Indianapolis to break ground on Artspark

The Indianapolis Art Center will celebrate its 70th birthday this weekend by breaking ground on a new endeavor. The organization, known for its studio art classes and gallery exhibits, is expanding its creativity into the 14 acres that surrounds it with the construction of Artspark, an outdoor multi-sensory park devoted to the arts.\nAmy Lamb, the public relations manager of the Indianapolis Art Center, said the idea for Artspark first came in 1996 as construction of the organization's current building was completed.\n"Michael Graves (the architect) said 'You really ought to do something out here,' but the money wasn't there," Lamb said.\nArtspark will blanket land along the south bank of White River just off the Monan Trail and around the Arts Center at 67th Street and College in the Broad Ripple Village Cultural District of Indianapolis. The park will feature outdoor studio art classes and installations by regional, national and international artists.\n"The thing that makes all of this really unique is that all of the sculptures will be done on site," Lamb said.\nOver the next year, artists from around the world will be coming to Indianapolis to put their installations in Artspark. The public will be able to meet with the artists and, in some cases, help them construct their pieces. Lamb said meeting the artists will provide a lot of inspiration for community members who get involved with the projects.\n"They get to watch a master artist at work and interact with them. They get some hands-on experience with creating something that is larger than themselves," she said. "They will be able to come back with their children and point to the sculptures and say 'I did that.'"\nA special portion of the park will be dedicated to the School of the Blind, students of which will be in attendance of the groundbreaking at 10 a.m. Friday at 820 E. 67th Street. The park will include a sensory trail full of sounds and textures for the visually impaired to explore as they walk it. The end of the trail will include an installation by Sadashi Inuzuka, a visually impaired arts professor from the University of Michigan who also teaches art to blind children. \n"I wanted to do something with texture so the blind children could feel it," Inuzuka said. \nHis installation includes a sandbox full of textures that can be enjoyed by the sighted as well as the visually impaired. Inuzuka also plans to have recorded sounds from nature playing around his sculpture, but said he can't decide what sounds should be included.\n"I can't decide, so it's the children's decision of what they want to hear," Inuzuka said. \nThe celebration of 70 years of the Indianapolis Arts Center continues into the evening when the center hosts a birthday gala, which will include an arts auction of 50 original pieces and hors d'oeuvres provided by area chefs and restaurants. The Arts Center will be transforming several of its studios for the events to reflect different decades through which the organization has survived. Tickets to the gala can be purchased by contacting director of development Heather Díes at (317)255-2464. All proceeds from the event benefit the Indianapolis Arts Center, which provides studio art classes for the community as well as gallery exhibits.\n"We're hoping to raise as much as possible -- our goal is $20,000," Díes said.\nConstruction of Artspark is scheduled for completion in August 2005. In the meantime, the public can register to help with outdoor installations.\n"The park is wonderful because art will be really part of people's lives," Inuzuka said. "Rather than go to the museum to see art, it will be out in the open for everyone to see it. It's more of a community-friendly way to do art." \n--Contact arts editor Jenica Schultz at jwschult@indiana.edu .