broad ripple magazine december 2015

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DECEMBER 2015 MAGAZINE

Creating His Own Mythology

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25WALTER KNABE: CREATING HIS OWN MYTHOLOGYWriter / Kara Reibel

Walter Knabe moves his studio closer to home, reflecting his comfort with revitalization of his neighborhood and a return to his creative roots.

PUBLISHERTom Garriott

[email protected] / 317-797-8135

TOWNEPOST PUBLISHERTom Britt


BUSINESS MANAGER Jeanne Britt


CONTENT MANAGERKara Reibel

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Alyssa Sander

ADVERTISING DESIGNER Austin Vance

EDITORKatelyn Bausman

DEC. WRITERS & CONTRIBUTORSDan Wakefield / Joshua Deisler / Kara

Reibel / Lisa Mitchell / Pat Carlini

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The Broad Ripple Magazine is published by the TownePost Network and is written

for and by local Broad Ripple area residents. Magazines are distributed via direct mail to more than 10,198 Broad Ripple area homeowners and

businesses each month.

MAGAZINE

Cover Photo / Brian Brosmer

6 What We Wish We'd Said

11 Former Fishers Teacher Opens New School

12 Congratulations to Indianapolis' Bob Kevoian

15 ArtMix Student Wins National Award

18 Digital First Impressions

29 Eye Can See, Inc.

30 Hitting the Mark with Jeff Hopkins

FEATURED16 Beautification Along the Monon Trail Continues with the Department of

Public Words

22 A Sure Sign of the Giving Season: Salvation Army Bell Ringing

34 Giving Creation New Life


COMINGHOMEDAN WAKEFIELD

WHAT WE WISH WE'D SAID

I doubt there is a human being who does not at some later time wish we had said something that we didn’t. I’m not talking about the common fantasies of telling off a former friend or enemy, striking them with our rapier wit that would have cut them down to size after they dared offend us. Those things rarely work satisfactorily, and I can only think of one instance when a much later put-down gave justified satisfaction to the wielder of the word of revenge.

Kurt Vonnegut was humiliated as a senior at Shortridge High School during a custom that allowed faculty members to give “joke presents” to some of the seniors (the ritual was happily discontinued by the time I got to Shortridge.) The football coach had given Kurt, self-described as “an awkward, gangly kid," a subscription to The Charles Atlas Body Building Course. The teenager felt humiliated in front of his classmates and faculty.

Several decades later, while sipping bourbon by himself in his New York apartment, feeling satisfied as only a writer does after his novel (“Slaughterhouse Five”) is hailed on the front page of The New York Times and becomes an international best-seller, Kurt picked up the phone and asked for the number of that football coach who was still alive. He got him on the line and said simply “This is Kurt Vonnegut, and I doubt if you remember me, but I wanted to tell you my body turned out just fine.”

‘Nuff said.

Few of us can think of the right thing to say on the spot – it took Vonnegut more than 20 years and the confidence of a best-seller to find a great response. Mostly we sputter a curse or two and afterward feel worse than we did before attempting our verbal counter-attack.

Robert J. Manning, center, with author John Updike and biographer Justin Kaplan. Souce: New York Times


On the higher ground of a wish to acknowledge someone, to give a friend or colleague a deserved compliment, we often hold back, wishing later we had said it. One of my missed opportunities occurred when I was sitting on the stage of Clowes Hall with Vonnegut and John Updike in the first “Spirit and Place” event. Updike was saying that many English writers could be counted on to publish a first-class new book every year or so, year after year, but we don’t have any writers like that in America today.

“But we do, John – it’s you!”

That sentence was in my head, but it didn’t come out of my mouth. I truly admired the regularity with which Updike managed to publish a new novel just about every year and a half, and in between the novels, he often came out with a collection of assorted prose or poetry, all of it high quality work.

I hesitated to say it – I don’t know why – maybe fearing I would sound as if I were currying favor or showing off my own professional generosity, but the fact is I did and still do believe he was as good as he was prolific and one of the few American writers of his time to exhibit such qualities.

I wish I had said it, but now it’s too late to tell him. I doubt if it would have made his evening, but it always helps to feel recognized and acknowledged, and it helps the person who recognizes and acknowledges to know that he or she has expressed a heartfelt opinion.

Such dilemmas do not apply only to writers! I wish like the devil I could have opened up and said what I felt to a man who came to a book signing I gave at a Barnes and Noble here in Indy back in the ‘80s. One of my old School #80 classmates came to my reading, and I asked him to have coffee afterwards. He had not only been a classmate, but he had played basketball at my backyard backboard on Winthrop – a breeding ground of future Broad Ripple High School stars!

When I met him years later at that book event, Dick “Itchy” Richardson had become a successful contractor, and he seemed very subdued and quiet. He looked the same – tall, dark-haired, loose-limbed, handsome – but I had the desire to shake him and say, “Hey, Dick – Itchy – you were a great kid! You could make me laugh with your loosey-goosey style, you could send our outdoor basketball games into hysteria when you urged people not to just ‘flick’ – to shoot too much – but to ‘fo-leek,’ which meant to really shoot way too much and do it with no shame, to throw up impossible baskets with glee." But we both just sat there over our coffee like dodos or department store dummies, being polite, restrained and ‘grown-up.’

