“With the easing of restrictions in Marion County, we are excited to welcome the public back to the CCIC for an in-person First Friday event,” Rachel Ferguson, Vice President of Teagen Development, said. “So many of our tenants have expressed how much they have missed this opportunity to connect with our community. In accordance with local mandates, our guests and artists are still required to wear masks while indoors, but with 500,000+ square feet to maintain social distance, and plenty of art and non-art attractions, we’re looking forward to a fun, safe event.”

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 paintings by CCIC Artist Matthew Cooper, one of the three SWISH artists from the building, who is also fresh off a well-received show at Gallery 924 at the Arts Council of Indianapolis, with a recent mural debut in Fountain Square.

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 Studio
Rachel Hedges will be hosting guest artist Christina Jobe in the Bebito Studio. Christina is a seamstress, and her work is modern, functional ionizing garments and accessories. This will be a great opportunity for First Friday visitors to talk to Christina, learn about and purchase her work. Bebito Studio is known for handcrafted plush toys made from upcycled material. They are cute, fun and friendly for the planet.
Bebito Studio is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Kent Brinkley
Kent Brinkley will present new works, both in paint and mixed media, as an exploration of changing times. Kent Brinkley is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Andy Bullard / Gallery 814
Painter Andy Bullard is new to the building, occupying the former M10 location on the first floor of the North Studios. He will present “The Meeting, a phony cacophony and other paintings.” “The meeting” is a reference to a particular section of a cycle of frescoes painted by Mantegna in the 15th century,” Bullard explained. “The legibility of this and other references becomes lost over the course of numerous copies of previous copies like a visual game of telephone. What replaces the original importance of the source is the meeting between the different copies. A kind of shape and line shorthand develops, and these abbreviations are combined to form entirely new images. The cross-referencing, repetition and sampling that happens between the paintings forms a room full of abstract gossip. A cacophony of paintings quoting other paintings.”

Lydia Burris Studio S-09
Lydia Burris has started a new magazine, “Darkness Dreaming: An Homage to Strangeness and Wonder.” The first two issues are out and copies will be available during First Friday. She will have an open studio as well as a pay-what-you-want book sale. Burris is a mixed media artist who imagines strange worlds and creates work with the sense of dreams; a place of ambiguity and flowing themes that dissolve into one another. “I am so glad to see people again! This magazine I’ve started is my new baby and I’m super excited to share it!” Burris said. 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.

Darkroom Revelations
Tom Potter, Nancy Frass, and Gayle Moore will Charles R. Yang, presenting a small selection of his images that he had taken during the seven years that he lived, worked, and traveled in Asia. These images show the different risks that locals took in their daily lives, forming the socio-cultural theme of this collection: “To Live Is To Risk.” This show will preview the June show, which will have additional large works as an expanded collection titled, “Asian Through Asian Eyes.” Darkroom Revelations is located on the first floor of the North Studios.

Full Circle Nine Gallery
The Full Circle Nine Gallery (FC9) will feature Dawn Cooper and “The Color of Gratitude,” a collection of “whimsical abstract” paintings. When she paints, time stands still for Cooper, and her show is a tribute of gratitude for the teachers that have led her along her art path. “There is no past, no future,” Cooper said. “Only the present. Each step of my journey into the art world, I have encountered great teachers.”
Full Circle Nine Gallery is located in the South Studios on the first floor of the building.

Gerburg Garmann/European Art Studio
Gerburg Garmann will present new work: “What Fun!,” “Bird’s Eye View,” “Great Expectations,” and “Whale & Clowns.” “Color soothes and inspires,” Garmann said. “It adds to our happiness and well-being. It’s never-ending food for our brains.” Gerburg Garmann is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

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 successful “Emotional Rescue” exhibit will continue to be on display in Studio S27. Hurdle and Diane Lehman teamed up for the April Schwitzer Gallery show. Hurdle is an abstract painter of contemporary landscapes and abstract art. “Emotional Rescue” is both a serene and energized art exhibit of vibrant color and emotion. Its soul depicts the emotions of the past 12 months of the world of Covid. Matt Hurdle Fine Art is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Jedediah Johnson
Photographer Jedediah Johnson will be using an Ultraviolet camera to take socially distant portraits of anyone who would like to sit for him in his studio space. He asks that participants continue to wear their masks right up to the point of the photo, when they will be able to remove it briefly. “I enjoy faces. I haven’t seen many in the past year. I’d like to change that,” Johnson said. Jedediah Johnson is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Nancy Lee, Nancy Lee Designs Studio
Nancy Lee, a metalsmith, jewelry maker, enamellist, welcomes spring with a new spring jewelry collection featuring never before seen jewelry in eclectic groupings, as well as classic styles like her own versions of silver hoops earrings, and more complex stone-set pieces. She is particularly excited to show a featured necklace, her Amethyst Passionflower, a piece made with a fully-integrated handmade chain. “All of my work is made entirely by hand in my CCIC working studio, just across the hall from my gallery. I’ve been making jewelry, copper sculpture, and kiln-fired enamels paintings at the CCIC for nearly thirteen years!” Lee said. Nancy Lee is located on the first floor of the North Studios.

Amelia Rose
Amelia Rose presents an exploration of color, inspired by flowers and atmosphere, with her contemporary paintings in oil and acrylics. This University of Tennessee grad cherishes memories of her grandmother’s greenhouse, gardens and love of growing flowers. “Hopefully, my work will provide some joy and peace in the exploration of color and light and give an overall impression of a moment of time,” Rose said. Amelia Rose is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Shaun M. Niles Gallery & Studios
Shaun M. Niles will be displaying select pieces 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. The work was created using large-format view cameras and a series of medium-format film cameras. Niles develops the negatives himself and has the prints produced on a silver halide paper with a unique, smooth deep-matte surface that is non-reflective and feels velvety soft. This project has been in the works for 19 months, with 24 people photographed to over one hundred individual prints. Shaun M. Niles is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Soundspace
Soundspace, a music coworking space, presents “Fast Track: Musical Speed Networking @ Soundspace.” It’s musical speed dating; an event made for those in the music community looking for opportunities to collaborate with fellow artists, producers, or bands, and make music happen. Fast Track will be an outdoor event, and masks and social distancing are required. “We want artists to hit the ground running in 2021,” said Kyle McGinnis, Community Architect at Soundspace. “This is a time for our industry to band together, stronger than before, and we are looking for opportunities to facilitate that for our local artists.” Soundspace is located next door to Centerpoint Brewing, on the south end of the building.

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.

Masks are required at the CCIC during any visit, and hand sanitizing stations are installed throughout the building. Visitors are asked to maintain social distance no matter which business within the CCIC they may be visiting.

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/