The Magic Circle

 In October of 1900, the Fall Festivities Society of Indianapolis promoted a week-long carnival with its central focus being the Magic Circle. Monument Circle was transformed with a dizzying array of attractions, parades, performers and animals all in the glow of “electric illuminations.” Yet, despite all the enchantment, the Magic Circle Carnival was a one-time marvel in Indianapolis’ history.

Bio: Deedee Davis is a Herron-Morton resident with an interest in Indianapolis history, specifically historic residential architecture and Greenlawn Cemetery. She oversees digital collections for the Herron School of Art Library at IUPUI.

Circle Side Chats is in partnership with Indiana Humanities. Indiana Humanities is a statewide nonprofit that infuses the humanities into our daily lives. We do this by providing grants, convening discussions, uplifting humanities scholars, spotlighting humanities organizations and activities, and creating our own programs that help Hoosiers think, read and talk.

SPARK is a partnership with Downtown Indy, the City of Indianapolis, and the Indiana War Memorials Commission — and funded by the Capital Improvements Board. It is a continuation of our work last year and in 2015 on the Circle.

At Big Car, we approach our work at the Circle as a site- and community-specific socially engaged art and creative placemaking project. The SPARK on the Circle pop-up park was collaboratively designed with Indianapolis-based Merritt Chase to be a restorative public place where people of all walks of life can relax, play, socialize, and engage with art and artists in the heart of our city.