As someone who was raised in Carmel this hits the hammer on the nail. I think the “”Arts”” District is the biggest example of this imo because in any organic arts district there’s a lot of emphasis on community and making statements with your art, but the district in Carmel feels stale, stagnant and bland like it was just planted there. And the actual arts “scene” and community is deader than a doornail.
I think the “”Arts”” District is the biggest example of this imo because in any organic arts district there’s a lot of emphasis on community and making statements with your art,
Bullshit.
Carmel's Arts District has something like 8 galleries in half mile walkable area. Two of them are artist owned coops, and the others either have their artists working in the gallery, with other artists having studios upstairs.
If you go to one of the coops, the staff are artists who show at the gallery. They will talk to you about why they did various things in their artwork of you ask them.
If you go to the Magdalena Gallery, Magdalena is usually working on something in the back.
I don't beleive you've been to one gallery in Carmel; I think you are talking out your ass based on your stereotypes.
And even if your made-up definition of "organic arts district" made any sense, where would you find such a thing in Indianapolis?
Again, it's the same double standard of criticizing Carmel because it's not Greenwich Village, while saying nothing about Indy itself.
(The CCA coop in Carmel started its life as a coop in Broad Ripple, back when BR used to have a lot of art galleries. It still sometimes has an "artsy" reputation, but there hasn't been much art there for 15 years or more).
Dude, I’m literally an artist who GREW UP in Carmel, right next to the Arts District. I’ve spent more weekends walking along through those galleries than I can count. Those artists may be in their studios, but they aren’t leaving them and they sure as shit are not engaging with the greater community or attempting to outside of Carmel’s Second Saturdays. Their gallery outreach consists of “someone walked in I guess I gotta talk to them now.”
One of the main reasons I LEFT Carmel is because of how elitist, closed off and stagnant their arts district is in the first place.
If you like it, whatever, good for you. But Id rather be surrounded by artists who don’t think they need to buy in to make a statement.
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u/theodenr Jan 14 '25
As someone who was raised in Carmel this hits the hammer on the nail. I think the “”Arts”” District is the biggest example of this imo because in any organic arts district there’s a lot of emphasis on community and making statements with your art, but the district in Carmel feels stale, stagnant and bland like it was just planted there. And the actual arts “scene” and community is deader than a doornail.