With the spotlight on Indianapolis in the lead-up to Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday, the city’s art community is encouraging football fans to consider art viewing as a pre-game activity in addition to the traditional tailgate parties.
In the old City Hall building, less than a mile from the Lucas Oil Stadium, where the big game is held, the Indianapolis Downtown Artists and Dealers Association (IDADA) has put together “TURF,” an exhibition featuring the work of 20 local artists. The IDADA Art Pavilion is free and open to the public through Sunday, and is designed to drive visitors to the city’s many galleries.
Tonight, IDADA hosts its monthly “First Friday Art Tour” from 6:00–9:00, a self-guided event that furthers the city’s efforts to showcase its artists on their home “turf.” Member galleries and the main pavilion will stay open late in the hopes of attracting foot traffic from tourists and residents alike. “Indianapolis has a wide variety of high-caliber artists and galleries, and this is our chance to let the world know it,” says IDADA treasurer and gallery owner Mark Ruschman. “It is a rare opportunity to showcase all that we have to offer to a national and international audience.”
For those looking for a truly integrated mix of football and art this weekend, the IDADA pavilion is available for rent for catered events, and would surely be a striking venue for an unusually high-brow Super Bowl party.
