Big Car

Big Gay Market
2024-08-12 11:00 - 15:00 (America/Indiana/Indianapolis) | 1 Monument Circle, South Facing Steps, United States
Come Join SPARK at Monument Circle for this 2-day long event!
Learn more here!: https://www.indygaymarket.com/
SPARK is a partnership with Downtown Indy @downtownindy the City of Indianapolis @indy_dmd and the Indiana War Memorials Commission – and funded by the Capital Improvements Board. It is a continuation of our work last year and in 2015 on the Circle. At Big Car, we approach our work at the Circle as a site- and community-specific socially engaged art and creative placemaking project. The SPARK on the Circle pop-up park was collaboratively designed with Indianapolis-based Merritt Chase to be a restorative public place where people of all walks of life can relax, play, socialize, and engage with art and artists in the heart of our city.

Lunch Break Live! With Chreece Producer Hour Presented By Lake City Bank
2024-08-14 12:00 - 13:00 | 1 Monument Circle, South Facing Steps, United States
Join us at SPARK for a preview show of Indianapolis’s own hip-hop festival, Chreece!
Chreece Producer Hour at Spark is an engaging DJ set showcasing some of the very talented local producers playing Chreece Hip Hop Festival on August 24th. The Fountain Square Plaza stage has been a staple free community stage since 2015 and features over 15 different DJs and producers in the city fest.
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.

Artist Workshop With Rob Funkhouser and Landon Caldwell
2024-08-16 17:00 - 19:00 | 1 Monument Circle, South Facing Steps, United States
Join sound artists and musicians Rob Funkhouser and Landon Caldwell for an interactive workshop that is FREE to all!
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.

Lunch Break Live! With Kara Cole Presented By Lake City Bank
2024-08-21 12:00 - 13:00 | 1 Monument Circle, South Facing Steps, United States
Joint us at SPARK for a lunch time concert with Kara Cole, presented by Lake City Bank!
Kara Cole is a soulful, heart wrenching, story teller. The desire to connect experience with song is very important. Music is the 1 thing that bridges the gap in every avenue of life. Be kind xx

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.

NIGHTJAR: Januarie York
2024-08-21 19:00 - 21:00 | Tube Factory artspace, 1125 Cruft St., Indianapolis, IN, 46203, United States
Doors at 6 pm, Reading at 7 pm
Open mic prompt: Write a poem that involves the ocean in some way. (317 words max!)
Creative takes on the prompt are fine, but challenge yourself to write something new in response to the prompt!
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About York:
Januarie York is a poet and creative curator. She was recently named the first poet laureate of the Indianapolis Public Library’s Center for Black Literature and Culture. Januarie has released two spoken word albums and published three books of poetry and essays, and runs an online magazine called “LiT Magazine.” She has acted in several plays including “For Colored Girls Only,” has produced her own spoken word theatrical shows that focus on uplifting and inspiring women, and developed a poetry activity book based on increasing Black well-being. Januarie also works with the 46208-based organization The Learning Tree as the “Cultivator of Joy.”
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NIGHTJAR creates an inclusive space for all by bringing together spoken-word performers and page-based poets writing in narrative, lyric, and experimental forms. Every third Wednesday, C.S. Carrier and Michelle Niemann host a reading and invite audience members to share their own poetic responses.

Artist Talk: William Camargo
2024-08-22 19:00 - 21:00 | Tube Factory artspace, 1125 Cruft St., Indianapolis, IN, 46203, United States
Hosted at Tube Factory artspace, 2024 Aurora resident William Camargo will give a talk about his art practice, and the role that residencies play in his work. Camargo uses photography, installation, public interventions, and archives to address gentrification, police violence, and Chicanx/Latinx histories. During the two weeks of his residency in Indianapolis, Camargo will print work from his series, A Little Brown Interference, at Herron School of Art and Design. You can read more about the series and the artist’s residency plans here.
William Camargo is a photo-based artist and educator born and raised in Anaheim, California. He is a photography lecturer at the University of California San Diego and Cal State Fullerton. He attained his MFA from Claremont Graduate University, a BFA from Cal State Fullerton, and an AA at Fullerton Community College. William is the founder and curator of Latinx Diaspora Archives, an archive Instagram page that elevates communities of color through family photos. William has had residencies at the Latinx Project at NYU, Light Work in Syracuse, NY, TILT Institute for Contemporary Image in Philadelphia, the Center for Photography at Woodstock, NY, and Penumbra Foundation, NYC. William’s work has been exhibited and published internationally, including at The Cheech Center for Chicano Art, Frost Museum of Art, and Princeton Museum of Art. His works are in held several public and private collections, including the Huntington Library, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, and the Los Angeles Museum of Art.
Free and open to the public

