This exhibit will be displayed in the Yellow Gallery and Simon Reading Room from October 2- November 30, 2026 at Central Library. The reception will take place on Monday, October 5, 2026 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the Simon Reading Room.
You're invited to come and view the exhibit of The Village at Central Library during October and November!
You may have seen The Village at SPARK on the Circle from August through the Taylor Swift Eras Tour (here's an IndyStar article about it). The Village is a large-scale fiber piece made of pompoms and latch hook sections put together by participants. Whether it’s two people making pompoms together, helping each other attach pompoms to the canvas, or afterward sharing this simple hand skill with friends and family, The Village encourages a sense of belonging.
This artwork will eventually be 24 feet wide and 8 feet high, and represents the best of Indianapolis Arts. It can't be made without assistance from each other. Social Practice Art focuses on the interaction between participants. What is made is a souvenir. The activity has a long cultural history within the fiber arts—quilting bees, sewing circles, knitting groups, and any club over the centuries where women of all ages and cultural backgrounds gathered together to create.
The Village is composed of 13 individual panels that fit together to make one 24-foot by 8-foot composition. Mary Jo Bayliss takes individual panels into the community and pompoms are attached to the panel. These pompoms create texture and relief amid latch hook to create a design of heart hands, butterflies, snakes, guitars, and circles. After the piece is complete, it will be displayed at Tube Factory Artspace. Big Car Collaborative has sponsored this work, under the direction of Mary Jo Bayliss, with support from The Indianapolis Public Library, Ivy Tech Community College, and other community locations for social creation.
Visit the exhibit to learn about the process of creating The Village and to see the progress of how the piece has grown over time.
Made possible by Danny & Debbie Dean and the Danny R. Dean Fund.
AGE GROUP: | All Ages | Adults |
EVENT TYPE: | Exhibit/Display | Art/Crafts/Hobbies |
TAGS: | The Village |
As the hub of the Indianapolis Public Library system, Central Library showcases renowned architecture and services. The original 1917 building, designed by Paul Cret and constructed of Indiana limestone in the Greek Doric style, was considered one of the most outstanding secular buildings in the U.S. Its six-story glass and steel-framed addition, designed by Evans Woollen, opened in 2007.
