December FIRST FRIDAY with the Circle City Industrial Complex Artists

As the CCIC follows state and county regulations, masks are no longer required for vaccinated visitors but are highly encouraged, and individual artist studios may continue to require masks within their space. The CCIC is a 500,000 square foot building, making social distancing somewhat easier than other venues, but the smaller studios may also maintain limitations on visitor numbers at times.

Open Studios and Galleries

Several studios and gallery spaces will be open throughout the building. This list is not all-encompassing; some artists may decide to open that night based on current information and comfort levels.

Arts & Images by Anthony Armstrong
Anthony Armstrong presents a blend of new abstract painting highlighting bold colors and deep texture. Armstrong is a self-taught abstract painter and photographer. “Often times, we are moving through the day so quickly, we forget to look at our surroundings and how every beat creates the pulse of the city,” Armstrong said. Anthony Armstrong is located in the South Studios.

Roberta Avidor
Roberta Avidor is a graduate of Parsons School of Design (NYC) in illustration and has been working as an illustrator for the last 40 or so years. Now semi-retired, she focuses on painting scenes in and around Indianapolis. Also featured is the “Art Clothesline”, where random quick sketches are pinned up and suitable for framing. “As always, I like to draw and paint the world around me with focus on the often-familiar places and the people that are moving through those spaces,” Avidor said. “Hopefully, visitors will recognize and appreciate the value of the subject matter as much as I do.” Roberta Avidor is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Bebito Toys
The Bebito Toys Studio is a cozy space filled with creative energy and endless imagination, where Rachel Hedges and her talented team bring repurposed materials to life in the form of unique, quirky, and colorful stuffed toys. For the December First Friday, The Bebito Studio welcomes guest artist, Vanessa Monfreda! Vanessa will have a pop up show at the Bebito Studio that will display collages made of up-cycled magazines. Bebito is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Kent Brinkley
Kent Brinkley is an oil painter and mixed media artist who likes to explore various techniques and experimentation in his work. The end goal is to create a language in which the viewer can translate or at least communicate with the work. “There’s a lot of emotion to the work I do, a lot of movement in the pieces, a lot of attachment. People can identify with the work I do based on the emotions they may or may not notice they feel about the work they’re looking at,” Brinkley said. Kent Brinkley is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Circle City Metalworks
Circle City Metal works is helmed by Dan Jones, who will be displaying a small sampling of products for sale from their large product line. “We offer over 300 different unique and artistic items on our website. We also do design and custom work. If you can dream it we can make it,” Jones said. Circle City Metalworks is located in the back corridor, near the South Studios, on the first floor of the building.

Daily Epiphany Studio: Michele Burns and Kurt Kriese
Daily Epiphany Studio will present work by Michele Burns and Kurt Kriese. Kurt works with oils, acrylics, cold wax and mixed media to make rich-color abstract art and landscapes, and he is also a stained glass artist. Michele makes “Night Light Art” paintings and mobile sculptures, with child-safe naturally luminous/glowing pigments. Daily Epiphany is located in the South Studios.

Taylor Figg – Oliver Upside Down
Taylor Figg, of Oliver Upside Down, will be offering for the holiday season a supply of new holiday-themed fabric, catnip-filled kitty kicker toys and a limited number of hand-painted wooden ornaments (some cat-themed, others not!); perfect for gift giving to the cat or cat person in your life! The usual supply of cat-themed stickers and art will continue to be available. As always, 40% of all sales will be donated to a cat rescue or wildlife rehabilitator. “While each month I donate a percentage of profits to animal rescues, it’s especially important around the holidays for me to make contributions to individuals and organizations that are working to help others, human or other,” Figg said. “My art and cat toy sales allow me to be able to help support animals and the humans that care for them, which is hugely important to me! Thank you for allowing me that opportunity through your support.” Taylor Figg of Oliver Upside Down is located on the second floor of the North Studios, sharing a space with Rachel Hicks.

Wendy Franklin Art
Wendy Franklin presents a refreshing, contemporary series of abstract oil paintings characterized by saturated colors and unexpected mark making, called “Keeping Summer Alive” “The Indiana skies may be gray but the sun keeps shining with this collection of bright, uplifting oil paintings,” said Franklin. “I am very excited to present pieces from my Sunshine Collection because they never fail to make people happy which is what my work is all about!” Wendy Franklin Art is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Full Circle Nine Gallery
The Full Circle Nine Gallery will feature Robin Frost-Bess with “Color and Texture: A Family Journey.” Frost-Bess is a multimedia artist focusing on textures created through various papers and other surfaces. “I am the product of a family of female artists,” Frost-Bess, who also plans to display artwork by her mother and grandmothers, said. “This work showcases my roots and my beginnings as an artist, and passes that passion for art and expression down to my grandchildren.” Full Circle Nine Gallery is located on the first floor of the South Studios.