Drum Circles With The Percussive Arts Society And Rob Funkhouser
2024-08-23 12:00 - 13:00 | 1 Monument Circle, South Facing Steps, United States
Come join the Percussive Arts Society with Rob Funkhouser at SPARK !
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.

SPARK on the Circle is an ongoing partnership between Big Car Collaborative, Downtown Indy, City of Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development, the Capital Improvement Board, and the Indiana War Memorials Commission.

Chreece x VDBL: Indiana Jones Memorial DJ Battle!
2024-08-23 18:00 - 22:00 | Tube Factory artspace, 1125 Cruft St., Indianapolis, IN, 46203, United States
6-10pm
Join Chreece & VDBL at Tube Factory artspace on Friday, Aug. 23 from 6-10pm for a thrilling 16-DJ-tournament with proceeds going to the DJ Indiana Jones Youth Scholarship Fund to support youth tuition in learning to DJ!
Donate and find event information here.

Artist Workshop: Kris Komakech
2024-08-25 15:00 - 17:00 | 1 Monument Circle, South Facing Steps, United States
Come to SPARK for an Artist Workshop led by Indianapolis artist Kris Komakech through their Clock Workshop!
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

Power Plant Grant In-person Info-session
2024-08-26 19:00 - 20:00 | Tube Factory artspace, 1125 Cruft St., Indianapolis, IN, 46203, United States
Have questions about applying for a Power Plant Grant?
Join us for an in-person info-session at Tube Factory artspace on Monday, Aug. 26, 2024 from 7 – 8 p.m. EST.
1125 Cruft St Indianapolis, IN 46203
…
The Power Plant Grant supports project grants for visual artists who live or work Indianapolis, Indiana.
Eligible applicants are visual and or multidisciplinary artists who create original work in painting, drawing, sculpture, book art, ceramics, fiber, printmaking, digital and media works, film, video, photography, performance art, sound art, social practice and or hybrid or interdisciplinary practice of any or all of the above.
A panel of three judges, two Indiana-based and one out-of-state, will award six artists or artist teams project grants of $10,000 — with a total of $60,000 granted per cycle.
Apply for 2024-2025 Round 1 by Monday, Sept. 9, 11:59 p.m. EST.
Learn more at bigcar.org/project/power-plant-grants/ , powerplantgrant.org , or email email hidden; JavaScript is required

Lunch Break Live! With Wes Schaaf Presented By Lake City Bank
2024-08-28 12:00 - 13:00 | 1 Monument Circle, South Facing Steps, United States
Wes Schaaf is multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter from Indy’s north side. Performing a mix of original songs and covers, they create dreamy, melodic indie-folk and jazz-inspired sounds around themes of queer/trans identity, family, and healing.
Lunch Break Live! is presented by Lake City Bank
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.

SPARK on the Circle is an ongoing partnership between Big Car Collaborative, Downtown Indy, City of Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development, the Capital Improvement Board, and the Indiana War Memorials Commission.

Indy Humanities Story Time with Kim Howard
2024-08-31 15:00 - 16:00 | 1 Monument Circle, South Facing Steps, United States
Come join us at SPARK for a Story Time Session hosted by Indy Humanities!
Kim Howard will be reading her debut picture book, Grace and Box, which was the Children’s category winner of the 2022 Indiana Authors Awards. She will have songs and games that go with the story. Please feel free to tag her author page on Facebook, and she will share the posts there as well, @kimhowardbooks.
Attached here is also a longer author biography if you would like to include that as well:
Kim Howard is a children’s book author and former teacher. Her debut picture book Grace and Box was published in 2021 by Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan. Grace and Box is a 2022 Indiana Early Literacy Firefly Award nominee, a 2022 Panda Book Awards nominee, and was included on the 2021 Redbud Read Aloud Masterlist for Oklahoma. The School Library Journal called it “a surefire hit for story time.”
Kim has wanted to be an author ever since she was little. Now, she enjoys doing author visits to preschools and elementary schools and inspiring future generations of writers. Her writing has appeared in publications such as Her View from Home, Nerdy Book Club, Imagination Soup, and Scary Mommy.
She has her Ph.D. in Curriculum Studies from Indiana University and taught sixth grade in Lafayette, Indiana. Born and raised in LaPorte, Indiana, she now lives in Bloomington, Indiana with her husband and their three children
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.
SPARK on the Circle is an ongoing partnership between Big Car Collaborative, Downtown Indy, City of Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development, the Capital Improvement Board, and the Indiana War Memorials Commission.

