When: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. September 27th, 2008. Where: throughout Fountain Square in Downtown Indianapolis. Cost: Free. Info: art@bigcar.org; www.bigcar.org; www.discoverfountainsquare.com.
Masterpiece in a Day, happening Sept. 27 in Fountain Square, brings all things creative together in a neighborhood known for its creativity.
Visual artists, writers, musicians and lovers of all three will enliven the streets and buildings of this eclectic Downtown Cultural District from 9 a.m. until the winners of each contest are announced after 5:30 p.m. The event, created 12 years ago by local artist Philip Campbell, is free for both visitors and participants.
This year, Masterpiece in a Day is partnering with IndyGo to encourage people to take routes 12, 14 or 22 to Fountain Square. IndyGo serves all five cultural districts.
Contest headquarters and the entertainment stage – where local musicians will perform throughout the day and where the winners will be announced – is located at the intersection of Prospect and Shelby Streets. This is also the place for the music contest where musicians make a song in the neighborhood that day and perform it live.
In addition to watching the artists create their work on the streets, listening to live music and soaking up the creative energy, visitors can also check out the Fountain Square Art Fair happening that same day in the neighborhood.
Participants can register for the art, writing or music competitions between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Pairings for the music competition happen at 11 a.m. All registration happens on the day of the event. Out-of-state artists are encouraged to participate.
The art competition continues its tradition of representational and non-representational winners claiming $1,000 first prizes. Second place will take home $500 and third $300 in each category. Winning artwork and writing from MIAD will be on display throughout the month of October at Alchemy Art + Aesthetics in Murphy Art Center.
The writing competition offers a first-place prize of $700, second of $300 and third of $150. The pieces – which can be poetry, prose or non-fiction – must be written that day and can’t exceed a page.
The music competition, which randomly pairs two musicians to create and perform a song that day, pays $700 per musician for first place, $300 each for second and $150 each for third. The winner of the music competition will be selected by judge and audience vote during the live competition that starts at 4 p.m.
Masterpiece In A Day is sponsored by: The Indianapolis Cultural Development Commission, Southeast Neighborhood Development, and The Indianapolis Foundation, a Central Indiana Community Foundation affiliate and the Fountain Square Merchants Association are Masterpiece in a Day’s main sponsors.
The event is organized and operated by Big Car, a non-profit arts collective based in Fountain Square. Big Car makes its home in the Murphy Art Center, where it hosts art, music and literary events.
