Meet Me on Main is back this weekend, both virtually and in person. After featuring a virtual experience only for the past few months, the popular monthly event returns to Main Street and the Arts & Design District from 5 to 9 p.m. on Saturday with open shops, restaurants and art galleries to experience. The festivities include live music, a new “Art in the Garden” program, a live demonstration by Jan McCune (at Indiana Artisan), crafts for kids and more.
The City of Carmel continues to encourage everyone to wear a mask or face covering whenever they enter a store or come in close contact with others. This does not apply to restaurants. Many retail stores have taken the Carmel Cares Pledge and will have a supply of free masks and hand sanitizer, in addition to taking other measures for your safety. Click here to see a full list of stores.
If you’re still not ready to venture out, you can watch Meet Me on Main “live” online. Watch the webcast from District at 5 p.m. for a 45-minute show on the Carmel Arts & Design District’s Facebook page as viewers will get to know The Olive Mill, No Label at the Table, and Art on Main Gallery.
If you plan to visit the District, here are the Meet Me on Main special events:
- Treasure Hunt: Three $100 gift cards will be hidden in the District on Saturday, July 11 after 5 p.m. and hints will be posted on the Carmel Arts & Design District’s Facebook page shortly after the event begins. Follow along for your chance to win.
- The Art Lab invites you to design your own wooden photo frame. Come by the breezeway next to Sub Zero Nitrogen Ice Cream to pick up your craft supplies. Special baggies “to go” will be provided and will include a wooden frame, tape and acrylic paint. This craft is free and no sign up is required. The make and take “to go” art project will be available from 5 to 8:30 p.m. or until supplies last. (111 W. Main St., #130)
- Free musical entertainment throughout the District. Low Keys Jazz will play on the patio across from Bub’s Burgers & Ice Cream, Sara Kays will perform next to Joe’s Butcher Shop and Rosie Inman will by Indiana Artisan.
Special gallery exhibits
- Carmel Art on Main Gallery: Mary Fuscaldo is July’s Art on Main front room feature. Before living in Indiana, Mary was a Michigan resident and is well known in that state for her oil and pastel paintings of dunes, beaches, landscapes and nature. Now officially a resident “Hoosier,” Mary has begun painting scenes from local sites such as Geist Reservoir. Her show will include her works from other lovely areas from her travels to Arizona and California. (111 W. Main St., #140)
- CCA Gallery: July’s featured artists include Deb Achgill (fused glass artist) and Brenda Smith (painter). Deb loves to work with dichroic and iridescent glass, which gives her pieces a magical appearance when viewed from different angles. Her glass pieces can be functional as well as decorative. Brenda Smith describes her art this way: “The vast array of rich and vibrant colors that are found in simple wild flowers, distant hills and sunsets bring me a joy I want to share. I love painting with oils, because they are deep, forgiving and not to be hurried … a little like me.” (111 W. Main St., #135)
- Holder Mattress: Annual Tent Sale. Save up to $900 on a mattress set. Call the showroom to make your private appointment, (317) 848-2939. (200 S. Rangeline Road, #119)
- Indiana Artisan: Jewelry artist Jan McCune will demonstrate chase repousse, an ancient hammering technique used to add dimension to flat metal. Watch as Jan works both sides of metal to create stunning cuffs, earrings and pendants. Carmel photographer Ken Rabbers will offer insights into his creative process, which includes shooting fast cars, glorious landscapes and calming nature scenes. Meet him and see his featured work in our north gallery. (22 N. Rangeline Road)
- Carmel Arts Council Children’s Art Gallery: New to Meet Me on Main is the Carmel Arts Council (CAC) “Art in the Garden” program designed to demonstrate art first hand to visitors to The District. The CAC’s selected artist will create art in the Children’s Art Gallery garden and will provide a “to go” craft for children. CAC’s first featured artist will be Carmel-based Scott Osborne, a talented and multi-faceted artist. Scott plans to bring his potter’s wheel and demonstrate how to make clay pots. (40 W. Main St.)
- All Things Carmel: Local photographer Steve Witta has produced a new line of “neural artwork” that involves extracting an artistic style from a source image and applying it to the content of a target photograph. The results are one-of-a-kind, artistic pictures that are printed with a glossy finish. His images will be displayed and available for purchase at the All Things Carmel store. Visit with Steve from 6 to 8 p.m. at the store. (110 W. Main St., #110)
About the Carmel Arts & Design District
The Carmel Arts & Design District is the Midwest’s premier arts and design destination. Home to more than 200 businesses, including art galleries, restaurants, antique dealers, design showrooms, boutiques and creative service providers, the Carmel Arts & Design District promises to stimulate the senses. The Indiana Design Center is housed in the Carmel Arts & Design District. In addition, hundreds have taken advantage of the wide variety of housing opportunities and call the Carmel Arts & Design District home.
A map of the gallery locations and more information about Meet Me on Main activities can be found at CarmelArtsAndDesign.com.
Public parking is available in the Carmel Lions Club lot (141 E. Main St.), Sophia Square parking garage (entrance off of 1st Ave. NW), Indiana Design Center parking garage (200 S. Rangeline Road) or on-street. Click here to download the Arts & Design District parking map may be downloaded.