07 Sep 2022
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Circle Spark Fest Artist & Vendor Call Out 

Circle Spark Fest Artist & Vendor Call Out 

September 7, 2022 | 0 Comments

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. Vendor Submission Form is due Wednesday, September 29th at 12 pm

 

Event Details

Event:  Circle Spark Fest

Location:  SW 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 10: 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 [email protected] 

 

 

21 Jun 2022
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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

June 21, 2022 | 0 Comments

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.

07 Apr 2016
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Spark by the Numbers

April 7, 2016 | 0 Comments | , , , , ,

2015 SPARK By the Numbers by Big Car

We’ve pulled numbers together from surveys and counts from Spark. Check them out above or download a one sheet here.

08 Nov 2015
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Nifty Spark video wrap up

November 8, 2015 | 0 Comments

10 Things that happened at Spark: Monument Circle from Big Car on Vimeo.

This gives you an idea of what Spark Monument Circle was all about between Aug. 1 and Oct. 16, 2015. More great videos from Spark by Kurt Nettleton of Big Car Collaborative coming soon!

08 Nov 2015
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Celebrating the people of Spark

Celebrating the people of Spark

November 8, 2015 | 0 Comments | , , ,

What’s Spark? Many things: A placemaking effort to energize our city’s most important space, a tactical urbanism test to examine the approaches of a redesign in progress, a complicated and rewarding partnership that brought Monument Circle stakeholders and officials together with an array of cultural organizations, and a socially engaged art project that focused on interacting with people as the main ingredient to the success of all of the above. The participants in the human-scale programming at Spark during 11 weeks in 2015 were both members of the public who joined us there (by chance or on purpose) and the artists, program designers, and facilitators who created and cultivated opportunities for the public to play, create, socialize, and have fun.

The photo mosaic above includes many of the people who worked with us at Big Car on this project. We involved more than 50 artists and creatives in this project — all in paid positions. To them, though, it was more than a job. It was an opportunity to celebrate Indianapolis and help make this city a better place — and help people feel connected with the culture of our community. We appreciate the creativity and dedication of this group and the participation of all of the visitors to Spark. And, we are so thankful to our funders and partners for the opportunity to help make this happen on Monument Circle. We hope to be back in 2016 and beyond!  — Jim Walker, executive director of Big Car and lead artist on Spark 

Photos by Kurt Nettleton of Big Car. See his Spark wrap up video here and more of his great work and photos from Spark and everything else we do here.

 

12 Oct 2015
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Spark boosts Circle businesses

Spark boosts Circle businesses

October 12, 2015 | 0 Comments | , , , ,

By Chris Schumerth, Spark writer in residence 

Ever since seeing Spark “on the news,” Shawn Jones, a 19-year-old freshman at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, walks to Monument Circle almost every day to play ping-pong and meet new people.

“I love my city,” Jones said, enthusiastically, as he sat with four others he’d just met — one celebrating her 30th birthday. Part of Jones’ routine, he said, is to stop in at Rocket Fizz to choose from the stores array of eclectic sodas.

Jones isn’t the only Spark participant who is frequenting Monument Circle eateries.

The owner of Potbelly Sandwich Shop, Chuck Brewer, said that while there’s no way to for him to be completely certain of which traffic comes from Spark, his store’s sales have increased up to 20 percent per week since the program began August 1. The consistent boost in sales has allowed him to hire two new workers to cover shifts.

Brewer pointed in particular to the green outdoor seating that Spark has placed around the Circle. He said the new outdoor seating has provided more seating inside his restaurant because a lot of customers have chosen to sit outside. “It’s a simple math equation,” Brewer said.

Soupremacy is right around the corner from Potbelly. Store Manager Danielle Shipley, who has worked at the restauarant since it opened, confirmed that while sometimes her restaurant’s location on one of Monument Circle’s “spokes” leads to less food traffic, Supremacy has also have seen increased sales of up to 10 percent per week since Spark began. The weekends, she said, have been especially busy, and she has noticed Spark workers frequenting her shop for meals.

Shipley also noted that Spark has brought positive publicity to a place that too often only gets negative media attention. And that spreads the perceptions outward to the city as a whole.

Both Shipley and Ernesto Small, an associate at The South Bend Chocolate Company – located just a few feet from Spark’s welcome trailer – mentioned that they’ve noticed a difference in the kind of traffic at Monument Circle. The Circle, they said, tends to get a lot of business and motorcyclist traffic. But they have recently noticed more families, young people, and tourists spending time there. The credit for bringing that crowd in, Shipley and Small said, goes to Spark.

Small has worked at The South Bend Chocolate Company for more than a year. He he has played chess outside on one of the Spark tables and has learned the names of Spark staffers. He doesn’t have access to the exact numbers, but he knows The South Bend Chocolate Company has seen increases in sales as well.

According to Small, several tourists recently visited The South Bend Chocolate Company en route to Minneapolis from Cincinnati. They had never been to Indianapolis before, but they were impressed by how inviting the Spark program made the Circle as a whole. Small said the guests told him it made them want to come back to Indianapolis.

