July FIRST FRIDAY with the Circle City Industrial Complex Artists

  • Exhibition Opening
  • Free Events
  • Visual Art

July FIRST FRIDAY with the Circle City Industrial Complex Artists

  • Exhibition Opening
  • Free Events
  • Visual Art

Jul 5

6pm – 9pm

The Circle City Industrial Complex (CCIC) will host an in-person First Friday, July 5th, 6-9pm. Admission is free. 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.

The Schwitzer Gallery
Located on the second floor of the North Studios, the Schwitzer Gallery will feature Wayne Bertsch in “Purrfect Paws: A Fusion of Recycled Art and Charity.” Bertsch, known for his iconic “Barfly” comic in NUVO, creates vibrant pop art of actors, musicians, and iconic characters made exclusively from recycled materials. Co-sponsored by Nine Lives Cat Café, 15% of art sales will be donated to Cuddle Me Cat Rescue.

Arts & Images by Anthony Armstrong
Anthony Armstrong presents a blend of new abstract paintings highlighting bold colors, deep texture and movement. Armstrong is a self-taught abstract painter and photographer. As a mixed media artist, Armstrong wants the art collector to be engaged with their pieces, hoping to garnish new perspectives and elements of design. Arts & Images by Anthony Armstrong is located in the South Studios.

Bruce Armstrong / Bruce’s Fine Arts
Bruce Armstrong features a wonderful collection of abstract, minimalist, collage and figurative paintings, highlighting bold colors, strong movements and sharp angels. Bruce Armstrong is located in the South Studios.

Aurora PhotoCenter
Aurora PhotoCenter supports visual artists working in photography through exhibitions, residencies, workshops, artist talks, and through access to creative tools, with a rentable darkroom and digital lab. Aurora is passionate about photography’s emotional and social power as an art medium in its own right. This month, Aurora’s Main Gallery will feature “Black Alchemy: Resolve (Attempt #2),” where Aaron Turner re-presents cultural and familial images, exploring them as both subject matter and material. Using the studio as a space for construction, Turner employs cut paper, projected and natural light, black cloth, mirrors, paint, oil sticks, cellophane, and packaging materials for analog photography as building blocks for his images. Meanwhile, in “Again, Again,” in Aurora’s Efroymson Gallery, artist Ian Lewandowski presents portraits of Hoosiers taken during 2023 Indy Pride Festival. Aurora PhotoCenter is located on the first floor in the corridor.

Stan Blevins
Stan Blevins is a painter. He uses a variety of materials, but primarily oil on canvas to create abstract and surrealistic works that speak to contemporary life.  This month’s show is a blend of new work and a view in the studio of works in progress. Since the space is a working studio and not a gallery, there’s always something new and different happening. Stan Blevins is located in the South Studios.

Aimee Bruno
Aimee is a mixed media artist that focuses on color. She loves to create vibrant abstract work that evokes an emotional response, working with acrylic on wood, pours, needle felt paintings as well as alcohol ink on canvas. “I’m always so proud of my work and am grateful to have a forum to share with the community,” Bruno said. Aimee Bruno is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Daily Epiphany Studio: Michele Burns and Kurt Kriese
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. This month, they present assemblage work centered around 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.” Burns works with photoluminescent minerals to create paintings that are beautiful in the light of day as well as in the dark of night. Kriese’s work centers around rich, layered, evocative abstracts and landscapes, and is a gifted stained-glass artist. Daily Epiphany is located in the South Studios.

Gracen Dorsch Studio / sstudio.grayy
Gracen Dorsch is an abstract expressionist painter who often uses her background in psychology and art therapy to fuel her work. Her subject matter often reflects collective memories and invokes a variety of emotional responses. Dorsch uses her work as an art therapist to inspire playfulness and free-association in her pieces to invoke curiosity in her viewers, and often relies on the process of painting rather than the final product itself to determine when each piece is finished. “All of my paintings are made with the idea that I paint what feels good and stop when it feels right; this leaves the viewer to make their own interpretations about the content,” Dorsch said. Gracen Dorsch is located on the second floor of the South Studios.

Stephanie Doty
Stephanie Doty will be showing new paintings and works in ceramics. Doty is on faculty at the Herron School of Art and Design and shares a pottery business with her daughter titled Clear Creek Creations. The new paintings feature a new approach to using textures and color to enhance those textures. Doty will be exhibiting new paintings and ceramic works. Both medias deal with surface texture and how color reveals those textures. Stephanie Doty is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Darkroom Revelations
Darkroom Revelations hosts photographer Eric Schoch in “Past and Future Sensed.” The works will include Schoch’s current explorations and experiments with lines, shapes, color, and motion, as well as selections from past and new projects.  Darkroom Revelations is located on the first floor of the North Studios.

