If you are in the mood for art on July 3, we suggest checking out Shane Carte's show "Let's all Go Camping!" at Mt. Comfort (A Space for Champions) 1651 English Ave. -- opening reception 6 p.m.-midnight.

And, on July 4, there's the Art of July Parade in Fountain Square put on by our neighbors at the Fountain Square Arts Council:

48 Hour Film Project returns to Indianapolis

Big Car Collective is producing the 2009 Indianapolis portion of the 48 Hour Film Project, an international competition of short films made in 48 hours. Registration is now open. To register for the Project, filmmakers can follow the instructions found on www.48hourfilm.com/indianapolis. Registration is based on a first-come first-served basis and space is limited.

The competition takes place July 31-Aug. 2 with the film screening -- where audience members have a chance to help select prizes -- taking place at The Tobias Theater at the Indianapolis Museum of Art on Aug. 6. This is the third year for the event in Indianapolis. More than 20 teams participated last year.

Indianapolis 48 Hour Film Project important dates:

Screening and panel discussion - July 19 at noon at the Indianapolis International Film Festival at IMA

Best of 2008 screening and last-minute info session - 7 p.m. on July 29 at Indianapolis Central Library, 40 E. Saint Clair St.

Competition - July 31-Aug. 2 with kickoff and drop off at The Brass Ring Lounge, 1245 S. Shelby St.
Screening - Aug. 6 at IMA

For more information, email jim@bigcar.org

Also happening this month

Screening of the independent film "When You Get to Heaven" by Chicago director and writer D.G.W. Hedges

7 p.m. on July 20 at Big Car

for more information check out: www.whenyougettoheaven.com.

Big Curiosities: A Miniseries of Mysterious Events

Indianapolis Central Library
40 E. Saint Clair St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204

All events start at 7 p.m. and are free.
All take place in Clowes Auditorium.

The series is presented by Big Car Collective and the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library, and supported by The Efroymson Family Fund. It is linked to the library's fall adult reading program.

Aug. 26: Local experimental music group Big Robot will provide a soundtrack to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a 1919 silent film by Robert Wiene. The moody horror film came at height of German Expressionist cinema. With its surreal sets and distorted camera angles representing madness and nightmare, this silent classic follows the story of the evil hypnotist Caligari and his unwitting sleepwalker pawn as they create fear and mystery.

Sept. 30: Jeffrey Meldrum, a prominent researcher on Sasquatch and professor of anatomy and anthropology at Idaho State University presents a talk. Also a preview of Big Car Gallery's Bigfoot-themed art show for October, opening Oct. 2.

Meldrum's interest in Bigfoot grew after being shown 15-inch footprints in a plowed field near Walla Walla, Washington. Although initially believing the tracks to be forgeries, upon further examination he noticed what he believes is evidence of a high degree of flexibility in the print and a mid-tarsal break, traits he has come to believe belong to Bigfoot. Meldrum has published several academic papers ranging from vertebrate evolutionary morphology, the emergence of bipedal locomotion in modern humans and Sasquatch and is a co-editor of a series of books on paleontology. Meldrum is the author of the 2006 book Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science, a companion volume to the Discovery Channel documentary of the same name.

Oct. 28: Big Car Collective assembles an unusual orchestra of experimental musicians to create a spooky and spontaneous soundtrack to the 1920 silent version of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde -- just in time for Halloween. Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel about the dark side of human nature comes to life with silent-era heartthrob John Barrymore as upright Dr. Jekyll and demonic Mr. Hyde. A dinner conversation on the topic of human duality at a dinner party prompts Jekyll to concoct a potion to divide the human psyche's two sides: good and evil. Soon, the dark side takes over to deadly results. All will be accompanied by a live soundtrack featuring a Tonos Triad, Shiny Black Shirt and others.

Nov. 5: UFO expert Stanton Friedman presents a talk. Also a preview of Big Car's outer-space art show for November, opening Nov. 6.

Friedman became interested in UFOs in 1958, and since 1967 has lectured about them at more than 600 colleges and 100 professional groups in 50 U.S. states, nine Canadian provinces and 16 other countries in addition to various nuclear consulting efforts. He has published more than 90 UFO papers and has appeared on hundreds of radio and TV programs including on Larry King in 2007 and twice in 2008, and many documentaries. He is the original civilian investigator of the Roswell Incident and co-authored "Crash at Corona: The Definitive Study of the Roswell Incident." "TOP SECRET/MAJIC," his controversial book about the Majestic 12 group, established in 1947 to deal with alien technology, was published in 1996 and went through six printings.

Listen to Big Car

Check out our podcast page, complete with artist interviews and music.

Big Car in video

Do something different: Enjoy vintage science-fiction films in an eclectic outdoor neighborhood setting -- the back yard of Big Car Collective artist Todd Bracik.

June 20 at 8:30 p.m.
105 Wallace Ave. Indianapolis, IN 46201
Suggested donation $5

48 Hour Film Project returns to Indianapolis

Big Car Collective is producing the 2009 Indianapolis portion of the 48 Hour Film Project, an international competition of short films made in 48 hours. Registration is now open, with a series of meet and greet events following. To register for the Project, filmmakers can follow the instructions found on www.48hourfilm.com/indianapolis. Registration is based on a first-come first-served basis and space is limited.

The competition takes place July 31-Aug. 2 with the film screening -- where audience members have a chance to help select prizes -- taking place at The Tobias Theater at the Indianapolis Museum of Art on Aug. 6. This is the third year for the event in Indianapolis. More than 20 teams participated last year.

Indianapolis 48 Hour Film Project important dates:

Screening and panel discussion - between July 15-25 (details TBA) at Indianapolis International Film Festival at IMA

Best of 2008 screening and last-minute info session - 7 p.m. on July 29 at Indianapolis Central Library, 40 E. Saint Clair St.

Competition - July 31-Aug. 2 with kickoff and drop off at The Brass Ring Lounge, 1245 S. Shelby St.
Screening - Aug. 6 at IMA

For more information, email jim@bigcar.org

In the gallery now

The Shape of Things: Photos by Greg The Mayor
Up through the end of June, by appointment (317) 450-6630

Greg the Mayor's photos reveal American culture's voyeuristic fascination with other people's fantasies and inner monologues. The images also reveal the artist's appreciation of women. "It's the shape I want to capture not just their physique but their idiosyncrasies," he said.

Getting his start shooting pictures as a poor punk-rock kid, Greg the Mayor worked his way into the photo industry by throwing raves and punk shows and documenting these events himself. Now he's in demand and takes photos for Trust Kill records, Suicide Girls and others...

Big Curiosities: A Miniseries of Mysterious Events

Indianapolis Central Library
40 E. Saint Clair St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204

All events start at 7 p.m. and are free.
All take place in Clowes Auditorium.

The series is presented by Big Car Collective and the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library, and supported by The Efroymson Family Fund. It is linked to the library's fall adult reading program.

Aug. 26: Local experimental music group Big Robot will provide a soundtrack to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a 1919 silent film by Robert Wiene. The moody horror film came at height of German Expressionist cinema. With its surreal sets and distorted camera angles representing madness and nightmare, this silent classic follows the story of the evil hypnotist Caligari and his unwitting sleepwalker pawn as they create fear and mystery.

Sept. 30: Jeffrey Meldrum, a prominent researcher on Sasquatch and professor of anatomy and anthropology at Idaho State University presents a talk. Also a preview of Big Car Gallery's Bigfoot-themed art show for October, opening Oct. 2.

Meldrum's interest in Bigfoot grew after being shown 15-inch footprints in a plowed field near Walla Walla, Washington. Although initially believing the tracks to be forgeries, upon further examination he noticed what he believes is evidence of a high degree of flexibility in the print and a mid-tarsal break, traits he has come to believe belong to Bigfoot. Meldrum has published several academic papers ranging from vertebrate evolutionary morphology, the emergence of bipedal locomotion in modern humans and Sasquatch and is a co-editor of a series of books on paleontology. Meldrum is the author of the 2006 book Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science, a companion volume to the Discovery Channel documentary of the same name.

