The Factory Arts District, formerly known as the Circle City Industrial Complex, will host an in-person First Friday, November 1st, 6-9pm. Admission is free. The Factory Arts District is comprised of two buildings, Factory Arts North (1125 Brookside Ave) and Factory Arts South (1011 Massachusetts Ave). For First Friday purposes, all of the listed galleries and studio spaces are located in Factory Arts North.
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 Andrea Townsend and her first abstract series she’s done in several years. Andrea Townsend is a contemporary painter residing in Indianapolis. She focuses on mixed materials and the use of light in her paintings, which are inspired in part by material, cities, architecture, and the building process both literally and figuratively. “I’ve been revisiting my execution of how my own creative process has evolved with the introduction of new materials to my paintings,” Townsend said. “This show exhibits the manipulation of said materials along with long-time familiar practices in my paintings. I’ve been (graciously) busy the past two years with constant commission work, and though I love that, I’ve had little time to experiment, explore, and create new work for myself. This show has allowed me to devote some time to new ideas in my creativity.
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 angles. Bruce Armstrong is located in the South Studios.
Aurora PhotoCenter
Aurora PhotoCenter supports visual artists working in photography through exhibitions, residencies, workshops, visiting artist talks, and access to creative tools. As the only nonprofit of its type in Indiana devoted exclusively to photography, Aurora is an essential hub for the medium in our arts community. Aurora is passionate about photography’s emotional and social power as an art medium in its own right. Over the last decade, Colombian-born photographer Alexandra McNichols-Torroledo has focused her work on the indigenous communities of North and South America who protect sacred plants, water, and the rainforest. The exhibition “ESX/COCA,” in the Efroymson Gallery, presents images that McNichols-Torroledo made at the Wasak Kwewesx School in the Nasa indigenous reservation of Toribio, Cauca, Colombia, printed with the beautiful platinum-palladium process. Also, the Aurora’s Main Gallery will showcase “The Sun Sets Midafternoon,” until December 15. Aurora PhotoCenter is located on the first floor in the North Studios.
Kalli Bednarz
Kalli Bednarz uses her watercolor paintings as a bridge to connect ancient civilizations to our present human experiences. She digs deeper in to this work by traveling to ancient sites, researching archeological/anthropological materials, and in working with energy modalities. “The work has become an excavation site. I am the archeologist and the canvas crumbling stone. The paintbrush a tool to reveal what’s hidden.” Kalli Bednarz is located on the first floor of the North Studios.
Aimee Bruno
“Welcome to Fall Y’all!!” is Bruno’s mixed-media work using various mediums including working with acrylics, alcohol ink, resin and fiber, to name just a few. Her artistic repertoire grows with every new medium she masters. Bruno holds a Bachelor’s of Arts degree from Indiana University, Bloomington, with a major in studio art and minor in art history. “I’m always proud to share my work with such a vibrant art community. It is an enriching experience for me and also very inspiring to engage with the community about what I’ve created,” 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. 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.
Darkroom Revelations
Darkroom Revelations exhibit a variety of photography, often featuring the work of the three Darkroom Revelation photographers. This year, “3 Photographers: 3 Perspectives” will showcase Tom Potter, Nancy Frass, and Gayle Moore, exhibiting their personal photographic visions and interests. Each photographer looks through the camera and finds subjects and perspectives that appeal to their artistic eye. “It is interesting to view the variety of each artist’s personal vision and subjects that are photographed. At times our three cameras may be pointed in the same directions but the final images can be quite different,” Nancy Frass said. Darkroom Revelations is located on the first floor of the North Studios.
Stephanie Doty
Stephanie Doty is a mixed media artist working in a variety of materials. Working both in 2-D and 3-D art, her work primarily is centered around the use of texture revealed by color. Recently retired from teaching at the Herron School of Art and Design, she spends most of her time in the studio experimenting with new approaches to her work. Currently on display are new paintings and works in ceramics. “This show of new work illustrates a new direction my work is taking. I am excited about merging my techniques into more than one media,” Doty said. Stephanie Doty is located on the second floor of the North Studios.
