PLAY LIST

Whats up Play Listers, Do you have your costume ready? I normally just wear my witch hat and make sure to cackle loud when kids come by trick-or-treating.  But this year, work bought me a lion costume for this little thing earlier in the summer . I feel that I can get some extra mileage out of it. Besides regular ol’ candy slinging for Halloween Day, I’m planning to attend the International Distri...

Dear Play Listers Today is the last day of Hispanic or Latine Heritage Month. To observe the occasion, arts & culture reporter Mesgana Waiss spent some time with artist Leyda Melgar, learning about how she uses color pencils, her artistic influences and her favorite art that she’s made. You can watch that here. Today’s newsletter also packs: Details on an art show opening this Friday that was...

Dear Play Listers, When you hear the word “Hoosier,” what comes to mind?  The Indy 500?  John Mellencamp suckin’ on chili dogs?  Larry Bird eating a pork tenderloin? Cole Porter saying “ope”? Madam C.J. Walker watching basketball? These are all great Hoosier thoughts.  But today I’m saying “yes, and” to bring a few more things to the table. Things like Chinese laundries and chop suey restaurants,...

Wise Play Listers, Today’s newsletter includes: How to give your opinion on our city’s arts and culture budget. An interview with two Latino leaders who helped with the X Pan American Games in 1987. 45 things to do in October. Ebony Chappel’s City Chatter with some freedom of speech thoughts. Photos from some of our beautiful city’s recent cultural events. But first, I want to let you know that He...

Whats up Play Listers, We are in the midst of what is officially called “National Hispanic Heritage Month.”  Some people prefer to call it Latino or Latine Heritage Month because it welcomes more people.  The word “Hispanic” describes someone who is from a Spanish-speaking country, or something related to Spain. And because many people from Latin America speak other languages, the term is not alwa...

Plus: What everyone at Mirror Indy is doing. Esteemed Play Listers, I return to you from a week away in New Orleans with happy news. But first, I want to thank arts & culture reporter Mesgana Waiss for holding down the fort and writing this newsletter last Wednesday. If you missed it, you can read it here .  The happy news is that in New Orleans, Mirror Indy’s arts & culture work was recog...

What’s up PlayListers,  Today I’m writing the coolest arts and culture newsletter in all the land in the absence of my amazing editor Jennifer Delgadillo.  Am I the only person who has had to send way too many birthday wishes so far this month? I love my people but my fingers are a little sore from typing out those two magic words. Fun fact: September has the most common birthdays .  I’ve got some...

Hello, Last week, we asked you what our readers/listeners should be called and these are some of the responses that came in.  PlayListeners Spuds Listeners Listers PlayListers PL bbs While PlayListers received the most votes, I gotta say that I really like Spuds. Who doesn’t love a good potato? So I think what I’ll do is officially name us PlayListers, but call us Spuds informally and on weekends,...

Plus: a BUTTER podcast and making new friends.  Hi,  I need help coming up with a name for Play List readers and listeners.  We’ve been doing this newsletter for over a year now, and I think saying hello to you in a way that feels special is the right next step. Should it be “Dear _____________”: PlayListers P. Listers  PL babies Other Send your thoughts to jennifer.delgadillo@mirrorindy.org and w...

Artists Gary Gee, a mixed-media ceramicist, and FITZ, a cartoonist and illustrator, basically live in their studios. Both the artists’ work is inspired by their love for comic books.  You might have seen their artworks in museums, public parks and billboards around the city. They are the result of late nights and holidays spent creating and making sacrifices for their passion.  Gee and FITZ are tw...

PLUS: IndyFringe, BUTTER and how to make chiles rellenos at home. Chreece, also known as “Rap Christmas,” celebrates 10 years this Saturday , Aug. 23, with over 70 artists performing across seven venues. Arts and culture reporter Mesgana Waiss wanted to know how it all came to be. To find out, she interviewed musicians, fans and the founders. Then, she put it all together in a truly badass timelin...

Lafufu interview, BUTTER breaking news, Caitlin Clark zucchini   Take a deep breath, and join us on this journey called “staying in the loop of arts and culture.” This edition of Play List has everything: A Lafufu interviewing a puppet in Spanish BUTTER news about a Juke Joint pop-up dance party A zucchini dressed as Caitlin Clark Indiana State Fair food recs from Chef Oya Ideas for things to do a...