Oct. 28: Big Car Collective assembles an unusual orchestra of experimental musicians to create a spooky and spontaneous soundtrack to the 1920 silent version of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde -- just in time for Halloween. Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel about the dark side of human nature comes to life with silent-era heartthrob John Barrymore as upright Dr. Jekyll and demonic Mr. Hyde. A dinner conversation on the topic of human duality at a dinner party prompts Jekyll to concoct a potion to divide the human psyche's two sides: good and evil. Soon, the dark side takes over to deadly results. All will be accompanied by a live soundtrack featuring a Tonos Triad, Shiny Black Shirt and others.

Nov. 5: UFO expert Stanton Friedman presents a talk. Also a preview of Big Car's outer-space art show for November, opening Nov. 6.

Friedman became interested in UFOs in 1958, and since 1967 has lectured about them at more than 600 colleges and 100 professional groups in 50 U.S. states, nine Canadian provinces and 16 other countries in addition to various nuclear consulting efforts. He has published more than 90 UFO papers and has appeared on hundreds of radio and TV programs including on Larry King in 2007 and twice in 2008, and many documentaries. He is the original civilian investigator of the Roswell Incident and co-authored "Crash at Corona: The Definitive Study of the Roswell Incident." "TOP SECRET/MAJIC," his controversial book about the Majestic 12 group, established in 1947 to deal with alien technology, was published in 1996 and went through six printings.

Listen to Big Car

Check out our podcast page, complete with artist interviews and music.

Big Car in video

48 Hour Film Project returns to Indianapolis

Big Car Collective is producing the 2009 Indianapolis portion of the 48 Hour Film Project, an international competition of short films made in 48 hours. Registration is now open, with a series of meet and greet events following. To register for the Project, filmmakers can follow the instructions found on www.48hourfilm.com/indianapolis. Registration is based on a first-come first-served basis and space is limited.

The competition takes place July 31-Aug. 2 with the film screening -- where audience members have a chance to help select prizes -- taking place at The Tobias Theater at the Indianapolis Museum of Art on Aug. 6. This is the third year for the event in Indianapolis. More than 20 teams participated last year.

Indianapolis 48 Hour Film Project important dates:

Meet and greet - 6-7:30 p.m. on June 11 at Deano's Vino, 1112 Shelby St.

Screening and panel discussion - between July 15-25 (details TBA) at Indianapolis International Film Festival at IMA

Best of 2008 screening and last-minute info session - 7 p.m. on July 29 at Indianapolis Central Library, 40 E. Saint Clair St.

Competition - July 31-Aug. 2 with kickoff and drop off at The Brass Ring Lounge, 1245 S. Shelby St.
Screening - Aug. 6 at IMA

Meet and greet events are for anyone interested in being a filmmaker, crew member, actor or just wants to know more about the 48 Hour Film Project. City Producer Jim Walker of Big Car will be on hand to answer questions, make introductions and help teams form.

For more information, call Jim Walker at (317) 408-1366 or email at jim@bigcar.org

In the gallery now

The Shape of Things: Photos by Greg The Mayor
Up through the end of June, by appointment (317) 450-6630

Greg the Mayor's photos reveal American culture's voyeuristic fascination with other people's fantasies and inner monologues. The images also reveal the artist's appreciation of women. "It's the shape I want to capture not just their physique but their idiosyncrasies," he said.

Getting his start shooting pictures as a poor punk-rock kid, Greg the Mayor worked his way into the photo industry by throwing raves and punk shows and documenting these events himself. Now he's in demand and takes photos for Trust Kill records, Suicide Girls and others...

Big Curiosities: A Miniseries of Mysterious Events

Indianapolis Central Library
40 E. Saint Clair St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204

All events start at 7 p.m. and are free.
All take place in Clowes Auditorium.

The series is presented by Big Car Collective and the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library, and supported by The Efroymson Family Fund. It is linked to the library's fall adult reading program.

Aug. 26: Local experimental music group Big Robot will provide a soundtrack to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a 1919 silent film by Robert Wiene. The moody horror film came at height of German Expressionist cinema. With its surreal sets and distorted camera angles representing madness and nightmare, this silent classic follows the story of the evil hypnotist Caligari and his unwitting sleepwalker pawn as they create fear and mystery.

Sept. 30: Jeffrey Meldrum, a prominent researcher on Sasquatch and professor of anatomy and anthropology at Idaho State University presents a talk. Also a preview of Big Car Gallery's Bigfoot-themed art show for October, opening Oct. 2.

Meldrum's interest in Bigfoot grew after being shown 15-inch footprints in a plowed field near Walla Walla, Washington. Although initially believing the tracks to be forgeries, upon further examination he noticed what he believes is evidence of a high degree of flexibility in the print and a mid-tarsal break, traits he has come to believe belong to Bigfoot. Meldrum has published several academic papers ranging from vertebrate evolutionary morphology, the emergence of bipedal locomotion in modern humans and Sasquatch and is a co-editor of a series of books on paleontology. Meldrum is the author of the 2006 book Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science, a companion volume to the Discovery Channel documentary of the same name.

Oct. 28: Big Car Collective assembles an unusual orchestra of experimental musicians to create a spooky and spontaneous soundtrack to the 1920 silent version of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde -- just in time for Halloween. Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel about the dark side of human nature comes to life with silent-era heartthrob John Barrymore as upright Dr. Jekyll and demonic Mr. Hyde. A dinner conversation on the topic of human duality at a dinner party prompts Jekyll to concoct a potion to divide the human psyche's two sides: good and evil. Soon, the dark side takes over to deadly results. All will be accompanied by a live soundtrack featuring a Tonos Triad, Shiny Black Shirt and others.

Nov. 5: UFO expert Stanton Friedman presents a talk. Also a preview of Big Car's outer-space art show for November, opening Nov. 6.

Friedman became interested in UFOs in 1958, and since 1967 has lectured about them at more than 600 colleges and 100 professional groups in 50 U.S. states, nine Canadian provinces and 16 other countries in addition to various nuclear consulting efforts. He has published more than 90 UFO papers and has appeared on hundreds of radio and TV programs including on Larry King in 2007 and twice in 2008, and many documentaries. He is the original civilian investigator of the Roswell Incident and co-authored "Crash at Corona: The Definitive Study of the Roswell Incident." "TOP SECRET/MAJIC," his controversial book about the Majestic 12 group, established in 1947 to deal with alien technology, was published in 1996 and went through six printings.

Listen to Big Car

Check out our podcast page, complete with artist interviews and music.

Big Car in video

The Shape of Things: Photos by Greg The Mayor
June 5, 6 p.m. to midnight
featuring DJs ASquared

Greg the Mayor's photos reveal American culture's voyeuristic fascination with other people's fantasies and inner monologues. The images also reveal the artist's appreciation of women. "It's the shape I want to capture not just their physique but their idiosyncrasies," he said.

Getting his start shooting pictures as a poor punk-rock kid, Greg the Mayor worked his way into the photo industry by throwing raves and punk shows and documenting these events himself. Now he's in demand and takes photos for Trust Kill records, Suicide Girls and others...

48 Hour Film Project returns to Indianapolis

Big Car Collective, a nonprofit arts organization based in Fountain Square, is producing the 2009 Indianapolis portion of the 48 Hour Film Project, an international competition of short films made in 48 hours. Registration for teams opens June 2 with a series of meet and greet events following. The competition takes place July 31-Aug. 2 with the film screening -- where audience members have a chance to help select prizes -- taking place at The Tobias Theater at the Indianapolis Museum of Art on Aug. 6. This is the third year for the event in Indianapolis. More than 20 teams participated last year.

Indianapolis 48 Hour Film Project important dates:
Registration opens - June 2
Meet and greet - 6-10 p.m. on June 5 at Big Car
Meet and greet - 6-8 p.m. on June 11 at Deano's Vino, 1112 Shelby St.
Screening and panel discussion - between July 15-25 (details TBA) at Indianapolis International Film Festival at IMA
Best of 2008 screening and last-minute info session - 7-9 p.m. on July 29 at Indianapolis Central Library, 40 E. Saint Clair St.
Competition - July 31-Aug. 2 with kickoff and drop off at The Brass Ring Lounge, 1245 S. Shelby St.
Screening - Aug. 6 at IMA

Meet and greet events are for anyone interested in being a filmmaker, crew member, actor or just wants to know more about the 48 Hour Film Project. City Producer Jim Walker of Big Car will be on hand to answer questions, make introductions and help teams form. To register for the Project, filmmakers can follow the instructions found on www.48hourfilm.com. Registration is based on a first-come first-served basis and space is limited.