Along the way, Spark has been surveying hundreds of visitors — both tourists and locals — and gathering data about how people are using the Circle. Spark will also work with nearby businesses to gather numbers to support the positive stories.

With Spark programming nearing its end this week, this leads to the question: what can or should be next for Monument Circle, particularly as Indianapolis makes decisions about how to program and design the Monument Circle area?

Jones, Brewer, Shipley, and Small all seemed to agree: they want more of what Spark has started.

“Spark is such a new and innovative idea,” said Brewer, who noted he’d be glad to see Spark return next year. “This has caused people to think differently about how to use public spaces.”

 

 

 

 

10 Oct 2015
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Preview: Monument Circle Art Fair

Preview: Monument Circle Art Fair

October 10, 2015 | 0 Comments | , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Fall has proven a season of firsts on Monument Circle this year. The tally of premieres sparked by Big Car over the last couple of months proves too innumerable to count. That’s what happens when you experiment. New territory gets explored.

Yet, Big Car is not alone in its inaugural efforts in the heart of Indy. Local ceramic artist Ruth Stoner will bring nearly 70 artists and six musical acts to Fountain Square for the free, family friendly Monument Circle Art Fair.

“I used to have a job on the Southside, and I used to stop on the monument at the end of the day because it was right on the way,” Stoner says. “I would hang out for 10 or 15 minutes. I just loved the space.”

After a bit of investigating just 15 odd months ago, Stoner discovered the Monument was available for at a relatively inexpensive price. That’s when the gears began to turn. “As somebody that’s done art shows,” Stoner says, “I was thinking gosh, you know, it seems like a logical place to have an art fair. It’s such a great space.”

As a new event, Stoner decided to limit applications to Indiana artists and kept booth prices low relative to more established art fairs around Indy. Despite the local focus, the applicant pool swiftly surpassed Stoner’s expectations – a fact she says is a testament to the Central Indiana arts community. “I figured we’re in the heart of Indianapolis and Indiana,” she says. “Let’s have some Hoosier pride for our Indiana artists.”

A registered pediatric nurse by trade, Stoner never shook the love for ceramics she found while still in high school in South Bend. After nursing school, she continued to take art classes at everywhere from IUPUI and Herron to Indianapolis Art Center. Stoner continues to work as a nurse around 25 hours per week, while operating a studio out of Broad Ripple called Artistry In Clay. It wasn’t until her kids reached adulthood that she began to consider ways she might give back to a community that has fed her creativity over the years.

Music Schedule:

  • 10 am – Elizabeth Efroymson Brooks with the Suzuki academy (weather dependent)
  • 11 am – Nick Zyromski
  • 12:30 pm – The Yellow Kites
  • 1:30 pm – Luke Austin Daugherty
  • 3 pm – Cathy Morris
  • 4 pm – Blue Moon Revue

When Stoner initially decided to pursue the idea of hosting an art fair on the monument, she didn’t realize that Spark would be overlapping. The circle is an interesting space, in that the Monument itself belongs to the state while the surrounding streets and sidewalks belong to the city. This has led to some interesting complementary programming throughout Spark. For part, Stoner is thrilled with the timing.

“I just think Spark has brought such an awareness to the circle,” she says, “and they have been so supportive in getting the word out. It’s just such a nice setting for us, because of all the seating. It’s great.”

If the event is successful, Stoner hopes to make Monument Circle Art Fair an annual event. With food trucks, live music, a glass blowing truck and Spark as a backdrop, she hopes the event will offer something for everyone. At the end of the day, the artists who participated will measure the success.

“It’s all about the artists for me, and how they feel,” Stoner says. “If it’s successful and the artists feel like it’s worth it, then I would love for this to be an annual event. We’ll just have to see how it goes, and go from there.”

monument-circle-art-fair-map

What: The inaugural Monument Circle Art Fair brings nearly 70 artists and 6 musical acts to Monument Circle for a single day festival in celebration of Hoosier art.

Where: Monument Circle

When: Saturday, October 10, 2015

10am – 5 pm

 

08 Oct 2015
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Indianapolis workshops combine placemaking, social practice

Indianapolis workshops combine placemaking, social practice

October 8, 2015 | 0 Comments

By Chris Schumerth, Spark writer in residence 

A series of free workshops, Rethink Reconnect Reclaim, has begun exploring creative approaches for improving Indianapolis. The workshops run Sept. 15 through Oct. 21.

Big Car Collaborative — the nonprofit organization currently teaming up with The City of Indianapolis on the Spark Monument Circle project — is organizing the series in partnership with Reconnecting to Our Waterways, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, and others.

Placemaking is a buzzword that could be used to describe initiatives such as Spark and Rethink Reconnect Reclaim, but what in the world is placemaking? And why should we care about it?

A Project for Public Space article offered this helpful explanation: “A bike lane is not Placemaking; neither is a market, a hand-painted crosswalk, public art, a parklet, or a new development. Placemaking is not the end product, but a means to an end. It is the process by which a community defines its own priorities.”

