Fountain Square artists Mab Graves and Larry Endicott transformed an old tavern building into an…read moreawe-inspiring home and gallery, now dubbed as Fountain Square's new 'Lo Brow' gallery. Hosting fabulous exhibits featuring works by Mab herself and Indianapolis artist Justin Cooper, Monster has drawn quite the crowd on a number of 'First Friday' events, my favorites so far being Mab's Pretending to Be Human exhibit over Halloween 2013. The exterior boasts a neon MONSTER sign and a grand door to entice all passersby. Details abound the interior as well, with swoon worthly rest rooms full of character - feauting the likes of Johhny Cash, complete with black toilet paper. Beverages and sweet treats are always on hand to welcome guests and cater to children (both literally and at heart) in attendance. Make a point to stop by and take in the fabulousness that is one of the best examples of the flourishing Fountain Square art scene. Pick up some exclusive original art or perhaps a button, card or print, but you're guaranteed to leave with a smile!

Monster Gallery is the brainchild of the talented husband-wife duo, Mab Graves and Larry Endicott…read more While the majority of First Friday galleries are clustered right downtown, this beautiful brick building on the corner of English and State requires you to go off the beaten path a little. But, it is well-worth the trip. Despite the fact that fire destroyed the entire interior of the building, the exterior shell was all intact. Mab and Larry (with the help of some local friends) have restored this once decrepit tavern into a unique art showing space on the first floor and whimsical living quarters above. The gallery space is small to begin with, but it gets even tighter when the many fans of the artists come out to view their works. You can tell a place (and an artist) is popular by the line extending out of the front door and along the side walk. We didn't wait too long to get in though, so no worries there. The line from the door flows around the room clockwise and takes you past a couple walls of art and ends with a small counter for purchasing prints, gifts, trinkets, and of course any of the pieces you see on the walls. My only qualm with this layout is that the bar area is tucked in the way back and breaks up the flow of the gallery walls. You may have to squeeze past the throngs of art lovers to get to it. Monster Gallery serves beer and wine to the adult guests and there is often candy and treats for any little, aspiring artists who visit. Mab and Larry are both perfect hosts and will gladly have a chat with you about art, love, life, and the likes. There's a very large FREE parking lot just behind the building and there's always an open space.

Did you know that The Conrad Hotel has a gorgeous, well-curated art gallery within its walls?!…read moreAccessible either through the hotel lobby or through the gallery's own entrance on Illinois Street, anyone can walk through the doors and enjoy the art, for FREE. Just be sure to check their hours, as they're different from the hotel's! The gallery only has two locations: NYC and Indianapolis. I feel pretty blessed that our city has such an esteemed spot. Boasting both local art and world-famous art, this gallery switches out exhibits every few months, and holds a first Friday party when they have a new one. Currently, their winter exhibit is called "Rock, Paper, Metal" that will be up until February 2020. Long-Sharp Gallery curates the art in the entire hotel. The Conrad has world-renowned art allllll throughout. Boasting names like Dali, Picasso and Warhol, you'll be amazed by what you encounter by simply stepping inside. There are even several art ambassadors on hand to take you around the hotel and show you some of the masterpieces. So fun!

Long-Sharp Gallery is a lovely space that would be a perfect stop during an intimate date-night…read more Located right inside the Conrad hotel, it features artists whose aesthetic seems to lean toward contemporary and modern styles. What I really love about the space is that the collection is not just limited to the designated gallery space; you can find pieces from the collection throughout the hotel's public spaces. Also, pieces from the collection are featured in the museum's gallery rooms, which are available for use in the hotel itself. Long-Sharp is free to visit; simply make an appointment with the gallery staff, or stop by during their normal open hours.

This place is a gem of a find! My friend got tickets from a silent auction and I went along with…read moreher. They do have private parking, but the lot is small and it was surprisingly busy on a Saturday afternoon! We checked in and chose the audio option and also a one page scavenger hunt for each room, which helped to dig into the houses a bit more. I was shocked at the level of detail! So much love and work went into these houses. I was in awe of some of the work completed in them. I definitely had my favorite! You can also buy all sorts of pieces to work on your own house too. My friend is redoing her childhood house for her niece so it was a great way to get the creative juices flowing. Definitely something to check out!

This place was so interesting! Walking in you are immediately greeted by staff who asked if we…read morewanted to do a scavenger hunt between our group of friends or if we just wanted to walk around. We chose scavenger hunt and at the end got a prize of our choosing (something miniature). The entire place is pretty antique. Very detailed mini houses with their own theme are in each room. You really have to come here with time on your hands to be able to really look at each house and the intricacies it has. There are small figurines and some of these houses I know sure took so much time!! Not only to plan but to collect the individual pieces to go along with it. Very cool. If you ever have time to visit- I highly recommend you do.