When I moved back to Indy four years ago, I asked if you [Dick] were around, knowing this time I would thank you for giving me so much fun and hope I could get your comic spirit going again. I wanted to enjoy the deep-down pleasure of happy hysteria that

some people have the gift of passing on to others. I’d shake you until you smiled and the laughs came rolling out, and I could join you in the kind of hysterics that made us fall to the ground. But you had already gone, I was told, and not just left the city but left this life, taking your laughs with you. I had missed my chance to say thanks for lighting and lightening my early life.

At my age, so many people are passing from my chance to thank them that I try to make a point of doing it, especially with people I am no longer able to see very often. When I last visited Boston, I made a point of looking up a man to whom I owed a great deal. I met Robert Manning when I was on a Nieman Fellowship in Journalism at Harvard, and he was editor of The Atlantic Monthly. I wrote a piece he liked and published, and when I ended up living in Boston after the Nieman year, we saw a good deal of one another.

I wrote in a fairly regular way for the magazine, and he made me a Contributing Editor (the title had no salary but gave me the use of a beautiful office overlooking The Boston Public Garden.) One evening in the spring of 1967, Manning was cooking steaks on the grill in the yard of his house in Cambridge, and we both were sipping dry martinis. He spoke of how difficult it was for a monthly magazine to cover the rapidly changing events in the Vietnam war.

“Maybe what we should do,” he mused, “is to send someone around this country to see how the war is affecting us."

I agreed that was a good idea, and through the charcoal haze of the grilling steaks and the silver sting of the martinis, he asked if I would like to take on that assignment. I didn’t hesitate to say yes. For six months, I traveled throughout the country, talking with all kinds of people about the war. I ended my travels in Washington, D.C., to interview people in government and write what became an entire issue of The Atlantic in March 1968, called “Supernation at Peace and War,” which then was published as a book.


Manning essentially had trusted me with his magazine and his reputation as an editor. The Atlantic had never before devoted a whole issue to a single article and author – a 36-year-old version of me. And I didn’t fail the trust. That issue of the magazine sold out our rival Harpers, and their whole issue was given over to Norman Mailer’s “The Steps of The Pentagon,” later published in book form as “The Armies of the Night.”

When I went to Boston several years ago, Bob had retired with his wife to Cape Cod, but he sometimes came in to spend a few days in their condo in the city. It was there I asked him to lunch. Afterward, we went to his home in Boston’s South End and talked of the old days. After we had reminisced for an hour or so, he asked “Have we covered everything?”

I said, “No, but there’s one thing left.” “Oh? What’s that?” he asked. “I want to thank you," I said, “for being good to me.”

When you’re young, you think that every opportunity someone gives you is your just due. You later realize it’s

because someone has put their faith in you and risked their own reputation to bet on your chance of coming through for them. I wish I could shake the hand of each one who has blessed me in that way, but many are gone. At least I am glad that I said what I wanted and needed to say to Bob Manning, one of the mentors who took a chance on me and who I lived to appreciate and express my thanks.

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Thank you for another

wonderful year! The Broad Ripple Magazine

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Writer / Pat Carlini . Photographer / Kara Reibel

One-time Fall Creek Elementary teacher Anna Shults is taking on her biggest undertaking yet: opening her own free, public charter school for students in Grades K-5!

Construction for Ace Preparatory Academy Charter School (“ACE Prep”) is underway at the 26,000 square foot abandoned office building on Hillside Avenue near 54th and College in Indianapolis’s Broad Ripple area on the border of IPS and Washington Township.

“It is a lot of work. Creating a school where lives are changed shouldn’t be easy, but I’m excited and honored to have such an incredible opportunity within the community!” says Shults who has been teaching her entire career and says she’s an educator at her core.

“As a child, I used to play school in my basement for hours mimicking my own teachers,” laughs Shults. “Teaching was just something I was meant to do.”

Shults spent 12 years as an elementary teacher in Hamilton Southeastern Schools and was honored as Indiana’s 2007 State Teacher of the year (she was also a candidate for National Teacher of the Year

in 2008), and the experience actually sent her career in a new direction.

Teacher of the Year winners are given a sabbatical from the classroom for a year to talk to teachers statewide. “I’ve never been comfortable with the idea of leaving the classroom,” says Shults. “But the experience really opened my eyes to what goes on in other classrooms. I saw firsthand this belief felt by many that zip code determines a child’s destiny, but a solid foundation in the early grades can help any child soar no matter what where the student lives.”

Following her year of travels, Shults returned to her classroom, only to step away a year later for an opportunity to shape elementary reading initiatives at the Indiana Department of Education. She was then sought after by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for a yearlong opportunity to lead the Foundation’s body of work pertaining to empowering and celebrating teacher-leaders.

Shults also became a part of Building Excellent Schools, a national non-profit that trains high capacity individuals to design, found, lead and sustain high performing charter schools in communities where schools have a history of struggling.

Today 40-year-old Shults is the founder of ACE Preparatory Academy Charter School (an acronym for Academics, Character and Excellence which was approved by the Indiana Charter School Board earlier this year). The free, college preparatory school will open August 1, 2016, with 72 kindergartners and 72 first graders and grow one grade level per year thereafter until they serve Grades K-5.

“I am wholeheartedly committed to the community we will serve and the students and families that call the Midtown area home,” says Shults. "This is the work that gets me out of bed in the morning and the work that keeps me up at night.”

ACE Prep is currently enrolling students in grades K-1. For more information on ACE Prep, you can visit aceprepacademy.org or contact Founder Anna Shults at [email protected].

