The Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis is celebrating 200 years of Statehood with a gathering of two talented groups of graffiti artists from the Region and from the Indianapolis 317 area for a battle of the arts. It was a warm sunny day in Indy with clear blue skies and a nice cool breeze, perfect for an outdoor event like this.
The match up included an all day mural competition with two artists from each area, Sacred and Cents from the 317, and Slash and Kuaze from the 219, showing off their incredible graffiti skills. Although the artists are from two different areas, they are actually apart of the same crew, Crazy Indiana Style Artists, or CISA but in different chapters.
The competition was set up alongside the beautiful Canal that runs around the Indiana State Museum where visitors passed by in paddle boats, kayaks and on bikes, enjoying the sunshine. Spectators who stopped by to view the artwork enjoyed good music, spoken word, food and beer.
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A DJ from each area code was invited to spin for the event. DJ Editkut from the 219 and DJ Dicky Foxxx from the 317 took turns showcasing their own musical talent for both spectators and graffiti artists to enjoy.
When DJ Editkut was invited to come down and spin for the event, he couldn’t resist. “I love it. I love it. You know, the environment’s nice. The community seems nice. It’s my first time to the museum and so, that’s nice too. And to see the canal here, all of this is new to me, so I’m enjoying it.”
Mike Mendoza from 18th Street Brewery in Hammond was also in attendance along with a local 317 brewery, Bier Brewery and Tap Room showing off their best brews to keep the crowd cool and relaxed.
Though Indy is no stranger to 18th Street Brewery’s beer, Mendoza says this is a great chance to reach out to the public. “We distribute down here in Indianapolis already, yeah, so we have a lot of our beers down here. But it’s a good opportunity to let other people that haven’t had our stuff and happen to come down here see our stuff.”
Felix “Flex” Maldonado Jr., a well-known graffiti artist from CISA and a featured artist in the Still Crazy exhibition at the museum, was very happy to join in on this collaboration of artists from two distinct areas in Indiana to celebrate the Bicentennial when invited by Mark Ruschman, Chief Fine Arts Curator at the museum.
“What he found unique about us is we have an art collective that’s been around for almost 30 years, which is what you’ll see in the show,” said Maldonado. The Indiana State Museum is currently showcasing this collection of works in all sorts of mediums from paintings to jean jackets to a collection of vintage markers.
Maldonado says that the event is all about joining the state’s urban artists together, writers, graffiti artists and DJ’s alike. “It’s a family gathering. It’s a healthy competition. It’s an exhibition match. It’s fundamentally to tie the counties together.”
Mark Ruschman says the event is a part of celebrating the 200 years of Indiana’s art. “I had this idea of bringing graffiti artists down from the 219 area code and pairing them up with artists from 317.” said Ruschman.
Ruschman’s goal was to bring everyone together and expose people to graffiti art. “It’s all about that cross cultural exchange and just bringing the communities together in a day of art making and fun.”
While the museum is located in Indianapolis, the museum really serves the entire state. Ruschman says “This was an opportunity to reach out to our neighbors of the northwest and invite them down for a day of celebrating the arts.”
“I am from Munster Indiana, so I was excited we could incorporate what I consider home, you know, Northwest Indiana.” says Katy Creagh, School Programs Developer at the Indiana State Museum.
Ish Muhammad, another CISA artist participating in the exhibition at the museum says that not many people have visited the museum outside of school. “An event like this has really brought more people to see the museum for the first time in a long time.”
“We’re the oldest active graffiti crew in the state of Indiana and we’re also the state’s first Latino art collective.” said Muhammad. The art collective, which is a group of artists who have been working together a long time, has been together for 30 years doing graffiti and fine art projects.
Hector “Rooster” Marin, one of the founders of the art collective and crew really enjoyed that the event showcased graffiti as an art form. “This is a great place for an exhibit, you know. And it’s been recognized, graffiti in general, has been recognized as an art form already for many years. So it’s good for us to be here and have them recognize graffiti as an art form.”
The Indiana State Museum will be showcasing the exhibit, Still Crazy: The 30 Year Anniversary of the Crazy Indiana Style Artists on the lower level in the Legacy Theater from now until September 5 for anyone interested in the checking out all the incredible work from Indiana artists.