View a larger version here.
Each week, Indianapolis artist Kamilah Gill accompanies our Walking Wednesdays tour guide and the other walkers who start and end their walk at Monument Circle. She illustrates what she experiences. And we share it here. Walks are at 6:30 p.m. each Wednesday and are free. They begin at the Spark welcome trailer.
by Karla D. Romero, Spark writer in residence
“…Whatever last Thursday was, what was that?” asked Rick. We immediately asked if he referred to the date. I had just started to record and he began to tell me about his Circle Spark experience. “Yeah… Like ten days ago…” He said, referring to when he first noticed the changes on the Circle.
Rick Cecil McElroy is a multi-generational native of Indianapolis and a proud American. Rick is also homeless. “What does that say?” Rick asked me as he pointed at his ID’s address. It stated: 55 Monument Circle, Suite 1324. He laughed, as if to let us know how ironic it was.
Rick had approached the Circle Spark postcard table last Sunday (my new home on Sundays, as you may have read in my India Day story). I was busy chatting with Emma, my companion for the day, when Rick approached us. “Hey! Want to send a postcard?” We asked him enthusiastically as he walked towards us.
He quickly chose a USS Indianapolis postcard and asked us what year Japan surrendered. “No! 1945,” he corrected us as soon as we answered.
Rick was a tall, slender guy in his early sixties. He has blondish-gray hair and a short beard. He had a smile from ear to ear, with an overall free, almost youthful presence. My introduction to him was a bit brash with a humiliating history fail, but the conversation that followed and his sweet, yet brisk personality soon made him just another friend.
He told us about his father and grandfather, and their involvement in foreign wars. as well as about the Marines. “First to fight, last to leave,” he said several times. His patriotism wasn’t overbearing, though. I have to insist on how charismatic he was and how he was continuously giving credit where credit was due. Whether it was in the way he talked about World War II or anything else, he insisted on naming and describing everyone involved in every anecdote he told as accurately as he possible could.
“This morning I was down here early because I watch Star news, let’s see, at South…” He paused, turned around and pointed at the Emmis building, “…Channel 6 is on, so I need to know what time it is, because I’m blind anyway, so I have to get real close to see it,” he continued. “…the trees ‘er lit up and I said, ‘Right on!’ Because I don’t remember that until Thanksgiving and then this was all set up,” Rick pointed to the Circle Spark parklets. This was his response to what he thought about the Circle Spark changes on Monument Circle, as a regular and as a resident. I was initially thrown off by his lack of enthusiasm, but the more we spoke, the more I understood why he had answered like that.
“Church also gives coffee every Sunday for homeless people, until 8:30…” He referred to Christ Church Cathedral. “And also, that church is the only one that recognizes the homeless, the 20th day, every December,” Rick said with a somber voice. He was talking about the Coalition for Homeless Intervention and Prevention’s (CHIP) annual Homeless Persons’ Memorial held on, “the first day of winter each year to bring attention to the plight of our homeless neighbors,” as stated on CHIP’s website.
“This you need to have recorded, because they are very beautiful people, and also The PourHouse, which is my address…” Rick had such a gracious and somewhat rough way of describing all of this. He told us about Andrea De Mink, the Founder and Executive Director of The PourHouse, whom he had known for 12 years. He said that De Mink had invited him to her wedding while he was in rehab, and he said so as if he were letting us know the kind of person De Mink was. He also seemed to beam at the mere fact that someone like her believed in him, especially during a difficult time. “She’s helped me handle this fist… and her husband, great guy, great guy…”
A visitor in his mid-twenties came to the table as I continued to interview Rick. He was there to send a couple postcards. “Here you go, young man,” Rick said to the new postcard table visitor, “Pull up a chair.” He immediately continued to tell me about De Mink and quickly interjected the young man’s postcard selection. “Here’s a good one!” He said, as he pointed to a postcard, “That’s the Indianapolis… That’s the Indianapolis, bro.” He laughed hysterically and said, “That’s a keeper!”
More people began to approach us and it became harder to continue our makeshift interview. I asked him again about how Circle Spark had affected him, and selfishly hoped that he would answer something more than what he had said before. “Well, I’m going to say this and I mean this honestly: there are panhandlers and there are people in need. People in need know how to improvise, adapt, overcome [pain] in order to obtain [the necessary resources] to survive… And that’s all you gotta do! Improvise, adapt and overcome! I got that from the Marines Corps,” Rick concluded. I was still thrown off and I felt as if he had avoided my question.
Still, he told us more stories about his life as an Indianapolis native, as a Juggalo (yes, Rick is an Insane Clown Posse fan), and other curious little bits about his life that were a unique reflection of our city and its people. Rick, a Marine vet who once lived three blocks away from Market Square Arena, a disappeared icon in Indianapolis history, and alleged that he had a fake ID that said he was 40 when he was only 15 (he proudly said he used it to go to bars and get a job), left us after over thirty minutes of nonstop conversation.
As he walked away, I understood that it didn’t really matter that Rick didn’t have something incredibly profound to say about Circle Spark. We had already fulfilled the purpose of the project as we sat there, together, and got to know each other. Under no other circumstance would I have had the unburdened opportunity to meet Rick Cecil McElroy and make a new friend.
