Eighteen like-minded and civically engaged Black visual artists from in and around the Indianapolis Metropolitan Area are coming together to promote the arts. They say their vision is to, promote awareness and engagement of the arts by supporting local organizations, providing community education and mentorship, exhibiting to the public and serving as a resource for other artists.
Deonna Craig, president of Eighteen Collective, joined us today to share more about this initiative.
18 of the artists who worked on Indy’s Black Lives Matter mural in Downtown Indianapolis in 2020 have joined forces to establish an official Art Collective known as, The XVIII Art Collective.
On Saturday, July 24th from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., the XVIII will gather to announce their upcoming projects, discuss their plans for the community, launch their website, and showcase their art. Additionally, there will be food trucks, a DJ, giveaways, and an opportunity for the public to create artwork.
“This talented group is infusing great energy, beautiful artwork, and a breath of fresh air into the community,” said Deonna Craig, President of the XVIII Art Collective.
This event is free and open to the public.
Why did we form a collective?
All of the members of the art collective connect in 2 main areas: art and community building. Our mission is to collaborate on the betterment of Black creatives and the community that we serve.
How are we making an impact?
We are excited to launch our mentorship program, community workshops and scholarship opportunities. In addition, this collective is comprised of artists from various professional and artistic backgrounds; spanning from graphic design, digital art, muralists, art instructors, public speakers, professors… The list goes on!
Event details:
Saturday, July 24 from 5 to 8 PM
2301 E. 10th street
Featuring:
Art gallery, DJ, prizes, food, and a community art project
For more information visit, 18artcollective.com.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Artists are deciding whether they want to repaint the Black Lives Matter mural after it was defaced on Indiana Avenue.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said white and gray paint was splattered on it sometime between Saturday night and Sunday morning, about a week after the mural was created.
Artist Rebecca Robinson said she was sad and disappointed when she found out Sunday morning.
“To come down here and for somebody to take two or three minutes to deface it just to make some silly point or whatever that point was, to me and a lot of the group we discussed it and it was pretty coward. If you have a statement to make, let yourself be known, make your statement,” Robinson said.
Robinson said she’s still processing what happened and will decide to possibly retouch her work.
The artist stenciled and painted the letter L in the word ‘BLACK.’ Inside are the words “freedom nation,” Robinson’s own vision of unity.
“Creating this and being able to speak on a message that I have in hopes that we can build towards a new nation, that was very important to me,” Robinson said.
People have been stopping all day to look at the destruction. It took 18 artists two days to create the mural starting August 1.
“We want to feel empowered to use our voice and as an artist; having a visual message is very powerful,” Robinson said.
Indy10 Black Lives Matter released a statement on Facebook:
“Creative activism and advocacy in the public realm unfortunately necessitate that we anticipate moments like this. The main goal of the Indianapolis Black Lives Matter Mural on Indiana Avenue is to amplify the message of the movement. The location was selected to remind patrons of both the historical and the ongoing displacement of Black communities in that area of our city.
“This hateful act demonstrates that we have been effective in that aim.
“The vandalism that occurred is a visual depiction of what hate looks like. The message of our art provokes the evils and cowardice that some still refuse to acknowledge, and the vandalism is but one small confirmation that the fight toward justice and equity is far from over. We are grateful to everyone who has offered to help. What we need and want is legislative change that protects Black lives and holds badged murderers accountable for their actions.
“What we want is to stop being killed for the color of our skin.
“What we need is your voice and your continued cries to end racism and the erasure of Black lives.
“Once again, art is the beautiful backdrop and springboard for our country’s largest and most critical conversations, especially those focused on this movement. Thank you for the support and know that we remain proud to do our part in this fight.”
Statement on Facebook page of Indy10 Black Lives Matter
“Naturally I’m upset that someone threw paint on it, but the irony behind it is it’s still paint and it’s still beautiful all of these are still beautiful,” Robinson said. “You’re not going to change the message. Whatever you tried to do to deface it, look at how beautiful — the work is still shining through.”
News 8 has reached out the the Indianapolis City-County Council for comment but did not receive a response.
If you are on social media today, you’ll experience “BLACKOUT TUESDAY.”
Leaders and artists in the music industry are leading a day to disconnect from work and reconnect with community via an urgent step of action to provoke accountability and change.
People online are posting black squares to their social media along with the hashtags #BlackoutTuesday and #TheShowMustBePaused.
This is in an effort to show solidarity with the nationwide demonstrations against police brutality, raise awareness, spark discussion and spread information.
Rihanna, Quincy Jones and the Rolling Stones include just a few of the many celebrities who have shown support for the movement.
Country super star Carrie Underwood tried out the Tik Tok ghost hunting “reality ripple” filter while staying in her cabin with husband Mike Fisher.
The filter is creating a buzz on social media because it creates a spooky light trail when focused on objects.
Carrie tried it out and after a multi-colored cloud image kept appearing in a corner of the room, carrie belted out -who are you? What do you want?” she is now convinced the cabin is haunted!
The italian stallion is back for another round.
Sylvester stallone narrates a new documentary on the original rocky movie titled “40 years of rocky: the birth of a classic.”
It’s a blend of the directors home movies, rehearsal and behind-the-scenes footage.
Stallone, who’s now 73, was a relatively unknown actor when he wrote the original “rocky” screenplay and starred in the 19-76 film.
It spawned seven sequels, including two “creed” movies.
The documentary comes out digitally on i-tunes/appletv and amazon on june 9th.
Kim kardashian and kanye west are going after a former bodyguard for talking smack about them. The power couple have warned him if he opens his mouth again… He can expect a multi-million dollar lawsuit.
The couple fired off a cease and desist letter to kanye’s ex-bodyguard, steve stanulis, claiming he made “false and defamatory” statements … While also breaching their confidentiality agreement.
Steve revealed things like he was always supposed to walk 10 paces behind the wests for example and they are not having it.