’t need to be German to take the tour…just interested in knowing more about this particular history of Indianapolis. Cosponsored by IUPUI Interior Design Technology and the Indiana German Heritage Society.

Sept. 14 — The Circle City’s Namesake Landmark: Gain deeper appreciation for Indianapolis’s symbolic heart by exploring the history and architecture of the Soldiers & Sailors Monument and the buildings that encircle it. Tours presented by Indiana Landmarks.

Sept. 21 — Haiku Hike: Learn about the art of haiku observation and try your hand at some in-the-moment, 3-line poems led by poet, Big Car executive director and SPARK lead artist Jim Walker. Co-create a linked group haiku (renga) with your fellow walkers. And we’ll record haiku to air on WQRT FM. Everyone gets a free little notebook. Presented by Big Car. 

Sept. 28 — Ugly Ducklings: Join historians Jordan Ryan and Callie McCune for a look at the hidden tales and amazing stories behind buildings you might love to hate: City-County Building, the Gold Building, the former Anthem building on Monument Circle, and others. You may even learn to love some of Indy’s most unseemly architecture.

Oct. 5 — Magical History Tour: Artist, scavenger, and raconteur Kipp Normand guides you on a stroll through the oddities of Indianapolis history and spaces. Get ready for weird.

Oct. 12 — The Circle City’s Namesake Landmark: Gain deeper appreciation for Indianapolis’s symbolic heart by exploring the history and architecture of the Soldiers & Sailors Monument and the buildings that encircle it. Tours presented by Indiana Landmarks  (repeat of Sept. 14 tour).

Oct. 19 — Public Art Crawl: Inspired by the recent Public Art Census produced by Rokh – a cultural equity research & design studio – take an artist-led tour highlighting Downtown’s public works by artists of the global majority (Black, Asian, Brown, dual-heritage, Indigenous). Presented by Rokh.

Oct. 26 — Spooky Mayhem Tour: Brace yourself for a Halloween-ish tour of the seedy, sinister, dark side of Indianapolis history.

Note: All tours meet at the SPARK welcome trailer on the southwest quad of Monument Circle. Expect to walk between a half-mile and 2 miles total. In case of bad weather, cancellation decisions will be made by 3 p.m. Check SPARK social media or website for updates.

Evening Embers: Ambient Music (Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m., free)

Sept. 7:  Airport People 

Sept 14: Clare Longendyke

Sept. 21: Landon Caldwell

Sept. 28: Michael Raintree 

Oct. 5:  DJ Little Town 

Oct. 12: Jordan Munson and Rob Funkhouser

Oct. 19: Hanna Benn 

More about the 2022 Circle Artist in Residence

Hello! My name is Yeabsera Tabb. I’m a Social Impact Designer and an artist based in Indianapolis. I’m interested in how physical places shape our daily experiences and our identity. I love the serendipitous interaction and connections that occur in public places between people of all backgrounds. 

The physical and conceptual aspect of places and identity has been a huge part of my art and design exploration. I was born in Addis Ababa Ethiopia and lived there until the age of 13. Buildings and public places looked and functioned differently there than they do here. And spaces possessed similar yet different identities and memories. I was drawn to exploring the built environment in terms of form and structure and socially constructed ideas of belonging and identity. I’m thrilled at the opportunity to foster human connection through place, art, and play at the Monument Circle Artist Residency.  

My work often addresses my lived experience inhabiting multiple identities both as a Black woman in America and as an immigrant. Through printmaking, textiles, and other forms of visual art I explore the nuance concept of home and place. During my time as a Design for Social Impact student, I conducted a year-long research project on the experiences of Black women in America, particularly, Black women navigating predominantly white spaces. I transformed this collection of qualitative data into my show Black Presence to create safe spaces of healing and joy for Black women. Black Presence was on display at 1920 Gallery in Marion, Indiana, and 1000 Words Indy in Indianapolis. After graduating with degrees in both Design for Social Impact and Fine Arts, I held multiple solo shows in Indianapolis as well as group shows including The Truth of Freedom at Newfields. Additionally, I was one of 10 Black woman artists named as an Emerging Visionary Artist by Shea Moisture. 