Levitt VIBE Indianapolis Music Series Concert - September 1st
2024-09-01 12:00 - 15:00 | 2432 Conservatory Dr., 2432 Conservatory Dr, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46203
Big Car Collaborative, Arte Mexicano en Indiana, and our partners are excited to be part of a national program of the Los Angeles-based Levitt Foundation to bring FREE, family, friendly, live concerts to Garfield Park in Fall 2024 — and continuing in 2025 — as part of the new Levitt VIBE Indianapolis series! To learn more about the Levitt Foundation, head over to their website, levitt.org.

Where: The lawn behind the Garfield Park Art Center, on the near southside of Indianapolis. 2432 Conservatory Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46203. While there will be some provided seating at this outdoor event, we encourage visitors to bring blankets or other lawn seating for them to enjoy during the event.
What: The September 1st concert is the first of seven Sundays of free multi-genre outdoor concerts and creative community gatherings in September and October. These performances range from spoken word poetry, jazz, folk, soul, rap, Latin, electronic music, and much more! Each week a select food vendor or food truck will be located and available to attendees, but visitors are also encouraged to pack and picnic openly in the Levitt VIBE space.
Why: To bring additional liveliness to an underused area of our neighborhood park with free outdoor music experiences and neighborly, inclusive, fun, and creative social gatherings.
Who: Arte Mexicano en Indiana and Big Car are collaborating with our partners at the City of Indianapolis/Indy Parks, local and national musicians, local vendors, artists, and poets — with the Bean Creek and Garfield Park neighborhoods and the Friends of Garfield Park.
This week’s lineup:

Sylvia Thomas

El Mirambaso

The Roundups

Mina and the Wondrous Flying Machine

To get a taste of the music the Levitt VIBE Indianapolis series will be bringing to Garfield Park, take a listen to our playlist featuring artists in our 2024 series!: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6XpDgduwF5sqhhZELQ5ocf?si=e564db6fb8a64714

Thanks to Efroymson Family Fund, Citizens Energy Group, and the Levitt Foundation for their generous support of Levitt VIBE!

The Levitt VIBE City Name Music Series is supported in part by the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, which partners with changemakers and nonprofits across the country to activate underused outdoor spaces, creating welcoming and inclusive destinations where the power of free, live music brings people together, fosters belonging, and invigorates community life. www.levitt.org

Artist Workshop: Fiber Art and PomPoms with Mary Jo Bayliss
2024-09-04 11:00 - 14:00, 2024-09-07 10:00 - 13:00, 2024-09-11 11:00 - 14:00, 2024-09-14 11:00 - 14:00, 2024-09-18 11:00 - 14:00 | 1 Monument Circle, South Facing Steps, United States
Come to SPARK and join artist Mary Jo Bayliss to learn how to create pompoms and contribute them to her Taylor Swift inspired community artwork titled, “The Village”. Visitors will be able to make pompoms that will be used in Mary Jo’s final piece! Come join in on this collaborative artwork and make sure to stop by the circle later to see the final finished piece when Taylor Swift enters her “Indy era” and performs in Indianapolis!
A statement from Mary Jo Mayliss about this piece:
“The Village” is about the power of women working together to create a better, more equitable society. The iconography and rallying point for the activities is inspired by Taylor Swift, and without her presence in Indianapolis, this community artwork, and its far reaching scope, would not be possible–Thank you Taylor! The 13 elements that compose the artwork will be auctioned off at the end of Taylor’s Eras Indianapolis venue, with proceeds being donated for Arts for Learning, Big Car, and Ivy Tech Art Department, Indianapolis.
Mary Jo Bayliss specializes in creating environments that help people feel at ease using space, light and color to achieve these goals.
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.

