1st Annual Art of July Parade

By: Kelli Safford

Fountain Square Arts Council (FSAC) moved ahead with the 1^st annual Art of July Parade on July 4^th despite the weather. Of the 50 registered entries for the parade, over half showed up to show their support for the event. Groups such as the Libertarian party, Friends of Fact and Herron School of Art and Design students were in full parade attire to march on even with rain falling throughout the day.

The parade commenced promptly at 6 pm and continued on the mile route through Fountain Square and Fletcher Place. Residents of the community stepped out with umbrellas and rain gear to watch the parade. Former Fountain Square resident Katie Burk, in town visiting from Hawaii, was on hand to volunteer for the event and was surprised at the turnout with the rain. “FSAC has done a tremendous job in planning this event and it feels great to be here and see it transpire.”

FSAC spent the last year planning the event from gathering funding to creating marketing plans to focusing on public relations initiatives. The groups volunteered many hours and, regardless of the weather, were pleased with the results of their efforts. Elizabeth Ryan, founding member of the FSAC, stated, “Even though the weather was not what we hoped for, we still had around 200 people show up to participate. FSAC views our first year a success and looks forward to next year!” A first year in an event can paint a pretty clear picture of the future and the entire community will look forward to seeing what next year will bring for the 2^nd Annual Art of July parade.

Questions? Interested in learning more? Please email fsacouncil@yahoo.com.

Recycling Ready, Now What?

By: Kelli Safford

Whether you have been a long-term advocate of recycling, or have recently caught the fever, more and more families in the southeast area are practicing the three R’s – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. However, if you are in question of where to deposit your items, Keep Indianapolis

Beautiful, Inc. (KIB) has resources available on their website to direct you to the nearest recycling drop-off locations.

For items such as:

Steel and aluminum beverage and food cans

Empty aerosol cans

Glass (brown , clear and green)

#1 and #2 plastics

Newspapers and magazines

The locations are:

Brookside Park: 3500 Brookside Parkway, South Drive

Garfield Park, 2345 Pagoda Drive

Kroger, 4202 S East Street

O’Malia’s, 320 New Jersey

Source – Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. www.kibi.org

KIB has also developed a Recycle and Reuse Guide, which can be found at www.kibi.org. This guide assists individuals in determining where to take electronics, household items and clothing, just to name a few. SEND and residents of the southeast area are also taking their own initiatives to develop more attainable drop-off locations. Connie Ziegler, a resident of North Square, worked with paper recycling company, Abitibi, to secure a recycling bin for all paper items at the corner of Woodlawn and Shelby Street. Connie states, “Paper recycling is one step along the way to being better stewards of our environment. The city’s curbside recycling works great for paper and some plastics, but for those who don’t want to or can’t afford to pay for curbside recycling, this is a free way to recycle paper to keep it out of landfills and make it available for reuse. It’s also a fundraiser and the little bit of money it raises for our neighborhood association goes right back into beautifying and improving our community.”

Through the public space committee of SEND, efforts are continuously being made to increase the awareness and importance of the three R's, as well as work with the city to enhance accessibility for all residents of the southeast area. Public space committee chairman, Jeff Miller added, “The Public Space Committee is very interested in seeing more recycling options for the area. If we give residents more opportunities to recycle, especially in convenient locations, that will encourage us all to be more conscious of our environment and our need to reuse our resources rather than filling landfills. At the end of the day, we all realize we need to take better care of our world and this is a great place to start.”

SEND to host 1st annual Neighborhood Day of Service

By: Kelli Safford

Looking to find ways you can become involved in efforts to clean up our neighborhood? On June 6th, beginning at 9am, SEND will host the 1st annual Neighborhood Day of Service. SEND will be coordinating a community-wide volunteer effort to give back to the residents by focusing not just on one specific location, but our entire southeast area. The goal of this endeavor is to empower neighborhood associations, churches, schools and businesses to address some of the beautification objectives in our community. Whichever projects residents feel would benefit the most from this collaborative effort, SEND will assist in accomplishing these tasks.

“Our goal for the SEND Day of Service is to provide an opportunity for the SEND family to get out into the neighborhood and give back to the people that live here. It is an opportunity for us to come together and impact the entire SEND area, rather than just one location,” states Julie Beaubien, Vice President of SEND and Coordinator of the SEND Day of Service. Throughout the year, SEND coordinates several clean-up efforts with volunteers stepping out to show their support and dedication in further enhancing our community. Beaubien continues, “SEND appreciates the many volunteers that commit their time and resources into making the programs at SEND a success, and this is a way to turn the table and allow us to volunteer for the neighborhood.”