Bánh mì, Babyface, movies and culture money. Have you made it to the Indiana State Fair yet? Our pal Clockwork Janz is there this week collecting sounds for an aural work of art that we will share with you later this month.  You might remember Clockwork from such stories as “ 9 sounds of summer in Indy ” or “ What does joy sound like? ” They were also our go-to person when we needed some “womp-wom...

How do you do, fellow kids? My one piece of advice for you this month is to pace yourself and to stay hydrated. Last year, I got to the Chreece hip-hop festival too early and by early afternoon, I was panting like a dog because I was not ready for the heat. I had to get a water bottle and a plate from Yaso to replenish. August has everything : theater, art shows — including nerdy ones, exhibits wi...

Hello and happy Wednesday, Time for a rundown of what’s going on in arts and culture in the city this week. There’s plenty. But, before we get to that, I’d like to put some events on your radar.  We hope you will join us at any of these: 6 p.m. TONIGHT,  July 23, 10 East Arts Hub — Real Talk: Chat N Chew - Artist Town Hall Edition invites artists to share the real deal of what it’s like to be an a...

Drink this tall glass of arts and culture: tips, stories, parties and radio. *Opens the fridge* We are mid-month and these “things to do ” still smell good. So does this list of free concerts for this summer and beyond.  We are staying fresh. But, we also have a ton of new things for you, including stories about an art hub for photographers in the near east side, a southside LGBTQ-owned comic stor...

Feeling “81355ed” for the good culture things.   Summer is in full swing.  The city pools are poppin’, the sidewalks are sizzling and your neighbors just can’t stop mowing the lawn at too early a.m. This edition of Play List celebrates Naptown’s new music, WNBA All-Star weekend, kids that are done with school and some very special happenings happening around town, including our very own Play List...

Picnic this Saturday, plus things to do!  If it feels like June flew by, it’s because it did.  Perhaps it was the combination of breaking news every single day, plus the Pacers and the Fever, and just regular life.  July starts next week — next week!  Today we have a brand-new calendar of things to do, an exhibition about the city’s toxic heritage, some pretty neat Juneteenth photos, as well as ot...

 Teen art show, basketball art and a new Culture Journal. Greetings friends, Today we have a story about a local artist who said he believes he was censored by Newfields when he was asked to remove his artwork depicting Trump from an art show. Newfields said that although they were unable to display this work of art, they will continue to champion diverse voices. We also have a visit from our frie...

Plus: $5 theater, a cool new cafe and festivals to attend. I don’t know about you, but I keep refreshing the news lately, keeping an eye on the many things happening — not just in Indy, but in other places, too.  It can be easy to forget the part we play in the bigger things when they are only headlines to us, but the big issues are personal to many of us here in Indy. Every week when I sit to wri...

Free art shows, cuts to arts funding and a new culture journal.  Buckle up because we have a lot of stuff today. This Friday is First Friday, which means there are tons of places to be and lots of art to see. And, this is all happening in the midst of arts budget cuts . What does that mean for your favorite galleries and arts organizations? And, don’t forget we’ve stepped into shiny June, which me...

It’s about to be a lit summer. With June around the corner, we did our monthly homework of scavenging neighborhood flyers, social media posts and Eventbrite pages, and texting our busy friends who know what’s up to compile a list for you.  We have 48 things to do in June — 48! Parades, porch parties, concerts, little wine soirées and art shows are all on the menu.  Obviously, you don’t have to do...

Malcolm X, Chef Oya and Chasten Buttigieg walk into a newsletter  Last Sunday, people gathered at Riverside Family Center to celebrate Malcolm X on the weekend of his 100th birthday, when the Indianapolis City-County Council proclaimed May 19, 2025, as Malcolm X Day.  We have some photos of the celebration you can see .  More than a handful of times, when I was a tutor with the Vonnegut Youth Writ...

New restaurant poems and celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Today we have poems, photos, more things to do in May and a few other things to put on your radar — including Chef Oya’s debut as a food correspondent for Mirror Indy, and an upcoming story on arts funding cuts.  For now, please enjoy the views and words, and remember to reach out to me or arts and culture reporte...

Plus, a Chreece playlist, kids these days and a big party for a tiny gallery.  Last year, Indy Art Center and Patchwork Indy, a nonprofit that works to improve the lives of refugees, kicked off a partnership where immigrants from different countries are paired to curate an art exhibition. Mirror Indy interviewed Jean Claude Lofenia, who is from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Saw Kennedy, fr...