FORMER FISHERS TEACHER OPENS NEW SCHOOL

“I AM WHOLEHEARTEDLY COMMITTED TO THE COMMUNITY

WE WILL SERVE AND THE STUDENTS AND FAMILIES THAT

CALL THE MIDTOWN AREA HOME. THIS IS THE WORK THAT

GETS ME OUT OF BED IN THE MORNING AND THE WORK

THAT KEEPS ME UP AT NIGHT.” - ANNA SHULTS


Writer / Pat Carlini

It has been a bittersweet time for fans of the “The Bob and Tom Show” on WFBQ-FM 94.7.

In early November, the popular radio duo, based here in Indianapolis but syndicated nationwide on more than 100 stations, was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame at the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago. It was a great moment for all, but as Bob accepted the award, he also announced his retirement!

“I always thought you had to die or be retired to be considered for the Hall of Fame. Thank God, I’m not dead, but I am going to retire at the end of the year and walk away from the mic.”

A lot of us knew this day was coming, and listeners were somewhat prepared as Bob took several “vacations” throughout the year.

But to actually hear him say the words “walk away from the mic” was still a little shocking to many.

Bob says he wants to see America with his wife in his aluminum

Airstream Trailer. While at home, he wants to spend time with his family on his Lawrence compound where Bob says he will be buried some day.

We want to say congratulations to our Geist area neighbor on his success and his retirement! I know I am proud to say I had the opportunity to work with “The Bob and Tom Show” and collect several Marconi Awards during my time with them in the ’90s! “The Bob and Tom Show” hit the air waves here in 1983 and went syndicated in 1995.

Bob will continue to be heard on the show with the number of recorded bits they play featuring his famous laugh and the more than 50 comedy albums they have produced together over the years.

In the meantime, the other half of the famous duo, Tom Griswold, says Bob will always be a part of the show, and his presence will continue as they broadcast for years to come.

As they say in show biz…the show must go on.

Good luck, Bob!

CONGRATULATIONS TO GEIST'S OWN BOB KEVOIAN

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Writer / Kara Reibel . Photos Provided

Meghan McNeal, an ArtMix student, shared the stage with First Lady Michelle Obama November 17 to accept the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award.

McNeal, 20, has been attending art classes at ArtMix for over 15 years. She first went on a field trip with school. “Meghan just brings us so much joy every day,” shares her gushing father Wayne. “We are just so proud of her and overwhelmed by her award she’s won.”

The McNeals, Meghan and her parents, Wayne and Lisa, traveled to Washington, D.C., for Meghan to accept her National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award at the White House.

“It’s such an honor and a true celebration of Meghan’s artistic accomplishments,” says Lydia Campbell-Maher, Director of Grants and Marketing for Artmix. “We could not be happier for her.”

ArtMix is a non-profit arts service organization providing access to the arts for people with disabilities. ArtMix (formerly VSA Indiana) fulfills its mission through a series of arts programs led by 20+ professional Teaching Artists who provide programming in schools, community centers, hospitals and on-site in our adaptive arts studios near downtown Indianapolis.

Through its programming, ArtMix increases access, engagement, knowledge and skills in and through the arts. Collectively, ArtMix programs serve more than 6,000 people each year. The programs create opportunities for learning, self-expression and socialization and increase community understanding and acceptance of people of all abilities.

ArtMix was founded in 1982 and is a member of the VSA Affiliate Network, a program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

The art created in this program is regularly sold in Broad Ripple galleries.

For more information, visit artmix.org or call 317-974-4123.

ARTMIX STUDENT WINS NATIONAL AWARD

Meghan with parents Wayne and Lisa McNeal

First Lady Michelle Obama, Meghan McNeal and Linda Wisler, VP of Programs


Writer & Photographer / Kara Reibel

The Department of Public Words is at it again, this time teaming up with mandala artist Jamie Locke to create gigantic mandalas along the Monon Trail just north of 49th Street, creating the Harmony Mural.

Holly and Dave Combs, Megan Jefferson, Locke and other volunteers have created another visual point of interest, bringing the bright, bold and colorful mandalas to life along with positive messaging.

The team took a resourceful approach, utilizing supplies they already had and utilized continuity from the Love Train Mural. Dave Combs converted Locke’s mandala file into a vector file, which enabled him to laser cut the stencil of the mandala.

“This is truly a team effort,” says Holly. “Each of us worked together on this project

and acknowledged from inception that a project of this scale couldn’t be done without all of us working together.”

Artists Locke, Jefferson and the Combs make the implementation of this project look easy. The project involved not just the DPW team with Locke, but the entire SoBro neighborhood was able to weigh in on the wording to be used on the Harmony mural.

Jefferson, a painter and colorist, and SoBro resident wanted input from neighbors as to which words best describe the SoBro area. These words grace each panel of the mural along the Monon.

“Harmony, beauty, love, vibrant, diversity, peace and respect were all chosen by the residents of the neighborhood to represent the essence of SoBro,” shares Jefferson.

The Meridian Kessler Neighborhood Association provided the seed money for

the project. Keep Indianapolis Beautiful donated some paint and are replacing the bushes along the wall with 10 native shade trees and finding a new home for the bushes.

Indy Parks are placing a picnic area across from the mural. The Penrod Society supported the efforts in honor of Penrod artists Megan Jefferson and Jamie Locke. Private donations were generously contributed by Sara Jean Cross and Brian Payne. The Winthrop Supply company who owns the wall graciously cleaned and primed it, creating a clean palette for the artists to work their magic.