For more information, call Jim Walker at (317) 408-1366 or email at jim@bigcar.org

Big Curiosities: A Miniseries of Mysterious Events

Indianapolis Central Library
40 E. Saint Clair St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204

All events start at 7 p.m. and are free.
All take place in Clowes Auditorium.

The series is presented by Big Car Collective and the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library, and supported by The Efroymson Family Fund. It is linked to the library's fall adult reading program.

Aug. 26: Local experimental music group Big Robot will provide a soundtrack to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a 1919 silent film by Robert Wiene. The moody horror film came at height of German Expressionist cinema. With its surreal sets and distorted camera angles representing madness and nightmare, this silent classic follows the story of the evil hypnotist Caligari and his unwitting sleepwalker pawn as they create fear and mystery.

Sept. 30: Jeffrey Meldrum, a prominent researcher on Sasquatch and professor of anatomy and anthropology at Idaho State University presents a talk. Also a preview of Big Car Gallery's Bigfoot-themed art show for October, opening Oct. 2.

Meldrum's interest in Bigfoot grew after being shown 15-inch footprints in a plowed field near Walla Walla, Washington. Although initially believing the tracks to be forgeries, upon further examination he noticed what he believes is evidence of a high degree of flexibility in the print and a mid-tarsal break, traits he has come to believe belong to Bigfoot. Meldrum has published several academic papers ranging from vertebrate evolutionary morphology, the emergence of bipedal locomotion in modern humans and Sasquatch and is a co-editor of a series of books on paleontology. Meldrum is the author of the 2006 book Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science, a companion volume to the Discovery Channel documentary of the same name.

Oct. 28: Big Car Collective assembles an unusual orchestra of experimental musicians to create a spooky and spontaneous soundtrack to the 1920 silent version of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde -- just in time for Halloween. Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel about the dark side of human nature comes to life with silent-era heartthrob John Barrymore as upright Dr. Jekyll and demonic Mr. Hyde. A dinner conversation on the topic of human duality at a dinner party prompts Jekyll to concoct a potion to divide the human psyche's two sides: good and evil. Soon, the dark side takes over to deadly results. All will be accompanied by a live soundtrack featuring a Tonos Triad, Shiny Black Shirt and others.

Nov. 5: UFO expert Stanton Friedman presents a talk. Also a preview of Big Car's outer-space art show for November, opening Nov. 6.

Friedman became interested in UFOs in 1958, and since 1967 has lectured about them at more than 600 colleges and 100 professional groups in 50 U.S. states, nine Canadian provinces and 16 other countries in addition to various nuclear consulting efforts. He has published more than 90 UFO papers and has appeared on hundreds of radio and TV programs including on Larry King in 2007 and twice in 2008, and many documentaries. He is the original civilian investigator of the Roswell Incident and co-authored "Crash at Corona: The Definitive Study of the Roswell Incident." "TOP SECRET/MAJIC," his controversial book about the Majestic 12 group, established in 1947 to deal with alien technology, was published in 1996 and went through six printings.

Listen to Big Car

Check out our podcast page, complete with artist interviews and music.

Video fun

At each show, Davy (FOUND's plucky point guard) will share the latest magnificent and mesmerizing finds that've landed in the mailbox here at FOUND HQ, plus hilarious found tales from contributors to the new book including Seth Rogen, Chuck D., Sarah Vowell, Devendra Banhart, and Wire creator David Simon. And Davy's brother Peter (FOUND's international heartthrob) will dazzle with a glittering constellation of new breathtaking songs based on FOUND notes. Will he bring back "The Booty Don't Stop"?

Lots of Music this month:

Folked Up Wednesday
Featuring Noah East
May 20, 8 p.m. $5 at Big Car
Part of Segment of Society Production's new series

Every So Slightly Saturday
May 23, 8 p.m. $5 at Big Car
with e.a. strother, Laura K. Balke and Lovely Houses.

In the gallery now: Paintings by Tom Crist

By appointment through May 22. Call (317) 450-6630.

Next First Friday: Greg the Mayor

The Shape of Things: Photos by Greg The Mayor
June 5, 6 p.m. to midnight
featuring DJs ASquared

Greg the Mayor's photos reveal American culture's voyeuristic fascination with other people's fantasies and inner monologues. The images also reveal the artist's appreciation of women. "It's the shape I want to capture not just their physique but their idiosyncrasies," he said.

Getting his start shooting pictures as a poor punk-rock kid, Greg the Mayor worked his way into the photo industry by throwing raves and punk shows and documenting these events himself. Now he's in demand and takes photos for Trust Kill records, Suicide Girls and others...

Listen to Big Car

Check out our podcast page, complete with artist interviews and music.

Big Car in video

6-11 p.m. on May 1: Paintings by Tom Crist

With live music at around 9:30 p.m. by Pons.

Details about Crist's show: It is the shock of the face that continues to inform my work. Caught in laughter or in tears, suspended in moments of joy or sorrow, the myriad expressions and contortions of this enigmatic human mask is of perpetual fascination for me; an impetus to create.

The face speaks volumes even when at rest, never completely muted in its stillness or silence. It is for me a constant and compulsive muse. Simultaneously familiar and strange, an almost alien encounter, the face of another. Even one's own likeness can have this effect when viewed from the distance of the photographic image: who is this stranger who wears my face? This notion urges on my investigation into the deceptively simple language of this complex visage; how we read others and how we are read.

My paintings exacerbate this exchange, imposing a paranoid, hallucinatory view of the subjects. Here they exist as cartoonish illuminations for the human condition; characters in an absurd comedy retold ad nauseam. One is immediately aware of the claustrophobically shallow space these figures inhabit. Often this is a turgidly hued void or a nowhere place. Uneasy stares and menacing smiles are held here in captivity.

The occupants of these paintings are born of anxious and obsessive line; repeated passages define basic features of eyes, nose, mouth and teeth in a frantic and sometimes horrific display. Being only soft flirtations with human form; the figures are built up over time in vivid color embodying disquiet and psychic tension. At times they are mere rudimentary constructions. Most recent are overwrought hysteria, snap shots of lives suspended in conflicts and couplings.

In Side Car:

Martin Kuntz is an Indiana native, and recently graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art with a BFA in painting. His pop surrealist work exists somewhere between reality and abstraction, typically deriving the majority of subject from his childhood.

Image of work by Martin Kuntz.

Found returning to Big Car

To celebrate the release of FOUND's brand-new book, Requiem for a Paper Bag, FOUND road warriors Davy and Peter Rothbart are climbing back in the tour van for a 55-city cross country odyssey. They stop at Big Car on May 19. Show starts at 8 p.m. and costs $8. Tickets for sale at the door.

At each show, Davy (FOUND's plucky point guard) will share the latest magnificent and mesmerizing finds that've landed in the mailbox here at FOUND HQ, plus hilarious found tales from contributors to the new book including Seth Rogen, Chuck D., Sarah Vowell, Devendra Banhart, and Wire creator David Simon. And Davy's brother Peter (FOUND's international heartthrob) will dazzle with a glittering constellation of new breathtaking songs based on FOUND notes. Will he bring back "The Booty Don't Stop"?

Listen to Big Car

Check out our podcast page, complete with artist interviews and music.

Big Car in video

Record Store Day: Saturday, April 18

Visit our pals at LUNA Music Midtown, 5202 N. College Ave.
for all of the action and to support your very important local record store.

12 p.m. - Kentucky Nightmare
1 p.m. - Everything, Now!
2 p.m. - Yuki
3 p.m. - Richard Cranium
4 p.m. - PONS
5 p.m. - Jorma Whittaker
6 p.m. - Thunders
Free screen-printing; art by Nat Russell; one-day liquor license; grilled meats and faux-meats; free grab bags. And Big Car's John Clark will be on hand doing his thing!

Also coming up at Big Car:

April 25 8-10 p.m.: Ever So Slightly Music Series on the 4th Saturday with Lovely Houses, The Last Domino, and Sam Eakin. $5.

Next First Friday

6-11 p.m. on May 1: Paintings by Tom Crist

w/live music at around 9:30 p.m. by Pons.

