Forty5 Presents Melodie Yvonne’s Anniversary Celebration

The night will feature a reading of Melodie’s book, “I Do Heroin On The Train Line So You Don’t Have To: A Hitchhiker’s Guide To My Galaxie”, a poetry & short story collection about surviving Indiana & beyond, followed by an intimate chat with the author about mental health and surviving trauma hosted by Pastor Mike Wiggin as well as special performances and displays from Devon Ginn, Ariane Cyusa, Sarah Boutwell with B.O.W, CityLife, Travis Owens, and Irvington Vinyl & Books.
*This book reading is for mature audiences. This reading will include Explicit Content*
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FEATURING:
– Live reading and Q&A with Melodie Yvonne
– Live music & galleries with art for sale by Melodie Yvonne, Travis Owens, Sarah Boutwell
– Spoken word & guided sound meditation from special guests Ariane Cyusa and Devon Ginn
– Displays & presentations from local organizations including B.O.W (Beauty of Women), Irvington Vinyl & Books, and CityLife Church
– Cash Bar (with Valid ID)
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PARTICIPATING PARTNERS:
Melodie Yvonne
Melodie Yvonne, grew up in the small southern Indiana town of North Vernon. She picked up her first camera at the age of 5, and was immediately hooked. By the age of 15 she began to turn every trip, even just to the local park, into a fantasy scene of her own imagination, and started mentoring with many local professionals.
Melodie’s life was derailed after running away at 16, but she still fought for her photography dream. She received an Associates of Applied Science in Visual Technologies majoring in Photography from Ivy Tech in 2002 after studying under acclaimed professors and many other masters in the field.
Melodie’s main focus had always been music photography. Growing up listening to many amazing musicians inspired her dream to create visual images that made people feel the way they do when listening to music. Her goal was to help people SEE the music.
Melodie has done numerous jobs around the country ranging from working for bands to being the official photographer on many southern Indiana Poker Runs. Her specialties are in nature, music, and candid event photography. She published her first print work, a collection of images & poetry, in 2011, and has since published many more print works including her latest, I Do Heroin On The Train Line So You Don’t Have To: A Hitchhiker’s Guide To My Galaxie, a poetry & short story collection that looks back on the time she spent living on the streets as well as her struggle to leave that life behind.
Melodie currently acts as owner & lead photographer at Photographic Melodie, House Photographer for The Vogue Theater & Purdue Theatre, and Tour Photographer for the Billboard Charts topping band, Gangstagrass as well as freelance photographer for many other venues, media outlets, and musicians.
Melodie says, “I started out with a Tweety bird camera and a dream and I never let go. I will always love photography and the vessel it has given me to share the images of my heart and mind with the world. I have found that every single person on this earth visualizes the world in very different ways. Some people are optimists, some are pessimists. Some people are daydreamers, and others keep their feet firmly planted on the ground. Photography allows me to show some of these different visualizations. It allows the rationalist to see that it’s okay to dream, it can show the monsters hidden in the dark, and it can show even the saddest of people that there is still joy in the world.”
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Devon Ginn
Devon Ginn (he/him/they/them) has established long-lasting relationships by working alongside influential arts and culture hubs over the past decade. Devon is a curator at the historic Madam Walker Legacy Center and serves as the vice president of the board at the Indiana Writers Center. Ginn is also an Arts Council of Indianapolis 2020-2021 Creative Renewal Fellow, a 2019-2020 Arts & Culture Leaders of Color Fellow with Americans for the Arts, a placekeeper/ placemaker, a 200-hour yoga & meditation leader, a sound alchemist, and a published poet. As a freelance teaching artist, Ginn travels from state-to-state implementing his performance poetry and creative writing lesson plans for high school & college students. Deliberately collaborating with ground-breaking institutions and creatives on the forefront of change, his work as a visual artist, writer, nonprofit administrator, and performance artist is a reflection of all his learned and unlearned experiences.
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Ariane Icyeza Cyusa
Ariane Icyeza Cyusa is a spoken word artist with strong work that embodies succeeding through strife and female empowerment. Year thirty-one of her life, and she has lived to the fullest. Cyusa, a Rwandan immigrant, is always described as a bright firework in a gloomy world. Here she is. She is beautiful. She shines bright. She is Ariane.
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Sarah Boutwell
Sarah Boutwell is a professional photographer of 17 years that provides a safe space for women struggling with vulnerability to open up through honest conversation, recognizing the power of their journey and allowing her to capture their true essence through her lens providing them the reverence to bow to themselves daily.
Currently, Sarah is working on a book that is a culmination of her life’s journey, poems she’s written over the years, and, most importantly, feature images of women who inspire her daily. Boutwell’s hope is that her upcoming book “B.O.W Beauty of Women” will be an inspiration for generations of women to come because they can always open it for a source of strength and to know they are not alone.
Sarah’s ultimate goal is to continue to build this divine sisterhood by hosting more events that feature all women vendors, artists and musicians because it is her belief that when one woman rises, they all rise. She hopes to create a space at these events, group sessions and retreats that encourage women to open up with each other, celebrate one another and get in the practice of bowing as a sign of deep respect to ourselves. Eventually, Sarah will travel all over doing B.O.W sessions with individuals and groups. Sarah Boutwell absolutely loves what she does and is honored for the relationships it is cultivating.
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Travis Owens
Travis Owens is a mostly self-taught painter, born and raised in Indiana. His focus is to create a sense of warmth and vibrancy, with a touch of surrealism inspired by his Hoosier roots and world travels.
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Irvington Vinyl & Books
Irvington Vinyl & Books is a local Hoosier business that gives huge support to artists and authors throughout the Hoosier arts community. They serve the Indianapolis community by providing quality used records, used/new books, poetry & prose from small presses, as well as local & national zines.
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CityLife Church
CityLife Church is a local organization aimed at creating unity through communication as well as healing with love and acceptance.
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MELODIE YVONNE’S ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
FEBRUARY 22, 2022
21+
THE VOGUE THEATER
INDIANAPOLIS, IN
DOORS 5PM/SHOW6PM