With its famous circle in the heart of downtown and surrounded by the circular highway I-465, Indianapolis is affectionately referred to as the Circle City. Indiana’s capital is not only home to the Super Bowl XLI champion Colts, but it also is filled with opportunities to experience the arts. From Chihuly glass sculptures hanging in the Children’s Museum to the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s “Symphony on the Prairie,” the choices are endless for a trip – or a few trips – away from Bloomington.
The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra\nHilbert Circle Theatre, \n45 Monument Circle\nwww.indianapolissymphony.org\nFounded in 1930, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra performs more than 200 concerts a year. The performances are held in the Hilbert Circle Theatre in downtown Indianapolis, except for June through Labor Day, when the orchestra performs the “Symphony on the Prairie” at Conner Prairie in Fishers, Ind. The “Symphony on the Prairie” has enjoyed 26 years of existence. The orchestra, directed by Mario Vengazo, has 87 full-time musicians and is one of 17 year-round orchestras in the country. The orchestra performs music appropriate for both adults and children. Tomorrow and Saturday evening, the orchestra is playing Beethoven’s Ninth “Ode to Joy” and will perform “Creepy Crawlies – Music about Bugs” on Oct. 14.
Artsgarden\n140 W. Washington St.\nwww.indianarep.com\nThe Indianapolis Artsgarden, a beautiful seven-story glass structure located above the intersection of Washington and Illinois Streets, connecting Circle Centre Mall and several hotels, is run by the Arts Council of Indianapolis and features about 300 free, live performances a year. It is also home to the city’s only Cultural Concierge Information Service, according to its Web site. The Artsgarden is open 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Upcoming events include smooth jazz “The Sounds of Essence” from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. Friday and “AcoustsicFest XI” from 2 to 7 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free.
\nThe Indiana Repertory Theatre\n140 W. Washington St.\nwww.indianarep.com\nThe Indiana Repertory Theatre is located near the heart of downtown, just half a block away from Circle Centre Mall. The Indiana Repertory Theatre has been in existence since 1972, according to Megan McKinney, the theater’s public relations director. The shows playing right now are “Our Town,” written by Thornton Wilder, which is closing Saturday, and Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” which is running until Nov. 3. In addition to shows for the public and student matinees, the Indiana Repertory Theatre offers acting classes for adults and children. The theater is Indiana’s only fully-professional not-for-profit theater, McKinney said.\n“You’ll see absolute top-notch shows,” she said.\nTickets range from $24 to $39 and are available online at the Indiana Repertory Theatre’s Web site.
Eiteljorg Museum of American \nIndians and Western Art\n500 W. Washington St.\nwww.eiteljorg.org\nJust east of the Indianapolis Zoo and the White River State Park, the Eiteljorg Museum is the only museum in the Midwest which focuses on both American Indian and Western art, culture and history. “The museum’s Mihtohseenionki Gallery – The People’s Place – explores Indiana’s indigenous people, the Delaware, Miami and Potawatomi Indians, through preserved rare objects, historical photos, interactive displays and audiovisual technology,” according to the Eiteljorg Web site. The museum features five permanent collections – the American Western Gallery, the Gund Collection, which is Western art, the Contemporary Collection, the Native American Collection and the Eiteljorg Fellowship for Native American Fine Art Music also plays a role in the museum and classical guitarist Cain Budds will perform 1:30 p.m Oct. 13.
\nThe Indianapolis Musuem of Art\n4000 Michigan Road \nwww.imamuseum.org\nLocated 15 minutes north of downtown Indy, the IMA is the fifth-largest encyclopedic art museum in the United States. The museum was remodeled in 2005, expanding its galleries by 50 percent.\nThough the museum has a large focus on contemporary work, one of their latest exhibits is a sample of antiquity. The exhibit “Roman Art from the Louvre” features sculpture, mosaics, jewelry and more, most of which have never traveled to the U.S., according to an IMA press release. The exhibit traces the genealogy of four Roman families – the Julio-Claudians, the Antonines, the Severans and the family of Constantine, as well as examining history from the eyes of women, foreigners, freedmen and slaves. \n“Roman Art from the Louvre gives us the remarkable opportunity to bring treasured works from the Louvre’s unrivaled Roman art collections to Indianapolis,” said Maxwell L. Anderson, director and CEO of the Indianapolis Museum of Art. The 184-piece exhibit will remain at the IMA until Jan. 6, 2008. For more information, check out www.theromansarecoming.com.\nGeneral admission and parking is free and student discounts are available for special exhibits.
\nFirst Friday Art Tour\nwww.indyarts.org
More than 25 galleries around Indianapolis are open from 6 to 9 p.m. the first Friday of every month. This event is hosted by members of the Indianapolis Downtown Artists and Dealers Association and is free and open to the public. A full list of galleries open on First Fridays is available at www.idada.org.