Details about Crist's show: It is the shock of the face that continues to inform my work. Caught in laughter or in tears, suspended in moments of joy or sorrow, the myriad expressions and contortions of this enigmatic human mask is of perpetual fascination for me; an impetus to create.

The face speaks volumes even when at rest, never completely muted in its stillness or silence. It is for me a constant and compulsive muse. Simultaneously familiar and strange, an almost alien encounter, the face of another. Even one's own likeness can have this effect when viewed from the distance of the photographic image: who is this stranger who wears my face? This notion urges on my investigation into the deceptively simple language of this complex visage; how we read others and how we are read.

My paintings exacerbate this exchange, imposing a paranoid, hallucinatory view of the subjects. Here they exist as cartoonish illuminations for the human condition; characters in an absurd comedy retold ad nauseam. One is immediately aware of the claustrophobically shallow space these figures inhabit. Often this is a turgidly hued void or a nowhere place. Uneasy stares and menacing smiles are held here in captivity.

The occupants of these paintings are born of anxious and obsessive line; repeated passages define basic features of eyes, nose, mouth and teeth in a frantic and sometimes horrific display. Being only soft flirtations with human form; the figures are built up over time in vivid color embodying disquiet and psychic tension. At times they are mere rudimentary constructions. Most recent are overwrought hysteria, snap shots of lives suspended in conflicts and couplings.

Found returning to Big Car

To celebrate the release of FOUND's brand-new book, Requiem for a Paper Bag, FOUND road warriors Davy and Peter Rothbart are climbing back in the tour van for a 55-city cross country odyssey. They stop at Big Car on May 19.

At each show, Davy (FOUND's plucky point guard) will share the latest magnificent and mesmerizing finds that've landed in the mailbox here at FOUND HQ, plus hilarious found tales from contributors to the new book including Seth Rogen, Chuck D., Sarah Vowell, Devendra Banhart, and Wire creator David Simon. And Davy's brother Peter (FOUND's international heartthrob) will dazzle with a glittering constellation of new breathtaking songs based on FOUND notes. Will he bring back "The Booty Don't Stop"?

Listen to Big Car

Check out our podcast page, complete with artist interviews and music.

Big Car in video

April 3 -- First Friday 6 p.m. to midnight.

Featuring artwork by Todd Bracik and live ambient music by Shiny Black Shirt.

Here's a question and answer session with Todd Bracik, one of the artists in the Big Car Collective. He's shown work many times in Indianapolis and in the Chicago area -- as well as in Slovenia.

Q. What got you involved and interested?

A. "They were just going to throw this away!" is a common phrase I have repeated over the years. I have always been fascinated by how things work. My collecting of objects is a search for understanding; possibly a searching for my place?

Q. What is your main inspiration or is there a theme or obsession with your work?

A. I like to collect objects that are weathered worn bent or broken. I focus on their shape form and potential to combine with other objects. Sometimes a sculpture comes together right off and other times it takes days.

Q. What can people expect from this show?

A: The show will be an installation of metal artifacts along with video and audio clips that I have put together.

Q. Tell us more about your show overseas.

A. I raised my own money. Money was donated to my project by the Slovenian ministry of culture and the KSKJ, which is a Slovenian organization here in the states. I called my project "scraps from the past" as it was a sculpture installation dedication to my Slovenian roots. I flew out to Slovenia, stayed for a week and collected objects I found around the city of Ljubljana, Slovenia with the help of an assistant who was assigned to me by the gallery at Metelkova. We searched in back alleys, abandoned buildings, roadsides, neighborhood dumps, wrecked and abandoned cars, and scrap yards for any steel we could find. After a week of arduous work and long hours the piece became what I called "foundations."

Upcoming music shows

April 13, 7 p.m.: Experimental/electronica show with Breakway (trio from Chicago), Goodhands Team (Bloomington), and locals Mana2. $5.

More about Breakway: It is an improvising trio featuring synthesizer/piano, electronics and percussion. The music is driving, rhythmic, and textural; equal parts free jazz, contemporary noise, classical electronic. Find out more here.

April 15, 8-10 p.m.: Folked Up Wednesdays with ilyAIMY (Baltimore) and Kelly Zullo (Nashville). $5.

April 25 8-10 p.m.: Ever So Slightly Music Series on the 4th Saturday with Lovely Houses and others TBA. $5.

Found returning to Big Car

To celebrate the release of FOUND's brand-new book, Requiem for a Paper Bag, FOUND road warriors Davy and Peter Rothbart are climbing back in the tour van for a 55-city cross country odyssey. They stop at Big Car on May 19.

At each show, Davy (FOUND's plucky point guard) will share the latest magnificent and mesmerizing finds that've landed in the mailbox here at FOUND HQ, plus hilarious found tales from contributors to the new book including Seth Rogen, Chuck D., Sarah Vowell, Devendra Banhart, and Wire creator David Simon. And Davy's brother Peter (FOUND's international heartthrob) will dazzle with a glittering constellation of new breathtaking songs based on FOUND notes. Will he bring back "The Booty Don't Stop"?

Listen to Big Car

Check out our podcast page, complete with artist interviews and music.

Random video action

CD release party for one of Big Car's favorite bands.
Saturday, March 28 at 8 p.m.
$5

Formed in the late fall of 2006, Indianapolis-based trio Tonos Triad has continued to push beyond the boundaries of genre. The Triad is made up of upright bassist Aaron Ransdell, classical guitarist Yevgeny Baburin, and accordion/melodica/mandolin player, Rod Schindler, who also plays a makeshift drum kit consisting of a suitcase, a cardboard box and brushes.

Though primarily an acoustic band that centers their sound on complex and euphoric melodies, they can shock listeners by plunging into the intense realms of avant-garde ferocity before settling down into hard groove. If one were to try to compare Tonos Triad's music to anyone else, Astor Piazzolla or John Zorn might come to mind. However, with such a diverse sound it is almost impossible to label the trio under the school of any one master. They seem to be an enigma that wanders on the outskirts of genre and classification yet, enters the listener to pluck their heartstrings with subtle notes weaved with pop nostalgia and the dark unknown.

Adam Kuhn and Shiny Black Shirt will open.

Visit their website here.

April's First Friday

April 3 First Friday 6 p.m. to midnight.

Featuring artwork by Todd Bracik and, starting at about 9:30, live music by Accordions and Everybody (Bloomington).

Upcoming music shows

April 13, 7 p.m.: Experimental/electronica show with Breakway (trio from Chicago), Goodhands Team (Bloomington), and locals Mana2.

More about Breakway: It is an improvising trio featuring synthesizer/piano, electronics and percussion. The music is driving, rhythmic, and textural; equal parts free jazz, contemporary noise, classical electronic. Find out more here.

April 15, 8-10 p.m.: Folked Up Wednesdays with lyAIMY (Baltimore) and Kelly Zullo (Nashville).

April 25 8-10 p.m.: Ever So Slightly Music Series on the 4th Saturday with Lovely Houses and others TBA.

Listen to Big Car

Check out our podcast page, complete with artist interviews and music.

Random video action

.

Check out Jayson with a Y's drawings

Enjoy our favorite Microsoft Paint cartoonist at his blog here.

Friday, March 13, 2009
7-10 p.m.
Harrison Center for the Arts
1505 North Delaware St.
$8, $5 for students

Indianapolis-based young adult fiction author John Green (Paper Towns) joins fiction and travel writer Sarah Layden and eclectic musicians Tonos Triad in a fun night of readings & music + great company and conversation. The event raises money for The Second Story, a writing project for kids here in Indianapolis that Big Car supports.

Drinks and food will be for sale at the event. All proceeds from tickets and refreshment sales go to The Second Story. Find out more about The Second Story here.

Tonos Triad show at Big Car

CD release party for one of Big Car's favorite bands.
Saturday, March 28 at 8 p.m.
$5

Formed in the late fall of 2006, Indianapolis-based trio Tonos Triad has continued to push beyond the boundaries of genre. The Triad is made up of upright bassist Aaron Ransdell, classical guitarist Yevgeny Baburin, and accordion/melodica/mandolin player, Rod Schindler, who also plays a makeshift drum kit consisting of a suitcase, a cardboard box and brushes.

