If you're in Fountain Square for first Friday, chances are you've stopped in iMOCA or walked past,…read morenot realizing it was open. It's located next door to Red Lion Grog House in the Murphy Arts Building, accessible from both the front and back. I've missed many a great exhibit doing just that, specifically The White Album project, featuring artist, Ruther­ford Chang that received rave reviews and kicked myself for not going sooner. Led by Executive Director, Shauta Marsh, this non profit focuses increasing the understanding and appreciation of the significance of artistic contemporary culture in the city of Indianapolis. With Halloween just days away, I was taking a date to their feature: 'A Taste of Jean Rollin', a collection of three 1970′s European sex and horror cinema. http://www.indymoca.org/2013/10/a-taste-of-jean-rollin/. I figured I'd either scare him to death or we'd end the night reenacting scenes together. There was a small group of people in the casual seating screening room. The mood was exciting and playful as we were exposed to racy scenes of nude vampire goddessess through the use of ancient effects and technology, highlighting the skill possessed by the legendary filmmaker. Three films for a $5 suggested donation was a deal for this experience. The band playing next door at Red Lion (or was it upstairs in Joyful Noise?) was a bit distracting, but nothing some sound proof foam on the ceiling can't resolve. The Living Dead Girl, 89 minutes A toxic spill revives a beautiful, dead heiress who, with the help of her childhood friend, must quench her insatiable thirst for blood. The Iron Rose, 80 minutes A young couple out for a walk decide to take a stroll through a large cemetery. As darkness begins to fall they realize they can't find their way out, and soon their fears begin to overtake them. We made it through the first and most of the second feature before the desire to bite one another overtook us. Well played iMOCA!

I like weird shit. And in the case of iMOCA, weird shit is present. Like a hot tub filled with…read morebikini'd folk in the middle of a First Friday open gallery neighbored by a room with neon yarn and a projected 80s film. Indy has plenty of room for more weird. I'll try not to rattle on about the things that other reviews have already covered like the small size, location and fun installations that make for a great stop along the First Friday mosey in Fountain Square. Food for thought: It'd be neat to see more of iMOCA's presence spread onto the sidewalk with guerrilla style art - especially during First Fridays. Aka weird on the streets.

How had I never been in the Stutz building before this event?!…read more The car-factory-turned-arts-hub is unique for sure. The hundreds of rooms are rented by local artists and makers who use the space to elaborate on their art and/or host classes for the public. This event allows you to explore the whole plus. Add on the twinkle lights, fun crowd, and wine for an all-in-all great and funky evening. You can buy art, explore the interesting venue, or talk with local makers. Several of the artists also have classes throughout the year which is always interesting to learn more about. If you've never checked out this event, you definitely should to have your eyes opened to an artsy view into Indy!

Ok, how do you get into this place? I had that question for a long time but thanks to some Yelp…read morereviews and maps I finally figured it out. Here's my insight: This is for entering the complex from the south. There are two "alleys" that intersect each other at a right angle. The first alley is off Capitol close to 10th Street. It has an iron gateway which is easily identifiable. The other alley is off 10th Street. This one looks like it just dead ends into a garage door and it does, but that also where it intersects with the first alley. There's a small door next to the garage door which is the entrance. After entering you go through the door on the left to get to the main hallway. Wow that was a long way to explain entering the building, but once you know it's really simple. So... I went to the Holiday open house in December and it was amazing! The artists said the April one is even bigger but this was fantastic in its own right. There's 4 floors of artist, live music, food, and classic cars on display. If you enjoy attending First Friday gallery events this is a must try!

Fountain Square artists Mab Graves and Larry Endicott transformed an old tavern building into an…read moreawe-inspiring home and gallery, now dubbed as Fountain Square's new 'Lo Brow' gallery. Hosting fabulous exhibits featuring works by Mab herself and Indianapolis artist Justin Cooper, Monster has drawn quite the crowd on a number of 'First Friday' events, my favorites so far being Mab's Pretending to Be Human exhibit over Halloween 2013. The exterior boasts a neon MONSTER sign and a grand door to entice all passersby. Details abound the interior as well, with swoon worthly rest rooms full of character - feauting the likes of Johhny Cash, complete with black toilet paper. Beverages and sweet treats are always on hand to welcome guests and cater to children (both literally and at heart) in attendance. Make a point to stop by and take in the fabulousness that is one of the best examples of the flourishing Fountain Square art scene. Pick up some exclusive original art or perhaps a button, card or print, but you're guaranteed to leave with a smile!

