In February as we kicked off Black History Month in Indianapolis and celebrated 25 years of Art & Soul. The popular annual festival, traditionally hosted at the Indianapolis Artsgarden, moved online due to ongoing COVID-19 health and safety concerns.
Highlights of the month-long festival included shows and exhibitions by four Featured Artists, performances by 12 musical acts, and special programming. Please follow @ArtsCouncilIndy and #ArtSoulIndy on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to join the celebration throughtout 2021.
Art & Soul 2021 partnered with WISH-TV to bring you on-demand concerts to the comfort of your home. Thank you WISH-TV!
Christopher Pitts
Christopher Pitts is a pianist who connects jazz piano traditions with the modern ear through energetic performance, thoughtful collaboration, and aesthetic compositions. Read his full bio here.
AshLee Baskin
AshLee"PsyWrn Simone" Baskin is a vocalist, songwriter, lyricist, poet/spoken word artist, actress, and teaching artist who is guided by Nina Simone’s words, “An artist’s duty…is to reflect the times.” Read her full bio here.
Matthew Cooper
Matthew Cooper is a self-taught visual artist who studied drawing and Africana studies at the IUPUI Herron School of Art and Design. He reads as much as he can about a subject before he re-creates it on canvas: “I want to give life once again to our untold history.” Read his full bio here.
Yadin Kol
Yadin Kol is a self-taught guitarist, singer, and songwriter whose conscious-stirring lyrics come from his southern roots and urban life experiences. His debut EP will be released this year. Read his full bio here.
Featured artist photos by Wildstyle Paschall.
Menu selections change almost daily in this cafeteria-style setup, but you can get a choice of 1 meat and 2 sides of your choice, along with a dessert and canned drink, for $15. Just ask for the Pa & Ma’s Art & Soul Meal. Follow Pa & Ma’s on social @pamasbackyardbbq.
In 1995, the owners, George and Monica Nelson, wanted to start a restaurant where George could enjoy his love of craft cooking. With the support of their family, the Nelsons invested their last $175 and opened Pa & Ma’s Backyard BBQ. They’ve been married for 31 years and have two children and two grandchildren.
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