Though primarily an acoustic band that centers their sound on complex and euphoric melodies, they can shock listeners by plunging into the intense realms of avant-garde ferocity before settling down into hard groove. If one were to try to compare Tonos Triad's music to anyone else, Astor Piazzolla or John Zorn might come to mind. However, with such a diverse sound it is almost impossible to label the trio under the school of any one master. They seem to be an enigma that wanders on the outskirts of genre and classification yet, enters the listener to pluck their heartstrings with subtle notes weaved with pop nostalgia and the dark unknown.

Visit their website here.

Listen to Big Car

Check out our podcast page, complete with artist interviews and music.

Daily feature

Enjoy our daily (Mon-Thurs) comic by Jayson with a Y of Indianapolis who does all of his drawings in the fabulous Microsoft Paint program. Visit his blog here and tell him what you think and view an archive of his work.

Random video action

Find out more about The Second Story here.

March 6: First Friday

Listen: A Music and Video Experiment
Featuring video art and experimental music throughout the Murphy Art Center -- including Alchemy in Suite 3, Suite 4 next door and multiple spaces upstairs near Big Car.

Friday, March 6, 2009 at 7 p.m.- Midnight.

Big Car's First Friday show for March will feature a bevy of local, regional, national and international video and sound artists. All of the music will accompany video art projections. The night will include a show of Herron video artists in Suite 214 next door to Big Car (see artist statements below), a program of experimental videos from other local artists in Suite 3 and 4 on street level (J. Andrew Salyer, Jennie Mynhier, Laura Salyer, Jim Walker, Flounder Lee) and a Microcinema screening (FATELESS, Color + Modulation, SLIDE, Hub Culture Retrospectives: Antarctica, Independent Exposure: Asthmatic Kitty Records Edition 2008, The Collected Films of Ryan Jeffery, Op Art, Modular Moves, Jellies: The Art of Nature) also in Suite 214. For more about Microcinema visit www.microcinema.com.

The night's musical offerings in Suite 215 (Big Car's regular space) and in other nearby spaces include performances by Butler University's Ensemble 48 (playing a soundtrack to the silent film "Man with the Movie Camera"), Marck Ferrari, Ben Ishmael Revival, Shiny Black Shirt, Sea Krowns, Ensemble 48, Actuel, Playboy Psychonauts, Stallio, Sky Thing and Tonos Triad.

Also in the street level space that night, Big Car also hosts the installation "Unified Fields" that features the interactive music and art of duo Mana2 (Jordan Munson, Michael Drews). This installation is a collaborative composition combining elements from the works Unified Fields (Munson) and Deconstructions (Drews). Themes and gestures from each work interact both with each other and sonic and video material emanating from several interactive stations positioned in the room. These stations will involve both motion and color tracking technologies. During the event, live musical textures will be weaved into the sonic environment being generated.

The event is sponsored by Microcinema and is a partnership with the Toby at the IMA.

Video show artist statements

Sam Jones' intent is to bring awareness to social issues and struggles, and as an artist it is my desire find the best possible way of doing so; may it be through photography, video, or sculpture.

Katie Chattin uses photography to encourage change while representing a call to action for her viewers. Through her work she hopes for her audience to find their own sense of community and take pride in the place that they find. Her work documents a place and time that is a part of her community, her hometown of Vincennes, IN. Katie is a senior photography major at the Herron School of Art and Design. She plans on going into non profit work upon graduation.

Lindsey Shafi is from Grand Rapids, Michigan and is currently attending Herron School of Art here in Indianapolis. She will graduate in May 2009 with a BFA in Photography. Her work mainly consists of animal activism, cultural identity and educational documentaries. She enjoys using video with sound incorporated in installation pieces along with digital photography.

Brent Aldrich has a BFA from the Herron School of Art; his work makes use of drawing, photography, video, installation, and performance to understand the disconnect from the real to representation by the processes of these different mediums, particularly as it relates to the land. His is also a part of the collaborative team DENT.

Desiree Moore is graduating from Herron School of Art and Design in May with a BFA. She is interested in working with themes analyzing the social, historical, and ecological relationships between current human culture and perceptions of nature.

Justin Trapp is a Herron School of Art and Design Student. His work currently explores the ideas of subverting the popular American consumerist culture, and meditative spaces through the medium of video installation and mixed media collage. He is interested in communicating to the audience that the everyday "noise," that we encounter is something that needs to be slowed down, and examined closer.

Donna Hooper was born in Columbus, Mississippi and is a candidate for a BFA in Photography accompanied by an Art History Minor, both during 2009. At Herron School of Art and Design in Indianapolis, Indiana, she pursues video, sound, photography and installation projects that explore women's issues and girl culture. Most of her work focuses on the process of learning and the effects of mass media.

Ashley White is currently working towards attaining her BFA in Photography at Herron School of Art and Design in Indianapolis, Indiana. Aside from working in the medium of photography, she also works in video and sound. She has explored many different mediums such as Installation, Visual Communication, Drawing, Printmaking, Sculpture, and Painting. She enjoys using all of her experience with different mediums and working with her hands to create sculptural and design elements when creating mixed media pieces.

Diego Yanto works within the realm of photography, video and installation. He is confronted by ideas of the post-modern and social criticism. He explores this world by engulfing viewers senses and letting them exit the real world and enter a new one.

Melissa McShea is graduating with a BFA in Photography from Herron school of art and design in May 2008, and intends to attend a M.F.A. program upon graduation. Her body of work deals with the relationship between color and music, and is moving into digital interaction between the viewer and the work.

Also that night:

Image above by Shaunna Peterson titled "The Moment After" -- priced at $300.

The first show in Le Petite Mort, a series of one-piece mini-shows

Often the midwest is overlooked by newer movements in the art world. This series, Le Petite Mort, aims for Indianapolis to come together with the art of nationally known artists inspired by pop culture and popularized by magazines such as Juxtapoz and High Fructose. This form of art is typically narrative and illustration based and it is often referred to as pop surrealism or low brow art.

Artists participating in this series are giving potential buyers a price break on the work as well keeping Big Car's mission to provide younger collectors the opportunity to own this work. This series will run regularly, featuring one new artist each time.

March's selection is Shaunna Peterson. In addition to showing in galleries across the country, the work of this California-based artist has also been showcased in Step Inside Design Magazine, International Tattoo Art, Permission Magazine, Art Week, the Sci-Fi Western Catalog, PandaMeat and CMYK. Two pieces of her work will be available. To find out more about Peterson, visit her website here.

A fun literary time with books and beer

Friday, March 13, 2009
7-10 p.m.
Harrison Center for the Arts
1505 North Delaware St.
$8, $5 for students

Indianapolis-based young adult fiction author John Green (Paper Towns) joins fiction and travel writer Sarah Layden and eclectic musicians Tonos Triad in a fun night of readings & music + great company and conversation. The event raises money for The Second Story, a writing project for kids here in Indianapolis that Big Car supports.

Drinks and food will be for sale at the event. All proceeds from tickets and refreshment sales go to The Second Story. Find out more about The Second Story here.

Listen to Big Car

Check out our podcast page, complete with artist interviews and music.

Daily feature

Enjoy our daily (Mon-Thurs) comic by Jayson with a Y of Indianapolis who does all of his drawings in the fabulous Microsoft Paint program. Visit his blog here and tell him what you think and view an archive of his work.

A neat publication from somewhere

Random video action

A mix we like

The ArtBike! Party

On Friday, Feb. 27 8 p.m.-midnight: ArtBike! will host a party at Big Car Gallery for all artists, friends and contributors will gather to celebrate… Art! and Bikes!

The party will include Music!, Dancing!, Gold Sprints!, NAHBS VIP Room!, Art!, Bikes! There will also be a raffle to raise funds for other cycling and art non-profits.

Beer and wine will be sold to those over 21. Drink sales go to Big Car. So come help us out and enjoy yourself.

Also, on Saturday Feb. 28 at Big Car: The premiere of the much-anticipated Macaframa video, featuring some of the latest fixed-gear freestylings out of San Francisco. Free.

For more info about these events click here.

March 6: First Friday

Listen: A Music and Video Experiment
Featuring video art and experimental music throughout the Murphy Art Center

Friday, March 6, 2009 at 7 p.m.- 1 a.m.