Lunch Break Live! With Kara Cole Presented by Lake City Bank
2024-09-04 12:00 - 13:00 | 1 Monument Circle, South Facing Steps, United States
Come Join us at SPARK for a lunch time concert with local musician Regan Shalome, presented by Lake City Bank!
Kara Cole is a soulful, heart wrenching, story teller. The desire to connect experience with song is very important. Music is the 1 thing that bridges the gap in every avenue of life. Be kind xx
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.

Artist Workshop With Stephanie Williams
2024-09-06 12:00 - 14:00 | 1 Monument Circle, South Facing Steps, United States
Come join us at SPARK for an artist workshop with Stephanie Williams, Make and Take Painted Ceramic Pinch Pots!
In this artist activation, visitors will be able to make their own ceramic pinch pot out of clay through William’s guidance, or paint a ready to take home pot pinched and fired by the artist previously. Pinch pots that are made at this workshop will be taken home by the artist, fired, and kept to be used at the next Make and Take Pinch Pot event! Come join us to paint and pinch at Monument Circle!

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

Artist Workshop With John Clark
2024-09-06 17:00 - 19:00 | 1 Monument Circle, South Facing Steps, United States
Make Art and Write Poetry with John Clark!
Join Indianapolis-based visual artist, Big Car co-founder and writer John Clark to make drawings, poems, and short stories…or a combination of all three! And we’ll also show you how to make zines, too!
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.
SPARK on the Circle is an ongoing partnership between Big Car Collaborative, Downtown Indy, City of Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development, the Capital Improvement Board, and the Indiana War Memorials Commission.

Levitt VIBE Indianapolis Music Series Concert - September 8th
2024-09-08 12:00 - 15:00 | 2432 Conservatory Dr., 2432 Conservatory Dr, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46203
Levitt VIBE Indianapolis Music Series Concert – September 8th

Big Car Collaborative, Arte Mexicano en Indiana, and our partners are excited to be part of a national program of the Los Angeles-based Levitt Foundation to bring FREE, family, friendly, live concerts to Garfield Park in Fall 2024 — and continuing in 2025 — as part of the new Levitt VIBE Indianapolis series! To learn more about the Levitt Foundation, head over to their website, levitt.org.

Where: The lawn behind the Garfield Park Art Center, on the near southside of Indianapolis. 2432 Conservatory Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46203. While there will be some provided seating at this outdoor event, we encourage visitors to bring blankets or other lawn seating for them to enjoy during the event.

What: The September 8th concert is the second of seven Sundays of free multi-genre outdoor concerts and creative community gatherings in September and October. These performances range from spoken word poetry, jazz, folk, soul, rap, Latin, electronic music, and much more! Each week a select food vendor or food truck will be located and available to attendees, but visitors are also encouraged to pack and picnic openly in the Levitt VIBE space.

Why: To bring additional liveliness to an underused area of our neighborhood park with free outdoor music experiences and neighborly, inclusive, fun, and creative social gatherings.

Who: Arte Mexicano en Indiana and Big Car are collaborating with our partners at the City of Indianapolis/Indy Parks, local and national musicians, local vendors, artists, and poets — with the Bean Creek and Garfield Park neighborhoods and the Friends of Garfield Park.

This week’s lineup:

Regan Shalome
Mffred
Mariachi Sol Jalisciense
Forgotten Tribe

To get a taste of the music the Levitt VIBE Indianapolis series will be bringing to Garfield Park, take a listen to our playlist featuring artists in our 2024 series!: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6XpDgduwF5sqhhZELQ5ocf?si=e564db6fb8a64714

Thanks to Efroymson Family Fund, Citizens Energy Group, and the Levitt Foundation for their generous support of Levitt VIBE!

The Levitt VIBE City Name Music Series is supported in part by the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, which partners with changemakers and nonprofits across the country to activate underused outdoor spaces, creating welcoming and inclusive destinations where the power of free, live music brings people together, fosters belonging, and invigorates community life. www.levitt.org

Lunch Break Live! With The Play Testers Presented By Lake City Bank
2024-09-11 12:00 - 13:00 | 1 Monument Circle, South Facing Steps, United States
Come join us at SPARK for a lunchtime local concert! Lunch Break Live is presented by Lake City Bank.

