The Indianapolis International Airport (IND) officially opened its first-ever art gallery with a private community event. The KIND Gallery, named after the Indy airport’s international airport code, will initially feature artists from the Harrison Center for the Arts.
The gallery is an expansion of the Indianapolis Airport Authority’s robust arts program, which was launched when the new terminal opened in 2008 with $4 million in permanent art installations currently on display. The program includes rotating temporary art exhibits curated and coordinated in partnership with the Arts Council of Indianapolis. The new KIND Gallery serves as an extension of the temporary exhibit portion of the overall program.
“We’ve had a long history of supporting the arts and we are committed to creating a climate where art and culture thrive. And that means creating expanded opportunities and experiences for local artists and the traveling public,” says Mario Rodriguez (pictured left), executive director of the Indianapolis Airport Authority. “The KIND Gallery is another chance for us to deliver on that commitment.”
The KIND gallery, covering more than 800 square feet, was established in partnership with the Arts Council of Indianapolis to bring new and exciting local art to the terminal. The gallery will initially feature the works of Indianapolis artists Johnny McKee, Kate Oberreich, Kipp Normand, Josh Rush, Ess Mckee and Megan Jefferson. The exhibit features a range of mediums including painting, collage, printmaking and sculpture.
The first gallery show, titled “Pareidolia,” was previously exhibited at the Harrison Center for the Arts, a nonprofit artist studio dedicated to fostering awareness, appreciation and community for arts and culture in Indy. “Pareidolia” refers to the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern. An often-used example of pareidolia is the experience of being able to see different shapes in the clouds. As such, each of the artists featured in the show used clouds as their prompt to set their creativity into motion.
“The airport’s new gallery and the intent behind it is a perfect partnership with the Harrison Center’s mission, which is to create forums and opportunities for public conversations between artists and the community,” says Joanna Taft (pictured right), Harrison Center for the Arts executive director. “This exhibition is an opportunity for our artists to express their unique voices while pushing themselves into uncharted territory.”
The KIND Gallery is located post-security in Concourse A next to Natalie’s Candy and is open to the traveling public.
To learn more about the IND Arts Program and the KIND Gallery, visit www.ind.com/community/arts-program.
The Indianapolis Airport Authority owns and operates Indiana’s largest airport system in the Indianapolis metropolitan area. In addition to the Indianapolis International Airport (IND), its facilities include the Downtown Heliport, Eagle Creek Airpark, Hendricks County Airport-Gordon Graham Field, Indianapolis Regional Airport and Metropolitan Airport. IND generates a $5.4 billion total annual economic impact for Central Indiana without relying on state or local taxes to fund operations. More than 10,000 people work at the airport each day, and 22,600 area jobs have a connection to the airport. In 2019, IND served more than 9.5 million business and leisure travelers. IND is consistently ranked, year after year, as the best airport in North America and the nation, based on ease of use, passenger amenities, customer service, local retail offerings and public art. The airport is home of the world’s second largest FedEx operation and the nation’s eighth-largest cargo facility. IND is committed to becoming the airport system of choice for both passenger and cargo service. For more info, visit www.ind.com or IND’s Facebook page at Indianapolis International Airport and Twitter page at @INDairport.