“I am proud to live here, and I am happy to beautify it,” says Jefferson. “Everything about SoBro and this mural makes me happy.”

For more information and to donate to the amazing projects by the Department of Public Words, please visit dpwords.org.

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Writer / Lisa Mitchell . Photos Provided

How often do you “meet” someone digitally before you actually meet them in person? If you’re like most people, the answer is “more often than not!” It has become standard procedure now to check out a professional’s LinkedIn profile before deciding to book an appointment, research a candidate’s social media profiles before considering them for a job interview and to “Google” someone before going on a date with them. We like to do our research, and using the Internet is our tool of choice.

What is your digital first impression saying about you?

Chances are, you haven’t put a lot of time or effort into really assessing what type of first impression you are making online, but you should. First impressions, especially those made digitally, are a PAIN: Permanent, Accurate, Immediate and Non-Verbal.

Digital first impressions matter. And in many cases, your digital first impression can mean the difference between getting the job, being accepted into your dream

college program or being asked out by a person who might be perfect for you in real life.

Still not convinced that having a handle of your digital first impression is important? Let me share a story with you. A friend of mine recently had a friend whose daughter had applied to a prestigious university program. She had all the credentials, excelled in every key area and interviewed like a pro. All signs pointed to her being accepted in to the program.

But then she was declined. They were truly baffled. When asked by a friend why the girl wasn’t admitted into the program, one of the members of the admissions board had this to say: “Tell her to get all that sh*t off of her social media.”

Not representing herself appropriately and not caring for her digital first impression to ensure it conveyed her intentions properly was the difference between being accepted and missing out on an amazing opportunity.

Don’t let this be you.So how do you take control of your

digital first impression and make sure that people who are meeting you for the first time digitally are getting a true, authentic representation of who you are? The best way is to take a comprehensive digital asset inventory.

A digital asset inventory is a great way for you to take a detailed look at each item that represents you online and to evaluate it for its current strengths and shortcomings, for things that should be changed and for ways it might be enhanced to better represent your intentions and capabilities.

Begin by making a list of each digital asset that is currently used to represent you online. Digital assets include: social media profiles (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google +, etc.), pictures, logos, videos, websites, head shots, brochures, marketing materials and any other item that helps to convey your digital brand.

Next, quickly list the first three words that come to mind to describe your first impression with each of those assets. Are the words that came to mind the same words you would hope to have someone

DIGITAL FIRST IMPRESSIONS

SMIRK VS. SMILEVanessa Van Edwards, Chief behavioral investigator and founder of The Science of People human behavior research lab says:

“Stop the smirk! One of the most common mistakes I see in profile pictures is the one-sided smile, otherwise known as a smirk. The problem with smirking is that it’s the universal facial expression for contempt, which means hatred or disdain. If your profile picture shows a smirk, you’re nonverbally telling people you don’t want them to connect with you! Notice the difference in the photos below.”

TOWNEPOST NETWORK / DECEMBER 2015 / TownePost.com TownePost.com / DECEMBER 2015 / TOWNEPOST NETWORK

think of when they meet you online? If not, it’s time to make some changes!For instance, if you would want a potential client who found your profile on LinkedIn to immediately think of you as credible, trustworthy and professional, you would need to have a professional headshot of you looking straight forward into the camera and would want to make sure you have a genuine smile on your face to show warmth and openness.

If you have a picture of you with a smirk (or half smile) and are angled away from the camera, the impression you give is that you are addressing them with contempt and are blocking or distancing yourself from them or perhaps being deceptive. Definitely not the vibe that you would want a potential client to pick up from your profile!

And please, leave the “girls night out” or fishing trip pictures for your Facebook timeline. Those pictures don’t belong as your profile picture on a professional site.

You would then work your way through each of your digital assets, evaluating each one in a similar manner. Once you know what specific digital assets aren’t making the first impression you would like it to, you can work through updating each one by removing the components that don’t convey you authentically and adding the photos, videos and content that will more accurately represent you and make a first impression you can be proud of.

If you are interested in learning more about how to evaluate and improve your digital first impression, I’d love to help. I’m a Certified Body Language Trainer and Non-Verbal skills expert, and I love helping people master their first impressions, increase their influence and communicate with confidence. You can reach me at [email protected] or on Twitter @powernonverbals.

FAKE SMILE VS. GENUINE SMILEVan Edwards goes on to say:“Another common issue with profile pictures is the fake smile. A fake smile is when the smile doesn’t fully reach up into the eyes (the sign of genuine happiness). As humans, we love seeing genuine happiness on others, so think happy thoughts or reflect on a great experience to bring out real happiness in your photos.”

AS HUMANS, WE LOVE SEEING GENUINE

HAPPINESS ON OTHERS, SO THINK HAPPY THOUGHTS

OR REFLECT ON A GREAT EXPERIENCE

TO BRING OUT REAL HAPPINESS IN

YOUR PHOTOS.

“

“


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A SURE SIGN OF THE GIVING SEASON: SALVATION ARMY BELL RINGINGLike twinkling lights and joyful carols, it simply wouldn’t be Christmas without the familiar ringing of The Salvation Army bells. For six weeks each fall, The Salvation Army asks the public to remember their neighbors in need by dropping spare dimes and dollars in its iconic red kettles.

