Graffiti Exhibition Comes to the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields
Indianapolis (PRWEB) September 29, 2017 -- This fall, step onto the streets of New York City and immerse yourself into the world of graffiti art with City as Canvas: New York City Graffiti from the 70s & 80s in the Indianapolis Museum of Art Galleries at Newfields from Oct. 7, 2017 through January 28, 2018.
Traveling to the IMA from the Museum of the City of New York, City as Canvas features more than 100 works from the renowned Martin Wong Collection, and chronicles the origins of graffiti and its evolution from a creative outlet—viewed by many at the time as a public nuisance—to an accepted form of art. With intricate drawings, colorful works on canvas and photographs of graffiti writing that has long since been erased, this exhibition includes a variety of seminal works by pioneering graffiti artists such as Keith Haring, Lee Quiñones, Lady Pink and Futura 2000.
In spite of the movement’s beginnings on the streets and subways of New York—as well as the city’s attempts to eradicate it—graffiti art quickly proliferated, forever impacting music, fashion and visual culture. In the decades that followed, graffiti became heralded as an important new form of artistic expression and an international phenomenon.
This exhibition also highlights local Indiana artists such as FAB Crew, Malcolm Mobutu Smith, Samuel E. Vazquez, Nicholas Smith and Nathan Storm. Together, these individuals represent a community of Indiana artists who carry on the legacy of their New York City counterparts.
Discover the artists’ collective spirit through photos, sketchbooks, hands-on activities and more in this one-of-a-kind exhibition in the IMA Galleries.
Newfields guests are invited to celebrate the exhibition opening with four days of exciting events:
• Oct. 5, join us at 8 p.m. for a special performance by the famous beatboxing pioneer and hip-hop artist Doug E. Fresh. Tickets go on sale on Aug. 24 and are $25–$35 for members and $30–$40 for the public. VIP Meet & Greet tickets are available for $75. Members are invited to preview the exhibition this evening from 5-9 p.m.
• Oct. 6, celebrate the opening of City as Canvas in an evening filled with dueling DJs, beatboxing, breakdancing and graffiti demonstrations from some of the exhibition’s featured artists. Member tickets are $15, public tickets are $20 and the event will be held at 7 p.m. in Pulliam Family Great Hall. Members are invited to preview the exhibition before the opening party from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Oct. 7, the whole family is invited to a day filled with fun for all ages. Family Day: Live, Play, Create is complete with live music, artist demonstrations and breakdancing demos. Also on Saturday, join us at 2 p.m. as the Contemporary Art Society hosts a City as Canvas Artist Conversation about the New York City graffiti movement with some of the artists from the exhibition including Zephyr, Daze and Lady Pink. This event is free and open to the public.
• Oct. 8, members are invited to an exclusive behind the scenes Member Only Talk with Kara Baldwin, Assistant Director of Interpretation, at 2 p.m. in DeBoest Lecture Hall. Join Smith as she explains the influential works by pioneering graffiti artists such as Keith Haring, Lee Quinones, Lady Pink and Futura 2000. The event is free for members.
Continue your exploration of art and its influence on the cultural life of a city at the IMA galleries with Portraits of Our City, opening Oct. 27. The photography exhibition features hundreds of photographs of Indianapolis residents and invites the community to discover human connections through people and place.
City as Canvas runs Oct. 7, 2017 through Jan. 28, 2018. The exhibition is included with general admission and free for members.
City as Canvas: New York City Graffiti from the 70s & 80s was developed in collaboration with the Museum of the City of New York. City as Canvas is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts and is part of the IMA's ARTx series, made possible by a gift from the Efroymson Family Fund.
For more information regarding the exhibition and upcoming events at Newfields, please visit http://www.imamuseum.org.
About Newfields
Newfields offers dynamic experiences with art and nature for guests of all ages. The 152-acre cultural campus features art galleries, lush gardens, a historic home, performance spaces, a nature preserve and sculpture park. From inspiring exhibitions in the IMA Galleries, to concerts in The Toby, to a stroll through The Garden with a glass of something cold, guests are invited to interact with art and nature in exciting new ways. Newfields is home to the Indianapolis Museum of Art, among the ten largest and ten oldest general art museums in the nation; the Lilly House, a National Historic Landmark; The Garden, featuring 40 acres of contemporary and historic gardens, a working greenhouse and an orchard; and The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres, one of the largest art and nature parks in the country. The Newfields campus extends outside of Indianapolis with Miller House and Garden in Columbus, Ind.—one of the nation’s most highly regarded examples of mid-century Modernist architecture. For more information visit http://www.imamuseum.org.
About the Museum of the City of New York
Founded in 1923 as a private, nonprofit corporation, the Museum of the City of New York celebrates and interprets the city, educating the public about its distinctive character, especially its heritage of diversity, opportunity, and perpetual transformation. The Museum connects the past, present, and future of New York City, and serves the people of the city as well as visitors from around the world through exhibitions, school and public programs, publications, and collections. To connect with the Museum on social media, follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @MuseumofCityNY and visit our Facebook page at Facebook.com/MuseumofCityNY. For more information please visit http://www.mcny.org
Mattie Lindner, Newfields, http://www.imamuseum.org, +1 317-923-1331 Ext: 231, [email protected]
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