Monster Gallery is the brainchild of the talented husband-wife duo, Mab Graves and Larry Endicott…read more While the majority of First Friday galleries are clustered right downtown, this beautiful brick building on the corner of English and State requires you to go off the beaten path a little. But, it is well-worth the trip. Despite the fact that fire destroyed the entire interior of the building, the exterior shell was all intact. Mab and Larry (with the help of some local friends) have restored this once decrepit tavern into a unique art showing space on the first floor and whimsical living quarters above. The gallery space is small to begin with, but it gets even tighter when the many fans of the artists come out to view their works. You can tell a place (and an artist) is popular by the line extending out of the front door and along the side walk. We didn't wait too long to get in though, so no worries there. The line from the door flows around the room clockwise and takes you past a couple walls of art and ends with a small counter for purchasing prints, gifts, trinkets, and of course any of the pieces you see on the walls. My only qualm with this layout is that the bar area is tucked in the way back and breaks up the flow of the gallery walls. You may have to squeeze past the throngs of art lovers to get to it. Monster Gallery serves beer and wine to the adult guests and there is often candy and treats for any little, aspiring artists who visit. Mab and Larry are both perfect hosts and will gladly have a chat with you about art, love, life, and the likes. There's a very large FREE parking lot just behind the building and there's always an open space.

Listen Hear is a micro pop-up gallery that hosts art and music events, and is run by the Big Car…read moreCollective. Big Car is attempting to build up the Garfield Park area as a local creative art community/colony. I had to admit that I was unfamiliar with the Garfield Park area, as it was a neighborhood I avoided in the past. I was surprised to see this small hip location right across the street from a local coffee shop I've never heard of (i.e. Garfield Eatery & Coffee Shop). The Listen Hear building was heavily renovated and has a minimalist industrial vibe, so better to showcase current art exhibits. Coffee and water were available at my event, and they may expand into beer/alcohol later on. When I visited in April 2016, a turntable and large display of vinyl from Luna was available to peruse, while we waited for our Prince Rama show to begin. Once the show started, the atmosphere was intimate and spotlighted the band well. I highly recommend checking out this space if the opportunity arises...you'll have a lot of hope about the future of the neighborhood as a result.

Loved this haunted house! So many theatrics! Tons of machines and lots of hard working actors. You…read morecan tell they really put a lot into this production. Lots of air puffs, ppl jumping at you, machines jumping at you. The machines tend to jump out a little close so that made it scarier. There was only one time it was pitch dark and one time you had to squeeze thru which was not good for my claustrophobia. Just when you think you're done, you're not! One more haunt at the end. There's a little drink stop with beebs and photo ops. They make you wait before starting to make sure there is ample space between groups. At first I was skeptical because you couldn't hear much and didn't see many ppl but it was def a blast and lasted a while

Wow! What an experience. I love the props, make up, jump scares and theme. I've been here every…read moreyear and everytime its and better experience! So exciting I could go back multiple times a year!... if you love haunted house or just the excitement you definitely have to add this to your must visit!!! Not allowed to take pics inside but they do have a test area in middle where you can take some awesome selfie and get a drink or snack.. love it!!

Guichelaar Gallery looks like a humble house, but it actually houses some great artwork, which is…read morefree to peruse. Just step inside this art gallery that looks like someone's home, and you'll find an exhibit to experience. This art gallery is located next to The Tube Factory and the CAMi (Contemporary Art Museum of Indianapolis), which is owned and operated by Big Car Collective. This space also serves as a home for visiting artists, which is pretty neat. The exhibit in this gallery was very small, but it was nice to be in a contained area to experience it as a complete whole. After you're done looking at the art at the Guichelaar Gallery, you can bop around to the rest of the campus and check out the other artistic expressions awaiting you.

We often walk or drive past the Art & Soul Gallery and Frame Shop and admire the paintings in the…read morewindows. During the seasonal gallery walk in Carmel's Arts and Design District, we stopped in to take a closer look. There are many paintings here that I just love, especially a Fall scene that looks like a photograph if you squint your eyes ever so slightly while gazing at it. Our other favorites include a range of floral paintings rendered in bright and deep hues that are simply breathtaking. I would provide the artists' names in this review, but I cannot pull them from memory and a trip to the gallery Web site did not prove helpful at all - for a gallery with the inventory this place has, the site is disappointingly sparse in terms of digital images. Speaking of inventory, I did think Art & Soul was something of a sensory overload - at least for the eyes - as its works are kind of crowded together. Now, I am not a professional and have no gallery experience to fall back on, but I do appreciate the airy layout of Evan Lurie much better. I find it tough to truly enjoy one painting I may be attracted to when another is creeping in and imposing itself from the periphery. Also, we were not greeted in this store, either. We wanted to know more about the prices of the above-mentioned paintings, but we didn't want to interrupt the staff member's noshing. Weird, going on a gallery walk and not being approached or spoken to kind of feels like more of a trip to the art MUSEUM.