The Play Testers is a duo experimental group exploring musicking in the 21st century through written compositions and improvisations. The bandmates are clarinetist Eric Salazar, aka The Clarinet Guy, and bassist Alexo Cazares. Both are performers and composers who love to share their musicking. You can catch them playing board games or making music in Indianapolis.

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.

Cyanotype Workshop With Aurora PhotoCenter
2024-09-13 11:00 - 15:00 | 1 Monument Circle, South Facing Steps, United States
Cyanotype is a camera-less photography made out in the sun, rather than in a darkroom. You place objects — such as plants — on top of a piece of photo-treated paper, and then use the sun to expose the paper. The result is an image that is an exact outline of the object. It’s a fun and magical way to engage photography! Although it may be new to modern people, cyanotype has been around since photography was invented in the 1800s.
Come explore the creative possibilities of this fascinating process!
We will have some objects on hand to experiment with, but feel free to bring your own objects. Flat items usually work best, and cyanotype can be messy, so precious things like family heirlooms should probably stay at home. All other necessary materials will be provided free at the workshop.
In partnership with Aurora PhotoCenter for SPARK on the Circle.
This activity is best suited for artists 7+ years old; minors must be accompanied by an adult.
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.

SPARK on the Circle is an ongoing partnership between Big Car Collaborative, Downtown Indy, City of Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development, the Capital Improvement Board, and the Indiana War Memorials Commission.

Artist Workshop: Single Fancies With Joan Wyand!
2024-09-13 17:00 - 19:00 | 1 Monument Circle, South Facing Steps, United States
Come join artist, Joan Wyand, on the circle to get a tiny painted masterpiece on one of your fingernails! The process involves painting a background color on the nail and once dry, Joan will paint an image of your choice. Past designs have included emojis, hearts, tiger stripes and more detailed imageslike Moby Dick and Godzilla! The artist loves a challenge, so feel free to suggest your own ideas. One nail per visitor!
More about Joan:
Joan Wyand recently received her Master of Fine Arts with a concentration in Integrative Studio Practice at IU’s Herron School of Art + Design. She received an undergraduate degree in Ceramics at the Rhode Island School of Design in 2005 and spent 20 formative years in Providence. Her social-minded experimental practice was recognized in 2012 as a recipient of AS220’s Free Culture Award. She participated in the Venice International Performance Art Week Workshop that coincided with the Venice Biennale in2017. Her work at Herron has been recognized with a Paul Zimmerman Fellowship, Graduate Teaching Fellowships, the 2024 Sherry Queener Award and a summer

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.

Indy Humanities Story Time With John David Anderson
2024-09-14 15:00 - 16:00 | 1 Monument Circle, South Facing Steps, United States
John David Anderson is the best-selling author of several critically-acclaimed novels for young people, including Posted, Granted, and Ms. Bixby’s Last Day. His books have garnered several awards, been translated into multiple languages, and frequently appear as honorees on state reading lists. Before becoming a middle-grade novelist, Dave (as he prefers to be called) taught at the University of Illinois. Before that he yearned to be Indiana Jones, but his parents wouldn’t buy him a whip. Dave lives with his ever-patient wife and two ornery cats, MJ and Parker, in Indianapolis, Indiana, right next to a State park and a Walmart, in a house that is steadily filling with Lego. His favorite color is gray, and he does not wear ties if he can possibly help it.
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.

SPARK on the Circle is an ongoing partnership between Big Car Collaborative, Downtown Indy, City of Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development, the Capital Improvement Board, and the Indiana War Memorials Commission.

Lunch Break Live! With M. Moskaliuk Presented by Lake City Bank
2024-09-18 12:00 - 13:00 | 1 Monument Circle, South Facing Steps, United States
Come join us at SPARK for a live lunch break time concert with M. Moskaliuk, presented by Lake City Bank!
M. Moskaliuk is a composer with a background in creating and performing live electronic music. His fascination with vintage analog synthesizers sparked his love of sound and music. His work attempts to capture fleeting emotions and ineffable moments in time.
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.