We often walk or drive past the Art & Soul Gallery and Frame Shop and admire the paintings in the…read morewindows. During the seasonal gallery walk in Carmel's Arts and Design District, we stopped in to take a closer look. There are many paintings here that I just love, especially a Fall scene that looks like a photograph if you squint your eyes ever so slightly while gazing at it. Our other favorites include a range of floral paintings rendered in bright and deep hues that are simply breathtaking. I would provide the artists' names in this review, but I cannot pull them from memory and a trip to the gallery Web site did not prove helpful at all - for a gallery with the inventory this place has, the site is disappointingly sparse in terms of digital images. Speaking of inventory, I did think Art & Soul was something of a sensory overload - at least for the eyes - as its works are kind of crowded together. Now, I am not a professional and have no gallery experience to fall back on, but I do appreciate the airy layout of Evan Lurie much better. I find it tough to truly enjoy one painting I may be attracted to when another is creeping in and imposing itself from the periphery. Also, we were not greeted in this store, either. We wanted to know more about the prices of the above-mentioned paintings, but we didn't want to interrupt the staff member's noshing. Weird, going on a gallery walk and not being approached or spoken to kind of feels like more of a trip to the art MUSEUM.

Guichelaar Gallery looks like a humble house, but it actually houses some great artwork, which is…read morefree to peruse. Just step inside this art gallery that looks like someone's home, and you'll find an exhibit to experience. This art gallery is located next to The Tube Factory and the CAMi (Contemporary Art Museum of Indianapolis), which is owned and operated by Big Car Collective. This space also serves as a home for visiting artists, which is pretty neat. The exhibit in this gallery was very small, but it was nice to be in a contained area to experience it as a complete whole. After you're done looking at the art at the Guichelaar Gallery, you can bop around to the rest of the campus and check out the other artistic expressions awaiting you.

I haven't had the pleasure of attending their flea market yet, but I drive through here often and…read morejust love this neighborhood. If I ever win the lottery, I would love to buy a house here. The divided streets lined with mature trees. The statues and fountains in the median. The great yesteryear houses, smelling of old grandeur. Yeah, I would love to live here. But of course only if I have enough money to hire folks for the upkeep of house and yard. A girl can dream

I look forward to the Woodruff Place Flea Market every year. I love looking at the beautiful homes…read moreand browsing through what's for sale. Residents and businesses participate in the Flea Market, selling their wares. There are also food and beer trucks. It makes for a fun day! This year, there didn't seem to be as many residents participating. And some of our favorite vendors from past years weren't there.

This is an awesome store to visit in Danville IN. They are located on the main road of Washington…read moreStreet. They showcase the local artists collection - glass making, wood burning, silk scarves, etc. They also have time at the store to reserve for painting. The local artists also do classes there. You will just have to contact the local artist to find out details about the classes. The customer service is wonderful and they have all local artists contact information at the store. This is a definite stop! The parking is on the street during weekends. Try and find local stores like this to support local artists and our community.

This is a nice little gallery, with a lot to look at! They have a variety of medias present…read more(painting, photography, ceramics, jewelry, stained glass, woodwork, textiles...) and a range of prices, as well. Probably a good place to find a unique (and of Hoosier-origin!) gift - there were many things I would have liked to have for myself there. An extra bonus - they offer classes! To be honest, I only briefly surveyed the course offerings, but it showed variety and prices seemed reasonable. As much as I enjoy other people's art, I also enjoy making it myself :)

This is a place that I have only seen on the outside during the Irvington ghost tour. I recently…read morehad the chance to actually visit the inside. What a beautiful building! Located in beautiful historic Irvington you can find the Irvington historical society, located in the Bona Thompson center. The building was actually a part of the original Butler University. It's large and historic, and I think they have kept a lot of the original building in tact. On the inside there are a lot of interesting exhibits, one is on military tattoos which show a lot of pictures of different people with tattoos and the meanings behind them. As well as a lot of older camera parts. There's also some vintage Butler items on display as well. In the basement holds some other displays as well, one on tractors and engines and then one on the angels of west baden springs. All very interesting things! It's worth a visit to check out and lean different things about local and state history!

After hearing from a couple people that I should check out Irvington's Historical Society, I…read morefinally aligned my schedule to be on the east side on a Wednesday afternoon (weekends seem too busy). After parking in the small lot on the north side of the building, I climbed the steps to the entrance and entered the museum. In the central lobby, there are some permanently displayed items including a recreation of the Butler College campus while it was in Irvington circa 1914 and a portrait of one of the area's most influential residents, Bona Thompson. There are exhibit rooms on the left and right and a stairway that leads to more permanent displays which are in various stages of development. The display on the south end was a mixture of photography (antique cameras) and photos of Military tattoos that current college students volunteered to share. The display on the north end was a timeline of the more notable houses in the neighborhood. They were arranged in chronological order of being built with photos, paintings, and sometimes, schematics of the houses. There were narratives about who the people were that built and/or lived in the houses. To make it more interesting, the running timeline shows events outside of Irvington to use as a point of reference to the dates of the homes. Upstairs was an assortment of local artists' work on the stairwell walls, an "Abe Martin" collection of art/stories by Kin Hubbard who lived in Irvington, some military items, memorabilia from Butler College, and a depot/telegraph office room circa 1898. The admission is free, but donations are accepted in the lobby. Exhibits in the wings change out after a couple months and I was invited to come to the Ice Cream Social Aug 4th (one of the Society's most popular events.) This is a nice example of a neighborhood maintaining its history in spite of all the changes that occur. If you have an interest in anything related to the east side, this should be your first stop! Review #2685