State Fair Settlement?

"The state of Indiana is set to forgo costly and lengthy litigation and instead pay the maximum $5 million in damages allowed by law to victims of the Indiana State Fair concert stage collapse," reports IBJ.com.

Ooey, Gooey and Creepy Crawly

Chicago-based artist Paul Nudd is known for using “gross” and “subversive” subject matter (think ooey gooey and creepy crawly) and turning it into a work of art, notes John Clark of Provocate.org.

Playful, grotesque and beautiful all at once, the artist's work pushes the Chicago imagists into the 21st Century.

Nudd, who is part of the group show Multiple Propositions in the main galleries of the Herron School of Art at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis through 15 September, will lecture on his art and inspiration at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow (31 August) in the Basile Auditorium of Eskenazi Hall, 735 West New York Street, Indianapolis.

(Image by Paul Nudd)

17th Annual Studio Showcase

The 17th annual Studio Showcase is set for mid-October by a co-operative of more than 30 Central Indiana artisans whose work includes textiles, jewelry, ceramics, photography, painting, glass and wood.

The three-day sale of one-of-a-kind items will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. 13 October, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. 14 October and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 15 October at 5914 Stafford Way, Indianapolis.

(Photo of jewelry by Tatyana Fedorikhina)

Giuseppi Verdi Choir to Perform in Indy

Celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy with members and friends of the Italian Heritage Society of Indiana at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday (31 August).

The Giuseppi Verdi Choir performs "Concerto del 150°" in the Cook Theater at the Landmarks Center, 1210 Central Avenue, Indianapolis. Tickets are $15.

The choir, from Mantova, Italy, is making its first tour of the United States with stops in Indy and New York City.

Greek Festival

It's still tagged "Indy" although it now takes place in Carmel.

Yes, the 38th annual Indianapolis Greek Festival will be held from 4 to 10 p.m. September 9 and noon to 10 p.m. September 10 at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 3500 West 106th Street, Carmel.

Greek cuisine, cooking demonstrations, a cultural bazaar, traditional Greek folk dancing, church tours and children's activities are all highlights of this annual Hellenic festival.

Featured food includes souvlaki, lamb, gyros, Greek fries, saganaki, spanakopita, calamari, dolmades, mese, greek salad, loukoumades, baklava, diples, koulourakia, melomakarana, kataifl and galaktoboureko.

"A World of Difference"

The fourth annual "A World of Difference: an International Parade & Taste the Difference" begins at 10 a.m. Saturday (27 August) in Indy's international marketplace, the Lafayette Square Area.

The event includes a parade, informational fair, restaurant taste event and performances. More than 40 various cultural organizations will be participating in the event.

Marian University Honors Michael A. Evans

The first new medical school in Indiana in over a century will be named for Michael A. Evans, Marian University announced today. In 2010, Dr. Evans made a gift and pledge of $48 million to Marian to kick off the creation of the school.

Evans (pictured) is a former Army Ranger who overcame lift-threatening injuries suffered in Vietnam to become a noted scientist. In 1990, he founded AIT Laboratories, where he remains president and CEO. Evans has a doctorate in toxicology from the Indiana University School of Medicine, a postdoctoral fellowship with the National Toxicology Center at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and numerous fellowships and grants from the National Institute of Health and the World Health Organization.

Marian University will name the new building on campus housing the College of Osteopathic Medicine and the School of Nursing in his honor. The Michael A. Evans Center for Health Sciences, set to open in the fall of 2013, is being designed by Indianapolis architects Schmidt and Associates and BSA LifeStructures.