Saturday, August 29: experience a sensory parade around the Monument, designed by artist Rebecca Pappas, profiled here (and pictured above).
by Rob Peoni, Spark writer in residence
Conflict abounds in everyday life. We can find a reason to argue over just about anything. Despite this fact, in my thirty years on this planet, I have never heard anyone argue over or disparage parades. They are a universally beloved event.
“I feel interested in parades, because of the porousness between performers and audience,” says choreographer Rebecca Pappas. “When you watch a parade, you could be in the parade. Maybe you were in the parade before. There’s a sense of a really low threshold for participation.”
Pappas recently moved from her previous home of Los Angeles, CA to Indianapolis after accepting a job as a dance professor at Ball State. In LA, Pappas collaborated predominantly with professional dancers and in more traditional, theater settings. However, her interests began to shift in the last several years.
“Within the whole field of dance, there’s an increasing interest and a decreasing sort of wall between ‘that’s real dance and that’s this other thing,’” Pappas says. “There are a lot of galleries presenting dance, and there are a lot of artists – quote, unquote – making movement projects.”
Upon moving to Indianapolis, a friend connected Pappas to Anne Laker, Big Car’s Director of Cultural Programs. They discussed Pappas’ growing interest in public practice art, and her focus on parades. Soon thereafter, Laker approached Pappas with an opportunity to help design parades as part of Spark Monument Circle. “I felt really welcomed by Big Car, and the art-making community in Indianapolis,” Pappas says. “That’s part of what feels really exciting about being in a city that’s more accessible than a city like Los Angeles. … working with Big Car is my way of getting to know my new home and connect with it and bring what I do to this place.”
This Saturday, Spark Monument Circle will host the “five senses parade.” It will feature a series of sensory experiences that Pappas will lead participants through. “Some of them will be movement,” she says. Some of them will be about tasting things or smelling things. Some of them will be about looking at the space in a different way. We’ll all be walking together, but also having private experiences at the same time.”
The five senses parade will begin around 5pm on Saturday, August 29. However, those interested are encouraged to arrive at Monument Circle earlier in the afternoon. Pappas and the Spark crew will be leading participants in a series of smaller sensory experiences between 3 and 5pm. “We’ll be providing a bunch of them, because we know people will dropping in and out,” Pappas says. “We want to as many people as possible to experience the parade.”
by Stephen Giles, Spark listener
“Mark Twain said, ‘If we were meant to talk more than listen, we would have two mouths and one ear.’” This was what a passerby told me on my second day at the Listening Booth.
When I was asked to be a listener at the Listening Booth — a social practice art project offered at Spark Monument Circle in which a receptive person seated at a desk offers to listen to anyone who chooses to take a seat — I was intrigued and thought that this might be a chance to put my previous interest in the priesthood to good use.
Listening, really listening, requires effort. Though I tend to remain mostly silent, I find that using body language to express myself to the speaker was essential. People need to know that they’re being listened to without interruption. It may sound tricky, but anyone can and should do it. Eye contact is a must. I move my head and shoulders to react to what is being said to me. The trickiest part is to refrain from making facial expressions that would suggest judgement on my part. When a person wants to be listened to, s/he doesn’t want unsolicited judgements, advice or opinions.
I discovered that it wasn’t difficult to refrain from making revealing facial expressions once I got it into my own head that I wasn’t waiting for my turn to speak. Most of the time when we appear to be listening to each other, we’re just waiting for our turn to talk. By removing that desire from my mind and focusing on active listening, my facial expresses follow suit. I am able to silently and subconsciously communicate to the speaker that I am interested in what s/he is saying.
Speakers ask me for advice or my opinions on things like politics, religion, and the wisdom of the speaker’s life decisions. I commit myself to holding back my own opinions so as not to upset the delicate balance of this sudden listener-speaker relationship.
This is where my philosophy degree comes in handy. In The Dialogues of Plato, people would challenge Socrates and insist on his thoughts. But Socrates would not make statements – he would question the speaker on the subject at hand. When asked for my opinion or advice in the Listening Booth, I just ask questions back to the speaker. This gives speakers a chance to re-examine their own minds free of the cloudiness of the opinions of others, and it clarifies my understanding of their expressions.
The Listening Booth experience has been rewarding and moving. Some speakers are brought to tears. Others vent their anger. But everyone leaves feeling better than they did before they sat down across from a stranger who was willing to give them full attention.
Stephen currently listens at Spark Mondays and Tuesdays from 5-7 p.m. There’s no charge. Watch Spark social media for schedule updates and additional opportunities.
By Rob Peoni, Spark writer in residence
My routine of walking from my home in Fletcher Place to Monument Circle for Listen Hear’s ambient, experimental, Mellow Monday set was interrupted due to weather this week. A late afternoon rain was showering downtown Indy. Despite the weather, the performance by local multi-instrumentalist Rob Funkhouser was scheduled to proceed – rain or shine. With walking out the window, I called an Uber rather than attempt to negotiate parking.
“Look at that mural!” my driver chuckled as we emerged from beneath the parking garage on Virginia Ave. She was pointing at the image of a man on a ladder, supporting an impossibly large scroll. Franklin, TN muralist Michael Cooper, designed the piece, entitled “Indy – Always On A Roll!” My driver admits she has never noticed the mural.