These donations help fund programs and services long after the Christmas trees come down and the last of the snow has melted. From after school programs and summer camp to food pantries and utility assistance, The Salvation Army serves tens of thousands of men, women and children in central Indiana.

One of these individuals was Phyllis, who is rebuilding her life at the Ruth Lilly Women and Children’s Center, located on The Salvation Army campus in the heart of downtown Indianapolis dubbed the “Block of Hope.”

Phyllis has no illusions about how dire her situation had gotten. “If I’d sat out there another day, I’d be gone,” she shares, shaking her head at the memory of her last days on the street. Phyllis had been homeless and living at a local bus station, suffering from hyperglycemia because she didn’t have access to medications to treat her diabetes. She weighed only 86 pounds and had stopped eating when she

walked through the doors of the Ruth Lilly Women and Children’s Center.

Phyllis was immediately admitted, given food and looked over by a doctor. It wasn’t long before she was back on her medication and sharing her harrowing tale with the shelter staff, which included the sudden death of her husband from brain cancer and the loss of her house. She’d always been taken care of as a wife and didn’t know how to seek employment, handle personal finances or get the psychological care she needed to deal with the loss of her husband.

“This is a place where you can get help,” Phyllis smiles as she gestures at the walls of her new home at the Women and Children’s Center. “They’re helping me through things. I’ve never been homeless before, and it’s really hard. They have a lot of options here. I’m grateful for it because it’s getting me on my feet.”

Phyllis is now tackling a list of goals, both large and small. From getting her body healthy again to finding employment and saving money for her own apartment, she works every day to get closer to independence. That work includes weekly meetings with her case manager and social worker, sessions with a psychiatrist, money management classes and a new job at a

local restaurant.

After just two months, Phyllis already looks like a different woman. She proudly tells anyone she meets that she’s up to 120 pounds and has her diabetes under control. While Phyllis will sheepishly admit that she still isn’t “street smart,” she’s learning how to make smart decisions for her future.

“They set you up for success – that’s what they do,” Phyllis explains. “I give thanks to The Salvation Army. I thank God every morning that I’m here.”

So when you drop a quarter in a red kettle this month or search out the clear ringing of a bell in a crowded shopping mall, remember the thousands of Hoosiers like Phyllis who know The Salvation Army is more than a red kettle at Christmas. It’s hope for tomorrow.

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Creating His Own Mythology

Writer / Kara Reibel . Photographer / Brian Brosmer

The new location for the Walter Knabe Studios on 54th Street in the Village surrounds clients with Knabe’s signature

works of art and inspired creations. It certainly feels like Knabe has come home. The environment is comfortable, and

one could easily imagine what it feels like to be seated in Knabe’s and his fiancé Kelle Lindenberg’s living room.


Knabe’s aesthetic is a hybrid of antiquity and modern with a tangible timelessness which makes every piece of art that Knabe creates feel like it’s ahead of its time yet classical simultaneously. Knabe believes art helps create your own world, creating your own mythology.

“You get to ‘create your own mythology’ with art,” shares Knabe. "People should feel empowered to create their own world in which they would like to live. I ask clients to envision their dreams and ask what inspires them.”

The gallery takes on the role of a hybrid store with Knabe’s signature artwork and lifestyle pieces for sale, creating an opportunity for someone to become a new patron of his for as little as $12, spend a good deal more for large original works or commission Knabe for a more personal piece such as a unique portrait on canvas.

“What is interesting for me to witness is the process of creating a collection, such as

Walter’s ‘Tranquility,’ and its application to a non-canvas product such as the yoga tanks or cosmetic bags,” shares Lindenberg who is a principal with Walter Knabe Studios.

Working through a specific creative process to bring the ambience of the art to a non-canvas product is something that Knabe has mastered over his 30 plus years of experience with functional art. In addition, his focus in his new location will merge the ethereal artistic process with his new space for retail.

Knabe’s art is well-known across the country and around the globe, yet he proudly calls Indianapolis home. “We raised our girls here, and I just love Indianapolis. It’s centrally located in the U.S. and simply a great place to live,” says Knabe.

Originally, Knabe had his studio in the Stutz building downtown, but he’s been at the Indiana Design Center in Carmel for the last five years. The decision to move his studio to 54th Street seemed like a natural progression,

bringing additional vitality and confidence to the area where he has lived for years.

“With this new location, it will be the first time that I could ride my bike to work…safely,” shares Knabe.

Lindenberg adds, “The proximity to downtown or to clients outside I-465 is much easier here in the SoBro area, and we can’t beat the commute for us personally.”

“I feel like I have come full circle,” says Knabe who started out in New York City, working as Walter Knabe Functional Art. His rebranded messaging is Walter Knabe Studios: Making Fine Art Functional.

What began as large wall murals and hand-painted and hand silk-screened wallpaper has evolved, expanding his offerings through a wide variety of mediums. Today, there are new tools at Knabe’s disposal to utilize for his creations, such as digitizing techniques. This tool helps expand Knabe’s pattern collection,

“You get to

‘create your own

mythology’ with art.

People should feel

empowered to create

their own world in

which they would like

to live. I ask clients

to envision their

dreams and ask

what inspires them.”


allowing for a selection of 800 colors. Prints created in this manner do not require hand-printing, thus lowering the cost for clients.

“Walter is capable of creating full color fabrics and wall coverings through the digital process,” shares Lindenberg. “This will exponentially expand his library of patterns.”

