Mayor's Youth Council to Hold First Meeting of 2009

Meeting to be an Orientation Workshop for Council Members

By: Jessica Higdon

INDIANAPOLIS – On Saturday, the Mayor’s Youth Council will convene for their first official meeting of 2009. Members will gather at the Arts Center at Garfield Park for a morning of introductions, planning and team building exercises. Mayor Greg Ballard will attend the meeting to talk to the youth about the importance of servant leadership.

WHO: Mayor Greg Ballard; Deputy Mayor Olgen Williams; Annie Smith, Marion County Coordinator, Youth as Resources / United Way of Central Indiana; Pegg Anderson, LCSW Medical Social Worker/St. Vincent’s Home Care; and Members of the Mayor’s Youth Council

WHAT: Mayor’s Youth Council Orientation Workshop

WHERE: The Arts Center at Garfield Park
2332 Conservatory Drive

WHEN: Saturday, February 21
8:30 a.m. – Noon

*Mayor Ballard will be at the meeting from 9 – 9:30 a.m.

BLACK PEARLS OPENING RECEPTION FEATURES EXHIBITS, ARTISTS, LIVE JAZZ: Indy Parks Honors the Accomplishments of African-American and Minority Artists

By: Paula Freund

Meet the artists with the accompaniment of live jazz this Friday at Indy Parks’ opening reception of Black Pearls, a celebration of local African-American and minority artists. The exhibition opens to the public with a free 6 to 9 p.m. reception Friday, Feb. 6, 2009, at the Garfield Park Arts Center.

Celebrate Black History Month with Indy Parks by learning about Indianapolis-area artists and their work. The Steven Weakley Jazz Trio will perform as you peruse the Art Center’s three galleries, filled with works created by local African-American and minority artists.

“Visitors to the Black Pearls exhibit will be amazed at the level of technical mastery, the breadth of stories being told and the strong influence of traditional African cultures,” said Garfield Park Arts Center Manager Tom Weidenbach. “In this historic year, the Garfield Park Arts Center is proud to host such a timely and noteworthy exhibit.”

Who: African-American and minority artists

What: Black Pearl Opening Reception

When: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6, 2009

Where: Garfield Park Arts Center, 2432 Conservatory Drive

Black Pearls is on display from Feb. 7-Feb. 28 during regular Arts Center hours. Admission is free.

In its fourth year, the exhibit will feature work by:

Terry Martin, airbrush and mixed media;

Donald Burlock, painting and graphic design;

Danicia Malone, mixed media;

Michael Jordan, painting and drawing;

Rochelle Morrison, mixed media;

Kevin J. Wilson, drawing and mixed media;

Linda Evans, textiles;

Fred Katrina, drawing;

De’Amon Harges, ceramics;

Lobyn Henderson, mixed media;

Anthony Radford, painting;

Carl Hazelwood, mixed media;

Valerie A. Ball, painting;

Bruce Armstrong, mixed media;

Deloris ‘Lodi’ Drane, mixed media;

Cherif Abib Ba, painting;

Kimerly Ba, mixed-media;

Jerome W. Chambers, painting and photography;

Nannette Y. Blair, painting;

William Stephens, photography;

Bernade Bogan-Flournoy, painting;

D. DelReverda-Jennings, sculpture;

Abie Robinson, photo print and watercolor;

Qway Kester, painting and photography.

Arts Center Hours: 1 p.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. The Arts Center is located at 2432 Conservatory Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46203, in the heart of Garfield Park. For more information, call (317) 327-PARK or visit www.indyparks.org.

Neighborhood Stabilization Program Public Meeting

By: Jon Clucas

Wednesday, February 11, 2009. 6:00 PM. Central Library (40 East Saint Clair Street). Public Meeting.

Today Mayor Greg Ballard announced the four locations where the $29,000,000 Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds will be directed. The program is quite specific and speedy. The funds must be contracted within 18 months and the funds must be spent within 48 months.

The meeting next Wednesday is a great opportunity for interested members of the public to contribute to the exact spending plan for the NSP funds.

More information is available at Southeast Indianapolis Communities and at Indy.gov

Sharing the Dream 2009

By: Jon Clucas

On Wednesday, January 14 and Friday, January 16, employees from Citizens Energy Group reported to Brookside Park instead of their regular workplaces. In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., these employees renovated the Brookside Park Family Center at no cost to Indy Parks, and, by extension, at no cost to the City of Indianapolis.

On Monday, January 19, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Citizens Energy Group President and CEO
Carey Lykins and other Citizens representatives hosted an open house at the newly renovated Family Center. Over the two workdays, Citizens Energy Group contributed over 1,600 hours of labor and over $50,000 improvements, even providing their own supplies and materials to "refinish the gym and stage floors, update emergency exits, replace fire detection systems, perform electrical, mechanical and plumbing work, remove old carpeting, and upgrade auditorium acoustic panels." Thank you Citizens and Citizens employees!

Photos courtesy of Indy Parks