Rain falls steadily as we roll onto the circle from Market Street. Upon exiting my ride, I see Big Car’s Spark crew arranging chairs beneath the marquee in front of Hilbert Circle Theatre. On a folding table in front of the chairs, Funkhouser is assembling his rig: a MINIBRUTE SE analog synthesizer, a MacBook Air, a composition notebook and a cluster of cords connecting the devices.
Droves of umbrella-headed business suits pass by abandoning their day’s work at their desks. By the time the bells toll at Christ Church Cathedral signaling the six o’clock hour and the start of Funkhouser’s performance, the rain is reduced to a drizzle and the large cabanas arranged to protect the crowd and Funkhouser’s gear are deemed unnecessary, folded, and set aside. The sun peeks through the clouds, baking the soaked bricks of the circle.
Funkhouser kicks off with spacey, ambient notes that seem to sparkle and burst like globs of hydrogen in the cosmos. The music becomes more full, with Funkhouser adding swaths of sound by playing chords on the keys of his synthesizer. It grows darker and more ominous, with the occasional wave of calm. A pattern of distortion cuts through the atmosphere adding a backbeat to the ambience. A teenage couple looks on while silently sipping fluorescent sodas before ambling onward.
Big Car executive director Jim walker captures photos or video footage from a tall tripod across the street. He’s standing just beneath a statue of Oliver P. Morton. The 14th governor of Indiana stands with his hand extended, waist high, palm held upward as if inviting the cacophony at his feet. Walker is wearing a Big Car mechanic’s shirt, cargo shorts, and teal blue socks. He’s smiling. He looks like an urban safari guide. Most days, that description isn’t too far off.
A trio of skateboarding teens rolls by. On the other side of the marquee, a leather-clad guy who looks alarmingly like Julian from Trailer Park Boys revs up his Harley Davidson. Befuddled, quizzical smiles from passers-by walk on the sidewalk behind Funkhouser.
I can’t help but chuckle at my surroundings, pinching myself at how lucky I am to witness this experimental performance on the doorstep of Indy’s most hallowed musical institution, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. This isn’t something that happens with regularity across the country. Experimental musicians are rarely offered this type of platform, and the unique nature of the performance isn’t lost on the crowd.
John Flannelly, the curator for Listen Hear’s contribution to Spark is seated in the front row. He’s wearing a jean jacket, white paints, purple sunglasses, black dress shoes and is sporting a fresh haircut. For the previous two performances, Flannelly has been on top of the time, reminding performers: 30, 15, 5 minutes left. Today, he lets Funkhouser roll. He’s right to do so, as Funkhouser closes the set promptly at 7 p.m. Flannelly is on stage himself on Monday Aug. 24 at 6 p.m. as this week’s Listen Hear artist.
With Funkhouser’s performance and rainfall in the rearview, I decide to walk home along the Cultural Trail to digest what I’ve just heard and seen. This fall, Funkhouser will return to school to study musical composition at Butler University. I can’t help but wonder whether one day the symphony held inside the doors in front of which he just performed will be celebrating and rearranging his works.
Rob’s pick for this week’s Spark programming:
At 6:30 p.m on Wednesday Aug. 26, Indianapolis artist Kipp Normand will lead a themed walk that begins at Spark’s welcome trailer parked in front South Bend Chocolate Company on Monument Circle. As an artist, Normand uses found and repurposed materials as the building blocks for his celebrated installations. For a primer, check out Jennifer Delgadillo’s recent profile on Normand via Sky Blue Window. As one who specializes in found art, Normand’s view of his surroundings likely differs from the rest of ours substantially. With that in mind, I’m anxious to hear his interpretation of “Indy Oddities.” RSVP for the walk via Facebook.
By Karla D. Romero, Spark writer in residence
As I walked towards Circle Spark last Sunday, the morning was barely underway in downtown Indianapolis. I circled around the Monument and noticed that along with the extra seating and parklets provided by Spark, there were colorful new booths, stands and tables covered in even more colorful clothing, food and knick-knacks.
People began to arrive in large numbers, many of them dressed in dhotis, saris and other traditional garments. Orange, white and green ribbons and balloons decorated the stage that sat just a few feet away from the trailer I had to report to for Spark – “INDIA ASSOCIATION OF INDIANAPOLIS,” said the gigantic flag on the stage. It was India Day and my task on this particular Sunday was to facilitate the postcard project, which consisted of encouraging people to either create their own or send one of the many Monument Circle postcards (a partnership with the Indiana Historical Society) Big Car provides to anyone, anywhere in the world, for free (we’ll have them out every Sunday as well as other days until Oct. 16). As we began to set up, I felt several raindrops fall on my arms and before the rain could fall and wilt the postcards, Jim and I went back to the trailer, with just enough time to avoid the insane (yet brief) rainstorm.
I don’t know about you, but to go to work and to get to watch a rainstorm wash away the weekend at Monument Circle on India Day is quite a beautiful sight, especially when the sun finally made its debut. Once the rain cleared a bit, Jim and I gave it another go and set up the postcard table. On the sandwich board next to the table, I wrote, “MAKE A POSTCARD & WE’LL SEND IT! FREE!”
