In honor of Indiana’s Bicentennial, Gallery 924 presents Town and Country: Indiana Stories by Kipp Normand & Kyle Ragsdale. The two-person show will feature work in various media that captures the lesser known icons and tales from our history in only a way that Normand and Ragsdale can. Town and Country: Indiana Stories opens Friday, June 3, from 6 – 9 pm as part of the IDADA First Friday Art Tour.

Some artists could be dropped into any city in the world and blend in beautifully. They pride themselves on being of a certain era, not a certain place. Kipp Normand and Kyle Ragsdale on the other hand are two examples of Indianapolis-based artists who carry more than a hint of Indianapolis with them in both their personas as well as their artwork.

Ragsdale grew up in Texas and New Mexico, witnessing from a young age a mix of vibrant cultures and large, wild spaces. After earning degrees at Baylor University (BFA) and Southern Methodist University (MFA), Ragsdale has painted full-time and currently serves as curator for the Harrison Center for the Arts.

Normand is a scavenger and an obsessive collector, searching streets and alleys, junk stores and abandoned buildings looking for clues to explain the mystery of our world. His grandfather taught him to paint, and his father taught him to build things. He finds stories in discarded things: stories about himself and stories about all of us; our cities and our shared history.