As the CCIC follows state and county regulations, masks are no longer required for vaccinated visitors, but 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.
Various artists and galleries will have open doors during the evening, in accordance with their own schedules and comfort levels. The Schwitzer Gallery, on the second floor of the North Studios, will showcase “Vibe Check,” a collection of work by James Kane, Kat Spears, Meris Drew, Sara Yourist, and Kerrigan Clark. All are MFA candidates attending Indiana University’s Graduate Painting program, and will feature a wide range of styles, from abstract to figurative.
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 Studio B11 of the South Studios.
Bebito
Rachel Hedges creates cute and quirky plush toys and soft sculptures from repurposed and upcycled textiles. She uses unusual combinations of textures and colors, along with original patterns and hand-dyed fabrics to make truly one-of-a-kind pieces that are loved by children and adults alike. Her toys are gift-able, collectable, and lovable! Bebito is located on the second floor of the North Studios.
Kent Brinkley
Kent Brinkley will present new works, both in oil paint and mixed media, as an exploration of changing times. Kent Brinkley is located on the second floor of the North Studios.
Lydia Burris Studio S-09
Lydia Burris will have new works and a new issue of her magazine, “Darkness Dreaming: An Homage to Strangeness and Wonder,” titled “1,000 Dreams Deep.” Burris is a mixed media imaginer, combining the chaos of abstraction with the surreal elements of life’s mysteries. “I’ve started working with another new medium (encaustic) and I have moved into a new living situation,” Burris said. “At times like this, my art becomes a reflection of both my inner and outer worlds; a visual diary of my emotions and yearnings.” Lydia Burris 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 be showing new naturally luminous “Nightlight Art” paintings. Michele’s work is inspired by pattern, color, texture, and the mesmerizing fun of a second, luminous and sometimes very different composition when the lights go out. The glow comes from industrial-grade, OSHA-rated child-safe, super-bright photoluminescent minerals in paints that she makes herself. These are “excited” by any visible light, and shed light at different rates for each color, so compositions change through the night. These works are functional nightlights that glow for 12 to 20 hours, as well as beautiful paintings. Over the long COVID seclusion, Burns chucked frames and began working large. Kurt Kriese is working on abstract, richly colored and layered multimedia paintings on wood that draw viewers close to see the depth and complexity of what looks simple at first glance. Daily Epiphany is located in the South Studios.
Darkroom Revelations
Tom Potter, Nancy Frass, and Gayle Moore will continue to host Charles R. Yang, and “Asian Through Asian Eyes.” This is another opportunity to view these extraordinary images by Charles Yang. Over the last decade, Charles Yang has lived and traveled in Asia. His sensitive photographic eye focuses on socio-cultural street photography, depicting slices of Asian lives, and inviting viewers deep into Yang’s visual narratives. Yang is an extraordinary street photographer capturing images of great vision as to story, dynamic composition that exhibit “the decisive moment.” Darkroom Revelations is located on the first floor of the North Studios.
Full Circle Nine Gallery
The Full Circle Nine Gallery will feature Nathan Winship Smith and “Planter Banter,” an exhibition of plant containers containing as well funny narratives and commentary, each created by ceramicist Nathan Winship Smith. This exhibit celebrates growth and a sense of humor, bringing some much needed social therapy to visitors. “We have been charged morally and emotionally every day during the pandemic,” Winship Smith said. “The outside of each planter will be used as a canvas to explore and vent through jesting and joking, using the ‘garden’ as a metaphor for the individual and collective soul. Simultaneously, the ‘gardener’ will act as a metaphor for the individual and masses who tend to that collective-vessel-holding essence.” Full Circle Nine Gallery is located in the South Studios on the first floor of the building.
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
Abstract and Fiber Artist Sylvia Gray creates largely using silk and various means to interpret her designs on the delicate fabric. “I love the freedom of painting on silk. My silk wearables and paintings will be on display. Hope you will enjoy my work as much as I have creating it,” Gray said. Sylvia Gray 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.
Matt Hurdle / Matt Hurdle Fine Art
Matt Hurdle’s European style of landscape painting instills a sense of calm and serenity. New serene landscapes will be featured throughout July. 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.
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.
Ryan Mullin / The GhostYard
Ryan Mullin paints abstract colors and shapes on many surfaces. Born and raised in Indianapolis IN and influenced by street art from his travels around the world, Mullin is an abstract painter and graffiti artist, preferring bright and contrasting colors, inspired by graffiti, urban life, and freight trains. He will have a section dedicated to photographs of freight trains and graffiti. Ryan Mullin/The GhostYard is located on the second 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 Gallery & Studios
Shaun M. Niles returns from the COVID hiatus with a bigger better beard and new work from his Beneath It All project, a photographic exhibition illustrating a contemporary perspective on art nudes and figure studies styled after those of the 1930’s through the 1960’s. In the last year, Niles exhibited work in the 12th annual NUDE exhibition at the Manifest Gallery in Cincinnati, partnered with Travis S. Little in their Schwitzer Gallery collaborative show, “By Two Hands,” and hosted a solo exhibition at the Forever Gallery in Carmel. He was recently published in NUDE2021, the 9th edition of an annual publication highlighting the world’s best artistic nude photographers, published by Productions Hors Cadre Inc. of Montréal, Canada. Shaun M. Niles is located on the second floor of the North Studios.
Thomas Mendenhall at Soundspace
Open Mic Night @ Soundspace: Hosted by Thomas Mendenhall. Share a song or poem—or improvise one—with fellow artists in a musical safe space. Soundspace will provide the PA, and masks are required. Soundspace Beta is a music coworking, rehearsal, producing, and recording facility. “We exist to erase the barriers to a professional music career, so you can afford to be a musician. We 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.
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/
View less