At first, it was hard to get people to come by, but a few curious onlookers did manage to make their way over. “What is this for?” Asked one of them. I gave them the spiel and they couldn’t believe it. “Seriously? You’ll send it anywhere in the world for free? Why?” Everyone asked the same set of questions, most of those questions with a hint of skepticism. After several answers to these set of questions, I found one that made the most sense, “Why not?”
We had a few more issues with the weather, but once the sun came out again and lunchtime rolled around, people started to crowd the table, many of them ate and chatted with me but weren’t interested in making or sending a postcard. “Do you send them to India?” Asked a young guy who walked by. I looked over at Nick Zuckerman who was there with me at the time and we both kind of nodded. “Yes, anywhere.” I answered. “We just have to make sure we put another stamp on it.”
A little girl stepped away from the Shalimar food line where she stood with her dad and asked me, “Can you send one to my grandma?” “Sure!” I answered. She spent several minutes on her personalized postcard and handed it to me. Although for the most part it was illegible, I could see that the recipient address line said, “Grandma.” She handed it to me and asked, “Do you know where she lives?” And walked away. Everyone who stood nearby laughed and a few minutes later, the little girl’s dad came up to me. “Are you really sending them to India?” He asked. I told him we were and handed him the postcard. He smiled, filled out the recipient’s address line with grandma’s address. “Thank you so much! Thank you!” He said.
Word must have gotten out that we were actually sending postcards to India, (on India Day, for free) because I was now alone and surrounded by people who wanted to send a piece of this day to their loved ones. “I cannot believe that you’re doing this for free,” said a woman who had sent a couple to family in India. More and more people came, several from Latin America, Europe, from all across the U.S., and many from other towns and cities in Indiana.
Those of us who had sent postcards or letters in the past laughed when kids came up to send one. “How does this work?” I laughed and explained it. Once they understood the purpose of postcards altogether, the majority of the kids who participated while I was there wanted to send several more.
In a time where new technology and fairly easy global communication is the norm, to see so many people, young and old, from all over the world, get so incredibly excited and emotional to send a physical object to someone they love is the kind of human interaction that perhaps reminds us that we need more human interaction.
Last Sunday, I was reminded that touching, making and physical presence as a community isn’t a luxury, but an innate part of the human condition. Many people who participated in the postcard project on India Day probably feel something similar. Now, can you imagine every Sunday being this fulfilling in Indianapolis? Spark is making that happen.
The historic and artist-created (Niina Cochran and Andy Fry) postcards available during Spark. This is a partnership with the Indiana Historical Society. Stop by and ask for one and we’ll mail it anywhere for you.
By Rob Peoni, Spark Writer in Residence
For those that don’t know, the city of Indianapolis is using Spark Monument Circle to experiment with placemaking initiatives and evaluate the optimal use of its most prominent public space. In a broader sense, Spark also serves as a case study in Big Car’s mission to “bring art to people and people to art, sparking creativity in lives to transform communities.” Much of the Spark programming is possible to ignore, if that’s your prerogative. That will prove much more difficult with the onset of Phono Fridays, when Spark programming features a full afternoon of live performances spotlighting Central Indiana’s diverse musical offerings.
“I’ve always liked to describe Monument Circle as Indianapolis’ front yard,” says Patrick Burtch, co-organizer of Virginia Avenue Folk Fest and one of Spark’s musical curators. “It’s where visitors go. It’s our most visible, iconic spot in the entire city. It’s really awesome to have our name connected with an organization like Big Car and Monument Circle to put some music that we really like out there. Hopefully, this will become more of a regular thing. It’s just too perfect of a spot for music in particular, I think, to not take advantage of that.”
Phono Friday Schedule: August 14th
Burtch and his partner Mike Angel are fond of Big Car’s approach to turning atypical venues and public spaces into artistic destinations. This shared vision has led the duo to try some innovative promotional techniques for their music business. Like pulling Kentucky’s Buffalo Rodeo down Virginia Ave. through Fountain Square while the band performed on a trailer or performing on a rooftop during First Friday. “Pat and I both have rebellious spirit,” Angel says. “We’re not going to ask for permission to do things like pull a band around on a trailer. If a band wants to do it, we’re gonna do it.”
Listen to Caleb McCoach ahead of his performance tomorrow:
Phono Fridays will kickoff at noon each week, with programming provided by four different curators. The curators include Musical Family Tree, Virginia Ave. Folk Fest, Classical Music Indy and Rhythm! Discovery Center. “We definitely wanted it to be family-friendly and all-ages friendly, but also wanted to incorporate as many genres as we could,” Musical Family Tree executive director Jon Rogers says of his approach to programming. “Keeping the line-up diverse in terms of having different ethnicities, genders, even different ages of musicians… I think we collaborated to get a line-up that was a good representation of the whole city in different ways.”
All of the Phono Fridays curators were excited about the prospect of bringing music to an audience they may not reach on a regular basis. “There’s a lot of people around here who don’t know what kind of music we have to offer,” Angel says. “It will be a good chance for them to realize that there are really talented people around here.”
Rogers reiterated that sentiment, saying, “That’s one of the main reasons I was attracted to [Spark], because we would be able to reach a different audience – say, people who work downtown and come out for lunch or happy hour. I’m assuming with all the other programming that Big Car and Spark are doing, that there will be increased interest as this thing goes on and continues to build. It’s an exciting opportunity.”
