We're thrilled to inform you that, per the MRC, it has now closed!

At this time we take a moment to reflect on the mismanagement of a building that possessed potential for greatness, under any name.

 

 2022; Indy Walls was our booming business, open 6 days, sometimes 7 days a week and late into the night. Artists made bank during our markets. We always welcomed the community and never asked for a single donation or admission fee. Instead, we encouraged our patrons to support the building by supporting the artists. Our mantra was radically authentic and lacked any caveats.

 

In November '22, we were locked out from the building, only to find the property owner claiming he owned Indy Walls, and hosting a fighting match in a building that we were not yet evicted from. During which, he and his partner would open the MRC, disclaiming the name change was part of their rebranding but keeping the same artists we were removing for breaching contracts. 

 

What the MRC didn't understand was, The Walls wasn't designed to get rich from. it was designed so the artists could have free access to a popular marketplace, in a thriving venue / community arts center that operates free of predatory practices, club or hanging fees. As artists, my wife and I sought out to create a self sustaining, all inclusive building that we would be proud to sell art from, and we did just that.

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Theoretically, all one would have had to do was pay attention to how we ran things -they claimed responsibility for everything we did- so just keep doing that, right? Wrong.

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What the MRC gave us was season-long closures after closure. Some closings so they could paint over the interior murals to revamp the neglected and dilapidated building into something it's not; a 'high end, white walls gallery'. All in order to attract a classier crowd who can afford venue rental, admission and wall fees, only without the 'high end, white wall gallery artists' and buzz. Any self respecting artist wouldn't pay to show their art, let alone a prominent one. They seriously thought white walls is what makes a gallery high end. Eventually all of this leads to closing off access to those who can no longer afford to participate.  Everything now has a cost in order to offset the fact the new owners are not artists in the slightest. It's not about creating an environment where artists do exceptionally well. They don't benefit from it. 

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We ask, did the support team of artists ever deliver on what they said they can do? Clearly it wasn't with keeping the place open or generating hype. We imagine those blank CV's didn't bring in any business, did they?

 

We were told by some local rappers who used our free stage that they were going to make our crowds blow up, once that they had control of booking and charging for the stage. How did that work out for them after we left? Did they waffle on their promises? According to their own estimations, this should have relieved all concerns. Did it, or were they just making shit up while people who should have known better, foolishly believed them?  

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There was a time we told Scott that being a partner with Jon wouldn't do anything for him but cost a fortune in paying his building for him, that he was better off focusing on the haunt and not focusing so much on taking our business. Curious if he understands what we were getting at, now that he's spent and with little to show for it? I hope it was worth the 16 weekends you were open and the friendship you squandered when betraying us. 

 

And what about the haunt? Did the artists do their part, like they previously claimed they wanted to? 

 

They openly discussed in group chat which artist was going to fill my role, but did any of them live up to it? 

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Did any studio artist pay rent and if so, why? You provided very little to no business and rarely were you hosting events. What were they paying for? And if they weren't paying, then why were they accessing a building that others paid to use? Seems a lot continued to go on here, other than art-related commerce. Also, why are your majority sales artist-to-artist based? Do people actually attend and buy or are other artists in the show buying to offset everybody's wasted time? And if the majority of art is being purchased by other artists, then can we all forego this ruse to sell to the public? It's a gross business practice that falsely makes everyone feel they've participated in real commerce and spares the feelings of bad promoters. It's okay to expect more than the bare minimum and embarrassing to see you all lie to yourselves about your sales and collectors. We both know they wouldn't have purchased your art this month, had you not purchased their art last month. Just stop. 

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We wonder which of these above mentioned geniuses advised you that you didn't need permits when building  your bathrooms and fire system? But this again is the result from relying on all the wrong people. 

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We wonder why the owners and management wasn't on site more and opened more frequent, taking sales from pop up events, or posting as often as we did to keep our organic reach up? Did everyone forget that we need to sell art every week and not just on the first Friday? Who really thinks an artist can survive on a day of sales? (Spoiler: Unfortunately all of indy arts support this model of barely trying. )

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At first we thought the building  would continue upholding the pillars of what made Indy Walls special, but they were only mimicking terms and talking points without any real understanding of the community. Imposters playing dress-up art-gallery. Eventually someone will out them. We thought the community wouldn't go along with the lies so willingly, but here we are, 2 years later, and ultimately our community suffers for it. 

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This ongoing charade has served as a receipt for their bullshit, lies, and gross incompetence. All parties involved would have been happier with the outcome, had they never considered a group of amateurs with no prior experience could do what we do. Instead, everyone should have let the experienced professional with over a decades-long resume of accomplishments to run his business, while the novices minded theirs. 

 

We've embarrassingly seen enough. We're glad it's over. We're ashamed that not a one of you could tell the truth.  

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-Indy Walls Management​​​​​