June FIRST FRIDAY at the Factory Arts District

Name: June FIRST FRIDAY at the Factory Arts District
Start: 2026-06-05T18:00:00-04:00
End: 2026-06-05T21:00:00-04:00
Location: 1125 Brookside Ave, 46202

Schedule

Fri Jun 05 2026 at 06:00 pm to 09:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

1125 Brookside Ave, 46202 | Indianapolis, IN

The Factory Arts District, formerly known as the Circle City Industrial Complex, will host a First Friday art tour on June 5th, 6-9pm. Admission and parking are free.
The Factory Arts District is comprised of two buildings, Factory Arts North (1125 Brookside Ave) and Factory Arts South (1011 Massachusetts Ave). For First Friday purposes, all of the listed galleries and studio spaces are located in Factory Arts North.
Open Studios and Galleries
Several studios and gallery spaces will be open throughout the building. This list is not all-encompassing; some artists may decide to open that night based on current information and comfort levels.
Arondite Vintage and 1979 Co.
1979 Co. specializes in 100% hand crafted custom leather goods like bags, wallets and belts that will last a lifetime. Arondite Vintage specializes in vintage and repurposed clothing, jewelry, accessories, small home goods, found art and stationery. Also available, a selection of vintage belt buckles and an offer from 1979 Co. to create a custom belt to match. Arondite Vintage and 1979 Co. are located on the second floor of the North Studios.
Bebito Toys
New toys at the Bebito Studio. Rachel Hedges creates handmade plush toys from original patterns. Each is constructed from re-purposes and upcycled fabrics in color, quirky combinations, and are unique and adorable. The Bebito Studio is located on the 2nd floor, adjacent to the Schwitzer Gallery.
C & E Gallery
C & E Gallery is a space showcasing the works of Joseph Crone and Joseph Eakins along with guest artists throughout the year. Joseph Crone is an Indianapolis-based artist whose primary focus is photorealistic drawings exploring narratives of the mind using cinematic storytelling as a focal point. Joseph Eakins is also an Indianapolis-based artist, primarily focusing on oil paintings of interiors and urban landscapes that turn the familiar into compositions that balance realism with an underlying appreciation for the abstract. C & E Gallery is located on the second floor of the North Studios.
Curio Constructs
Curio Constructs is an artisan crafts business run locally by two Hoosiers, David Nguyen and Brandon Williamson, that love to make handcrafted candles and resin polyhedral dice. The pair are 100% involved in production, from designing and pouring dice to painstakingly sanding our sets to a near glass finish. They also hand paint the recessed numbers and spend time appraising the quality of their finished sets to ensure they meet extremely high standards. For candles, Curio Constructs curate and rigorously test fragrances for the best possible scents and combinations for soy wax candles and melts, and hand pour and finish each piece to ensure as smooth of a candle burning experience as possible. Curio Constructs is on the second floor of the North Studios.
Daily Epiphany Studio: Michele Burns and Kurt Kriese
Michele Burns will present a large-scale (“sofa-sized”) photoluminescent collection of simple color studies by day, coupled with explosive “nightlight” compositions when the lights go out, along with a collection of glowing mirror-tile works and a fun dragon-inspired glow-in-the-dark series. Burns’s art is inspired mostly by pattern, color and texture, and incorporates photoluminescent (light-absorbing) minerals that create a second "nightlight" composition. She makes the toy-safe glowing pigments herself for maximum luminance. Kurt Kriese’s art is an eclectic mix of styles, He is experimental with media and is a gifted abstract, landscape, and figure painter, and also a stained-glass artist with a unique use of color. Daily Epiphany Studio is located on the first floor of the South Studios.
Dream House
A staple of First Fridays, Dream House will be selling vintage clothing and will welcome visitors in their space on the first-floor corridor of the North Studios.
Mirvia Sol Eckert
Celebrating beauty is the fundamental concept unifying all of Mirvia Sol Eckert’s work. Common themes of her work are her Puerto Rican heritage, love of family, friends, spirituality and her fascination with nature. These ideas can manifest themselves in bright, vibrantly colored compositions, or in dramatic grayscale pieces with her stylized technique and putting lines and shape into movement and harmony. Mirvia Sol Eckert is on the second floor of the North Studios.
Five Seasons Studio
June at the Five Seasons Studio is a family affair, with the Factory Arts District’s longest resident artist Martha Nahrwold hosting Andrew Nahrwold and his curated collection of silver jewelry from Navajo, Zuni, Hopi artisans. To complement the collection, Martha Nahrwold presents “Southwest Desert Heritage Arts, and her latest acrylic, watercolor, and marbled impressionist pieces inspired by the American Southwest. Martha’s work is inspired by winter residence in Arizona, and morning desert hikes. Andrew’s interest is a result of his natural curiosity and love of research. Five Seasons Studio is located on the first floor of the North Studios.
Full Circle Nine Gallery