By Karla Romero, Spark writer in residence
By now you know that Spark is a project that temporarily reflects the endless cultural and socio-civic possibilities of a central and community-driven space in our city. What you may not know is that each day has a theme and Wednesday’s is simple: walking.
I got to spend last Wednesday evening at Monument Circle and what I saw was much more than a cultural shift in our city. I was approached by onlookers who wondered what was going on and why the Circle had gone through such a transformation. A family visiting from North Carolina, with a thick Cackalacky accent, chatted with us and sat along the Circle at the additional Spark seating. I thought, “How will their contact with Spark impact their opinion of Indianapolis?” They spent well over an hour playing games and participating in the overall Spark experience, so I’m certain that their vision of Indianapolis was greatly shaped by their time at Monument Circle. Sadly, they left before the most exciting part of Walking Wednesdays, a free guided Theme Walk. Last Wednesday’s Theme Walk was of the Indiana State House.
Jennifer Hodge from Capitol Tours led us from Monument Circle towards the State House. The tour started at 6:30 p.m. And, as our group started to walk, I looked around and saw that people were not only engaged with their surrounding, but they looked different. Before Spark, my memory of the Circle consisted of an image of the daily shuffle of individuals who were there to take pictures and leave, regulars who in many ways call Monument Circle their home, and those who used that space to walk through to get somewhere else. On this particular Wednesday, I could see people’s eyes as they looked across the Circle to investigate the changes to part of their daily expanse. Many sat at the parklets and tables that line the Circle. Others stopped and chatted, pointed and smiled, and just stood there, perhaps wishing that this were a permanent fixture.
The tour was packed with incredible facts and an immense amount of information about the Indiana State House. For example, did you know that the State House has a Sycamore tree that was grown from one of the famous Moon Tree seeds? In 1971, Apollo 14 Astronaut Stuart A. Roosa carried approximately 500 seeds to the moon as an experiment for the U.S. Forest Service. One of those seeds was planted in the front lawn arboretum of the State House in April of 1976, and is now one of only about 50 trees still alive from that experiment. For more information and a virtual tour of the State House, please visit: http://www.in.gov/idoa/virtual-tour/
This week’s Theme Walk goes very well with this little-known fact about our local Moon Tree. Aborist Nate Faris from Keep Indianapolis Beautiful will lead the Downtown Tree Tour, where we will learn what trees say about our city.
The most exciting part about the Theme Walks is that you’ll be able to enjoy a different one each Wednesday for the duration of Spark. So, if you find yourself pondering what your next Wednesday will consist of, remember you can change it drastically. Despite the fact that Spark will only last through mid October, perhaps the best way to prolong the experience of this project is by making a habit of using these pre-existing spaces more often.
If we can envision a space in our city as an expectation and not just an idea, we can continue to utilize the Circle after Spark has finished and demonstrate that turning a Wednesday into a cultural experience isn’t a luxury left to those who live in the biggest cities. I’m certain that the family from North Carolina that we talked to last Wednesday sees Indianapolis under a unique lens that most of us don’t, since their Monument Circle experience was exclusively defined by Spark. What if every Wednesday you could walk to the Circle and discover something about your city that enriches your cultural knowledge, your community and your personal and interpersonal growth? Join us every Wednesday through mid October, as we connect ourselves and our community to our city’s most treasured landmarks, history and hidden corners!
Upcoming Theme Walk schedule:
Aug. 12: Downtown Tree Tour — What can our trees say about our city? Get up close and personal while learning about nature with this tree tour led by arborist Nate Faris of Keep Indianapolis Beautiful.
Aug. 19: Virginia Avenue History — Virginia Avenue boasts many historic buildings as one of Indy’s first most important streets. Explore what the avenue has to offer during this themed walk led by historian Connie Zeigler.
Aug. 26: Indy Oddities — Believe it or not, Indy is full of oddities. Explore what’s weird with artist Kipp Normand on this themed walk. Are you sensing some great photo opportunities?
Sept. 2: Mass Ave — Massachusetts Avenue is certainly one of our city’s hangout hotspots. See why during this themed walk with Eric Strickland of the Riley Area Development Corporation.
Sept. 9: German American History — Explore German American History with architectural historian William Selm in this week’s theme walk. If you’re German, see if your roots might play a part in our city’s history in this themed walk.
Sept. 16: Pogue’s Run — Explore Pogue’s run, an urban creek that runs right through Indy, in this themed walk that has you experiencing your city in a whole new way, led by artist Sean Derry who did a previous project marking Pogue’s Run under downtown. Alan Goffinski of Reconnecting to Our Waterways will also help out.
Sept. 23: Downtown Public Art — Public art is everywhere, but sometimes we miss it when we are in a hurry or are quickly driving by. Take time to relax and enjoy our city’s public art in this themed walk led by Julia Muney Moore of the Arts Council of Indianapolis.
Sept. 30: Situationist Walk — Tedd Grain of Indianapolis LISC and Big Car’s Jim Walker team up to explore walks as a spontaneous wandering games. Learn a little about the Situationist idea of the dérive and try one together.