The Dream House
The Dream House is a vintage collective, run by three local brands: Lux & Ivy, Beautiful Flyaway Vintage, and Royal River Vintage. The collective specializes in true vintage from a wide range of eras, and each month they curate the studio to reflect a chosen theme. For this month, The Dream House will feature the work of Indianapolis-based artist Esther Hale. Hale’s work resides at the intersection of art and science—playing with the colors, forms and textures of outer space, inspired by the Hubble and James Webb Space telescopes. Her large-scale oil “spacescapes” capture unfamiliar horizons that exist at the farthest reaches of space and time, calling to question the old and new paradigms of human perception.
The Dream House is located on the second floor of the North Studios.
Earth + Fire
Earth + Fire is a mother-and-daughter team that specializes in creating unique, handmade crystal jewelry and art. Krystal and Tami Highbaugh started making jewelry as a hobby for themselves and to gift to their family and friends, eventually turning their work into a business. Their goal is to make crystals and holistic healing accessible to a larger community by creating affordable pieces. The Highbaughs offer a variety of handmade necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, and they also sell loose crystals, incense, palo santo, and sage. For September, they showcase unique new pieces, highlighting the transition from summer to fall with vibrant citrine oranges, poppy jasper reds, and deep tiger eye browns. Earth + Fire is located on the second floor of the North Studios.
Full Circle Nine Gallery
The Full Circle Nine Gallery (FC9) will feature Sarah Rae Cote in “These Are My People.” “In a way, it’s being social without being social,” Cote explained of her art. “I enjoy drawing contour lines of people. They can be especially blind-contour when the subjects are in motion, dancing and enjoying themselves. Sometimes, I too am dancing as I draw them. I love that the simple execution of a scribble can capture the essence of a person or moment, and occasionally it will make me giggle with delight as I survey the room.” Primarily working with paint, Sarah Rae Cote documents her world in bright, bold colors, as those are what make her eyes dance the way she does when she’s watching and choosing her next model. 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.
Matt Hurdle/Matt Hurdle Fine Art
Matt Hurdle is a juried Indiana artist and abstract intuitive painter blurring the lines of Impressionism and abstraction by creating big sky contemporary landscapes with a dreamlike quality. His intuitive paintings elicit a feeling of calmness. Matt Hurdle is located on the second floor of the North 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.
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 operates a contemporary art and design studio with a mix of painting, collage, and digital art. He blends representational and figurative artwork as well as selected forms of abstraction. There’s also a pool table. 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.
Nancy Lee of 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 space. 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. 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 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. 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 Clothing
Tendai Phillips brings REDEFINITION Clothing, where global influences converge to create a unique fashion experience and designs transcend time. “We believe fashion should be a universal language, and that’s why we design clothing that transcends borders,” Phillips said. “Every stitch tells a story, weaving together the threads of inspiration from around the world. Our pieces are more than garments: they’re a fusion of art and personal expression.” Born at the intersection of K-Pop’s vibrant energy the rhythmic beats of Hip-Hop, the colorful vibes of Afro-pop, the avant-garde 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.
Strawberry Studios
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 Factory Arts District
Located just east of downtown Indianapolis, the Factory Arts District (formerly the Circle City Industrial Complex) encompasses a 16 acres and houses two buildings: Factory Arts South (1011 Massachusetts Avenue)—a 95,000 square foot facility—and Factory Arts North (1125 Brookside Avenue)—a 420,000 square foot facility—as well as two free parking lots. The property was previously home to the Schwitzer Corporation, a pioneer in automotive technology. This location is the gateway of the Mass Ave/Brookside Industrial Corridor, which encompasses more than 300 acres of vacant or underutilized commercial and industrial property. In 2014, with much of this area suffering from deterioration and environmental issues, it became a focus for revitalization for the City of Indianapolis. In 2015, the City awarded a $1.5 million Community Development Block Grant to the Factory Arts District; funds that were used to renovate, repair, and ultimately stabilize the property. Today, the Factory Arts District provides a case study for successful industrial reuse in an urban environment.
For more information, please visit https://www.factoryartsdistrict.com/