The assumption is that urban designers and politicians aren’t the only ones who have opinions and ideas about the places in which they live. Because Indianapolis residents all have an interest in it being a good place to live and work, placemaking projects like Rethink Reconnect Reclaim offer opportunities to participate in a process of imagining about place and experimenting in it.

Cara Courage, a United Kingdom-based academic, artist, and placemaker, recently told me that cities need to work with residents “beyond the consultation level loved by planners and developers.” Residents should be respected and listened to, Courage said, as equal co-producers” with “a deep knowledge of place.”

Artists who are already in the habit of imagining and creating may be uniquely positioned to participate in this process. That’s where social practice art comes in.

Courage explained that “Artists who work in this way have been doing it for years as socially-engaged practice that is engaged by an arts heritage that comes out of the gallery into site-specific art, land art, and a new genre of public art. Artists have been working with people for years on reflecting about the forces that are enacted on place. What is new is calling this a form of placemaking. What’s new is that those outside of the arts sector are paying attention to the practice now. Those that come into placemaking from the planning or built environment sectors won’t necessarily be aware of this heritage and rigorous practice. Some still see art as an add-on, for limited social engagement or beautification gains. Others though are beginning to see it for the embedded and vital practice that it is, which has processes and outcomes that are greater than the sum of their parts.”

For Indianapolis’s purposes in the near future, the idea is to bring people together to reimagine public spaces and to better utilize and take care of the city’s waterways. These events were designed to attract a combination of designers, planners, developers, artists, and other Indianapolis community leaders.

For example, on Oct. 9, at noon, residents of Indianapolis are welcome to join Ash Robinson and Stuart Hyatt, an artist and musician who will be at the Spark welcome trailer at Monument Circle leading a brown bag lunch and discussion about placemaking projects that successfully engage people. The event will conclude with an intentional walk around the Circle, led by Big Car executive director Jim Walker.

Another lunch will take place on Oct. 15, this time with David Engwicht – all the way from Australia – leading the conversation. Engwicht will also be discussing some of his own placemaking experiments on Oct. 21, 6:30 p.m., at The Platform.

For those looking for a little more action, Engwicht and Miami civic advocate Anthony Garcia will facilitate an Oct. 21 workshop from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Hall. Attendees at this particular event will brainstorm and create their own interventions for space next to waterways in Indianapolis. Teams will even be commissioned to put their plans into action.

05 Oct 2015
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This week at Spark: Oct. 5 – 11

This week at Spark: Oct. 5 – 11

October 5, 2015 | 0 Comments | , , , , , , , , , ,

Here’s your Spark cheat sheet for the week:

Monday, October 5:

Join Mayor Ballard and learn about his efforts to reduce Indy’s carbon footprint in conjunction with Blue Indy and Freedom Fleet programs on Monday.

Tuesday, October 6:

Wednesday, October 7:

Work with us this Wednesday! We’ll provide the free wi-fi. Tell your boss you want to enjoy the last few days of beautiful, Indiana fall weather while working from the Circle. Get outside the cubicle and knock out your to do list with a view of the Monument.

Thursday, October 8:

After collaborating with musical heavyweights like Steve Reich and Philip Glass, Indy guitarist Derek Johnson undoubtedly maintains one of the most accomplished musical resumes to hail from the Hoosier state in recent years. Learn more about Johnson in this Sky Blue Window profile from last year, and join him and a dozen musicians for a collaborative, circular performance of celebrated composer Terry Riley’s In C.

Friday, October 9:

Artist Stuart Hyatt is more than just the goofy cassette guy. He’s an accomplished artist with a focus on placemaking, and engaging people in new and creative ways. To learn more about Hyatt’s work, check out NUVO‘s coverage of his Indy Sound Map project. On Wednesday, join Hyatt and fellow artist Ash Robinson for a discussion on placemaking in relation to Reconnecting Our Waterways prior to a brief walk around the Circle led by Big Car’s Jim Walker.

Saturday, October 10:

Sunday, October 11:

28 Sep 2015
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This week at Spark: Sept. 28 – Oct. 4

This week at Spark: Sept. 28 – Oct. 4

September 28, 2015 | 0 Comments | , , ,

Here’s your Spark cheat sheet this week:

Monday, September 28:

Back-to-back ambient, experimental sets curated by Big Car’s sound art project Listen Hear will close out this week’s edition of Mellow Monday. Ready your ears with a pair of tracks from Sommer and Drekka. For a bit of background on the series, check out an interview with Listen Hear curator John Flannelly.

Tuesday, September 29:

Wednesday, September 30:

Thursday, October 1:

Friday, October 2:

Saturday, October 3:

Spark parade artist/choreographer Rebecca Pappas is collaborating with Veterans for Peace for an unusual procession this weekend. Check out an interview with Pappas for some background on her contribution to Spark, and join us this Saturday  to take a walk alongside a contemporary veteran around the epic Monument.

Sunday, October 4: