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. Some studios will be open for either December’s First Friday or January’s, or both if not otherwise noted, and may have different shows.

The Schwitzer Gallery
Located on the second floor of the North Studios, the Schwitzer Gallery will host “Brand New Day,” a collection of new paintings by Matt Hurdle. This show will highlight Hurdle’s latest large and small abstract expressionistic work with a fresh feeling of peace and calm for the new year.

Arts & Images by Anthony Armstrong
Anthony Armstrong presents an array of abstract paintings and fine art framed photography. Armstrong’s abstract paintings highlight bold colors, deep textures and layers in his mixed media presentations. Armstrong is a self-taught abstract painter and photographer. His photography tries to capture the essence of life from his various European destinations. Anthony Armstrong is located in the South Studios.

Bruce Armstrong
Anthony Armstrong’s father Bruce joins the South Studios, presenting his own abstract, minimalist and collage art for the first time in the Circle City Industrial Complex. Bruce Armstrong is located in the South Studios.

Aurora PhotoCenter
Aurora PhotoCenter is a nonprofit that serves Central Indiana photographic artists with exhibitions, residencies, workshops, visiting artist talks, and access to creative tools. As the only nonprofit in Indiana devoted exclusively to photography, Aurora is an essential hub for the medium in the arts community. Aurora also serves as a bridge between local artists and the greater photographic community, with a regional, national, and international scope, and is passionate about photography’s emotional and social power as an art medium in its own right. Aurora PhotoCenter is located on the first floor in the corridor.

Roberta Avidor
Roberta Avidor is an illustrator who creates representational art, dealing primarily in oils and watercolor. Avidor trades in a wide variety of themes and subjects from local, salt-of-the-Earth scenes to intriguing glass bottle paintings, to bicycle-themed compositions. Be ready to live again, on her artistic adventure. Roberta Avidor is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Bebito Studio
The February theme at the Bebito Studio will be LOVE. Square dudes with long arms will be the featured performers as they make great gifts for Valentine’s Day. Hearts will be everywhere, love is love, and Bebito’s handmade plush toys from up-cycled and repurposed materials are cute, quirky, and one of a kind. Bebito Studio is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Stan Blevins
Stan Blevins is a painter living and working in Indianapolis. His work ranges from abstract to still life. Using a range of materials, primarily oil and enamel, his work has been described as “whimsical” and “pop surrealist.” Stan Blevins is located in the South Studios.

Aimee Bruno
Aimee Bruno is a mixed-media artist who has a passion for vibrant colors and all that is abstract and this month presents “The Dimension of Color,” a study on how color can transform dimensional pieces of work. This exhibit highlights multiple mediums using color to create abstract narratives. Her style is expressionistic and abstract. Using color to tell the story, she develops her pieces to bring emotions to the forefront. She studied Fine Arts at Indiana University, spending most of her time split between the Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Arts and interning at both the Indiana University Art Museum’s Administrative Offices and the Mathers Museum, Conservation Lab. Aimee Bruno is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Daily Epiphany Studio: Michele Burns and Kurt Kriese
A duo for the ages. Michele Burns and Kurt Kriese hit with a double whammy of the experimental and the grounded; geometry and political commentary, the new and the old, and more. Be it patterns and texture or figure painting and stained glass, this has something for everybody. Burns uses photoluminescent (glow-in-the-dark) minerals that create a second “nightlight composition,” mixing the pigments herself for maximum luminance- 30 times the brightness of ceiling stars (6000 millicandéla versus 320 mcd). The minerals, primarily industrial strength strontium aluminate, glow brightly for hours from any light exposure, and recharge for decades. Kriese deals in experimental mediums and is a gifted original landscape and figure painter. For February, Burns has created a 3D glowing assemblage work as a play on the “I Spy” game. “My sister had me make a frame full of trinkets she had collected over many years from several generations, and she was so delighted with it that I decided to make some for everyone,” Burns said. “Each painting comes with a list of things to look for as a game of ‘I Spy.’ It can be simple to play with a child or more challenging to play and debate with adults.” Daily Epiphany is located in the South Studios.

Down the Hall Gallery
Dano is an artist and poet from Indianapolis, and a self-taught abstract painter. He uses his art for therapy, like a pressure release valve, and each piece serves as an alternative to anti-depressants and psychosomatic medication. For February, he presents “Heart and Soul Dedicated to Debbie Doll.” “In May of 2023, my mom suffered a major heart issue,” Dano explained. “As my way of trying to cope with the issue, I began painting hearts. I became obsessed with them as each piece helped my process the situation. I am dedicating this show to my mom, Debbie Doll, who was the inspiration for this show and many aspects of my life. I am very fortunate to still have my mom with me, and this show is very emotional and raw.” Down the Hall Gallery is located on the first floor in the corridor.

