Indy's International Festival is NOW!

These photos were taken yesterday (from top, left to right): some of the crowd, miniature Chinese lions, Indian spices, Japanese origami flowers, Polish ethnic costume.

The International Festival is open in Indianapolis today (21 November) through Sunday (23 November) at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, 1201 East 38th Street, Indianapolis.

Great food, entertainment and shopping plus more than you ever knew was possible to learn about international Indy, including how to sign up to study abroad.

See more here, a video by The Indianapolis Star.

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Mark Your Calendars for 2015 and 2016

The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee has selected Indianapolis to host the 2015 Men’s Final Four. Butler University, IUPUI and the Horizon League will serve as host institutions, while Indiana Sports Corporation will manage the Indianapolis Local Organizing Committee (ILOC).

The 2015 event marks the seventh time Indianapolis has been awarded the NCAA Men’s Final Four. The city has hosted the NCAA Men’s Final Four in 1980, 1991, 1997, 2000, and 2006. Indianapolis will also host the 2010 NCAA Men’s Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Indianapolis also will host the Women's Final Four in 2016. Butler University, IUPUI and the Horizon League will serve as host institutions. The city hosted the 2005 Women's Final Four, and will also host the tournament in 2011.

Fine Arts And Crafts Fair

Looking for holiday gifts and one-of-a-kind handmade items? Check out the Fine Arts and Crafts Fair sponsored by the Staff Council of Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis.

It's 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Campus Center at IUPUI. Admission is free.

The Staff Council represents all non-faculty and non-union employees of IUPUI. The Fine Arts and Crafts Fair is the group’s first major annual fundraising effort, and proceeds from booth rental will support scholarships for IUPUI students.

(And, here's a gratuitous tip from this Indianapolis Observer. The photo in The Indianapolis Star article today about the IU incubator that's supposed to be IU president Michael McRobbie actually is Gene Tempel, head of the IU Foundation. Yet another example of the cluelessness of the Star's staff about life in central Indiana, eh?)

Saarinen's Miller House to be Part of IMA

Maxwell L. Anderson, The Melvin & Bren Simon Director and CEO of the Indianapolis Museum of Art, announced today that the IMA is moving forward with the acquisition of the landmark Miller House and Garden in Columbus, Indiana. One of the country’s most highly-regarded examples of mid-century Modernist residences, the Miller House was designed by Eero Saarinen, with interiors by Alexander Girard, and landscape design by Daniel Urban Kiley.

Members of the Miller family and the Irwin-Sweeney-Miller Foundation have agreed to donate the house and gardens, along with many of its original furnishings, to the Museum, and have pledged $5 million toward an $8 million endowment for the house and surrounding grounds.

The IMA is raising $3 million for the remainder of the endowment and $2 million for the 18-month renovation of the house, which will entail a careful restoration of many of the original period details. Once the renovation is completed, the IMA will work with the Columbus Area Visitors Center to offer public access to the house and gardens.

Silent Sellers On Display

Just in time for the biggest shopping day of the year, picture windows in downtown Indianapolis will feature satirical art rather than retail merchandise.

“Silent Sellers” created by artist Jodie Hardy feature a mannequin wearing a dress made of yellow caution tape. The collection includes 100 dolls dressed in caution tape dresses and a highly stylized photo spread.

According to the Indianapolis-based artist, the installations are a commentary on the fashion industry’s use of photography and visual merchandising to seduce passersby and the physical and emotional pressures those fashions place on women.

The three public art installations are in the windows of Chase Tower, the city’s tallest building, on north Pennsylvania Avenue. It will be on display until May 2009.

“Behind the Windows,” a Web-based video featuring behind-the-scenes interviews with the artist and model, is available here.

The picture windows project is a program developed by the Arts Council of Indianapolis designed to contribute to the vitality of downtown Indianapolis while exposing visitors and citizens to the diverse work of local artists. The privately-funded project was made possible by the Indianapolis Cultural Development Commission through the financial support of Lilly Endowment, Inc.

Indy's International Festival is Next Weekend!

Thursday is for schools and other groups, but the International Festival is open to the public next Friday through 23 November! Don't miss the best party in Central Indiana. All the details are here!

Don't miss the cover article in today's Indianapolis Star about international Indy (even if they inexplicably overlook both the Nationalities Council of Indiana and Indy's upcoming International Festival -- nobody ever accused the Gannett rag of knowing what's really happening in the Hoosier Heartland!).

Y'all get out to the West Pavilion at the Indiana State Fairgrounds this weekend and see what the changing face of Indianapolis looks like! (Hint: it looks just like "us".)

Architecture For Humanity

Interested in architectural solutions to humanitarian crises? Can you help bring design services to communities in need? Then, consider joining the new Indy chapter of Architecture for Humanity.

AFH believes that where resources and expertise are scarce, innovative, sustainable and collaborative design can make a difference. The AFH-Indy chapter welcomes new members -- those already involved include architects, designers, artists, city officials, construction managers, building suppliers, non-profit organizers, grant writers, people looking for a more sustainable city and people looking to make a difference.

The chapter's next meeting is 6-8 p.m. Tuesday (18 November), and you're welcome to join in at the Church Within, 1125 Spruce Street, Indianapolis.