Glass Arts Indiana, Inc.
Glass Arts Indiana creates a collaborative glass community to support emerging and established artists; host fun, interesting and educational events; increase appreciation and understanding of the glass arts; and promote glass-related opportunities in Indiana and the U.S. Finished works are available and visitors will get to see glass-blowing in action. Glass Arts Indiana, Inc. is located on the first floor, in the corridor.

Sylvia Gray Art Studio
Sylvia Gray paints on silk and canvas. She studied at Herron School of Design and taught at the Indianapolis Art Center. She paints with dye on silk and oil on canvas. She creates both wearable art and art for the walls, all of it colorful and expressive. Her work combines abstracted patterns, figures, and landscapes. Gray recently was awarded Best-In-Show at the SALI National Abstract Show for her artwork in Oils and 2nd place in Abstract Work for her artwork on silk at the Hoosier Salon. “I don’t really see an image until I paint it,” Gray said. “Live patterns in shapes and colors…I love what I do and am honored when people come and view my work.” Sylvia Gray Art Studio is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

HI Print Gallery
James Hubbard & Kurt Ihrig, Indianapolis print artists, will open up HI Print Gallery for the evening with plenty to see. HI Print Gallery is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Rachel Hicks
Rachel Hicks, of One Fine Mess, is a self-taught digital portrait artist focusing on hyper realistic human portraits. Pre-pandemic, Hicks worked in graphite, but has recently embraced digital work, especially fandom art of television shows and movies. “It’s something that everybody can enjoy. You don’t have to be an artist to enjoy the art. Since I do hyper-realistic portraits, most people don’t do that. They do a lot of graphic stuff. Not a lot of people do it, so to be one of those people is pretty cool,” Hicks said. Rachel Hicks is located on the second floor of the North Studios, sharing a space with Taylor Figg.

Susan Hirsch
Susan Hirsch is a painter, sculptor, and idealist augmenting reality with themes from nature, fairy tales, and dreams. Her work in this studio is mainly oil on canvas or wood board, with some abstract ceramic sculpture. During the day, she promotes inclusive design in digital product development. She studied Ceramic Art at the Kansas City Art Institute, and obtained her Master’s degree from Indiana University in Media Arts and Science in 2012. Hirsch’s show this month is called “Finding the Color of Angry Trees.”  “Fall is a time that many of us connect with the outdoors in a more profound, maybe even spiritual, way than we usually might,” Hirsch said. “The forest communicates all the time and sometimes speaks to us too if we are open to it. In these cooler months I tend to spend a lot of time in the company of trees and damp earth. My current paintings invite a deceleration of time, to keep closer pace with trees and bring some particular trees indoors a bit for winter.” Susan Hirsch is located on the second floor of the South Studios.

Matt Hurdle / Matt Hurdle Fine Art
After a successful exhibit at Saks Fifth Ave 3rd Floor Gallery and the Hoosier Salon Annual Exhibit at the Indiana State Museum, Matt Hurdle will be exhibiting new contemporary landscapes and abstract paintings. His landscapes create a feeling of calm and peacefulness through his use of color palette and hazy, blending technique. His abstracts are brighter and energetic through shape, color and movement. Matt Hurdle Fine Art is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Larry Lad, LadArt
Larry Lad is a self-taught painter experimenting with a variety of media and surfaces, such as cigar boxes, recycled material, and unique surfaces. “While I start with a general idea of what I would like to create, I am learning to listen, to see, and to let the art tell me where to go next,” Lad said. “With COVID, we have been given the gift of time. It has allowed us to produce some new art and new poetry. It has also taught us patience.” Larry Lad, LadArt is located in the corridor on the first floor.