The Full Circle Nine Gallery (FC9) will feature Sarah Rae Cote with “Living as a Functional Artist.” Primarily a painter, but often working in mixed media, Sarah Rae Cote takes a moment to reflect on all of the effort it does take to build a career and earn a living as an artist in Indianapolis. The audience enjoys the creative fruit, but on the economic side, for the artist, there are wins and there are struggles. At times, the struggles can feel daunting. “I feel like, as an artist, sometimes we are hard on ourselves,” Cote said. “When you notice more of the things that we aim to complete rather than the things that we’ve accomplished, it can be discouraging. It will be powerful for me and encouraging to see the large body of art that I’ve done this far. This is a collection of the work I’ve created over the past decade, and you really get a feel for how my style has evolved.” The Full Circle Nine Gallery is located on the first floor of the South Studios.
Victoria Gillieron
Victoria Gillieron painted one painting, which turned out pretty good, and decided to get a studio. Not having any idea what she was doing, she quite amazingly found artist friends who took her under their wings and basically turned her into an artist. After many years studying with big name, extremely talented artists, attending workshops, and trying to learn how to correct the billions of problems she encountered, she finally feels like she can paint! Gillieron feels that art is a subject that can never be mastered and will always be a challenge but that she can, now and then, knock out a doozy of a painting! This month, Gillieron presents new work featuring landscapes and a few animal paintings. Victoria Gillieron is located on the first floor of the South Studios.
Glass Arts Indiana, Inc.
Glass Arts Indiana creates a collaborative glass community to support and promote emerging and established artists; to participate in events to increase the knowledge and appreciation of glass arts with Indiana residents; to host fun, interesting and educational events; increase appreciate and understand of the glass arts; and promote glass-related opportunities in Indiana and the U.S. Finished works are available and visitors will get to see glass-blowing in action. Glass Arts Indiana, Inc. is located on the first floor, in the corridor.
Raymond Gray
Leatherworking artist Raymond Gray presents a collection titled “Shift, Shaping Fibers,” a presentation of caftans in different geometric shapes, and hand-beaded necklaces and bracelets with Vicuna charms and pendants. Gray uses repurposed garments, primarily leather, cashmere, and Vicuna, to create his magical pieces. Raymond Gray is located on the first floor of the South Studios.
Carmen Hurt
“Internationally unknown artist” Carmen Hurt is one of the earliest artists in the building. Her bright, abstract, and often poignant paintings have held court in the South Studios for over a decade. Carmen Hurt is located on the first floor of the South Studios.
Indy Fused Glass
The artist instructors at Indy Fused Glass (IFG) create fused glass art for sale in a retail gallery. IFG teaches introductory fusing sessions, guided by artists to learn to create with fusible glass. IFG offers 14 different fusing projects to select from. These can be fused or “slumped” (another method of using fusible glass to create functional forms). The Indy Fused Glass, LLC Gallery has newly created fused glass art each week on display and available for purchase. For First Friday, IFG Glass Artists either offer hands-on sessions or feature a working glass artist, doing a demonstration. Indy Fused Glass is on the first floor of the North Studios.
Scott Johnson / Studio F60
Scott Johnson operates a contemporary art and design studio with a mix of painting, collage, and digital art. He blends representational and figurative artwork as well as selected forms of abstraction. There’s also a pool table. Scott Johnson is located on the second floor of the North Studios.
Larry Lad, LadArt
Larry Lad is a painter who covers the spectrum of abstract and representational work. He likes to add dimension to his paintings using additional canvas, cigar boxes, collage, and other materials to layer his work. His show "Replication" traces his journey as an artist as he searches for his own style by borrowing from the works of artists he admires. Lad also creates large sculptures and installations. Larry Lad, LadArt is located in the corridor on the first floor.
Cindy Lory
Cindy Lory works in a variety of mediums creating paintings, drawings, and digital artworks. She has had a lifelong love of fine arts and music and attended Herron School of Art in Indianapolis. Having recently returned to pursuing the visual arts, she enjoys working and creating in her studio. Cindy Lory is located on the second floor of the North Studios.
Grace Marshall, Grace M Design
Grace Marshall has always had a passion for using her hands to create beautiful and functional designs. Making unique jewelry with precious metals and gemstones has been both a challenging and rewarding career choice. As a certified jeweler and gemologist from the Gemological Institute of America, making unique jewelry with precious metals and gemstones has been both a challenging and rewarding career choice. Grace M Design is located on the first floor of the North Studios.
Leigh Miller