SEND board members and volunteers will be visiting neighborhood association meetings over the next month to further discuss this project. Interested individuals and groups should plan on meeting on June 6th, 9am in the National City parking lot to get started. The clean-up will continue until 12pm, where all volunteers will meet back at the National City parking lot for lunch and to share stories of the day’s success. For further information and to learn how you can become involved, please contact Julie Beaubien at julie@sendcdc.org or 317-634-5079 x105.

Entries sought for first annual Fountain Square “Art of July” parade

By: Kelli Safford and Susan Sullivan

Who doesn’t love a parade? And when you combine it with art, music, and Fourth of July fun and fireworks, what could be better?

Local residents, civic groups and organizations, schools and universities, churches, business leaders, and those with community spirit and an appreciation for public art are encouraged learn more about the Fountain Square Art Council’s first annual Art of July parade, which will be held at 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 4.

The call for participation and registration is posted online at www.fsartscouncil.org. The due date for all registrations is June 5. There is no cost for parade entries and attendance is free.

“Our goal is to build on what the Indianapolis Museum of Art started last spring,” explains Elizabeth Ryan, one of the FSAC’s founding members. “The IMA’s On Procession event in Fountain Square was a unique celebration of the arts by individuals and groups of all backgrounds and ages who shared an interest in and appreciation for public art. FSAC wants to retain the celebration of art and community spirit through a more grass-roots approach that is inclusive of all who live, work, and raise their families in the Fountain Square area every day.”

Participation is open to anyone who wants develop parade entries for this all ages event, which will serve as a one-of-a-kind, traveling platform to showcase contemporary public art. Entries are expected to range from the traditional to nontraditional, Ryan says, and could include floats, marching bands, dance troupes, performance art, and portable artworks of all types, sizes, and shapes that reflect themes of community celebration, street pageantry, and parades.

But the fun won’t end with the parade, adds Ryan. “We’re also planning to have live music. Spectators and participants can stroll through the area, visiting shops, galleries, and restaurants. And of course, we encourage people to bring their lawn chairs because Fountain Square is a great vantage point for watching the annual downtown Indianapolis fireworks.”

The one-mile parade route will begin at 901 Shelby Street, making its way through Fountain Square and Fletcher Place. Maximum height of all entries is a maximum of 13 feet. For complete details, including a map of the route, marshaling area and time, and online registration form, visit www.fsartscouncil.org.

Fountain Square Arts Council.... building momentum.

Fountain Square Arts Council... building momentum.

By: Kelli Safford and Nita McCormick

This past year several resident artists from the Fountain Square area came together to create the Fountain Square Arts Council (FSAC). Born out of Study Circles conversations, the group seeks to form a connective bond between artists and residents in the Southeast, make all forms of artistic expression available to residents and youth, and continue to enhance awareness of Fountain Square as one our of our city's premiere arts and cultural destinations in Central Indiana and beyond.

Since its formation, FSAC has been working hard towards achieving the mission and goals which were established early in the planning phases. Showcasing these efforts, FSAC was recently involved in coordinating the children’s art activities in conjunction with Masterpiece in a Day, sponsored by Big Car Gallery. Children of all ages could engage in textile workshops, musical instrument activities, storytelling, painting, and drawing. Children had an opportunity to provide their talent to a mural which will be on display in the Fountain Square Library, as well as contribute their thoughts to talking walls throughout the day.

The momentum of the group continues with the next event for FSAC being Santa in the Square; 2008 will be the second year in a row for participation from the council. Future events which are in the works are fundraising activities for the council and continuation of the Arts Parade held by IMA in the Spring of 2008. FSAC is looking to expand and provide further inclusion of the Southeast neighborhood in such events either in late Spring or Summer 2009. FSAC will also be working to develop ways in which the youth throughout the Southeast area can develop their skills in various forms of arts through workshop participation.

FSAC is currently seeking 501(c)(3) status and regularly meets on a monthly basis. The next public meeting will include establishing the leadership of the council, as well as to brainstorm for FSAC future events. This meeting will take place on October 29th, 6:30 pm at Wheeler Arts Community. For more information on FSAC, and to sign up to receive announcements/updates, please contact the Fountain Square Arts Council at fsacouncil@yahoo.com .