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Organizers of the SubSurface street art festival didn’t seek mainstream attention for the first 14 editions of the Indianapolis showcase for inventive graffiti writers.
An underground ethos is present in the SubSurface name, and co-founder Dan “Handskillz” Thompson said it was important to “do it our way” as the event evolved from its Broad Ripple founding in 2002 to years in the Bates-Hendricks neighborhood followed by a shift to Fountain Square before the spray-paint party was discontinued in 2016.
But a new era of SubSurface will launch June 7-8, when Mystery Fun Club art store will supply paint for 20 writers, Higher Grade smoke shop will pay for one of its century-old exterior walls to be readied for a fresh mural and the Fountain Fletcher District Association will serve as a formal presenter of the event.
Thompson credited Laura Giffel, district manager of the Fountain Fletcher District Association, for suggesting a full-fledged revival of SubSurface after a scaled-down version of the event was staged in 2022.
“Laura Giffel, who is someone I did not know, reached out and said, ‘Would you like to do this? I can support you,’” Thompson said. “Honestly, it’s really cool.”
The 2022 work of Thompson, who’s collaborating with Fountain Square-based Bridge Collective to bring SubSurface back, can be seen in an intricate, letter-based mural on a wall north of St. Patrick Catholic Church and west of Harmony Tea Shoppe.
Chicago’s Like One and a pair of Cincinnati-based artists—the Devious and Gamble—also contributed to the wall two years ago.
Thompson said SubSurface built its reputation by inviting top-tier artists from other cities.
“I think it gives us great legitimacy,” he said. “We were doing these events before public art events became so popular and murals became such a face of urban life. Many of these artists were driving or flying themselves from parts unknown to Indianapolis. And some people did it for 10 years in a row.”
SubSurface also has a history of establishing relationships with property owners who authorize graffiti art. When that task became too challenging in Broad Ripple, the event moved in 2005 to two iconic locations in Indianapolis street art history: the American Tent and Awning Co. and Koch’s Electric buildings on Palmer Street west of Madison Avenue.
For the 10th-anniversary year of SubSurface in 2012, the event moved to Fountain Square to be part of the ascending cultural district.
“No funding, no budget and no promotion,” is how Thompson describes past editions of SubSurface.
Freedom of expression is what Thompson wants to carry over to the event’s new era.
Opening night of SubSurface on June 7 will include live painting on the concrete stage north of the Murphy Art Center along Woodlawn Avenue and a “Fine Art of SubSurface” exhibition inside the Murphy at the City Natives Gallery curated by Bridge Collective.
On June 8, the 20 participating artists from Indianapolis, Chicago, Cincinnati, Louisville and Denver will paint on five walls near 1028 Shelby St. The public is invited to a watch party scheduled noon to 4 p.m. For more information, visit fountainfletcher.com.
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When you invite into your neighborhood a group of people whose art form is predicated on vandalism, guess what’s going to happen to your neighborhood. What’s next, a public urination fest?