Five Seasons Studio Gallery
Longest-serving artist Martha Nahrwold (with about 35 years in at the Circle City Industrial Complex) opens up her studio to showcase her marbled impressionistic works. Nahrwold creates tree studies and landscapes, as well as mischievous animals, in pans of water using ingredients that harken back to a past life as a chemist, lays paper over the pan and transfers the image, in an ancient technique brought to a new era. Five Seasons Studio Gallery is located on the first floor of the North Studios.

Full Circle Nine Gallery
The Full Circle Nine Gallery (FC9) will feature Aidan Reynolds and his debut of “Normalize Being Yourself,” is a concept that dawned on Reynolds while hanging out with pals and acting goofy. “Why can’t we all just be ourselves?” Reynolds wondered, and he poured that message into his own abstract art centering around goofy faces using paint along with a variety of media including leaves, pine needles, plastic bags and hairspray. For February, Reynolds has created 30 separate canvases that act as a puzzle or mosaic called “The Universal Puzzle of Love,” to stress the importance, beauty and profoundness of love in the world. The Full Circle Nine Gallery is located on the first floor of the South Studios.

Victoria Gillieron
Victoria Gillieron decided that one day she wanted to become an artist. She got a studio and soon found she had absolutely no idea what she was doing. Other artists quickly came to her rescue, took her under their wings, and mentored her, providing not only painting instruction, but also information on where to buy supplies, frames, how to enter juried shows, etc. After years of intense study fixing millions of mistakes, and painting well over a couple of thousand paintings, Gillieron has developed an impressionistic style that allows her to capture brief moments of beauty with oil paints and a few brushes. Victoria Gillieron 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.

Larry Lad, LadArt
Larry Lad is a painter who covers the spectrum of abstract and representational work. He likes to add dimension to his paintings using additional canvas, cigar boxes, collage, and other materials to layer his work. His show “Replication” traces his journey as an artist as he searches for his own style by borrowing from the works of artists he admires. Lad also creates large sculptures and installations. Larry Lad, LadArt is located in the corridor on the first floor.

Nancy Lee Designs Studio
Nancy Lee is a metalsmith, enamelist, and artisan jeweler. She specializes in alternative wedding and engagement rings in a warm and inclusive environment. Her offerings include copper sculpture and kiln-fired enamel landscapes on copper. “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 the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Making Metal Jewelry, has juried in as an Indiana Artisan for her jewelry, and is one of the three original artist pioneers who brought First Friday art openings to the Circle City Industrial Complex. Nancy Lee Designs Studio is located on the first floor of the North Studios.

Grace Marshall, Grace M Design
Grace Marshall has always had a passion for using her hands to create beautiful and functional designs. “I’m inspired by our natural surroundings. I find that I don’t get enough time in nature but when I do, I’m recharged. My latest work captures some elements of the natural world that can we adorn our bodies with,” Marshall said. For November, she presents “Blue Winter, a collection featuring lapis lazuli, moonstone, quartz, and eye of shiva shells, all set in sterling silver and 18kt gold. As a certified jeweler and gemologist from the Gemological Institute of America, making unique jewelry with precious metals and gemstones has been both a challenging and rewarding career choice. Besides showing her own collection of fine jewelry, Indianapolis-based Marshall is now offering Permanent Jewelry, having a gold or silver chain welded around a wrist or ankle. Grace M Design is located on the first floor of the North Studios.

Leslie Staller
Leslie Staller presents “Intimacy of Place,” a showcase of macro photography, mixed media collages, and montages that offer a glimpse of the beauty of the world as a gift to pause and explore. “In our often fast-paced world, giving ourselves and each other permission to explore the intimacy and the beauty of what surrounds us on a daily basis is a gift we give to ourselves,” Staller said. “And in that, we open, receive, connect, and automatically gift others.” The card-sized original artwork is simply awaiting personal messages to be added. Leslie Staller is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Jake Walker
Jake Walker is a photographer and digital artist whose work is beautifully unique and thought provoking. Some of his pieces are bold and vibrant while others give a sense of nostalgia. This month, he presents Valentine’s Day gifts for him and her, including customizable cards, making this time all about precious moments. Jake Walker is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

The CCIC is open during regular business hours, and the Schwitzer Gallery is accessible throughout the week. A number of the city’s most varied and exciting artists and galleries will remain open for their regular hours, with many of them available on weekends, posted on their own websites and social media. Some studios will be open by appointment.

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., just northeast of the Mass Ave Art and Theatre Cultural District, 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 100 galleries, individual artists and artisans. The CCIC Artists First Friday programming is a must-see stop, one of the most authentic Indianapolis experiences, 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 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. 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, Eighth Day Distillery and The Fowling Warehouse.

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