Oct. 7: Indiana Avenue — Experience Indianapolis history in a new way with a themed walk from the Circle to historic Indiana Avenue with community activist Donna Stokes-Lucas.
Oct. 14: Haunted Indianapolis — What downtown hotspots give you the creeps? Explore Indy’s haunted locations with artist ghost investigator Craig McCormick.
What happens when you give a bunch of avant-garde, experimental musicians whose work is typically confined to living rooms and contemporary gallery spaces an hour of free rein at one of Indy’s most prominent public spaces? Stop by Monument Circle at 6 p.m. on Mondays to find out.
The onset of the workweek brings a bit of routine and the launch of themed days as part of Spark Monument Circle. Until mid-October, Mondays will consist of “Mellow Mondays” which are designed to “encourage low-tech, relaxing experiences.”
Local musician and artist John Flannelly will curate musical performances in connection with Big Car’s Listen Hear initiative to close out Mellow Mondays. For Spark Monument Circle, Flannelly was given broad guidelines. The Listen Hear contribution, which will take place from 6 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Monday evenings, will feature hour-long performances from Indiana artists. It will focus on experimental music, and generally leans toward more ambient, longform pieces. “A lot of musicians who are playing generally don’t get the opportunity to play for an hour,” Flannelly says. “So, they’re kind of stretching out some things or trying different things.”
Duncan Kissinger will be the first experimental musician to take the stage at Monument Circle this evening. Kissinger initially made a splash on Indy’s music scene while still in high school as the guitarist in celebrated rock band Hotfox. Since those early days, Kissinger’s sound has leaned toward the more experimental, outsider or fringe side of things. This change in direction first surfaced under the name of Skin Conditions, a project with a deep catalog (given its short lifespan) of bedroom recordings available via Indiana music archive Musical Family Tree. Skin Conditions underwent several iterations, including a full backing band at different points in time. More recently, Kissinger has recorded and performed solo under his given name.
“When you think about Duncan’s music,” Flannelly says, “he does a lot of different modes: guitar and singing, every once in a while he’ll whip out a keyboard and do something more spacey. He’s someone who likes to try out different things.”
Kissinger’s idea for his Monument Circle performance came to him as he was drifting to sleep on a recent evening. “It came to me that I should get a bunch of fans – like fans that cool cool a room, not that are supportive of a team or something,” Kissinger laughs. “I’m going to get a bunch of fans in a configuration of a live band … I’m going to have them mic’d and I think I might run them through some effects, but I’m going to just be the sound guy for that. I’m going to work a mixer in a choir robe, because [Flannelly] said it has to be an hour and it has to be an ambient set. So, I was like what’s a better ambient instrument than fans, you know? Plus it’s probably going to be hotter than Hell.”
Flannelly is anxious to bring these experimental sounds from the relatively sequestered spaces of music venues and the bedroom to a historic stage as prominent as any in the city. “Most live music, just by circumstance of the venue is going to be kind of hidden away,” Flannelly says. “It’s in a building with a cover, possibly. Or it’s in a house where not everybody knows about it. That’s even more true of the experimental side of things. So, I think it’s awesome. You never know how a wide audience will react to these things in general.”
Kissinger echoed that sentiment, saying, “The Listen Hear opportunity on the circle is really great, because that’s some weird, heady, out-there stuff … It’s going to be a really fun dynamic, especially with all of the other people that are doing the Monday sets. I know a lot of them. We’re all weirdos. I’m excited to watch everyone fly their freak flag in the middle of downtown.”
Listen Hear Performance Schedule:
Listen Hear is an ongoing sound-art project that Big Car launched in 2014. The fundamental purposes of Listen Hear are to (1) highlight sound as a material in art while bringing people together to enjoy this, (2) give focus to the importance of our daily soundscape, (3) engage new listeners with tools and techniques related to deep listening, (4) provide opportunities to new and uninitiated audiences to experience sound as art.
Stay up-to-date on Listen Hear’s contribution to Spark Monument Circle via Facebook.
SPARK: Monument Circle will bring extraordinary temporary cultural experiences to Monument Circle.
From the creation of temporary seating and lounge areas, to interactive art projects, performances, games, and more, SPARK: Monument Circle seeks to experiment and discover how our city’s most important civic space might be better activated and utilized on a daily basis. The information gathered during this project will be given to the City of Indianapolis’ Monument Circle Reconstruction team for consideration in the longer-term construction project.
This project uses the tools, techniques and strategies of creative peacemaking, tactical urbanism, and socially engaged art to accomplish three main goals:
To maximize the spark, we’ll have different themes everyday:
✪ Mellow Mondays encourage quiet relaxing, low-tech, and unplugged experiences
✪ Talking Tuesdays might have a community soapbox, ask an expert station, community conversations, TED talks projected outside, sports talk, and a live broadcast Q&A with interesting people from the community
✪ Walking Wednesdays are days when people meet to walk and talk and take organized, artist/expert-led walks from the Circle to other destinations nearby
✪ Throwback Thursdays have a focus on history – especially of Monument Circle – and historic preservation
✪ Phono Fridays feature music, sound, and DJs – including crowd-sourced, vinyl, spoken word
✪ Social Saturdays are community days for people to get together, neighborhood groups to have their own days, for people to hang out, play and collaborate with each other
✪ Cycle Sundays will include special programs for bike riders, scooter riders, and motorcyclists – including discounts or prizes for people who ride down to the circle
We still can’t stop thinking about the amazing Swiftie weekend we had at SPARK on the Circle! 🪩💖🫶
SPARK hosted over 10,000 visitors who made 2,000 Taylor Swift-themed postcards created by local artists that will be mailed around the world for free, made hundreds of bracelets, got their faces painted, participated in Mary Jo Bayliss’ @andknits’s collaborative art project, enjoyed local music, and more all weekend long.