Big Car's First Friday show for March will feature a bevy of local, regional, national and international video and sound artists. All of the music will accompany video art projections. The night will include a show of Herron video artists (Sam Jones, Katie Chattin, Lindsey Shafi, Brent Aldrich, Desiree Moore, Justin Trapp, Donna Hooper, Ashley White, Diego Yanto, and Melissa McShea), a program of experimental videos from other local artists (J. Andrew Salyer, Laura Salyer, Jim Walker, Flounder Lee) and Microcinema (FATELESS, Color + Modulation, SLIDE, Hub Culture Retrospectives: Antarctica, Independent Exposure: Asthmatic Kitty Records Edition 2008, The Collected Films of Ryan Jeffery).

The night's musical offerings include performances by Butler University's Ensemble 48 (playing a soundtrack to the silent film "Man with the Movie Camera"), and a host of other experimental musicians playing in multiple locations: Marck Ferrari, Ben Ishmael Revival, Shiny Black Shirt, Sea Krowns, Ensemble 48, Actuel, Playboy Psychonauts, Stallio, Sky Thing and Tonos Triad.

In the street level space that night, Big Car also hosts the installation "Unified Fields" that features the interactive music and art of duo Mana2 (Jordan Munson, Michael Drews). This installation is a collaborative composition combining elements from the works Unified Fields (Munson) and Deconstructions (Drews). Themes and gestures from each work interact both with each other and sonic and video material emanating from several interactive stations positioned in the room. These stations will involve both motion and color tracking technologies. During the event, live musical textures will be weaved into the sonic environment being generated.

The event is sponsored by Microcinema and is a partnership with the Toby at the IMA.

Also that night:

The first show in Le Petite Mort, a series of one-piece mini-shows

Often the midwest is overlooked by newer movements in the art world. This series, Le Petite Mort, aims for Indianapolis to come together with the art of nationally known artists inspired by pop culture and popularized by magazines such as Juxtapoz and High Fructose. This form of art is typically narrative and illustration based and it is often referred to as pop surrealism or low brow art.

Artists participating in this series are giving potential buyers a price break on the work as well keeping Big Car's mission to provide younger collectors the opportunity to own this work. This series will run regularly, featuring one new artist each time.

March's selection is Shaunna Peterson. In addition to showing in galleries across the country, the work of this California-based artist has also been showcased in Step Inside Design Magazine, International Tattoo Art, Permission Magazine, Art Week, the Sci-Fi Western Catalog, PandaMeat and CMYK. Two pieces of her work will be available. To find out more about Peterson, visit her website here.

Image below by Shaunna Peterson titled "The Moment After" -- priced at $300.

A fun literary time with books and beer

Friday, March 13, 2009
7-10 p.m.
Harrison Center for the Arts
1505 North Delaware St.
$8, $5 for students

Indianapolis-based young adult fiction author John Green (Paper Towns) joins fiction and travel writer Sarah Layden and eclectic musicians Tonos Triad in a fun night of readings & music + great company and conversation. The event raises money for The Second Story, a writing project for kids here in Indianapolis that Big Car supports.

Drinks and food will be for sale at the event. All proceeds from tickets and refreshment sales go to The Second Story. Find out more about The Second Story here.

In the gallery now

Outside/In: Two States One Cup

Eight contemporary artists working in a variety of styles and mediums come to Indianapolis from Iowa City in the second of a series of collective exchange shows at Big Car Gallery. Two States One Cup is a search to discover the importance of travel and specific space. In conjunction with the Big Car Collective's project to visit other cities and towns and create shows about these places from an outside perspective, Public Space ONE Gallery, in Iowa City will host a group of Indianapolians to exhibit in May.

Open by appointment and during this month's events. Call (317)450-6630 to set up a time to visit.

Listen to Big Car

Check out our new podcast page, complete with artist interviews and music.

Daily feature

Enjoy our daily (Mon-Thurs) comic by Jayson with a Y of Indianapolis who does all of his drawings in the fabulous Microsoft Paint program. Visit his myspace here and tell him what you think and view an archive of his work.

A neat publication from somewhere

Get your own - Open publication

Random video action

A mix we like today

First Friday opening: Feb. 6, 6-9 p.m.

Outside/In: I.a.w.C.t.B.C.G.o.F.s. or Two States One Cup in Suite 4

Outside/In: Two States One Cup

Eight contemporary artists working in a variety of styles and mediums come to Indianapolis from Iowa City in the second of a series of collective exchange shows at Big Car Gallery. Two States One Cup is a search to discover the importance of travel and specific space. In conjunction with the Big Car Collective's project to visit other cities and towns and create shows about these places from an outside perspective, Public Space ONE Gallery, in Iowa City will host a group of Indianapolians to exhibit in May.

Music that night at 9:30 p.m. by Mandy Marie and the Cool Hand Lukes, Ayawasca and Sam Eakin and the Awkwards. Music will be in Suite 215.

Artists involved:

Christina McClelland uses printmaking, installation, and video to challenge and confront accepted notions in the domestic space and beyond, revealing struggles for power and control. She received her BFA in Printmaking from the University of Iowa in 2008 and now works for Project Art at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Her work has been shown in Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, and Nebraska, as well as in Croatia. Geographer Kevin Berg is a BS candidate at the University of Iowa in Geography. Their collaboration is guided by a combined interest in human interaction with and within spaces. See more here.

Jenn Myers is getting her MFA in Intermedia at the University of Iowa. She uses video, installation and drawing as an experimental playground that involves audience participation and collaboration. She is currently working on a series of circular video environments that appropriate narrative elements from various traditions. Learn more here.

Daniel Luchman was born in Iowa City, IA and is currently attending graduate school at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He pursues video and installation projects that humorously explore personal mythologies and the human desire to construct cultural meaning. View video work here.

Caleb Engstrom, an Iowa City, IA resident, received his BA in Studio Art from the University of Iowa in 2007. Currently, he is a carpet cleaner/water damage restorer, substitute teacher, and curator for Public Space ONE Gallery in Iowa City. Using everything from performance, drawing, video, and installation his work draws upon established ideas of labor and tests of will. For more information visit www.calebengstrom.org.

Genevieve Lawrence was born in Cedar Rapids, IA and is an MFA candidate in Painting and Drawing at the University of Iowa. She is currently co-director of Arts Iowa City. Her work is focused on acts of illusion and believability and can be viewed
here.

Jeremy Chen was formally educated on the mean streets of Iowa City from kindergarten on. He is currently an independent artist in Grinnell, Iowa working on an assortment of projects using print media, drawing, book forms, installation, and short videos. Chen is a co-founder of the collaborative artist collectives ICRAPT and The Moving Crew. Find out more here.

Lee Emma Running's work functions as an aesthetic intervention into public space. Her installations go up quickly, sometimes overnight, and elevate local botanical life to enormous proportions. She strives to capture the beauty and complexity witnessed in very close investigation of natural phenomena and hopes to create a sense of wonder in her viewer. Running received her MFA in sculpture from The University of Iowa in Iowa City in 2006. She is currently Assistant Professor of Sculpture at Grinnell College in Grinnell, IA. See her work here here.

Katherine Parker works with video, painting and drawing, and installation, often making work that exists outside traditional gallery settings that appeals to a viewer's sense of wonder through frame or context. She is interested in questions of accessibility, both physical and conceptual. Her work often rewards the observant and patient viewer and privileges stillness and calm over action and proliferation. Her day job is in video production. She is a member of the Moving Crew.Find out more here.

Also that night

On Feb. 6 in Suite 215, The Naptown Rollergirls will display plaster busts of the members of the team decorated by artists. These will be auctioned off for a good cause later in February. Here's what they have to say about the show:

"We have to get this off our chest. Big Car Gallery will feature sculptures of Rollergirls's busts. You'll miss out on a bunch of memorable mammaries if you don't join the Naptown Rollergirls and Mandy Marie and the Cool Hand Lukes at Big Car. Our cup runnith over with good times for February's First Friday. Bust a move to the gallery and see Mandy Marie and the Cool Hand Lukes and your Naptown Roller Girls!"