Leigh Miller is an expressive oil painter who creates textured, and vibrant landscapes and and this month, several new florals. Her hope is for the viewer to always see something new in her work, and to feel the joy and peace when viewing her work. She does enjoy painting larger, so the viewer can feel immersed in the painting. Miller primarily studied graphic design in college but was completely drawn to oil painting during her prerequisite studies at Herron school of Art. The desire to create art never left and with much encouragement from her late Pastor Paul Mooney, she has continued on the journey of creating and evolving her practice. “I’m an extremely happy person who loves life and I try to bring hope, joy, and inspiration to anyone I meet,” Miller said. “My hope is that my work reflects that part of me, and brings joy into the spaces where they go to live.” Leigh Miller is located on the second floor of the North Studios.
Mass Ave Mudroom
Mass Ave Mudroom is a community-centric ceramics studio providing workspace for professional, hobby, and new artists to grow, collaborate, and create. Members of the Mass Ave Mudroom seek to make ceramic arts accessible to everyone from all backgrounds by fostering a welcoming, safe, and inspiring space for those seeking community and creativity. For First Friday, studio members offer new work while hosting a fundraising game called “Putts for Pots,” raising money for the Indiana Undocumented Youth Alliance. All proceeds from the game will go towards IUYA and winners will take home beautiful, handmade pottery. They offer wheel-throwing and hand-building classes, studio memberships, private events and more. The Mass Ave Mudroom is located in the first-floor corridor.
Nate Olp
A leatherworking artist, Nate Olp will have new handmade leather goods, each extremely small batch, original pieces including bags, wallets, belts, and other small accessories. Each piece is hand stitched, hand cut, and hand burnished and made from the highest grade full-grain leather, yet sold at reasonable prices. Everything is done ‘the old way’ and without the use of electrical tools, to ensure top quality and to stick it to mass production, and offer quality and style over fast fashion and corner-cutting, greed-obsessed luxury brands. Nate Olp is located on the second floor of the North Studios.
REDEFINITION Clothing
Tendai Phillips brings REDEFINITION Clothing, where global influences converge to create a unique fashion experience and designs transcend time. “We believe fashion should be a universal language, and that's why we design clothing that transcends borders,” Phillips said. “Every stitch tells a story, weaving together the threads of inspiration from around the world. Our pieces are more than garments: they're a fusion of art and personal expression.” Born at the intersection of K-Pop’s vibrant energy, the rhythmic beats of Hip-Hop, the colorful vibes of Afro-pop, the avant-garde aesthetics of Japanese street style, and the pulse of current trends, REDEFINTION is a celebration of diverse cultures. REDEFINITION Clothing is located on the second floor of the North Studios.
Carol Sewell
Carol Sewell’s style has evolved over the years. For June, she presents “Instinctive Evolution,” a collect of work from yesterday and today. Her early work, in oil, was inspired by Sewell’s career in graphic design and communications. It was simple and direct. Today, her intention is to convey interesting compositions from a distance that offer small surprise upon closer inspection. The focal points are often photographs or graphite images that focus on the form or function of the subject. The adjacent colors convey additional aspects about the moment, object, or place. The viewer will encounter clean, hard edges, soft blends, and interesting textures as they travel around the piece. Carol Sewell is located on the second floor of the North Studios.
Strawberry Studio
Maya Smith-Custer creates a colorful and eclectic environment, with art inspired by travels, foods and nature. By using pastels and bright colors, she is hoping to remind others to not shy away from colorful expression. Strawberry Studio is located on the second floor of the North Studios.
The Factory Arts District is open during regular business hours, and the Schwitzer Gallery is accessible throughout the week. A number of the city’s most varied and exciting artists and galleries will remain open for their regular hours, with many of them available on weekends, posted on their own websites and social media. Some studios will be open by appointment.
About the Factory Arts District
Located just east of downtown Indianapolis, the Factory Arts District (formerly the Circle City Industrial Complex) encompasses a 16 acres and houses two buildings: Factory Arts South (1011 Massachusetts Avenue)—a 95,000 square foot facility—and Factory Arts North (1125 Brookside Avenue)—a 420,000 square foot facility—as well as two free parking lots. The property was previously home to the Schwitzer Corporation, a pioneer in automotive technology. This location is the gateway of the Mass Ave/Brookside Industrial Corridor, which encompasses more than 300 acres of vacant or underutilized commercial and industrial property.
In 2014, with much of this area suffering from deterioration and environmental issues, it became a focus for revitalization for the City of Indianapolis. In 2015, the City awarded a $1.5 million Community Development Block Grant to the Factory Arts District; funds that were used to renovate, repair, and ultimately stabilize the property. Today, the Factory Arts District provides a case study for successful industrial reuse in an urban environment.
For more information, please visit https://www.factoryartsdistrict.com/