September FIRST FRIDAY @ Circle City Industrial Complex Artists

  • First Friday Art Opening

September FIRST FRIDAY @ Circle City Industrial Complex Artists

  • First Friday Art Opening

Sep 6

September FIRST FRIDAY
with the Circle City Industrial Complex Artists

Friday, September 6th, 2024
(INDIANAPOLIS) –The Circle City Industrial Complex (CCIC) will host an in-person First Friday, September 6th, 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 Susan Semenick and Anita Gordon teaming up with “The Color of a Million Dreams.” Both artists focus on realism in their work, with Semenick, an award-winning painter, concentrating on memorable landscapes and portraits and figure work, while Gordon has a repertoire of landscapes, architectural work, and various subject matter. They will be joined by Sip and Share winery for the evening.

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. For September, Montana-based artist Jessica Hays shows “The Sun Sets Midafternoon,” which captures the state of solastalgia, an emotional and existential distress caused by negative environmental change. The exhibition combines immersive, floor-to-ceiling mural prints of fire clouds, large-scale framed photographs of fires and their aftermath, and the artist’s written word to render an urgent reminder of our world’s fragility. Hays started photographing wildfires and their aftermath after a fire burned the foothills of her hometown in Montana in 2020. Since then, Hays has traveled the American Southwest, tracking fires and coordinating with local firefighters for safety, to create the series. In addition, in the Efroymson Gallery, the exhibition “Timbered Virtue” features work by the late artist and educator Lamar Richcreek (1947-2018), exploring changes in American rural life and family farms, as seen through adult eyes and childhood memories. The exhibition celebrates Richcreek’s thought-provoking visual research as well as his life modeling his values for lifelong learning, an appreciation for people of all types and cultures, the power of the arts and the importance of integrity and respect for all. Aurora PhotoCenter is located on the first floor in the North Studios.

Stan Blevins
Stan Blevins is a painter. His work ranges from abstract to figurative pieces that have a narrative quality with a pop surrealist sensibility. He uses a variety of materials, but primarily oil on canvas to create abstract and surrealistic works that speak to contemporary life. Stan Blevins is located in the South 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 displays the photography its three owners and also invites guest photographers several times throughout the year to exhibit on First Fridays. This month, the trio host the “Howard Bond Memorial Exhibit.” Howard Bond, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, was a longtime mentor, teacher, and friend of the photographers at Darkroom Revelations, and taught thousands more photographers through his 100 Photo Technic magazine articles and workshops before his recent passing. Having studied and worked with Ansel Adams, Brett Weston and Imogen Cunningham among other West Coast photographers, Howard Bond became a premier artist with the large format camera and in printing silver gelatin images in his darkroom. Darkroom Revelations is on the first 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, it’s an end-of-season major sale of gorgeous vintage pieces. The Dream House also feature rotating art or handmade clothing. 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 Joy Hernandez in “Bright Lights and Star Stuff.” Hernandez, also the president and founder of FC9, will showcase new work touching on a variety of subjects, painted in her usual aerosol and acrylic paint. Topics range from brand-new Bean the Astronaut work (the “Star-Stuff’ a reference to the Carl Sagan quote), to pop culture figures such as Space Ghost and the Philadelphia Flyers’ mascot Gritty. The “Bright Lights” refers to “neon” paintings Hernandez has begun to explore. “I am painting linework on these, which is a lot more attention-intensive for me, practicing patience,” Hernandez said. “When all the layers are stacked up it will look like it glows on the canvas.” Joy Hernandez often paints the adventures of Bean the Astronaut in murals around Indy as well as the state (and, recently, Down Under in Mount Barker, Western Australia). Bean allows viewers to live vicariously, often undertaking activities the artist or viewers may not be able to safely do themselves, such as skateboarding, breaking, or roller skating. Other murals in the area cover a wide variety of subjects, including several gathered in the corridors of the Circle City Industrial Complex.
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.

Gary Hutchison/Hutchison Photography
Gary Hutchison is a self-taught photographer with decades of experience, moving from film to digital in the 2000’s. He offers up a variety of photographic styles and subject matter. Infrared photography has been a recent passion providing intriguing possibilities in color reproduction. “’Whimsy’ is an exhibit of my experiments in compositing and use of whimsical subjects,” Hutchinson said. “Smoke and water drops, gold fish (the crackers), gummy bears and other odd components are present in my compositions. The photos are meant to bring a smile to the viewer.” Gary Hutchinson is located on the second floor of the North 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 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.

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 epression.” 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.

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 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

Learn More
September FIRST FRIDAY @ Circle City Industrial Complex Artists