December's First Thursday (full listing)

BookArts Collaborative, Madjax “WWJB (What Would Jesus Buy),” GindhART, Madjax 2nd floor Holiday Showcase at Gordy Fine Art and Framing, Co. Light Up DWNTWN "Time Bank Social," Muncie Time Bank, Madjax Muncie Makers Market "Objectile Athenaems," Muncie Makes Lab Linda Ryan, "Thaw Space," Plyspace Melissa Joy Livermore and Linda Ryan, "Experiments in Tension," Plyspace Blues Jam, Valhalla

Light Up DWNTWN
Downtown Muncie
Light Up DWNTWN, powered by Indiana Michigan Power, will be held on First Thursday, December 6, from 5 -8 p.m. throughout Downtown Muncie. Galleries, restaurants, and retailers invite you to spend the evening with them as we kick off the holiday shopping season.

The Community Tree Lighting ceremony will take place at Canan Commons (located in the 500 block of S. Walnut St.) at 6:00 p.m. Join us as Mayor Dennis Tyler, BSU President Geoffrey Mearns Charlie Cardinal and Santa Claus light up the holiday tree! 

New this year will be an animated light show synchronized to music! The light show will be executed several times throughout December with times and dates to be announced. 

Muncie Community School's Elementary School Choirs will sing their Community Christmas Sing songs and lead the crowd in a carol or two!

Canan Commons will also be the location for the Holiday Makers Market, featuring nearly 50 artists in a heated tent.

Kiddie Express train will be running. Fire pits will be lit to keep you warm and concessions will be available. 

Brian Blair’s holiday sculptures will be on display at the park throughout the holiday season.

For more information, please visit downtownmuncie.org

The Atrium Gallery
Arts and Journalism Building, 1st floor, Ball State University campus

The School of Art Atrium Gallery presents a BFA Exhibition featuring the work of Aminta Cabrera, Taylor Fentz, and Teddy Lepley. There will be an opening reception from 4-6pm with extended hours until 8pm for First Thursday. The show runs from December 4-8.

Gallery hours are 9:00am to 4:00pm Monday through Friday, and from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM on Saturday. The gallery is closed on Sundays, and during all holidays and breaks observed by Ball State. Free admission.

Book Arts Collaborative (at Madjax)
514 E. Main

Book Arts Collaborative is featuring hand carved prints for $5 and holiday cards by local folk artist Mary Miller. We’ve also got hand-sewn journals and letterpressed holiday cards and wrapping paper. It’s the last First Thursday for 5 of our students who are graduating in December. There’s something for everyone in Madjax this season!

Gindhart (at Madjax)
514 E. Jackson St. (2nd floor)

GindhART will feature more social commentary artwork to close out 2018. Debra Gindhart, longtime local artist/artivist and visual arts educator has created “WWJB (What Would Jesus Buy),” a visual look at the consumerism that plagues our planet. She will also feature “I don't NEED A PRINCE” a view into the world of Disney indoctrination. “Tiny Trump”s is a sculptural homage to our POTUS 45 (pussy grabs). Debra's December First Thursday exhibition will also include REAL BABES RECYCLE and Green Glam Studio jewelry. Meet the artist and enjoy green tea from Italy and holiday cookies from 5-8pm on the 2nd floor of Madjax.

Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co.
224 E. Main

Gordy Fine Art & Framing Company will feature the works of local artists in its Holiday Showcase on First Thursday, December 6 from 5-8 PM. The event is open to the public and light refreshments will be served giving customers the opportunity to buy unique objects created by local artists for holiday decorating and gift giving. Greg Pyle and Austin Burton will be joining in the festivities with their musical talents including a favorite Christmas song or two.

Gordy is the area’s leading source for drawings, jewelry, journals, paintings, and pottery designed and made by local artists.  Most prices fall between $30 to $200. From whimsical “Funcie” signs and shirts to “Goddess” mugs that celebrate the female form. Paintings and prints capture Indiana’s landscapes and scenes in both traditional and contemporary styles.  Jewelry highlight simple cylindrical forms or the beauty of mounted stones.  The show will run through December and new items will be continually added.

“The Holiday Showcase offers great opportunities to find unique holiday gifts with a connection to Muncie and East Central Indiana,” says Gordy owners Barbara and Carl Schafer.  “Often our customers are shopping for friends and children who have moved away from the area and want something special to remember their hometown.  Others want to buy something unique and affordable as well as support the East Central Indiana art scene.”

Gordy Fine Art and Framing Company promotes talented local artists and offers expert design and craftsmanship for framing and displaying treasured family possessions and works of art. Gordy also repairs damaged frames and offers appraisal services for both art and antiques. Business hours: Monday through Friday, 9 am – 5:30 pm, Saturday, 9 am – 3 pm. Gordy Fine Art and Framing Company is located at 224 East Main Street, next door to Muncie Civic Theatre.  For more information, visit www.gordyframing.com or call 765-284-8422.

The Guardian Brewing Company (at Madjax)
514 E. Jackson

Linda Ellis will have an opening reception photo exhibit for First Thursday at The Guardian Brewing Company.

Heintzelman Hardwood Floors
103 High St.

Heintzelman Hardwood Floors is doing a live Giving Tree graciously donated by the Kiwanis of Muncie. On this tree we are asking for donated hats, scarves, and gloves that will be given to the YWCA and the Muncie Mission. They are also providing live music and refreshments along with an art show in the evening.

Madjax Muncie
515 E. Main St.

