"Put a Bird on It"

"Put a Bird on It" opens with an artist reception and open studio from 6 to 10 p.m. 2 March in the Harrison Center for the Arts, 1505 North Delaware Street, Indianapolis.

Fans of Portlandia will recognize the title of this show from the skit of the same name that pokes fun at hipster-crafters who will seemingly put a bird on just about anything.

With the help of over 75 artists, the Harrison Center will indeed be "putting a bird on it" as four of our exhibit spaces combine to form a giant art aviary. Click here for a list of participating artists. Their work hangs through 30 March.

Also that night:

In the City Gallery - new work by Erin Drew.

Representatives will be on hand with information about great urban Indy neighborhoods including Watson McCord, home of the Watson Bird Sanctuary.

Throughout the building, there'll be 23 HCA artist open studios, and, in the gym, demonstrations by Rock Steady Boxing, a program designed to improve the quality of life for people battling Parkinson's disease through non-contact, boxing training.

"Awaken Your Senses" book signing with author, Beth Booram.

At VSA Indiana : "Celebrating Community" with clay and 2D work made by Community Arts Class students and Urban Artisans. Show hangs through 28 March.

It's all a part of First Friday (of course) sponsored by IDADA (Indianapolis Downtown Artists & Dealers Association).

"Vote fraud retires shameless GOP official"

Charles "White has yet to accept responsibility for intentionally defrauding the state of Indiana as two different judges, in two different cases, have now found that he did."

Yep. Our former Secretary of State, now convicted felon, is excoriated in the national press, again.

"A lot of Republicans complain about voter fraud. [Republican] Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White actually committed it."

Read it all here.

International Women's Day

Join members and guests of the Association of International Women in celebrating International Women's Day 23 March in the Marriott North, 3645 River Crossing Parkway, Indianapolis.

The gala event begins with a social hour at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner and then dancing until midnight.

Tickets are $50 per person. Attire is "black tie optional" with ethnic dress encouraged.

Arts & Antiques Show

It's hard to believe that a quarter of a century has passed, but, yes, folks, get ready for the 25th anniversary of the Indianapolis Arts & Antiques Show.

It'll be held 9-11 March in the Marsh Blue Ribbon Pavilion at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, 1202 East 38th Street, Indianapolis. General admission is $12 at the door.

The show is presented by the Methodist Hospital Task Core in partnership with Methodist Health Foundation in support of Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital (say that three times, fast).

(Photo courtesy of the Indianapolis Art & Antiques Show)

Dang! We're in the National News Again

This time, for not "believing" in vaccination.

"Indiana has had 14 cases of measles since the game, and 13 of those have been confirmed as occurring in anti-vaccination families. The outbreak started with two infected people who went to the Super Bowl village...".

Read it all here

Yup. Not only do we think the Girl Scouts are the spawn of Satan and that the Indiana Secretary of State (whose job is elections) shouldn't have to follow election laws himself, we don't believe in vaccinating our kids.

Sometimes this Indianapolis Observer is ashamed to be a Hoosier.

Book & Author Luncheon Set

Tiffany Baker, Cara Black, Beth Gutcheon, Bret Lott and Stewart O'Nan are the book authors speaking at the 32nd annual luncheon sponsored by the Christamore House Guild.

The Book & Author Benefit Luncheon begins with book sales and signing at 10 a.m. 20 April and finishes up around 2 p.m. in the Indiana Roof Ballroom, 140 West Washington Street, Indianapolis.

Tickets are $85 ($55 of which is tax deductible: proceeds support the Frances Carter Coburn Scholarship Fund and educational programs offered through Christamore House).

For more information, contact Lisa Goldenberg.

"Amusing Ambiguities"

When playwright Georges Feydeau (pictured, at left) presented his farcical plays in fin de siècle Paris, France, patrons typically threw tomatoes and cabbages, and reviewers showed no mercy in relegating his plays to those enjoyed by the less cultured of society.

His plays often involved a mistaken motive or a mistaken identity, and were filled with misunderstandings and great coincidences. Though dismissed in his day, he is now considered one of the great playwrights of the Edwardian era.

In keeping with Feydeau’s flair for people turning up in the wrong places, the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, 1230 North Delaware Street, Indianapolis, will be the host of the Victorian Theatre by Candlelight’s spring production of “Amusing Ambiguities.”

To view this montage of three of Feydeau’s short plays, patrons will rotate among three different rooms of the presidential mansion to experience each play in a different setting. The Harrison’s furnishings, antiques, candlelight recreate the ambiance of 19th Century salon theatres.

In “Ladies’ Man,” staged in the master bedroom, a young woman seeks the counsel of her older cousin regarding how to deal with her gentleman suitor who is pressing marriage. However, both women are in for a surprise when they learn new things about this enigmatic young man.

In the back parlor, the audience will enjoy, “Romance in A Flat.” A young music student awaits her new maestro to instruct her in piano. However, the play takes a most amusing twist when we learn that the music teacher has appeared at the wrong flat and was indeed expecting someone quite different.

A comedy of errors unfolds in the dining room in “Wooed and Viewed.” An hysterical woman calls on her lawyer neighbor with a most unusual request for dealing with her jealous husband. The lawyer believes she wants a divorce, but she has other plans for retaliation.

“Amusing Ambiguities” opens on 20 April, and will be performed every Friday and Saturday evening through 5 May. There is a matinee at 2 p.m. 29 April. Tickets are $20 per person. Needless to say, reservations are highly recommended.

The Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, a 16-room Italianate style house, was constructed by Harrison in 1874 and is a National Historical Landmark recognized by the United States Department of the Interior.