The Art Of The Matter

The Warehouse in Carmel has become known as a small "listening room" that features some pretty big names in the music industry, including Josh Kaufman, Judy Collins, Joan Osborne, Leon Russell, and many more. Travis DiNicola spoke with Heather Ramsey Clark to find out how she is bringing such big names to this intimate venue. For "You Have Ten Minutes," visual artist Katherine Hilden's new exhibition of prints at the Athenaeum in July, she drew on a remarkable chapter of history and her own German heritage. Here's Katherine's conversation with Sharon Gamble. Landscape painter Nancy Maxwell has a show of her work at the Speedway Center for the Arts in July. The show, called "Nostalgic Impressions" is her first solo show in the Indianapolis area, though she has been promoting other artists for quite a while as Travis DiNicola found out.

Douglas Wissing writes essays about what makes Hoosiers special, and now his distinctive pieces have been collected in IN Writing: Uncovering the Unexpected Hoosier State. Sharon Gamble invited Douglas to our studios to hear about how he got interested in a wide range of topics including Bedford Limestone, modernist architecture, and a world-renowned cheese artisan. The Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library has some big plans, including a new building on Mass. Ave. Travis DiNicola spoke with the Library's Chief Operating Officer Matthew Altizer about everything Vonnegut. Billy Elliot loves to dance, but he's surrounded by people who think he should take up a more traditional form of exercise. Billy's journey makes for a poignant and joyful musical, and local nonprofit theatre BobDirex is taking us on that trip over the next three weekends. Sharon Gamble invited director and producer Bob Harbin in to talk about Billy Elliot.

Primary Colours annual Installation Nation show is back at the Indianapolis Art Center ArtsPark this year, filling the grounds, and trees, with temporary outdoor installations. Travis DiNicola spoke with co-chairs Sarah Brodbeck and Megan Reinhardt. The Indiana Repertory Theatre's Janet Allen is celebrating 20 years at the IRT. Sharon Gamble invited Janet to tell us how she landed in Indy and how she keeps her vision fresh. Last week the Indianapolis Art Center's biennial Art from the Heartland exhibition opened, featuring work from contemporary Midwest artists. Travis DiNicola spoke with the Art Center's director of exhibitions Kyle Harrington and art consultant Mindy Taylor Ross.

Travis DiNicola spoke with the Indianapolis Early Music Festival's Sylvia Scott to find out more about a celebration of Shakespeare with the Baltimore Consort, and the entire Early Music Festival summer series. Sharon Gamble invited the Writers Center of Indiana instructor, Kyle Craig, to our studio to learn about a two-session class about the Japanese art form of Haiga ("HY-guh"), which combines haiku and visual art. Travis DiNicola spoke with Indiana State Museum Chief Curator, Dale Ogden, to learn about the Indiana's Bicentennial exhibit there.

Indiana has a stellar collection of state parks and recreational areas, a fact that was not lost on Richmond Art Museum Director Shaun Dingwerth and plein-air painter Rick Wilson. Originally from Indiana, actor Ron Keaton has been working in Chicago for a number of years, but his one man show about Winston Churchill will bring him back home this weekend. Travis DiNicola spoke with Ron about his play, Churchill. Gautam Rao has been teaching art and design at Butler University for a dozen years. School's out for the summer, but Gautam's busier than ever. Sharon Gamble invited this multi-media artist to talk about his work.

Travis DiNicola spoke with filmmaker Hanna Myers Lindgren of Deliberate Media about the documentary "Food First" that looks at how the nationwide food movement is impacting Indianapolis. Sharon Gamble invited the Indianapolis Museum of Art's new Ruth Lilly Deputy Director for Horticulture and Natural Resources, Jonathan Wright, to tell us about his previous gigs at Chanticleer and Longwood Gardens, why he was attracted to his new job. Travis DiNicola talked with storyteller Sally Perkins, and Mark Szobody from Indiana Landmarks to learn about story of "Keeping Hinkle 'Hinkle'", for the If These Walls Could Tell series.