Jared Landberg & John McCormick Karst Inc./Uncle Johnnie’s Used Books
Karst Inc. is a collection of personal work and commissions housed inside and outside the studio of Jared Landberg. These include custom hardwood frames for clients as well as his own photographs, documents, and other project-related ephemera. His work is grounded in landscape painting and interpretation while amidst the remains of performance and documentation. Uncle Johnnie’s Used Books is a potpourri of used books, all for sale, assembled by local know-it-all John Collins McCormick. Jared Landberg & John McCormick Karst Inc./Uncle Johnnie’s Used Books is located on the first floor in the corridor, near Glass Arts Indiana, Inc.

Nancy Lee, Nancy Lee Designs Studio
Nancy Lee is known for her handmade sterling silver jewelry and will feature new silver and gold jewelry designs in her freshly updated gallery space. She has made custom work for clients in gold and silver for over a decade. She specializes in alternative wedding and engagement rings in a warm and inclusive environment. Her offerings also include kiln-fired enamel landscapes on copper substrates. These paintings show the same attention to detail with which Lee touches all of her work. “Details delight me, and I can easily get lost in them, whether in gold, silver, or enamel. You might say tiny things are my superpower!” Lee said. Nancy Lee is one of the original three artist pioneers who brought First Friday art openings to the Circle City Industrial Complex. Nancy Lee is located on the first floor of the North Studios.

Wendell Lowe Fine Art
Wendell Lowe has a unique style of abstract expressionism finger painting. Since being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2009, Lowe’s style has evolved from detailed chalk pastel landscapes and photography to his current work. His work evolves from deep in his soul and documents his Parkinson’s journey. “My finger paintings deal with my Parkinson’s and my Parkinson’s Psychosis,” Lowe said of his work that sometimes combines his finger painting techniques with prints of his own photography. Wendell Lowe Fine Art is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Grace Marshall, Grace M Design
Grace M Design is an Indianapolis-based custom jewelry/fashion shop owned and managed by Grace Marshall, a certified Jeweler and Gemologist from the Gemological Institute of America. Marshall is an Army veteran with a B.A. in Industrial Design from Purdue University and a Graduate Jeweler/Gemologist degree from the Gemological Institute of America. Grace Marshall has always had a passion for using her hands to create beautiful and functional designs. Making unique jewelry with precious metals and gemstones has been both a challenging and rewarding career choice. Marshall has been at the heart of forming a jeweler’s community in Indianapolis by helping found the Indy Metalsmith group as Assistant Organizer, and as a Stutz Artist, as well as an adjunct professor at the Herron School of Art and Design, as a teaching artist at the Indianapolis Art Center, and through participation in various festivals and conventions. December marks Marshall’s premiere at the CCIC in a larger space that allows for metalsmithing classes. Grace M Design is located on the first floor of the North Studios.

Katrina J. Murray Studio and Gallery
Katrina J. Murray Studio and Gallery will feature ceramic sculpture and collage work. Murray considers all of her works to be a form of collage. Educated at the Herron School of Art and Design and Ivy Tech, Katrina Murray studied art history in Italy and lived for a time in Germany. A native of Brown County, Indiana, Murray now makes her home in Indianapolis and has held a longtime studio at the CCIC. Katrina J. Murray Studio and Gallery is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Shaun M. Niles
Shaun M. Niles works with large format analog photography and other historical processes, bringing a contemporary perspective to photographic techniques of an era gone by. Niles is best known for his work on the Beneath It All project, where he applauds the human form with a reverence, recognizing that we are all individually unique while also being very much the same. “The human body is an exquisite thing to contemplate,” Niles said. “I choose to celebrate this appreciation of the unique beauty that I find in the human form. Once we learn to love and accept ourselves we realize that we have nothing to be ashamed of and that’s the difference between being naked and being nude.” Shaun M. Niles is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Camille Peters
S. Camille Peters is a photographer born and raised in Indianapolis with a BFA from the Herron School of Art. With more than 20 years in photography, “I feel like I have a combo mentality of both digital and film photography, where I call it ‘fine tech.’ I’m using fine art lessons in photography with digital software; mixing it. Fine tech!” Peters said. S. Camille Peters is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Denise Rolland / Denise Rolland Troyer Ceramics
Denise Rolland Troyer works as a ceramic artist, focusing on forms of fungi, lichen, mosses and various, persistent growths for inspiration. She looks through small windows within the environment to gain knowledge that can be expanded to a larger concept. Her work presents ceramic pieces that are inspired by nature but have elements of peculiarity. These familiar, yet odd growth forms imply futurity, a continued existence. Denise Rolland Troyer Ceramics is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Soundspace
Soundspace Open Mic is a free First Friday event held monthly in the CCIC Suite B3. Come check out the space, or join the artists! Bring a finished OR unfinished song to share with the group and get feedback from other artists. Sound system provided. Share a poem or song, or improvise one! Finished, unfinished, conceptual, share your art with other artists in a music focused safe space. Soundspace exists to erase the barriers to a professional music career, so artists can afford to be a musician. They do that by providing unlimited access to fully equipped rehearsal and recording space, cultivating growth through collaboration, and empowering the artist through industrial innovation. Soundspace is located on the south end of the CCIC, next to Centerpoint Brewing.

