Contemporary Art Museum of Indianapolis Arrives on City’s Southside
Indianapolis is now home to an innovative contemporary art museum just minutes from downtown with a little bit of something for everyone.
Located in the city’s budding Garfield Park cultural district, the Contemporary Art Museum of Indianapolis
(CAMi) is a five-acre cultural campus collaged from the city’s industrial and agricultural past with a focus on the future. Anchored by a newly renovated 40,000-square-foot former industrial building transformed into a contemporary art museum and community hub, the CAMi campus also features Tube (formerly Tube Factory artspace), 18 homes for long-term and visiting resident artists, and a public greenspace and art park — which includes an amphitheater and The Chicken Chapel of Love, among other features. Owned and operated by the 501(c)(3) arts nonprofit, Big Car Collaborative, CAMI’s grand opening weekend will kick off on May 1 with a slew of engaging arts experiences to check out.
A $7 million renovation project that turned a 125-year-old former dairy barn and industrial space into a living, working cultural engine for the city and region, CAMi’s main building holds six new galleries for commissioned contemporary art exhibitions, including a large, immersive main gallery for ambitious, large-scale installations. This building will also include a performing arts and event space, a culinary arts area with a full commercial kitchen serving an on-site restaurant and bar, studios for artists, storefronts for creative businesses, and two audio recording studios, including the new home for Big Car’s community radio station, 99.1 WQRT FM.
To see what exhibitions are on display at any given time, visitors can check out the CAMi website, which also highlights upcoming events to keep an eye on as well.