All the connections I made through these explorations empower me to continue to create work that is human-centered at its core. I’m excited to be Big Car’s Monument Circle artist and resident this summer/fall. I am looking forward to creating opportunities for connection at Monument Circles through artful play. Monument Circle is a major point of connection in the city of Indianapolis. The space functions as a threshold that connects people of all backgrounds such as business professionals, residents, tourists and so much more. It’s a transient space that acts as a study point of intersection.  I hope to honor the place by knowing it well through being present and recognizing the assets as well as the needs. I’m looking forward to growing as a person and an artist through connecting with people and collaborating with the team. 

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Congratulations to the 2022 Power Plant Grant recipients

Congratulations to the 2022 Power Plant Grant recipients

Big Car Collaborative, has regranted a total of $60,000 to five artist collectives and five individual artists living and working in the Indianapolis area. These Power Plant Grants — made possible by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts based in New York — fund visual artists and collectives producing public-facing work that’s experimental and brings new energy to the city’s arts community. 

Big Car is one of 32 regional regranting organizations across the United States working to support artists via funds from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Art. This is the third round of Power Plant Grants in Indianapolis. The program started in 2020 as emergency grants distributed during the height of the pandemic. In 2021, Big Car also awarded $60,000 in project grants to artists and artist-run spaces. 

“Power Plant Grants energize the Indianapolis arts community and support visual artists by encouraging them to grow by taking chances, realizing untapped potential, trying experimental projects, collaborating with each other, and bringing work to unusual places,” said Big Car program director Shauta Marsh. “We’re excited by the quality, dedication, and innovation we see in the work of these artists in our city. We’re so glad to be able to support them and what they’re bringing to audiences in Indianapolis.” 

Power Plant grants support visual artists who live, work, or run spaces in Indianapolis with project grants ranging from $2,000 to $10,000. 

These are the funded projects for 2022:

Chromatic Collective

Chromatic Collective is an artist-run space in Broad Ripple that provides niche art supply and space for both emerging and established artists of all mediums to exhibit their work. We create connections between artists and act as a creative resource for the public to interact with the arts.

From Left to Right: Hailee Smith, Erica Parker, Rafael Caro, Nate Holmes, Mike Kane.

IG: www.instagram.com/chromatic6216 

FB: https://www.facebook.com/Chromatic6216/ 

Philip Campbell: From Me to You

From Me to You  is a series of six handmade, art quilts (or security blankets) that will be exhibited in the Horizon House and then presented to patients at the Pedigo Clinic who are experiencing homelessness and in recovery from a substance use disorder.  Each security blanket will be a unique combination of new fabrics combined with recycled textiles. “I deconstruct used clothing to make most of my work. Using this as a metaphor

for healing ourselves: Sometimes in the process of repairing things that have broken, we actually create something more unique, beautiful and resilient.”

IG: www.instagram.com/philipcampbell

1000 Words Gallery

1000 Words Gallery has created a safe space for artists to grow and flourish through our monthly residency program. The space has hosted over 10 black, emerging artists since the beginning of 2021. Its programs include artist development, art classes, art events, and community engagement. Also, 1000 Words plans to expand their residency with more funding and make it open to more artists.

From Left to Right: Arria Woolcock, Ikennea Stovall, Greg Rose, Chris Smith

IG: https://www.instagram.com/1000wordsindy/
Website: https://1000wordsindy.com

Silvia Vimos Suarez: Stitches of Presence

 Stitches of Presence is a space for gathering, recognition, and offering through hand embroidery. Suarez will convene Latina women living in the East Side Indianapolis to get together. During the gathering time, the women will recognize the value of knowledge and wisdom and share this knowledge among themselves and with our community.

The gatherings will take place at the Irvington Public Library. The library is a symbolic place par excellence where the knowledge generated by humanity converges and circulates. For this reason, the intention of this project is to build presence in this public place through diverse symbolic gestures, contributing to the convergence of knowledge.

Blog: https://silviavimos.blogspot.com/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/willkaypacha/

Boxx the Artist: The Women In Between

The Women In Between will be a new body of work that explores printing dark skin tone hues on canvas and amplifying detail with acrylics. This project will be featured in an exhibit upon completion for in-person exhibits, virtual exhibition, and developed as an NFT project for the digital blockchain. Historically, the chemicals used during this process were not adequate to capture a diversity of darker

skin tones. Racial bias was systematically embedded through the color calibration process for printing with the use of “Shirley Cards” developed by Kodak as reference photos for technicians to balance hues that became an industry standard. This lacked range for dark skin, resulting in poorly printed photos. Despite advancements in technology, printing dark skinned hues still lacks details. Boxx the Artists’ collection will focus on the diversity of dark skin tones through canvas printing capturing the details through print and explore this systematic bias within printmaking using acrylics as a solution.

