🏁 It’s almost Race Day, baby

Bring your cool tote bag to these places

Dear Play Listers, We invited artist Israel Solomon to read the newsletter for you today. We’re doing this to highlight the new Mirror Indy merch store [https://mirrorindy.org/shop/], featuring limited-edition tote bags, journals and puzzles with his artwork.  You may have seen Israel’s paintings at BUTTER or the Children’s Museum. His works stand out for being colorful, with people and objects painted to look like bright shapes with hard angles.  Besides reading the news, Israel will also tell us a little more about his painting style, what he keeps in his tote bag and all the cool places in Indianapolis he likes to visit. Get more Indianapolis arts and culture coverage at MirrorIndy.org/Arts [https://mirrorindy.org/arts]. You can also subscribe to get the Play List email newsletter [https://mirrorindy.org/newsletters/playlist/].

🏁 It’s almost Race Day, baby

It’s almost Race Day, baby. The Indianapolis 500 is “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” and we all get to be a part of it.  If you have the passion and the patience, you can make your way to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and watch it live. Or you can celebrate Race Day with porch parties, family get-togethers, full-blown barbecues or what have you. I usually see it in person with my uncle-in-law Tim McDonough. (Whatup, Tim!) The man is passionate about racing, and it’s contagious. He weaves through the hundreds of thousands of people at the track like Neo from “The Matrix” dodging bullets. It’s amazing to see. He sits in his infield bleacher seat, faces the track, brings out his little pocket radio, pops in his wired earbuds and disappears into pure racing bliss. The man is right where he wants to be all year. So, however you choose to be a part of our unofficial holiday, get psyched and embrace tradition. IT’S ALMOST RACE DAY, BABY! --- Enrique Saenz, westside reporter Get more Indianapolis arts and culture coverage at MirrorIndy.org/Arts [https://mirrorindy.org/arts]. You can also subscribe to get the Play List email newsletter [https://mirrorindy.org/newsletters/playlist/].

Mid-May, good art news

Dearest Play Listers, Do you know how you’re spending your summer yet? It’ll be here in a blink.  For some, it already kinda is. Prom happened, graduation caps went up in the air, the Chreece headliners were announced and the signups for the public library’s summer reading program started. It’s the perfect time to choose patio seating or get an ice cream cone. Everyone is looking pretty outside.  So don’t delay! Catch up your calendar with our May things to do list [https://mirrorindy.org/things-to-do-indianapolis-downtown-broad-ripple-fountain-square-panda-festivals-art/].  And read on for your weekly dose of arts and culture vitamins. Get more Indianapolis arts and culture coverage at MirrorIndy.org/Arts [https://mirrorindy.org/arts]. You can also subscribe to get the Play List email newsletter [https://mirrorindy.org/newsletters/playlist/].

Can you name all Central American countries?

Dear Play Listers, Now that I’m a new mom, I’m looking around in this new-to-me landscape of advertisements and celebrations for Mother’s Day.  According to Good Housekeeping magazine [https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/mothers-day/g32129906/mothers-day-origin/] (which my mother read religiously from the 1970s until the early 2000s), Mother’s Day started as an anti-war movement. It evolved to what it is now, a $25 billion commercial holiday.  This makes me think. How can we make sure Mother’s Day is not another Black Friday? If you read on, you might get ideas to take your special señora to a plant sale or a drag race. Plan to see new art with her or take her to a fancy event that raises funds for a good cause.  Get creative and make it meaningful. That’s my humble, newbie advice. Get more Indianapolis arts and culture coverage at MirrorIndy.org/Arts [https://mirrorindy.org/arts]. You can also subscribe to get the Play List email newsletter [https://mirrorindy.org/newsletters/playlist/].

Analog tips for your life

Greetings Play Listers, If headlines about tech bros, the AI takeover and data centers have you feeling like tossing your phone into a sinkhole, you might find this edition of Play List highly stimulating and helpful.  But first, this Friday is the first day of May and you know what that means: Reporter Mesgana Waiss combed through thousands of events and made a list with 40 events you can only attend IRL. We have gallery, museum and art fair openings, a book bedazzling event, a gathering that celebrates women with yoga and live music, and a party that makes lemonade out of a big lemon (the construction happening right in front of their hot dog business). We also have a story about an Indy Offline event where people have to put their phones in a lockbox. Let’s get to it. Get more Indianapolis arts and culture coverage at MirrorIndy.org/Arts [https://mirrorindy.org/arts]. You can also subscribe to get the Play List email newsletter [https://mirrorindy.org/newsletters/playlist/].