Knabe adds, “With the digitized tools, I am able to create more conceptually in the same realm, and with all those colors to play with, it allows the product to look very different, expanding choices and selection for clients.”

Knabe’s art graces many corporate buildings, and he is frequently commissioned to create unique pieces, including recent projects for Riley Hospital for Children and the OneAmerica lobby downtown.

Riley Hospital for Children commissioned Knabe to conceptualize four wall murals. Each are 28 ft. x 8 ft. and are printed on panels. The four themes of these murals are water,

mountain, prairie and forest. To create these murals, Knabe used his digital tools.

“These murals were made for kids, so keeping children in mind, the murals are printed on washable material so the art can be touched and cleaned off,” shares Knabe. “There’s a strong message of positivity with the murals, and it takes away the clinical nature and purpose of the building. In addition, 55 banners identical to the murals are being added in their outpatient center.”

For his commissioned work for the OneAmerica building, Knabe used the American flag as the inspiration. The result is 16 flowing, floating banners, hung from the ceiling. Each are 4 ft. x 8 ft., creating a visual piece of interest that inspires all who walk through the lobby.

Knabe’s modus operandi with his art is to "uplift daily life.” He starts creating pieces rather organically. As with many artists, the experience of creating art is cathartic for

Knabe and serves as his personal means of expression.

“I will begin a piece on a canvas and go with the flow of the experience. If you’d ask me at the beginning, ‘What are you creating?’ I would not be able to say, but closer to the end, I realize what it is and where I was guided to go with it,” shares Knabe of his creative process.

The studio’s small storefront offers a variety of Walter Knabe items, including yoga tanks, handprinted napkins, handbags, cell phone cases and handprinted scarves among the offerings.

“We have all sorts of items spanning a wide range of price points,” says Lindenberg.

Given an inside look at the new studio, it’s exciting what is going on in Knabe’s new space. “We were not looking to open a walk-in store, but given this location, it’s ideal for a retail space,” shares Lindenberg.

“We will be open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m.-3 p.m. for the holiday season and let this organically evolve.”

Patrons will quickly learn that the Knabe gift shop will offer a preview of his latest products. Word will spread on this new gem, becoming another fun destination in Broad Ripple.

The Walter Knabe Studio is a vehicle for Knabe to create a variety of mediums and all with the intention of uplifting daily life. Knabe has returned to his roots, creating functional art designed to inspire and complement one’s story, or in his words, "create your own mythology.”

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Walter Knabe’s signature style is represented in a collision of elements, blending new and old in a bold combination of colors and layers of patterns and creating a sense of sanctuary for people’s lives. Walter merges past, present and future in a lyrical and sophisticated yet earthy manner. This soulful approach spans the gamut from his fine art roots to his hand-screened wall coverings and fabrics. Walter’s surface pattern design and colorful montage of iconography and words can be woven into interiors, creating an expressive sacred space.

Kara Reibel is the Content Manager for the Broad Ripple Magazine. Follow her: Karareibel.com; Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: @karareibel.

atBrip.com / DECEMBER 2015 / BROAD RIPPLE MAGAZINE / 29

EYE Can See, Inc. owner Tom Blackman has a resume filled with experience assisting those with visual impairments. He began his company in 1998 to help bring assistive technology to Indiana and Kentucky, two states that were underserved in the industry.

“We have witnessed the difference these products make in the lives of those with visual impairments, and we are happy to serve this population,” shares Tom’s son Greg, who works with his father.

The majority of the EYE Can See clients have age-related vision loss, such as macular degeneration. Their clients discover that utilizing a magnifier gives them the independence to do what they want to do such as read a book or newspaper, write a check, solve a crossword puzzle, do artwork, knit and needlepoint, among other things found challenging with visual impairment. Occasionally a device is sold to people without vision issues who perform precision tasks like watch repair or have detailed artwork as part of their job.

“We are a small family company that provides local support and education on devices for people with visual impairments,” says Greg. “Ultimately, most of the people that contact us are interested in seeking a tool that will help them do the things they could do before they lost their vision."

Many younger people experience vision impairment and are able to benefit from a magnification device. With programs through the state, vocational and rehabilitation of those with low vision may be eligible for financial assistance in purchasing an assistive technology device.

“We find solutions for our customers, and we provide support for the devices that we sell,” says Tom.

One client, author and poet Bud Gray, had memorized his own poetry since he was unable to read it any longer with his eyes until Greg set up his new magnification device. “As I was setting up his equipment, Mr. Gray was reciting poetry to me. It was amazing when he could see it again for the first time in years,” shares Greg.

“The impact of one of our devices is immediate. One man hadn’t seen his wife’s face in detail in 10 years,” shares Greg. “It can get rather emotional. The ability to read again, write again and see photos of their loved ones in clarity again is significantly rewarding.”

The assistive technology industry is heading in a new direction with

speaking options and portability. With handheld devices, the visually impaired are experiencing life improvements going to church, eating at a restaurant and visiting friends. The devices are the size of a cell phone or sized similar to a laptop to make them portable – the trend is smaller, lighter, more portable and things that speak out to you.

EYE Can See client Bob Albright has a desk version and a pocket version. Albright uses it a few times per day to assist him with reading. “I have to use it to read since I can’t see to read without it with my macular degeneration,” says Albright. “I take the pocket version with me to help with menus and anything else I need to read when I leave the house.”