ArtBike! at Big Car in February

The national debut of ArtBike! Takes place in Indianapolis during the month of February as part of the build-up to the North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS). ArtBike! taps into the energy created as the bicycle streams into the mainstream culture. ArtBike! will kick off on Feb. 6, the First Friday.

It is a 2-D/street art/sculpture/installation exhibition, that is open to all. Art galleries (including Big Car), bike shops, schools, artists and artisans as well as other creative progressive people come together through community, bikes and art! Big Car Gallery will also be displaying art on First Friday from selected ArtBike! artists.

The ArtBike! Party

On Friday, Feb. 27 ArtBike! will host a party at Big Car Gallery for all artists, friends and contributors will gather to celebrate… Art! and Bikes!

The party will include Music!, Dancing!, Gold Sprints!, NAHBS VIP Room!, Art!, Bikes! There will also be a raffle to raise funds for other cycling and art non-profits.

For information about attending or participating in these events visit:

www.o2sm.com.

Listen to Big Car

Check out our new podcast page, complete with artist interviews and music.

Daily feature

Enjoy our daily (Mon-Thurs) comic by Jayson with a Y of Indianapolis who does all of his drawings in the fabulous Microsoft Paint program. Visit his myspace here and tell him what you think and view an archive of his work.

A miscellaneous publication from somewhere

Get your own - Open publication

Random video action

Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

A mix we like today

July 29 - 48 Hour Film Project event at Central Libary

July 31-Aug. 2

48 Hour Film Project

August

Aug. 6 -- 7 p.m. 48 Hour Film Project Screening Event in Toby at IMA.

Aug. 7 -- Cindy Hinant First Friday opening at Big Car.

September

Masterpiece in a Day is Sept. 19, 2009.

Other big stuff coming up:

Big Curiosities: A Miniseries of Mysterious Events

Indianapolis Central Library
40 E. Saint Clair St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204

All start at 7 p.m. and are free. The series, presented by Big Car Collective, is supported by The Efroymson Family Fund.

Aug. 26: Local experimental musicians provide a soundtrack to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a 1919 silent film by Robert Wiene. The moody horror film came at height of German Expressionist cinema. With its surreal sets and distorted camera angles representing madness and nightmare, this silent classic follows the story of the evil hypnotist Caligari and his unwitting sleepwalker pawn as they create fear and mystery.

Sept. 30: Jeffrey Meldrum, a prominent researcher on Sasquatch and professor of anatomy and anthropology at Idaho State University presents a talk. Also a preview of Big Car Gallery's Bigfoot-themed art show for October opening Oct. 2.

Meldrum's interest in Bigfoot grew after being shown 15-inch footprints in a plowed field near Walla Walla, Washington. Although initially believing the tracks to be forgeries, upon further examination he noticed what he believes is evidence of a high degree of flexibility in the print and a mid-tarsal break, traits he has come to believe belong to Bigfoot. Meldrum has published several academic papers ranging from vertebrate evolutionary morphology, the emergence of bipedal locomotion in modern humans and Sasquatch and is a co-editor of a series of books on paleontology. Meldrum is the author of the 2006 book Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science, a companion volume to the Discovery Channel documentary of the same name.

Oct. 28: Big Car Collective assembles an unusual orchestra of experimental musicians to create a spooky and spontaneous soundtrack to the 1920 silent version of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde -- just in time for Halloween.

Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel about the dark side of human nature comes to life with silent-era heartthrob John Barrymore as upright Dr. Jekyll and demonic Mr. Hyde. A dinner conversation on the topic of human duality at a dinner party prompts Jekyll to concoct a potion to divide the human psyche's two sides: good and evil. Soon, the dark side takes over to deadly results. All will be accompanied by a live soundtrack featuring a Tonos Triad, Shiny Black Shirt and Mana2.

Nov. 5: UFO expert Stanton Friedman presents a talk. Also a preview of Big Car's Outer Space related art show for November opening Nov. 6.

Friedman became interested in UFOs in 1958, and since 1967 has lectured about them at more than 600 colleges and 100 professional groups in 50 U.S. states, 9 Canadian provinces and 16 other countries in addition to various nuclear consulting efforts. He has published more than 90 UFO papers and has appeared on hundreds of radio and TV programs including on Larry King in 2007 and twice in 2008, and many documentaries. He is the original civilian investigator of the Roswell Incident and co-authored "Crash at Corona: The Definitive Study of the Roswell Incident." "TOP SECRET/MAJIC," his controversial book about the Majestic 12 group, established in 1947 to deal with alien technology, was published in 1996 and went through 6 printings.

November

Nov. 8: Spirit and Place event at Central Library. 2 p.m. Free.

See what happened

WANT TO SEE PICTURES FROM NEW YEAR'S EVE AT BIG CAR?
Then follow this link to our FlickR page where you can view slideshows and even move the photos to your very own computer: CLICK HERE .

Listen to Big Car

Check out our new podcast page, complete with at least one podcast.

Daily feature

Enjoy our daily (Mon-Thurs) comic by Jayson with a Y of Indianapolis who does all of his drawings in the fabulous Microsoft Paint program. Visit his myspace here and tell him what you think and view an archive of his work.

Random video action

"It's really good" from Maharishi U on Vimeo.

Big Car Bohemian New Year's Eve Party
When: Dec. 31, 8:30 p.m. until 1 a.m. ish
Where: 1043 Virginia Ave. Suite 215
Cost: No cover, charge for drinks (beer, wine, soft drinks and water) snacks are free
Entertainment: The return of the interactive installation "Who Are You and What Do You Want?", other interactive art making, video projections, a coloring contest with prizes, and other activities. Plus live music by Tonos Triad (9-10 p.m.), Adam Kuhn, Christian Taylor, Beat Debris, The Tapedeck Few, Oakdale Drive and The Bone Fags.

Here's a video featuring the installation's first incarnation: The music is by Beat Debris who will be playing at the New Year's Eve party.

3000+ Sticky Notes

More about the party:
It's going to be a pretty laid back thing. We'll have some food for free. Some drinks for sale (we can't just give away everything, though we usually do). Fun, art-related activities. A cool place to hang out. Some music great music by singer-songwriters and rock outfits, and the usual funky video projections. It's our way of saying thanks for another great year and celebrating with our friends -- some of them new (everyone is welcome). It's open to all ages, like all events at Big Car.

The results of our NYE activities will be on display for the Jan. 2 First Friday event.

Listen to Big Car

Check out our new podcast page, complete with at least one podcast.

Daily feature

Enjoy our daily (Mon-Thurs) comic by Jayson with a Y of Indianapolis who does all of his drawings in the fabulous Microsoft Paint program. Visit his myspace here and tell him what you think and view an archive of his work.

Random video action

Timbridge Showcase on Dec. 5

Music by: Amo Joy, Accordions, Pons
A Film, The Fevered Dream, by Jim Walker

Visual Art by Midwest Emerging Artists, including works by: Mike Altman, Austin Gillison, Laurie Guerrettaz, Claire Dillehay.

Art open at 7. Music at 9. $5 donation for bands.

Sponsored by Midwest Emerging Artists and NUVO

Spend New Years Eve with us again!

We like Landmark

You can countdown to the New Year with free stuff from Landmark Theatres, our city's only arts cinema. All it takes is joining the Landmark Theatres Film Club as members are automatically entered for a chance to win weekly prize packages of DVDs, books, CDs, 4-pack of movie passes and more. It's free and only takes a minute to JOIN for a chance to win.

Contest runs NOW - 1/1/09 No purchase required. Must be age 18 or over. Prizes may vary by week. Must be able to pick up prize package in person from your local Landmark Theatre. Must show valid I.D. at prize pick up. Contest is open to all Film Club members. One winner per week. Winners will be notified no later than 1/30/09.

Daily feature

Enjoy our daily (Mon-Thurs) comic by Jayson with a Y of Indianapolis who does all of his drawings in the fabulous Microsoft Paint program. Visit his myspace here and tell him what you think and view an archive of his work.

Random video action

Tonic Gallery at Big Car

The Tonic Gallery features works by more than 30 of the city's most renowned visual artists all for sale on Nov. 21. Admission is free. The art will be available for purchase at a special "Buy It Now" price. All proceeds from the party will benefit Second Helpings' efforts to eliminate hunger and empower people in Greater Indianapolis.

