neotericart

Konrad Marshall has been writing arts and feature stories for seven years. A two-time finalist in the Livingston Awards, he got his start in newspapers in Glens Falls, N.Y., at The Post-Star, followed by a year in Jacksonville, Fla., at The Florida Times-Union, and began writing for The Indianapolis Star in January 2008. Konrad, 31, is a native of Melbourne, Australia, who moved to the United States in 2002 to be with his wife, Nikki, a Montessori pre-school director. Educated down under, Konrad has a Bachelor of Arts, a Graduate Certificate in Public Relations and a Masters in Communications and Media Studies. His 10 favorite artists — for the moment at least, and in no particular order — are David Smith, Frederick McCubbin, Jeff Koons, Georges Braque, John Currin, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Brett Whiteley, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Banksy and Sidney Nolan.

Neoteric Art: How is the Indianapolis art scene today?

Konrad Marshall: I would say the Indy arts scene is fairly strong for a city of its size. The Indianapolis Museum of Art is a major attraction in the city and a world class institution in its own right, but still costs nothing to attend. Of course there are other large spaces like the Indiana State Museum and the Eiteljorg, but beyond that there are a number of places where artists can make art, have a studio space, exhibit work, and feel like they’re part of a wider community. The Stutz building does this really well, as does the Harrison Center and the Wheeler. Again, for a city this size, I didn’t expect so much. Of the artists whose work I’ve seen over the past 18 months, I guess I have to give a shout out to Artur Silva. The guy gets a lot of attention locally, and it’s well-deserved. The city also has a great public art program, with annual public exhibitions making sure downtown in treated to some great work. Right now there are these mammoth, moving metal works by the late George Rickey all over town. I’m about to go on a walking tour to check it all out, in fact. Like most mid-sized cities, Indy probably has a way to go before you’d call it a hot bed of creativity, and unfortunately right now with the economic downturn in full swing, there’s a great deal of fear about public art funding being cut severely. Indianapolis is located at what some call the crossroads of America, and right now, it’s art scene is at its own intersection. From what I understand, the city made great gains in the late 90s, stalled a little of late, and now it just has to stay afloat and maintain while we all wait out the storm.

http://blogs.indystar.com/artseen/