Let's be honest…read more There are certain non-profits and certain businesses that are simply 5-star organizations. Anything else is unacceptable. It's so true that if you see someone bash the organization, you immediately think to yourself "This is not someone I want to know." It's true. You know it's true. Keep Indianapolis Beautiful is such a non-profit. It's hard to describe everything Keep Indianapolis Beautiful does. Truthfully, I'm probably not even aware of everything Keep Indianapolis Beautiful (also known as KIB) does. I just know that when it comes to keeping Indianapolis a wonderful place to live, KIB seems to always be involved. I first became aware of KIB years ago when longtime friend David Forsell led the organization. If you haven't met David (and his wife Shannon), they are, in my estimation, one of "Indy's Couples." That's an official designation now, I made it up. Okay, back to KIB. KIB has programs in three areas: Clean Neighborhoods - Adopt-a-Block, Great Indy Clean-Up, Plogging, and Busy Roads/Waterways. Trees & Native Habitats - Project Greenspace, Habitat Restoration, and Community Forestry. Engaged Citizens - Urban Naturalists, Tree Tenders, Youth Tree Team, and KIB Ambassadors. It seems like whenever there's a community event, KIB is involved (I'm currently working alongside a KIB staff person jurying a film festival). It seems like if there's a community partnership to be had, somehow KIB is engaged with it. Their events are well-run, well-led, richly beneficial to our community, and remarkably empowering. Their office on Fletcher Avenue In 2009 became the first civic nonprofit in Indiana to have a building LEED Gold Certified by the US Green Building Council! KIB has wind turbines, a cistern to collect stormwater, rain gardens, a pervious pavement parking lot (which lets water filter through), and a sunny atrium filled with native plants. They also have a green roof and are dog friendly! In other words, KIB lives its values. As a non-profit, they have the highest possible ratings from both GuideStar and Charity Navigator. In short, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful is one of those non-profits I consider to be "Indy's Non-Profits." These are organizations that truly make Indy a fantastic place to live (and it is). I love KIB and I love everything they do.

I joined KIB last year during the height of the pandemic, when I needed a healthy outlet to channel…read moreall of the anxiety I was feeling. I would go for walks daily to calm my brain, but I couldn't help but notice litter on the ground. It kind of messed with the calm vibe I was trying to accomplish -- every disposable mask and tissue and empty water bottle I would see on the ground would make me more and more irate. So instead of getting mad about it, I started to bring a trash bag and litter picker with me on my walks. Suddenly, my walks began to feel calming again. Picking up litter gave my walks a purpose. It gave me a feeling of control during a time when so many things felt out of my control (COVID cases spiking, the crumbling of society, etc.) Plus, I felt good knowing that I was helping, in a small way, to make other people feel calm during their walks, too, by removing the litter so they didn't have to see it. Not too long after I started picking up litter on my own, I found out about KIB. I learned that they have an Adopt-a-Block program, where you can "adopt" a portion of your neighborhood and maintain it (pick up litter, plant trees, etc.) I volunteered to be a Block Captain for a portion of the Monon Trail. KIB gave me some free supplies to help me start out (a nifty KIB trash bucket, lots of trash bags, gloves, a trash picker and a t-shirt). I've been an Adopt-a-Block Captain for almost a year now. Since then, I've walked lots of miles and picked up dozens (hundreds?) of buckets of litter. I've made friends with people I see regularly who use the trail where I pick up trash. I've had people come up to me and ask me about KIB (because they see me carrying my KIB trash bucket), and I'm always happy to sing this organization's praises and encourage others to adopt a block in their neighborhood, too. And KIB makes it super easy to do so. They are very inclusive and just want people to get involved in making their communities better places to live and play. I tend to enjoy picking up litter the most when I'm by myself, because it's become a meditative practice for me. But, I've also joined several litter-collecting projects that KIB has organized. These are always very well-thought-out, and they target areas of Indy that are under-cared-for and have a lot of litter lying around. During these events, it's nice to be around other people who love Indy and are as invested in it as much as you are. KIB has lots of projects happening all year, which is great because there is always something to do. I love this organization so much, and it's become a part of me and my lifestyle now. So much so, that one time, when my kids saw a KIB sign when we were out and about, they pointed to it and said, "Hey mom, that's you! That's the thing you do."