Participating artists include: Kyle Ragsdale, John Clark, Quincy Owens, Jim Walker, Chris Pyle, Elizabeth Guipe Hall, Jason Pierce, Rob Day, Eric Kass, Amy McAdams, Susan Hodgin and many more.

Tonic Gallery will take place from 5:30-8 p.m. on Nov. 21. Immediately following Tonic Gallery is Tonic Ball. Tonic Ball begins at 7 p.m. at Fountain Square Theatre and Radio Radio, both located in historic Fountain Square. All bands will cover music from Elvis Presley and Queen.

About Second Helpings: It rescues prepared and perishable food, re-prepares it into nutritious meals, and distributes up to 3,000 meals daily to 60 social service organizations that serve disadvantaged children and adults. Second Helpings also trains unemployed and underemployed adults for meaningful careers in the culinary industry. Since 1998, Second Helpings has collected more than 10.5 million pounds of food and provided more than 3.9 million meals to recipient agencies as well as train over 325 adults.

Daily feature

Enjoy our daily (Mon-Thurs) comic by Jayson with a Y of Indianapolis who does all of his drawings in the fabulous Microsoft Paint program. Visit his myspace here and tell him what you think and view an archive of his work.

Random video action

Neo The Dancing Ice Cream Cone

Oct. 24: Opening of Big Car Collective "Outside/In: Bloomington" show at the Art Hospital, 102 W. Allen St. Bloomington, 7-10 p.m. Free.

The exhibition is part of the Big Car Collective's ongoing project to visit other cities and towns and create shows about these places from our outside perspective. Outside/In is about discovery, spontaneity and the importance of perspective and place. For this exhibition, we are focusing much of our work on the south-Bloomington neighborhood surrounding the Art Hospital location.

Participants in the show at Art Hospital include: Anna Rae Landsman, Tina Zagyva, John Clark, Shauta Marsh, Anne Laker, Jim Walker, Matt Hale, Matt Hall, Tre Reising, Jeremy Efroymson, Jessica Sowls, Erin K. Drew, Mark Miller, Robert Meko, NERS. Work will include photography, painting, video, collage, installation, poetry and audio.

Big Car and Broad Ripple Music Fest at LUNA

Oct. 25: Big Car hosting a music stage at the Broad Ripple Music Festival at LUNA Midtown. All day. By donation. Fundraiser for Big Car, a non-profit organization.

NOON...DJs Jessica Clark and Mr. Lunatron
1 p.m. The Working Hour
2 p.m. Pons
3 p.m. Accordions
4 p.m. Kendall Ludwig
5 p.m. Jascha
6 p.m. Beat Debris
7 p.m. Jesse Lee
8 p.m. Christian Taylor
9 p.m. Grampall Jookabox

In the gallery now through Oct. 25 (hours 5-7 Fridays and 1-4 Saturdays)

Above: an image from Silva's show at Big Car in October.

"The Wealth of States"

Artur Silva shows his new works in a solo exhibit called The Wealth of States: America's REM Part 2. The show explores the ideas of free trade first conceptualized by 18th-century Scottish philosopher Adam Smith. The new works register contemporary and historic figures' experiences in capitalism, delving in the new American Dream concept of "get rich fast." The exhibit consists of installations, prints and video works never before shown in Indianapolis. For more on Artur Silva see www.artursilva.com.

Above: Detail from and image in Reichard's show at Big Car in October.

"Warm"

Warm, the namesake of Debbie Reichard's Big Car exhibition is a large latch hook wall-hanging in the image of a piece of Dow blue foam insulation. Warm is also the tone of the homely brown dye made from black walnuts. This dye has been used in the "spam" fabric pieces. Reichard has taken these numerous email annoyances as daily affirmations--their messages are so positive that they become cryptic when taken out of context. The process of collecting fallen walnuts and brewing them in a cauldron for hours in her garage is a messy, satisfying and traditional process compared to discarding the clean, unfulfilling spam email. And while email might be a new medium, going door to door with a false promise is not. Reichard has shown her work and taught throughout the United States. While working as a visiting professor of sculpture at Herron she helped form the Community Laboratory Museum that was located in Fountain Square. Recently, Reichard moved to New Jersey to teach and work. For more on Reichard see www.debbiereichard.com.

Coverage of Big Ghosts show in Zionsville

Review from NUVO:

By Dan Grossman

Four stars
Sullivan Munce Cultural Center

The centerpiece artwork of the Big Ghosts show, from the Big Car Arts Collective, is Lafayette-based Anna Rae Landsman's "Hobo Ghosts." This mixed-media painting on paper depicts derailed boxcars and herds of ghosts rising up from them like bubbles against an aqua-blue backdrop. Equally playful and humorous are a series of plywood cutouts, painted with acrylic, entitled "Three Dead Cats (but, its ok)," by Indy-based Casey Roberts and Jessica Sowls. The found steel assemblage by Indy sculptor Todd Bracik entitled "Lincoln Eerie" fit perfectly into the theme of Zionsville's Seventh Annual GhostWalk, held on the night of Oct. 17. Indy painter Kyle Ragsdale's work corresponds thematically to some of the scary tales narrated during GhostWalk. "Mother Daughter I" consists of an oil portrait of a pair of ghosts against a twilight backdrop. The attention to period garb (from 1860-1880) and the authentic spookiness in Ragsdale's paintings recall some of the work of N.C. Wyeth and his grandson Jamie. A superb Big Car road show, all in all. Through Oct. 31; 317-873-6862, www.sullivanmunce.org.

Video preview by Fox 59:

Daily feature

Enjoy our daily (Mon-Thurs) comic by Jayson with a Y of Indianapolis who does all of his drawings in the fabulous Microsoft Paint program. Visit his myspace here and tell him what you think and view an archive of his work.

Random video action

Big Car Collective "Big Ghosts" show at Sullivan Munce Cultural Center at 205-225 W. Hawthorne St. in Zionsville, Featuring new haunted work by Todd Bracik, Anna Rae Landsman, Kyle Ragsdale and Casey Roberts.

Saturday, Oct. 18 Open 6:30-10:30 p.m.
(Coincides with Zionsville Ghost Walk)
Exhibit continues through Friday, Oct. 31

Top image: Hobo Ghosts by Anna Rae Landsman. Above: Glowing Grave by Kyle Ragsdale (based on a Zionsville area ghost story).

To register for the ghost walk (a benefit for Sullivan Munce)Click here.

Outside/In stops in Bloomington

Outside/IN: Bloomington from Big Car on Vimeo.

Oct. 24: Opening of Big Car Collective "Outside/In: Bloomington" show at the Art Hospital, 102 W. Allen St. Bloomington, 7-10 p.m. Free.

The exhibition is part of the Big Car Collective's ongoing project to visit other cities and towns and create shows about these places from our outside perspective. Outside/In is about discovery, spontaneity and the importance of perspective and place. For this exhibition, we are focusing much of our work on the south-Bloomington neighborhood surrounding the Art Hospital location.

Participants in the show at Art Hospital include: Anna Rae Landsman, Tina Zagyva, John Clark, Shauta Marsh, Anne Laker, Jim Walker, Matt Hale, Matt Hall, Tre Reising, Jeremy Efroymson, Erin K. Drew, Mark Miller, Robert Meko. Work will include photography, painting, video, collage, installation, poetry and audio.

Big Car and Broad Ripple Music Fest at LUNA

Oct. 25: Big Car hosting a music stage at the Broad Ripple Music Festival at LUNA Midtown. All day. By donation. Fundraiser for Big Car, a non-profit organization. Featuring at 2 p.m.- Adam Kuhn, 3 p.m.-Accordions, 4 p.m.-Kendall Ludwig, 5 p.m.-Jascha, 6 p.m.-Beat Debris, 7 p.m.-Jesse Lee, 8 p.m.-Christian Taylor, 9 p.m.-Grampall Jookabox.

In the gallery now through Oct. 25 (hours 5-7 Fridays and 1-4 Saturdays)

Above: an image from Silva's show at Big Car in October.

"The Wealth of States"

Artur Silva shows his new works in a solo exhibit called The Wealth of States: America's REM Part 2. The show explores the ideas of free trade first conceptualized by 18th-century Scottish philosopher Adam Smith. The new wor