Rebeka Sweetland
Rebeka Sweetland is a mixed media artist, working primarily on wood, utilizing tools, graphite, sealants, and acrylic paint before switching over to oil paint for the finishing touches on her work. Sweetland has a BA in Ceramics and  a BFA in Painting from Indiana University and is originally from southern Indiana, having lived in Missouri and Texas before settling in Indianapolis. “My work is very autobiographical in a lot of senses. I spend a lot of time telling stories about people that I encounter, that I’m really close to, or about myself and the people around me.” Rebeka Sweetland is located on the second floor of the North Studios and shares a space with Cathy Mayfield.

Steven Vinson
Steven Vinson is an artist from the 46201 zip code working in mixed media to depict urban landscapes. He holds a BFA in painting from Herron and an MFA from KCAD in Grand Rapids, MI. He currently teaches 6th grade for IPS and has previously worked as a collegiate faculty member and gallery preparator, while also operating his own live/work gallery space. This artist is fully vaccinated. “I have a new piece on view from my current series titled 46201 as well as older works,” Vinson said. Steven Vinson is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Cindy Wingo of Wingo Studio and Bruce Dean of Bruce Dean Creative
Cindy Wingo and Bruce Dean are both full time Artists & Painters. Cindy Wingo paints abstraction while Bruce Dean paints traditional subject matter. He specializes in watercolor and offers and teaches watercolor classes. Wingo began her art career in graphic design and returned to painting after 15 years. Dean began his art career as a painter and illustrator and later founded Dean Johnson Design & Gallery. Ten years ago, he returned to his fine art core. Together, they present their “Christmas Holiday Art Sale Event.” “With so much inventory still remaining from this past year, we’re offering reduced pricing of our work throughout the month of December. Our preview sale begins December 1st & 2nd and the sale launch will begin on First Friday, December 3rd. Hope you can join us!” Wingo said. Cindy Wingo of Wingo Studio and Bruce Dean of Bruce Dean Creative are located on the second floor of the North Studios.

The CCIC is also open during regular business hours, with the Schwitzer Gallery accessible throughout the week. Several artists and galleries will remain open for their regular ‘retail’ hours, usually on weekends, and posted on their own websites and social media. Some studios will also be open by appointment.

The Circle City Industrial Complex has become a destination for art appreciators and supporters of local work, with the total number of artists working within the CCIC at topping 100. Just northeast of the Mass Ave. Art and Theatre Cultural District, at 1125 Brookside Ave., the CCIC Artists First Friday programming is a must-see stop, while events and viewable hours continue throughout the month.

The Main Entrance of the building (identified by its black marble façade) provides easy access to both the South Studios and the North Studios (with a wheelchair accessible ramp and elevator). Maps of the building are also available in several locations to help visitors find all that the building has to offer.

For more listings and event updates please visit https://ccicindyartists.wordpress.com, or the CCIC Artists Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/ccicartists

About the Circle City Industrial Complex Artists

The Circle City Industrial Complex (CCIC) is a nearly half-million square foot industrial building, located at 1125 Brookside Ave., and was formerly home to the Schwitzer automotive company. Its industrial appeal remains and artists and artisans have made the space their home, carving cozy studio, work, and show spaces from the concrete and steel structure, and the CCIC Artists have grown in number to over 50 galleries, individual artists and artisans. The main artist entries are the North Studios entrance and the South Studios entrance, each marked with signage along Brookside Avenue. The CCIC provides free parking in a large lot, and is accessible by the Pogue’s Run Trail, connecting to the Monon Trail and the downtown Cultural Trail system. The complex also offers other art-supporting destinations such as the Centerpoint Brewery, Lick Ice Cream, and Eighth Day Distillery and The Fowling Warehouse.

For more information on the building, please visit: http://circlecityind.com
For more information on the artists please visit: https://ccicindyartists.wordpress.com/