Website: www.boxxtheartist.com 

IG: www.instagram.com/boxxtheartist  

Fb: www.facebook.com/boxxtheartist 

Twitter: www.twitter.com/boxxtheartist www.linkedIn.com/in/boxxtheartist

BRIDGE Collective City Natives Gallery

Mike Graves

City Natives Gallery is curated by BRIDGE Collective. Located on the second floor of the Murphy Arts Center in Fountain Square, the gallery and shop features contemporary fine art, apparel, and more. BRIDGE works with both emerging and established artists, providing professional gallery space, and imparting our expertise in artist services,

formed over the last 20 years working as artists, curators, and arts administrators. This Power Plant grant will support an exhibit with Artist Carolyn Harper, Philadelphia-based textile artist to create a new piece about Indianapolis resident Kristine Bunch who was she was wrongfully convicted of arson and the murder of her young son and spent 17 years of her life in prison and released in 2012.

IG: https://www.instagram.com/bridgecollective/

Kaila Austin: Reimagining the Hardrick Home: Public Art as Heritage Preservation

“Reimagining the Hardrick Home: Public Art as Heritage Preservation” engages the little-known history of Indiana’s first African American painter, John Wesley Hardrick, born 1891 in Norwood on the Southeast side of Indianapolis. “Working with the recently identified Hardrick Family collection and in collaboration with his descendants, my end goal is to replicate a Lost Mural that was painted at Crispus Attucks High

School in the 1930s to be installed in the Pride Park in Norwood at its re-opening celebration. “This grant will allow Austin to use the Hardrick Family Collection to do studies of his work, read his diaries, learn about his techniques, and research other artists working during the Harlem Renaissance. All of this to replicate a mural that was never seen and to which there are no known photos of.

Photo credit: Ankh Productions Inc.
IG: https://www.instagram.com/kailataustin/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/theroguehistorian/

Healer DIY: Natural Infestation

Natural Infestation is a continuation of installations in the outdoor space of Healer DIY, focusing on the transformation of two RVs and a van shrine. The green RV will house an immersive installation focused on natural infestations similar to Healer’s interior, featuring vines, floral elements, interactive lighting, and animatronic sculptures.

The silver RV will feature a steampunk/post-apocalypse-themed installation in the vein of the Mad Max vehicles, featuring interactive elements such as wheels, periscopes, and large gears. Scrap metal and ornate elements will decorate the RV, as well as a quintessential steampunk interior aesthetic with several animatronic elements including a lifesize animatronic steampunk pilot.

IG: https://www.instagram.com/echoingpulse/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@echoingpulse
FB: https://www.facebook.com/healerindianapolis

Lukas Schooler, Ventiko, and Lauren Curry

Ontogenesis is a new, multimedia, durational performance by Lauren Curry, Lukas Schooler, and Ventiko. Ontogenesis illustrates complicated emotions of a ritualistic homecoming where old connections are mourned and new connections are celebrated.

Left to Right: Ventigo, Lauren Curry, Lukas Schooler

The pilgrimage fosters interconnectedness through journeys of transformation by traveling the Canal Walk and engages the public.

Lukas Schooler:

IG: www.instagram.com/lukas.felix.schooler
FB: https://www.facebook.com/lfschooler
Website: www.lukasschooler.com

Ventigo:

IG: www.instagram.com/ventiko
Website: www.ventiko.com


Indy Movement Arts (Lauren Curry)

IG: www.instagram.com/indymovementarts
Website: www.indymovementarts.org

Landon Caldwell: Hidden World

Hidden World is a spatial and interactive sound art collaborative exhibition series & residency focused on sound and its relation to ecology, community, and accessibility. This project builds on the work of Caldwell’s previous project “Everything I hear will outlive me,” a spatial

composition presented at Hidden World along with another work, an interactive sound sculpture titled ‘Touch me so I know I’m still here’ at Gethsemane Green Space on the Eastside of Indianapolis.

