Underground
Bloomington, IN
March 2023 - May 2023
In partnership with the City of Bloomington and the Waldron Arts Center, ONE DROP produced Underground at a vacant storefront attached to the 4th Street Garage. By activating an unused space, we were able to demonstrate the effectiveness of localized art to boost the creative economy. The exhibition featured 22 mid-career to emerging artists from diverse backgrounds. It consisted of visual works as well as live musical performances and an open mic forum.
After the opening reception, ONE DROP was honored with the Innovation Award by the City of Bloomington for our pioneering work.
Some praise about the exhibition:
“This experience of visiting the ONE DROP exhibition seeing how a cold concrete box devoted to any warmth or human presence can be extensively transformed and enlightened just by art. This new collaboration between artists and the city is a formula I hope to see continue and develop more.”
“ONE DROP while highlighting BIPOC artists, further educates the public through free art educational experiences. Most importantly was the creative use of empty space. The use of an empty storefront beneath a parking carriage turns an eyesore into a feature; this form of gentrification is much more organic, collaborative, and beneficial to both the artistic community and the public.”
“This experience[…]has been beneficial to my own knowledge of museums and how to create outside the box. But especially in the case of ONE DROP it helps to set up a layout for pop-exhibitions that are easily replicated, while also very inclusive to both the community and the artists."