NIGHTJAR: Thomas Kneeland
2024-09-18 19:00 - 21:00 | Tube Factory artspace, 1125 Cruft St., Indianapolis, IN, 46203, United States
Doors at 6 pm, Reading at 7 pm
Open mic prompt: Write a poem that reaches deep for roots.
Read a poem or short piece that is 317 words maximum, and challenge yourself to share new work!
—
About Kneeland:
Thomas Kneeland is a California-native, Mississippi-raised, African American poet, educator, and multi-hyphenate artist who lives in Indianapolis, Indiana. He holds a BA in English from DePauw University, an MA from Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Butler University. This summer, Kneeland joined the Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA) Aspects of Leadership Summer Institute—LEDA Scholars Program—at Princeton University this summer to serve as a Writing Faculty member. Recently, Kneeland joined the Department of English and Modern Languages at Anderson University (Anderson, IN) as a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor of English.
His poetry has most recently appeared or is forthcoming in Modern Language Studies, Southern Humanities Review, The Amistad, The Rumpus, Good River Review, Vagabond City Lit, Up the Staircase Quarterly, South Florida Poetry Journal, and elsewhere. His poetry submission, “Anchorman Sings the Blues,” earned a finalist place in Frontier Poetry’s 2022 Global Poetry Prize for the African continent. Although he has published several self-published titles, Kneeland is most proud of his transition into hybrid and traditional publishing.
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NIGHTJAR creates an inclusive space for all by bringing together spoken-word performers and page-based poets writing in narrative, lyric, and experimental forms. Every third Wednesday, C.S. Carrier and Michelle Niemann host a reading and invite audience members to share their own poetic responses.

Car Free Day with Downtown Indy and the Office of Sustainability!
2024-09-19 - 2024-09-20 | 1 Monument Circle, South Facing Steps, United States
Walk, bike, scoot, skate, blade, ride the bus, or carpool to go car-free or car-lite…Telework also counts!
On Thursday, stop by SPARK from 7-9 am for a continental breakfast and again from 11am-1pm for live music!
Adopting a cleaner commuting habit is one of the best ways to decrease your carbon footprint, improve our air quality, save money, and be healthier and happier.
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.
SPARK on the Circle is an ongoing partnership between Big Car Collaborative, Downtown Indy, City of Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development, the Capital Improvement Board, and the Indiana War Memorials Commission.

Artist Workshop: Minimal Game Design for (New Game) Artists with Open Source Tools with Nico Valdivia Hennig
2024-09-19 16:00 - 18:00 | Tube Factory artspace, 1125 Cruft St., Indianapolis, IN, 46203, United States
This workshop introduces new game artists to the fundamentals of minimalist game design using accessible open-source tools like Bitsy, Twine, and Godot. Participants will learn to create simple games with free and open-source software, developing practical skills for game development with minimal technical barriers. No prior experience is needed. Please bring your own laptop (Windows, Mac) or smartphone.
Nico Valdivia Hennig (He/They) is an award-winning Chilean game artist, ludic activist, and cultural studies researcher with over a decade of experience in game design. They are a PhD candidate in Hispanic Studies at the University of California, Riverside, with a Designated Emphasis in Speculative Fiction. Their research focuses on ludic activism, game design, and game production in Latin America. Nico co-founded Niebla Games, which has launched both board and video games for PC and mobile platforms. In 2022, their studio was selected for Google’s Indie Games Accelerator program. Notable accolades include “Best Game Design” at EVA Córdoba 2019 in Argentina, “Best Chilean Studio of 2021”, and recent nominations for the Explorer Award at the AMaze/Berlin Festival of Experimental Game Art 2024, as well as for Best Social Matters Game and Best Diversity Game at the BIG Festival/Gamescom Latam 2024 in São Paulo, Brazil. Nico has extensive experience lecturing on game design and narrative within game development programs in Chile. They are also a co-founder of Río Junto, a Latin American cultural exchange collective, and a founding member of Ludicocrítica, the Chilean Critical Games Studies Network. Recently, Nico received and Barricelli Award for Interdisciplinary Research Disertation and became a fellow-in-residence of the Speculative Play and Just Futurities program at Indiana University, supported by the Mellon Foundation for September 2024.