IG: https://www.instagram.com/landonscaldwell/

Website: http://www.landoncaldwell.com 


About the Program: Power Plant Grants energize the Indianapolis arts community and support visual artists by encouraging them to grow by taking chances, realizing untapped potential, trying experimental projects, collaborating with each other, and bringing work to unusual places. The grants support — on an annual basis — visual artists who live, work, or run spaces in Indianapolis with project grants ranging from $2,000 to $10,000.
Power Plant Grants are made possible by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and are facilitated by Big Car Collaborative.

About the Regional Regranting Program: The Regional Regranting Program was established in 2007 to recognize and support the movement of independently organized, public-facing, artist-centered activity that animates local and regional art scenes but that lies beyond the reach of traditional funding sources. The program is administered by non-profit visual art centers across the United States that work in partnership with the Foundation to fund artists’ experimental projects and collaborative undertakings.

The 32 regranting programs provide grants of up to $10,000 for the creation and presentation of new work. Programs are developed and facilitated by organizations in Mobile (AL), Albuquerque (NM), Atlanta (GA), Baltimore (MD), Boston (MA), Chicago (IL), Cleveland (OH), Denver (CO), Detroit (MI), Houston (TX), Indianapolis (IN), Kansas City (MO), Los Angeles (CA), Miami (FL), Milwaukee (WI), Minneapolis (MN), Knoxville (TN), New Orleans (LA), Newark (NJ), Oklahoma (OK), Omaha (NE), Philadelphia (PA), Phoenix & Tucson (AZ), Portland (OR), Portland (ME), Providence (RI), Raleigh & Greensboro (NC), Saint Louis (MO), San Francisco (CA), San Juan, PR, Seattle (WA), and Washington D.C.

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Meet Yeabsera Tabb-Artist in Residence for SPARK on the Circle

Meet Yeabsera Tabb-Artist in Residence for SPARK on the Circle

Hello! My name is Yeabsera Tabb. I’m a Social Impact Designer and an artist based in Indianapolis. I’m interested in how physical places shape our daily experiences and our identity. I love the serendipitous interaction and connections that occur in public places between people of all backgrounds. 

The physical and conceptual aspect of places and identity has been a huge part of my art and design exploration. I was born in Addis Ababa Ethiopia and lived there until the age of 13. Buildings and public places looked and functioned differently there than they do here. And spaces possessed similar yet different identities and memories. I was drawn to exploring the built environment in terms of form and structure and socially constructed ideas of belonging and identity. I’m thrilled at the opportunity to foster human connection through place, art, and play at the Monument Circle Artist Residency.  

My work often addresses my lived experience inhabiting multiple identities both as a Black woman in America and as an immigrant. Through printmaking, textiles, and other forms of visual art I explore the nuance concept of home and place. During my time as a Design for Social Impact student, I conducted a year-long research project on the experiences of Black women in America, particularly, Black women navigating predominantly white spaces. I transformed this collection of qualitative data into my show Black Presence to create safe spaces of healing and joy for Black women. Black Presence was on display at 1920 Gallery in Marion, Indiana, and 1000 Words Indy in Indianapolis. After graduating with degrees in both Design for Social Impact and Fine Arts, I held multiple solo shows in Indianapolis as well as group shows including The Truth of Freedom Newfields. Additionally, I was one of 10 Black woman artists named as an Emerging Visionary Artist by Shea Moisture. 

All the connections I made through these explorations empower me to continue to create work that is human-centered at its core. I am excited to be Big Car’s Monument Circle artist and resident this summer and fall. I’m looking forward to creating opportunities for connection at Monument Circles through artful play. Monument Circle is a major point of connection in the city of Indianapolis. The space functions as a threshold that connects people of all backgrounds such as business professionals, residents, tourists, and so much more. It’s a transient space that acts as a study point of intersection. I hope to honor the place by knowing it well through being present and recognizing the assets as well as the needs. I am looking forward to growing as a person and an artist through connecting with people and collaborating with the team.

About SPARK on the Circle: This is an inclusive, artist-led, site-specific partnership between Big Car and Downtown Indy for free daily programming, arts activities, games, live entertainment, and recreation. Also working with the City of Indianapolis, SPARK is made possible by the Capital Improvement Board and Lake City Bank. Learn more at circlespark.org