Thanks to @downtownindy @visitindy @indyartscouncil @musicalfam @inspiremusiccollective @indyculturaltrai @irtlive @pacerssportsent @indygaymarket @iso_education @ateampartyrental @minivangomobileartgallery & @megalicehartfor helping put on awesome events and musical performances this weekend!
And, thank you to all the passionate, community driven Swifties who visited our amazing home city of Indianapolis — We hope to see you back soon! 💃✨💕
…
#SparkOnTheCircle #Indianapolis #Indy #TheErasTour #TSTheErasTour #TaylorSwift #Swiftie #TaylorsVersion #CreativePlacemaking #placemaking #SPARKTaylorsVersion
We still can’t stop thinking about the amazing Swiftie weekend we had at SPARK on the Circle! 🪩💖🫶
SPARK hosted over 10,000 visitors who made 2,000 Taylor Swift-themed postcards created by local artists that will be mailed around the world for free, made hundreds of bracelets, got their faces painted, participated in Mary Jo Bayliss’ @andknits’s collaborative art project, enjoyed local music, and more all weekend long.
Thanks to @downtownindy @visitindy @indyartscouncil @musicalfam @inspiremusiccollective @indyculturaltrai @irtlive @pacerssportsent @indygaymarket @iso_education @ateampartyrental @minivangomobileartgallery & @megalicehartfor helping put on awesome events and musical performances this weekend!
And, thank you to all the passionate, community driven Swifties who visited our amazing home city of Indianapolis — We hope to see you back soon! 💃✨💕
…
#SparkOnTheCircle #Indianapolis #Indy #TheErasTour #TSTheErasTour #TaylorSwift #Swiftie #TaylorsVersion #CreativePlacemaking #placemaking #SPARKTaylorsVersion
What a fantastic day of celebrating SPARK (Taylor’s Version) at Monument Circle!
We’re back Sunday at 11 am (the last day for this year’s SPARK park) with more fun like:
- coloring and sending Taylor Swift themed postcards by Indianapolis artists
- making & trading friendship bracelets (very popular!)
- helping make a collaborative Swiftie-inspired artwork with artist @andknits
- vibing to live music organized by @musicalfam & @artscouncilindy
- getting a Swiftie face painting
- shopping at the Mini Gay Market @indygaymarket
- and more!
And people really loved @derektuder ‘s selfie station and Mini Van Go art gallery on Saturday!
Visit circlespark.org for the full weekend schedule and follow @sparkplaces for updates
…
SPARK is a partnership between Big Car Collaborative, Downtown Indy, the City of Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development, and the Indiana War Memorials Commission, and is funded by the Capital Improvement Board.
@bigcarpix @downtownindy @indy_dmd @indianawarmemorials @icclos
What a fantastic day of celebrating SPARK (Taylor’s Version) at Monument Circle!
We’re back Sunday at 11 am (the last day for this year’s SPARK park) with more fun like:
- coloring and sending Taylor Swift themed postcards by Indianapolis artists
- making & trading friendship bracelets (very popular!)
- helping make a collaborative Swiftie-inspired artwork with artist @andknits
- vibing to live music organized by @musicalfam & @artscouncilindy
- getting a Swiftie face painting
- shopping at the Mini Gay Market @indygaymarket
- and more!
And people really loved @derektuder ‘s selfie station and Mini Van Go art gallery on Saturday!
Visit circlespark.org for the full weekend schedule and follow @sparkplaces for updates
…
SPARK is a partnership between Big Car Collaborative, Downtown Indy, the City of Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development, and the Indiana War Memorials Commission, and is funded by the Capital Improvement Board.
@bigcarpix @downtownindy @indy_dmd @indianawarmemorials @icclos
Get in your Indy era with fun, free Swiftie activities at SPARK on the Circle, just in time for Taylor’s big visit! ✨🪩🤟🩷🎶
Join us on Friday, Nov. 1, Saturday, Nov. 2, and Sunday, Nov. 3 from 11am - 6pm to celebrate SPARK (Taylor’s Version) with:
- sending locally designed postcards for free
- making & trading friendship bracelets
- helping make a collaborative Swiftie-inspired artwork with artist Mary Jo Bayliss
- vibing to live music
- getting Swiftie face painting
- shopping at the Mini Gay Market
- taking pictures in a 360° photo booth
- and more!
