The Factory Arts District, formerly known as the Circle City Industrial Complex, will host a First Friday art tour on January 2nd, 6-9pm. Admission and parking are free. The Factory Arts District is comprised of two buildings, Factory Arts North (1125 Brookside Ave) and Factory Arts South (1011 Massachusetts Ave). For First Friday purposes, all of the listed galleries and studio spaces are located in Factory Arts North.
Open Studios and Galleries
Several studios and gallery spaces will be open throughout the building. This list is not all-encompassing; some artists may decide to open that night based on current information and comfort levels.
The Schwitzer Gallery
Located on the second floor of the North Studios, the Schwitzer Gallery will host “Queens of Art,” featuring the exceptional works of four prominent female Indiana artists: Dana Powell-Smith (“Georgette’s Granddaughter”), India Cruse Griffin, Tania Michelle Wineglass, and Faith Blackwell. This groundbreaking exhibition showcases a diverse array of artistic expressions centered on the theme of women, exploring their experiences, strengths and society.
Aurora PhotoCenter
Aurora PhotoCenter opens Relative Moments, Deanna Dikeman’s photographs showing the small, quiet moments of life that build a family and bind it together. The artist has documented her Midwestern family for over 45 years. When home to visit, Dikeman photographed her family doing the everyday activities, including washing dishes, hanging laundry, mowing the lawn, and cleaning gutters, that physically maintain a home inside and out. Her photographs also capture the lived moments—sharing cake and ice cream, Dikeman’s father doing a crossword puzzle with his grandson, her Mom and Dad waving goodbye from the driveway—that connect one family member to another and older generations to younger.
Atefeh Farajolahzadeh, an interdisciplinary artist whose practice incorporates photography, video, installation, and writing. Her work explores ideas of place, psychogeography, and liminality, with a particular focus on migration. In her newest photo and light installation, The Shore Is the Long Way Home, Farajolahzadeh expresses the uncertainty and cyclical nature of the experience of immigration—psychologically moving, never fully arriving. In this work, water, both as a physical path and a powerful metaphor, is the primary element represented in different forms, shapes, colors, and light to evoke the emotional terrain of migration from one home to another. Aurora PhotoCenter is located on the first floor of the North Studios.
Aimee Bruno
With a Bachelor's degree in Studio Art and a minor in Art History from Indiana University, Aimee Bruno’s artistic range is as impressive as it is diverse. She masterfully blends mediums like acrylics, alcohol inks, resin, and fibers, constantly exploring new techniques to expand her creative repertoire. Aimee Bruno is located on the second floor of the North Studios.
C & E Gallery
C & E Gallery is a space showcasing the works of Joseph Crone and Joseph Eakins along with guest artists throughout the year. Joseph Crone is an Indianapolis-based artist whose primary focus is photorealistic drawings exploring narratives of the mind using cinematic storytelling as a focal point. Joseph Eakins is also an Indianapolis-based artist, primarily focusing on oil paintings of interiors and urban landscapes that turn the familiar into compositions that balance realism with an underlying appreciation for the abstract. C & E Gallery is located on the second floor of the North Studios.
Daily Epiphany Studio: Michele Burns and Kurt Kriese
"My paintings incorporate a photoluminescent (light-absorbing) mineral- ultra bright strontium aluminate, doped with europium and dysprosium,” Michelle Burns explains. “This creates a second, "night-light" composition and renders the artworks functional nightlights. I make the glowing pigments myself for maximum luminance. Excited by any visible light, they glow for 10-20 hours. Rechargeable up to 50 years. OSHA-rated toy safe. 18 times brighter than (zinc sulfide) ceiling stars (6000 millicandéla versus 320 mcd.)” Meanwhile, Kurt Kriese, of this dynamic duo, creates an eclectic mix of abstract and realistic art, and experiments with various media. He is a gifted landscape and figure painter and stained-glass artist and will debut new work for the month as well. Daily Epiphany Studio is located on the first floor of the South Studios.