“Advances in technology positively impact our industry tremendously,” says Greg. “Whether someone is totally blind or has low vision, software and tools exist to help anyone with vision issues access a computer.”

Already the machines allow the user to view anything in the room or nearby. Some versions will speak out loud, reading a page or pages. The possibilities can be experienced in the demo room at EYE Can See.

Recently Greg took his young son with him on a business call to Easter Seals Crossroads. While at that appointment, Greg remembered walking those halls with his father when he was a kid. “We are a family business and hope to share this business with my son or daughter,” says Greg. “The most rewarding part is being able to help people and be in touch with many of the same people that my dad has helped."

EYE CAN SEE, INC. 6311 E. WESTFIELD BLVD., SUITE 103-AINDIANAPOLIS317-413-7835 / [email protected]


Writer / Kara Reibel Photographer / Kara Reibel, provided

Hopkins Automotive owner Jeff Hopkins started working at a Shell Oil gas and service station, working his way into becoming a mechanic. He worked with station owner Tom Burnell for 23 years, becoming General Manager over Burnell’s stations. Hopkins became part-owner four years before the stations were sold to corporate, creating the opportunity for Hopkins to branch out on his own and maintain a partnership with Burnell.

“I am so grateful for the experiences that I had working with Mr. Burnell," shares Hopkins. “I learned so much, and having my own business has given me the time and resources to pursue my love of the sport of F-class long range rifle.”

Hopkins can be found in the office at his shop daily, and if he is absent, he is likely traveling for his sport. Introduced to long range rifle shooting two years ago,

Hopkins took to it instantly. Precision is the key to success in this sport, and it is not surprising that Hopkins was drawn to this given his background in precision automotive repair.

“It is a lot of fun, and for someone new to the sport, you can get involved inexpensively. I got hooked fast and have lived and breathed this sport for two years,” says Hopkins.

Since joining the Central Indiana Highpower Rifle Shooters, Hopkins practices at a range located at the Martinsville Conservation Club. For practice and competition, the long range distance is 1,000 yards. The time for the projectile to hit is 1.4 seconds for 1000 yards and roughly 4 seconds for the mile-plus shot. The elements of the weather strongly impact the trajectory, as well as physics, ability of the shooter, tracking, positioning, ballistic precision, chemistry and consistency all influencing the accuracy of the shot.

“Consistency and precision are the keys to success in F-Class,” says Hopkins. “I am drawn to the challenge of the sport because it’s like 100 links in a chain, and all those links come together at that precise moment you break the shot. If one of those links isn’t perfect, it will show up on the target at that distance.”

There are applied ballistics apps for your phone to help with wind and other environmental factors. Hopkins indicates

that he never used apps on his smartphone until he got hooked into long range shooting. The app is helpful as a learning tool during practice rounds, as electronics are forbidden during competition.

After his first year of competing, Hopkins won Indiana’s longest shot competition. The distance was 1.15 miles away with a 40” diameter target and based on a 5-shot consecutive grouping. All long Range 1000 yd. F-class matches are held at Camp Atterbury. Mid-range F-class is either held at Camp Atterbury or south in Borden, Indiana. Mid-range distances are 300, 500 or 600 yards. In this year’s state competition, there were 18 shooters, mostly ex-military and ex-law enforcement and civilians like Hopkins. There are no active military duty members of teams competing.

With F-class competition (the “F” stands for “Farquharson,” the man that pioneered the sport), there are five classes for NRA shooting, and a competitor moves up the scale based on performance. Beginners are unclassified marksmen until they rank as (1) Sharpshooter, then move up to (2) Marksman, (3) Expert, (4) Master and (5) High Master.

The shooter’s mobility up the scale is based on their last 120 shots for record at NRA competitions. Technically, Hopkins is ready to move up to Master level. Based on his scores at Nationals, Hopkins beat all of the Master shooters as well, receiving a medal for his efforts.

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Competing at Nationals during the last week of October, Hopkins won the Expert Class F-Open National Champion and finished 12th overall.

In addition to winning the Expert class at Nationals, Hopkins won the overall

aggregate for everyone shooting in the final day of competition. At Nationals, 120 competed in the F-class open, representing nine different countries.

“F-Class shooting is gaining in popularity,” says Kevin Hill, member of 2017 USA

F-Open Class Development Team. “Several juniors compete regularly against us at Atterbury, and there were a couple high school teams competing in Phoenix at the F-Class Nationals.”

It is now offseason until March when competitions start back up. These competitions culminate with state, regional and nationals again next year in late October.

“It was a big learning experience,” says Hopkins of Nationals in Phoenix, Arizona. "Wind was a major factor, for instance. A one mile per hour letup or pickup may alter the trajectory of the projectile five inches in a circle.”

“Jeff is not only a great shooter, but he is a great friend that offers support in any way he can to his shooting buddies,” says Hill. “I am proud of Jeff ’s accomplishments and expect that he will only get better.”

Hopkins started his business, Hopkins Automotive, over 16 years ago and has won the Angie’s List Super Service award every year since they opened. Notes of gratitude from loyal customers cover the walls of the small shop located on Binford and 62nd Street. Due to the accolades from happy customers, Hopkins has to keep his medals and plaques from F-Class shooting at home.