The Indianapolis Garden Club is getting ready for its annual Garden Walk and Sharon Gamble invited Mary Grein of the organizing committee to tell us about the featured gardens. The Indianapolis Opera and Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra are presenting CRESCENDO at White River State Park to kick of the Indiana summer with a fun, family party! This FREE community concert features music ranging from opera's greatest hits, Broadway standards, orchestral gems, and tunes from the American Songbook. Like countless theatrical companies before them, Wisdom Tooth Theatre Project and Indy Shakes have found new meaning in Shakespeare by changing up the era of the action. Sharon Gamble invited the Merry Wives of Windsor's - Mistress Ford, Amy Hayes - Master Ford, Rob Johansen - and Falstaff, Adam Crowe - to talk about why they've set their production in the 1950s.

Travis DiNicola spoke with the Centre's President, Amy Carroll, and racing artist Gary Dausch, about a racing-themed exhibit at the Speedway Centre. Sharon Gamble invited Conner Prairie's new president, Norman Burns, to our studios to learn more about his background and his thoughts about his new job. The first ever Divedapper Poetry Carnival took place at Butler University's Efroymson Center for Creative Writing in May 2016. Travis DiNicola spoke with organizers Dan Barden and Mindy Dunn about the carnival.

Sharon Gamble learned about the Museum of Miniature Houses in Carmel's Arts and Design District from Elaine Mancini, the museum's Executive Director. Sex and sexuality are discussed candidly during this next interview, and it may not be appropriate for all listeners. Travis DiNicola spoke with Author and Filmaker Betsy Blankenbaker about her work. Indianapolis third annual Jewish Film Festival features movies about subjects as diverse as classic delicatessens and Hannah Arendt. Sharon Gamble invited co-producers Bob Epstein and Stan Springer in to learn more about this multi-venue event.

Sharon Gamble invited Rocket 88's founder Patrick Burtsch and Bigfoot Yancey member Mike Angel to tell us about the Virginia Avenue Folk Fest featuring 13 stages and more than 100 bands. Travis DiNicola sat down with Artistic Director of Dance Kaleidoscope, David Hochoy, and Artistic Director for the Indiana Repertory Theatre, Janet Allen, to chat about their time leading two of the most important performing arts organization in the city. The Eiteljorg Museum wants to make sure you get the "hole" picture about its big new exhibit, so Sharon Gamble invited their Vice President and Chief Curatorial Officer James Nottage to tell us about The Grand Canyon.

19 Stars of Indiana Art is the Indianapolis Museum of Art's tribute to our Bicentennial. The exhibit will take visitors through 200 years of our state's visual art and present the accomplishments of 19 artists who were born in Indiana, such as T.C. Steele, Robert Indiana, Michael Graves and Bill Blass. The largest group of artists under one roof in the Midwest will open their studios and present their work to visitors during the Raymond James Stutz Artists Open House. The Open House is set to take place April 29 and 30 at the historic Stutz Business and Arts Center. Like the IMA, the Indiana Historical Society is celebrating our Bicentennial in multiple ways. Sharon Gamble invited Guest Curator Rachel Berenson Perry and Exhibitions Director Eloise Batic to tell us about Indiana Impressions: The Art of T.C. Steele.

The Indiana Undocumented Youth Alliance is putting together a month-long art show in May to raise money to fund scholarships for Indiana's undocumented youth. Sharon Gamble learned more from Alliance volunteers Sarah Fox and Patricia Alonso. The University of Indianapolis Theatre department will be presenting The Laramie Project, about the death of Mathew Shepard, later this month. Travis DiNicola sat down with director James Leagre to find out more. Sharon Gamble invited Arts Council of Indianapolis President Dave Lawrence to tell us about initiatives and programs to welcome race fans, put on a cultural race, survey people about the economic impact of arts in their lives, and insure that all children get access to arts education.

The Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra presents Peacemakers, a work by ICO Composer-in-Residence James Aikman. Travis DiNicola spoke to Aikman and ICO Maestro Matthew Kramer to find out more. For nearly two decades Mark Zelonis served as the Ruth Lilly Deputy Director of Environmental and Historic Preservation for the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Sharon Gamble invited him in to learn what he's most proud of and what his next chapter is. Author Peter Ferry's stories have appeared in McSweeney's, Chicago Quarterly Review and StoryQuarterly. Travis DiNicola spoke with Ferry about his work.