Mirvia Sol Eckert
Celebrating beauty is the fundamental concept unifying all of Mirvia Sol Eckert’s work. Common themes of her work are her Puerto Rican heritage, love of family, friends, spirituality and her fascination with nature. These ideas can manifest themselves in bright, vibrantly colored compositions, or in dramatic grayscale pieces with her stylized technique and putting lines and shape into movement and harmony. Mirvia Sol Eckert is on the second floor of the North Studios.
Five Seasons Studio
The longest resident artist at Factory Arts District North, Martha Nahrwold, presents “Lake Views,” capturing the summertime vibes of a cottage vacation, hiking by lakes, or at family reunions. Nahrwold creates using “marbled impressionism,” a technique both abstract and representational created by floating inks on water, a centuries-old process to create her unique art. Five Seasons Studio is located on the first floor of the North Studios.
Full Circle Nine Gallery
The Full Circle Nine Gallery (FC9) will host Debra Gindhart Dragoo with “Tactile and Telling: Found Fiber, Found Objects.” A staple of the Muncie art scene, Dragoo was a founding member of FC9 and returns now as a guest featured artist, bringing her assemblage art of found objects and found fibers, especially yarn and the concept of “yarn bombing.” “My mother had six children and she made things out of things. This process really stuck with me,” Dragoo said. “A process that is near and dear to my artist’s heart. Saving the landfills one piece of costume jewelry and discarded art at a time. By using repurposing techniques, I feel connected to our ecosystem and I am grateful to do my part to give new life to once-trashed objects.” The Full Circle Nine Gallery is located on the first floor of the South Studios.
Glass Arts Indiana, Inc.
Glass Arts Indiana creates a collaborative glass community to support and promote emerging and established artists; to participate in events to increase the knowledge and appreciation of glass arts with Indiana residents; to host fun, interesting and educational events; increase appreciate and understand of the glass arts; and promote glass-related opportunities in Indiana and the U.S. Finished works are available and visitors will get to see glass-blowing in action. Glass Arts Indiana, Inc. is located on the first floor, in the corridor.
Raymond Gray
Leatherworking artist Raymond Gray presents a collection titled “Shift, Shaping Fibers,” a presentation of caftans in different geometric shapes, and hand-beaded necklaces and bracelets with Vicuna charms and pendants. Gray uses repurposed garments, primarily leather, cashmere, and Vicuna, to create his magical pieces. Raymond Gray is located on the first floor of the South Studios.
Matt Hurdle/Matt Hurdle Fine Art
Matt Hurdle is a juried Indiana painter whose work blurs the lines of impressionism and abstraction. He paints big sky contemporary landscapes with a dreamlike quality. His intuitive work elicits a feeling of peacefulness and calm. This month, he presents new, big sky landscapes created using multiple layers of acrylic paint producing depth and a dreamlike quality that elicits a sense of peacefulness. Matt Hurdle is located on the second floor of the North Studios.
Carmen Hurt
“Internationally unknown artist” Carmen Hurt is one of the earliest artists in the building. Her bright, abstract, and often poignant paintings have held court in the South Studios for over a decade. Carmen Hurt is located on the first floor of the South Studios.
Indy Fused Glass
The artist instructors at Indy Fused Glass (IFG) create fused glass art for sale in a retail gallery. IFG teaches introductory fusing sessions, guided by artists to learn to create with fusible glass. IFG offers 14 different fusing projects to select from. These can be fused or “slumped” (another method of using fusible glass to create functional forms). The Indy Fused Glass, LLC Gallery has newly created fused glass art each week on display and available for purchase. For First Friday, IFG Glass Artists either offer hands-on sessions or feature a working glass artist, doing a demonstration. Indy Fused Glass is on the first floor of the North Studios.
Scott Johnson / Studio F60
Scott Johnson operates a contemporary art and design studio with a mix of painting, collage, and digital art. He blends representational and figurative artwork as well as selected forms of abstraction. There’s also a pool table. Scott Johnson is located on the second floor of the North Studios.