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GIVING CREATION NEW LIFE

FRANKENSTEIN FURNITURE’S HUSBAND AND WIFE TEAM WORKS TO RESTORE OLD TREASURES

Writer & Photographer / Joshua Deisler

As a steady, quiet snow fell across Indianapolis, Michelle and Craig Smith were loading up an old rocking chair into their car. From their shop, they drove the chair to Butler-Tarkington. On that Valentine’s Day, the wayward snow blew across the streets, and Michelle thought about how much she loved her husband Craig. And as they drew near to their destination, she remembered the old chair’s story.

But the old rocking chair had once been in desperate need – it was covered in layers of paint and had worn down from year’s of use. It was just one of Craig and Michelle’s many projects as owners of Frankenstein Furniture.

Located in SoBro, Frankenstein Furniture has been breathing new life into old and damaged chairs, tables, cabinets, dressers and more for five years. The shop, which has earned the Angie’s List Super Service Award for five years straight, finds its home in the Smith’s back garage.

“It’s your basic dump,” jokes Craig from his living room sofa. He reminisces about his first experience in the furniture business. Years ago, Craig found himself scanning the classifieds and noticed an ad for help wanted at Broad Ripple Refinishing. The manager asked Craig if he had ever worked on furniture. Craig replied with a quick ‘no,’ but added that he could do a good Rodney Dangerfield impression.

“I actually got hired on for my Rodney Dangerfield impression over my being able to fix a chair," says Craig. “I don’t know how the hell that happened.” But as time went by, Craig mastered his trade.

Years later, when both Craig and Michelle lost their jobs, Craig said, “To heck with it. I’m gonna start my own business.” And so, Craig began doing what he loved to do, turning his run-down garage into a furniture shop.

“Craig had the talent, and I had the backup talent behind the scenes,” says Michelle as her dog Emmett rests his head in her lap. She rescued the dogs from LUV a Dog. “We foster [dogs]. It’s such a cause that’s dear to both our hearts,” she says, reaching for her other dog Joon, who carries a half-eaten bone.

“Some people think Frankenstein is our last name and call me ‘Mrs. Frankenstein,’" says Michelle, chuckling about their shop’s unique name. “We bring your furniture back to life.” What may have ended up in the trash is restored, repurposed and renewed.

Craig loves the old horror movies, so he liked the sound of Frankenstein and furniture. “There’s repurposing often in what we do. There’s using a part from somewhere else to replace something," says Craig.

Customers often send a picture of their needy furniture, and Craig and Michelle will reply with a free quote. Craig picks up the furniture and drops it off upon completion. The shop is usually booked for at least two months straight.

Throughout the restoration process, Michelle phones the customers every week to update them on the progress of the furniture and even writes thank you notes to every client. Her everyday tasks include answering phones, sending emails and scheduling their busy calendar.

In the shop, Craig is now restoring several pieces, including a 1920s pedestal table and chairs that will be stripped, stained and finished. He does everything by hand, including the staining.


“It’s just a nice pace,” says Craig, who is thankful to govern his own work and restore furniture the way he wants.

“He loves what he does, don’t you, honey?” says Michelle as she scratches Joon’s head.

“Ah, I like it a little bit. Or hell, I wouldn’t do it, I guess,” replies Craig, laughing. He particularly enjoys the history of the furniture he restores: the variety, the eras, the styles, the materials, the craftsmanship. He enjoys imagining how the piece was made, perhaps without power tools or electricity.

Craig is often out in the shop at 9 a.m., working into the dark evening hours. “Michelle usually makes the coffee, and I don’t have a clock to hit," he says.

Throughout the years, Craig and Michelle have encountered many customers with many unique stories. Craig recalls a customer’s old cherry chest of drawers, hidden away in a back shed. After some investigation, Craig learned the chest dated before the Civil War. He also remembers restoring a steamer trunk. The piece had originated from Sweden aboard the RMS Carpathia.

“There’s always a story when Craig brings a piece of furniture over,” says Michelle, smiling. She remembers the woman who called to explain that her church’s alter had been defaced. After staining the altar free of charge, Craig made a cross for the front. Michelle smiles again and thinks about all the people who worship near the altar.

“You stay busy enough,” says Craig, “[and] you go though a lot of pieces.” He recalls finishing an old phonograph case, repurposing a broken sofa for a coffee table and transforming a headboard into a bench. He especially loves delivering the refinished furniture

to his customers. "I get a kick out of being able to stand back and [admire] it.”

“He does beautiful work,” says Michelle, mentioning that Craig is also a talented drummer.

“You could call me a simpleton,” laughs Craig.

Michelle laughs too. “We have a lot of laughter in our marriage,” she says. The couple met at a fundraiser where Craig’s band was playing a number. She recalls looking up at the balcony and seeing Craig, the band’s drummer, staring down at her.

“Our customers love him. They get the biggest kick out of him," says Michelle.

“A lot of times," adds Craig, “our customers stand out more than the furniture.”

Michelle quickly responds: “These people trust us, give us the piece and don’t see it until we’re done.” She treasures being part of her customer’s lives. She looks down at Emmett and recalls delivering that old rocking chair on Valentine’s Day.

Tears fall from her eyes as she remembers the woman’s story of how she rocked her children in that old chair; of how the woman’s husband had passed away; of how that peaceful snow fell as they carried the chair into the woman’s house; and of how on that February 14th, the woman rejoiced at seeing her old rocking chair restored.

Michelle dries her eyes. She smiles and says, “And that was the best Valentine’s Day present I ever got.”

For more information, visit frankensteinfurniture.net or email [email protected].


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