Peacemakers and the crossroads of America are the themes for Encore Vocal Arts' final two concerts of this season. Sharon Gamble invited John Perkins, the ensemble's Artistic Director, and Tom McTamney, its Executive Director, to talk about the repertoire and special features of these two events. The Metropolitan Youth Orchestra helps youth and families develop life skills through the rehearsal and performance of music. Travis DiNicola spoke with founder and artistic director Betty Ford and MYO alumnus and new associate director Krystal Ford about how they are celebrating their 20th anniversary. The Indianapolis Museum of Art has opened A Gentleman from Indiana: Portraits from the Collection of Booth Tarkington, and Sharon spoke with guest curator Jacquelyn Coutre to learn about his collection.

Author Angela Jackson Brown has taken "Anna's Wings" a short story she included in the anthology Indy Writes Books and has turned it into a play that will be performed as part of the IndyFringe's upcoming DivaFest. The Indiana Artisan program was developed to show off our state's rich assortment of artisinal products, from art to food to beverages. Artists Shawn Causey and Mark Daniell have created a installation that changes depending on which way you look at it - in fact, they encourage you to look at it from many different angles until you find your own "Sweet Spot."

Time and timelessness is the theme of this year's Butler ArtsFest. Sharon Gamble invited Butler's Jordan College of Arts Dean Ron Caltabiano to expound on the theme and talk about some highlights. Travis DiNicola met with Huntington University and Manchester University piano instructor Dr. Jiyoung Jeoung to learn about her free concert as part of the Marianne Tobias Music Program at Eskenazi Health. Jennifer Vines, with the Before I Die Festival, and Leigh Dunnington-Jones, with the Stutz Art Gallery, dropped by to tell Sharon about this Indianapolis version of an international movement.

In 2014 Indianapolis' own Anila Agha won the people's choice award and tied to win the juried award - the first time that the same artist took both the top prizes, making art world history. And now, her winning piece, Intersections, is finally going to be shown in Indianapolis, with an exhibit opening on March 19th at the Indiana State Museum. The Indianapolis Opera is producing the US premiere of Jonathan Dove's opera based on Jane Austen's Mansfield Park. Sharon Gamble invited General Director Kevin Patterson to our studios to learn about this accessible and romantic work.

Sharon Gamble invited Society of Indiana Pioneers' president Jim Fadely to tell her about the Society's activities honoring the memory and work of the pioneers of Indiana. An Indiana Pioneer is one who lived within the present boundary of an Indiana county on or before December 31, 1840, and if you're descended from a Pioneer, you're eligible for membership in the Society. Cynthia Pratt is a professor of dance at Butler University. Recently she choreographed an interpretive dance, titled Riverrun, that brings to life scientific concepts and concerns about human intervention of Indy's waterways as part of the StreamLines project. Travis DiNicola spoke with Cynthia, and Butler dancer Nick Nelson, about this work. Sitelines Theatre is a new enterprise by Lou Harry and John Thomas. Sharon Gamble invited them in to tell her about their site-specific theatre plans. Their new endeavor is SiteLines Theatre -- that's S-I-T-E lines -- and their next reading is Frank's Home, a play about Frank Lloyd Wright at a cross

The works of 21 prominent local African-American artists are on display through March 26th in the Central Library, for the annual Meet the Artists exhibit. Travis DiNicola spoke with curator and African-American History Committee member Tony Radford, water color artist Sidney Holmes and mask artist LaToya Marlin. This year's Indiana Flower & Patio Show theme is Tall, Dark, and Awesome, and Sharon Gamble invited Executive Director Donell Heberer Walton and garden designer Cheryl Jacques, Brower/Jacques Design's President, to tell us more. Local musician Liz Janes is about to release a new album (on cassette), called Slow City. Travis DiNicola spoke with her and drummer Dan Fahrner about the album.

Ivy Tech's Indianapolis campus is home to an ambitious and popular culinary culinary school. Sharon Gamble invited Chef Jeff Bricker, Hospitality Program Chair, to tell us more about the culinary and hospitality programs. Butler Theatre students are learning to fly in their upcoming production of Karlsson on the Roof. Travis DiNicola spoke with the Assistant Director, Alexander Borrello, about the play. Theatre on the Square is just getting started on its 2015-2016 season. Sharon Gamble invited TOTS' Lori Raffel to tell us everything.