Visit circlespark.org for the full weekend schedule ✨
…
SPARK is a partnership between Big Car Collaborative, Downtown Indy, the City of ISwiftieolis Department of Metropolitan Development, and the Indiana War Memorials Commission, and is funded by the Capital Improvement Board. @bigcarpix @downtownindy @indy_dmd @indianawarmemorials @icclos
…
#SparkOnTheCircle #Indianapolis #Indy #Do317 #TheErasTour #TSTheErasTour #TaylorSwift #Swiftie #TaylorsVersion #CreativePlacemaking #placemaking #SPARKTaylorsVersion | @indygaymarket @andknits @look.at.what.lauren.drew @_alittlesketchy @artscouncilindy @do317
Get in your Indy era with fun, free Swiftie activities at SPARK on the Circle, just in time for Taylor’s big visit! ✨🪩🤟🩷🎶
Join us on Friday, Nov. 1, Saturday, Nov. 2, and Sunday, Nov. 3 from 11am - 6pm to celebrate SPARK (Taylor’s Version) with:
- sending locally designed postcards for free
- making & trading friendship bracelets
- helping make a collaborative Swiftie-inspired artwork with artist Mary Jo Bayliss
- vibing to live music
- getting Swiftie face painting
- shopping at the Mini Gay Market
- taking pictures in a 360° photo booth
- and more!
Visit circlespark.org for the full weekend schedule ✨
…
SPARK is a partnership between Big Car Collaborative, Downtown Indy, the City of ISwiftieolis Department of Metropolitan Development, and the Indiana War Memorials Commission, and is funded by the Capital Improvement Board. @bigcarpix @downtownindy @indy_dmd @indianawarmemorials @icclos
…
#SparkOnTheCircle #Indianapolis #Indy #Do317 #TheErasTour #TSTheErasTour #TaylorSwift #Swiftie #TaylorsVersion #CreativePlacemaking #placemaking #SPARKTaylorsVersion | @indygaymarket @andknits @look.at.what.lauren.drew @_alittlesketchy @artscouncilindy @do317
Lunch Break Live with local musician Regan Shalome from 12-1pm! @meadowsgirll
Lunch Break Live 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.
#placemaking #indianapolisindiana
Lunch Break Live with local musician Regan Shalome from 12-1pm! @meadowsgirll
Lunch Break Live 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.
#placemaking #indianapolisindiana
Dust off your dancing shoes and join Boot Scoot USA at SPARK for a night of line dancing, country DJ sets, and more on the Circle! 🤠💃🕺🎶
…
SPARK is a partnership between Big Car Collaborative, Downtown Indy, the City of Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development, and the Indiana War Memorials Commission, and is funded by the Capital Improvement Board. @bigcarpix @downtownindy @indy_dmd @indianawarmemorials @icclos
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. Learn more at CircleSpark.org
…
@line.dance.instructor @iyamjohnstamps @bootscootusa | #SparkOnTheCircle #Indianapolis #Do317 #art #CreativePlacemaking #placemaking #indy
Dust off your dancing shoes and join Boot Scoot USA at SPARK for a night of line dancing, country DJ sets, and more on the Circle! 🤠💃🕺🎶
…
SPARK is a partnership between Big Car Collaborative, Downtown Indy, the City of Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development, and the Indiana War Memorials Commission, and is funded by the Capital Improvement Board. @bigcarpix @downtownindy @indy_dmd @indianawarmemorials @icclos
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. Learn more at CircleSpark.org
…
@line.dance.instructor @iyamjohnstamps @bootscootusa | #SparkOnTheCircle #Indianapolis #Do317 #art #CreativePlacemaking #placemaking #indy
Lunch Break Live with local musician Mina Keohane from 12-1pm! @mina_wondrousflyingmachine @mrosekeohane
Lunch Break Live 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.
#placemaking #indianapolisindiana
Lunch Break Live with local musician Mina Keohane from 12-1pm! @mina_wondrousflyingmachine @mrosekeohane
Lunch Break Live 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.
#placemaking #indianapolisindiana
Join us tonight on the Circle for Late Nights at SPARK until 10pm, with a bubble performance from Bubble Jim and a live set from WQRT DJ Rani Rizz! 🫧🎧🎶
…
SPARK is a partnership between Big Car Collaborative, Downtown Indy, the City of Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development, and the Indiana War Memorials Commission, and is funded by the Capital Improvement Board. @bigcarpix @downtownindy @indy_dmd @indianawarmemorials @icclos
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. Learn more at CircleSpark.org
…
@madlabstudio @rani.rizz @wqrtfm | #SparkOnTheCircle #Indianapolis #Do317 #art #CreativePlacemaking #placemaking #indy
Join us tonight on the Circle for Late Nights at SPARK until 10pm, with a bubble performance from Bubble Jim and a live set from WQRT DJ Rani Rizz! 🫧🎧🎶
…
SPARK is a partnership between Big Car Collaborative, Downtown Indy, the City of Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development, and the Indiana War Memorials Commission, and is funded by the Capital Improvement Board. @bigcarpix @downtownindy @indy_dmd @indianawarmemorials @icclos
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. Learn more at CircleSpark.org
…
@madlabstudio @rani.rizz @wqrtfm | #SparkOnTheCircle #Indianapolis #Do317 #art #CreativePlacemaking #placemaking #indy
Lunch Break Live with local musician Kara Cole from 12-1pm!
@_karacole_
Lunch Break Live 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. #placemaking #indianapolisindiana
Lunch Break Live with local musician Kara Cole from 12-1pm!
@_karacole_
Lunch Break Live 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. #placemaking #indianapolisindiana
