FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
IMA amps up popular Autumn Equinox celebration
Annual festival receives music makeover on Sept. 20
INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 11, 2014— The Indianapolis Museum of Art is making noise with a
celebration of sound on Sept. 20 from 3 to 7 p.m.
This year’s audio-themed Autumn Equinox festival will transform The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art &
Nature Park: 100 Acres into an interactive recording studio with exhilarating performances,
auditory experiments and music for all ages.
―This edition of Autumn Equinox will focus on aural experiences, both natural and manmade,‖
said Scott Stulen, the IMA’s curator of audience experiences & performance. ―The pieces we’ve
curated and commissioned range from quiet listening while swinging in hammocks to a circuitbent toy orchestra to the most epic guitar power cord in the history of Indiana. The intent of these
playful performances and installations is to stop, listen and experience the world around us in a
different way.‖
Stulen hopes that this year’s equinox celebration will give visitors a unique way to ―discover their
inner sound artist.‖ This year’s highlights include:
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A sonic playground from Minneapolis sound art & electronic music duo Beatrix*JAR.
The hands-on soundscape invites visitors to play instruments created from modified
keyboards and children’s toys. The playground opens at 3 p.m. and concludes with a
special performance by the duo at 6 p.m.
A one-time-only public sculpture, performance and sound installation— E is for
Equinox—from Grammy-nominated musician and Indianapolis-based artist Stuart Hyatt.
The ephemeral, powerful performance will consist of a circle of electric guitar players
simultaneously strumming the E major power cord over a two minute period. The cord will
gradually become louder, transforming the surrounding woods into a supercharged sonic
volcano, before reaching maximum volume and intensity. The spectacle will occur under
Team Building (Align) at 5 p.m. Guitarists interested in participating can apply here before
Monday, September 15.
The park’s 35-acre lake becomes a microphone for aquatic melodies with
Indianapolis-based artist Brian McCutcheon’s new work, Water Mining. The interactive
sculpture is designed to collect, amplify and broadcast the underwater sounds of the lake.
The piece will also feature performances by sound artists and project collaborators
Michael Drews and Jordan Munson. The duo will set sail on a specially-outfitted boat to
echo the water’s harmonies through live musical performances at 4:30 and 5:30 p.m.
Visitors can also enjoy local food trucks, join a walkabout band or relax in a hammock while
mixing original tunes in the Ruth Lilly Visitors Pavilion. Beverages will be available for purchase
from Sun King Brewery Co., the official brewery of this program.
The IMA’s Autumn Equinox celebration is free and open to the public. Learn more at
http://www.imamuseum.org/performance/autumn-equinox/
About the Indianapolis Museum of Art
Founded in 1883, the Indianapolis Museum of Art serves the creative interests of its communities
by fostering exploration of arts, design and the natural environment. Encompassing 152 acres of
gardens and grounds, the IMA is among the 10 oldest and 10 largest encyclopedic art museums
in the United States and features significant collections of African, American, Asian, European,
contemporary art and design arts that spans 5,000 years of history. Additionally, art, design and
nature are featured at The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres, Oldfields–Lilly
House & Gardens, a historic Country Place Era estate and National Historic Landmark on the
IMA grounds, and the Miller House and Garden in Columbus, Indiana, one of the country’s most
highly regarded examples of mid-century Modernist residences. For more information visit
www.imamuseum.org.
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Media Contacts:
Stephanie Perry
IMA
317-923-1331 ext. 231 (office)
317-850-8104 (cell)
[email protected]