Larry Lad, LadArt
Larry Lad is a painter who covers the spectrum of abstract and representational work. He likes to add dimension to his paintings using additional canvas, cigar boxes, collage, and other materials to layer his work. His show "Replication" traces his journey as an artist as he searches for his own style by borrowing from the works of artists he admires. Lad also creates large sculptures and installations. Larry Lad, LadArt is located in the corridor on the first floor.
Cindy Lory
Cindy Lory works in a variety of mediums creating paintings, drawings, and digital artworks. She has had a lifelong love of fine arts and music and attended Herron School of Art in Indianapolis. Having recently returned to pursuing the visual arts, she enjoys working and creating in her studio. Cindy Lory is located on the second floor of the North Studios.
Grace Marshall, Grace M Design
Grace Marshall has always had a passion for using her hands to create beautiful and functional designs. Making unique jewelry with precious metals and gemstones has been both a challenging and rewarding career choice. As a certified jeweler and gemologist from the Gemological Institute of America, making unique jewelry with precious metals and gemstones has been both a challenging and rewarding career choice. Grace M Design is located on the first floor of the North Studios.
Mass Ave Mudroom
Mass Ave Mudroom is a community-centric ceramics studio providing workspace for professional, hobby, and new artists to grow, collaborate, and create. Members of the Mass Ave Mudroom seek to make ceramic arts accessible to everyone from all backgrounds by fostering a welcoming, safe, and inspiring space for those seeking community and creativity. They offer wheel-throwing and hand-building classes, studio memberships, private events and more. The Mass Ave Mudroom is located in the first floor corridor.
Nate Olp
A leatherworking artist, Nate Olp will have new handmade leather goods, each extremely small batch, original pieces including bags, wallets, belts, and other small accessories. Each piece is hand stitched, hand cut, and hand burnished and made from the highest grade full-grain leather, yet sold at reasonable prices. Everything is done ‘the old way’ and without the use of electrical tools, to ensure top quality and to stick it to mass production, and offer quality and style over fast fashion and corner-cutting, greed-obsessed luxury brands. Nate Olp is located on the second floor of the North Studios.
REDEFINITION Clothing
Tendai Phillips brings REDEFINITION Clothing, where global influences converge to create a unique fashion experience and designs transcend time. “We believe fashion should be a universal language, and that's why we design clothing that transcends borders,” Phillips said. “Every stitch tells a story, weaving together the threads of inspiration from around the world. Our pieces are more than garments: they're a fusion of art and personal expression.” Born at the intersection of K-Pop’s vibrant energy, the rhythmic beats of Hip-Hop, the colorful vibes of Afro-pop, the avant-garde aesthetics of Japanese street style, and the pulse of current trends, REDEFINTION is a celebration of diverse cultures. REDEFINITION Clothing is located on the second floor of the North Studios.
The Factory Arts District is open during regular business hours, and the Schwitzer Gallery is accessible throughout the week. A number of the city’s most varied and exciting artists and galleries will remain open for their regular hours, with many of them available on weekends, posted on their own websites and social media. Some studios will be open by appointment.
About the Factory Arts District
Located just east of downtown Indianapolis, the Factory Arts District (formerly the Circle City Industrial Complex) encompasses a 16 acres and houses two buildings: Factory Arts South (1011 Massachusetts Avenue)—a 95,000 square foot facility—and Factory Arts North (1125 Brookside Avenue)—a 420,000 square foot facility—as well as two free parking lots. The property was previously home to the Schwitzer Corporation, a pioneer in automotive technology. This location is the gateway of the Mass Ave/Brookside Industrial Corridor, which encompasses more than 300 acres of vacant or underutilized commercial and industrial property.
In 2014, with much of this area suffering from deterioration and environmental issues, it became a focus for revitalization for the City of Indianapolis. In 2015, the City awarded a $1.5 million Community Development Block Grant to the Factory Arts District; funds that were used to renovate, repair, and ultimately stabilize the property. Today, the Factory Arts District provides a case study for successful industrial reuse in an urban environment.
For more information, please visit https://www.factoryartsdistrict.com/
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1125 Brookside Ave, 46202, 1125 E Brookside Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46202-0041, United States
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