Madjax will hold several events for this month’s First Thursday. The BSU School of Art will hold a show produced by first year art students. Beginning with an underlying grid, each project is an exploration of the use of form, structure, focal point, and hierarchy.

CO:LAB invites you to see a live 3D Printer demo and check out our stellar work-space.

Muncie Time Bank invites you to join them for the Time Bank Social from 7-8:30pm to see what their organization does for the Muncie community and how you can participate. Muncie Time Brank prides themselves on being a non-monetary organization that uses time instead of money as currency. Light snacks will be provided. For more information, visit www.muncietimebank.org.

Tipsy Turvey's Pubcakes will be set up in front of the Co:Lab in MadJax. They will have Pubcakes, Beer Fudge, Cookies, Coffee Cakes and Crack(ers). As always, there will be at least 2 Gluten Free options!

Muncie Makers Market
Canan Commons

The Muncie Makers Market will again join Light Up DWNTWN on Thursday, December 6th from 5-8pm at Canan Commons in Downtown Muncie! The Muncie Makers Market has our Annual Holiday Gift Market filled with local artisans in a HEATED tent right by the Community Tree where you’ll find fresh, homemade food, beautiful art, and handmade crafts of all kinds!

Light Up DWNTWN, powered by Indiana Michigan Power, and sponsored by the Muncie Downtown Development Partnership, features the Community Tree Lighting ceremony led by Mayor Dennis Tyler, Ball State President Geoffrey Mearns, Charlie Cardinal, Santa Claus, and the Code Red Dancers. The Market’s tent is next to the Community Tree with FREE ADMISSION. There will also be an animated light show synchronized to music, the Muncie Community School’s Elementary Choir Performance and Caroling, the Kiddie Express Train, Fire Pits, and more! This is a Muncie tradition, be sure to bring your family!

Sponsored by the Muncie Downtown Development Partnership. For more information, please visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1895072917276997/?ti=icl

Muncie Makes Lab
628 S. Walnut

Muncie Makes Lab will feature work by the College of Architecture and Planning at BSU on the first floor from 5-8pm. “Objectile Athenaeum’s: Architectural Research in Robotic Concrete 3D Printing” is led by CAP Professor Chris Battaglia. Through the lens of additive manufacturing, the exhibition consists of a series of projects looking at the potential of mass customization through the material parameters of concrete 3D printing. Objectile Athenaeum’s is a 4th year design studio where students investigated how the shift from mass production to mass customization will change the way we think about architectural design. From the fabrication of a 3D printing platform, to the design of individual architectural components, the work ranges in scale to speculate how the shift in concrete construction techniques will impact design methodologies. 

PlySpace
608 E. Main

Join PlySpace on First Thursday, December 6th, for an Artist-in-Residence Double Feature with two performances by current Fall 2018 resident Linda Ryan and past Spring 2018 resident Melissa Joy Livermore. 

The first performance, Experiment in Tension, is a collaborative work by Melissa Joy Livermore and Linda Ryan, and is an extension of Deconstruction, a performance that Livermore exhibited during her residency at PlySpace last Spring.  Deconstruction is the practice of slowing down to engage in the present moment. The many iterations of the project have emphasized the mental space for contemplation and conversation created by removing thread after thread from a piece of fabric.  Experiment in Tension shifts the focus to the body -- by performing a repetitive action in collaboration, the work expands Deconstruction to a multi-person endeavor centered on the mental and physical spaces we can share with others.

The second performance, The Thaw, is a solo dance by current PlySpace Resident Linda Ryan, and is the culmination of the work she has completed while in residence this fall. Ryan will perform using a thermochromic (heat-sensitive) floor that changes color upon contact with the dancer's body. The artist will dance, crawl, roll, and run on the floor to create an ephemeral record of movement and body heat that will remain in memory but fade with time. The floor was constructed and engineered by Ryan while at PlySpace.

Melissa Joy Livermore graduated from Ball State University in 2015 and was an artist in residence with Transform Creative in Paris in 2017. Linda Ryan holds a BA in Dance from the George Washington University's Corcoran School of the Arts & Design, where she received the Luther Rice Research Fellowship as well as the Enosinian Scholars Grant. She is an award-winning dance researcher, conducting movement research and experiential choreography both internationally and at home in the US.

Performances begin at 6:00 PM (Experiment in Tension), 6:30 PM (The Thaw), 7:00 PM (Experiment in Tension), 7:30 PM (The Thaw), and last roughly 20 minutes each. There will be a short break (5-10 minutes) between performances. The audience is encouraged to arrive and take a seat 5 minutes before the performance start time.  All performances will be held in the PlySpace Gallery, at 608 E. Main Street. Parking is available at the northeast corner of Main and Monroe Streets. Please use the gallery entrance on the west side of the building, located directly off of the parking lot.

For more information please take a look the PlySpace events page (www.plyspace.org/events). Questions or comments about the PlySpace Residency program, events, and community collaborations can be directed to Residency Coordinator, Erin Williams at hello@plyspace.org.

PlySpace is a program of Muncie Arts and Culture Council in partnership with the City of Muncie, Ball State University School of Art, and Sustainable Muncie Corporation. PlySpace is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts

Tribune Showprint (at Madjax)
515 E. Main

Tribune Showprint will be open giving shop tours. Come see what new projects we are working on and get a little inky.

Valhalla  (21+)
215 S. Walnut

Valhalla presents “Blues Jam” every Thursday. “Blues Jam” is an open event with sign-up starting at 7pm and music from 8-11pm. Come show us your talent!