The Dream House

The Dream House is a collective of vintage lovers joined to share their love of vintage clothing. Formed by Lux & Ivy, Beautiful Flyaway, and Royal River, these three diverse vintage shops share a space in Studio 55, and open their door to the public on First Friday every month for a fun shopping experience.
The Dream House is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Full Circle Nine Gallery
The Full Circle Nine Gallery (FC9) will feature Steven Block in “Tree Wrangler.” Steven Block is recently retired and can now channel all of his ideas and creative energy into artistic pursuits. In this case, that means creating custom woodcraft furniture. “I hope to focus my retirement career on building furniture and making utilitarian creations with artistic elements,” Block said. Block has an eye for details and dedication to showmanship and integrity. His artwork is useful too, along with sturdy, long-lasting, and intricate. The Full Circle Nine Gallery is located on the first floor of the South Studios.

Victoria Gillieron
Victoria Gillieron is an impressionist oil painter who loves to paint images from Sanibel Island, Florida, capturing its beauty before the hurricane, as well as still life and landscapes. Gillieron feels very blessed to have studied with such amazingly talented artists and counts many of these individuals as her good friends and credits them with helping her to become the artist she is today. She invites the curious to visit and see her broad collection of paintings. 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 and promote emerging and established artists; to participate in events to increase the knowledge and appreciation of glass arts with Indiana residents; to 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.

Matt Hurdle / Matt Hurdle Fine Art
Matt Hurdle creates contemporary landscapes with a dream-like quality using acrylic paints in multiple layers and a muted color palette. Matt Hurdle is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Gary Hutchison / Hutchison Photography
Gary Hutchison is a self-taught photographer from Indianapolis. Retired from a career in museum security, Hutchison enjoys all types of photography, with macro being a favorite. He recently converted a camera to shoot infrared photos and carries it everywhere, ready for that decisive moment. A variety of photography is on display, currently with an emphasis on automotive themes. Gary Hutchison is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Raymond Gray Designs
Raymond Gray works in preloved leathers and textiles, creating today versions of jewelry pendants, and fashion statement designs with an elaborate incorporation of seams and findings. This month, he presents “Statements” a collection telling the tale of working through challenges and artistic blocks. Raymond Gray Designs is located in the South Studios.

Indy Fused Glass
The artist instructors at Indy Fused Glass (IFG) create fused glass art for sale in a retail gallery. IFG teaches introductory fusing sessions, guided by artists to learn to create with fusible glass. IFG offers 14 different fusing projects to select from. These can be fused or “slumped” (another method of using fusible glass to create functional forms). The Indy Fused Glass, LLC Gallery has newly created fused glass art each week on display and available for purchase. For First Friday, IFG Glass Artists either offer hands-on sessions or feature a working glass artist, doing a demonstration. Indy Fused Glass is on the first floor of the North Studios.

Scott Johnson / Studio F60
Scott Johnson began his graphic design career in New York designing for Fortune 500 clients. Returning to Indianapolis he co-founded Dean Johnson Design, earning a reputation for outstanding branding and creative and launching Dean Johnson Gallery on Mass Ave. “Today my art and design background blends commercial, graphic, and fine arts, exploring ways to engage people visually and emotionally in a positive way. You can find me most First Fridays at my CCIC studio in downtown Indy,” Johnson said. See artwork, posters and prints that varies from typographic to figurative, representational to abstract. Scott Johnson is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

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.

Stephen Lakanen
Stephen Lakanen explores contemporary abstract painting through texture and color. He is an artist from central Indiana and received a degree from Indiana Wesleyan University. Lakanen’s artwork is concerned with the existential, what does it mean to be. Stephen Lakanen is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Cindy Lory
Cindy Lory works in multiple mediums and is located on the second 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. Making unique jewelry with precious metals and gemstones has been both a challenging and rewarding career choice. 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. Grace M Design is located on the first floor of the North Studios.

REDEFINITION
Tendai Phillips brings REDEFINITION Clothing, where global influences converge to create a unique fashion experience and designs transcend time. Born at the intersection of K-Pop’s vibrant energy the rhythmic beats of Hip-Hop, the colorful vibes of Afro-pop, the avant-gard aesthetics of Japanese street style, and the pulse of current trends, REDEFINTION is a celebration of diverse cultures. REDEFINITION Clothing is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Steiner Studios
Evan Lloyd Steiner, an abstract painter from New Jersey, and Radie Lee Steiner, a photographer from Columbus, Indiana, met on Instagram in 2017.  They were married a year to the day later and now reside in Indianapolis.  They formed Steiner Studios Art where they provide abstract art and photography. They also have marble art coasters with their artwork printed/embedded onto the marble, marble art magnets, photo cards and other art items. Their art is nature focused, uplifting and inspirational.  Steiner Studios is located on the second floor of the North Studios.

Strawberry Studio
Maya Custer, a painter and digital artist, creates a colorful and eclectic environment, with art inspired by travels, foods and nature. By using pastels and bright colors, she is hoping to remind others to not shy away from colorful expression. Strawberry Studio 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.

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July FIRST FRIDAY with the Circle City Industrial Complex Artists