The Butler Arts & Events Center and GANGGANG are proud to present a collaboration that brings new artistic talent to the Butler University campus: The Clowes Lawn Series. This new partnership will bring performances to the lawn of the newly renovated Clowes Memorial Hall main entrance. The full lineup will include acts that offer a variety of interests and perspectives, focusing on voices of color. Each performance will be free and open to Butler University and the community at large, and take place as pre-show events before touring productions in the main theaters.

To kick off the partnership, a standalone event will be held September 15 at 5:30 PM, featuring DJ Mr. Kinetik, poet Eric Saunders, hip hop artist Norrie the Goat, and musical group Be On It.

All other events will precede scheduled events at the Butler Arts & Events Center venues, roughly one hour before curtain:

• Thursday, September 16 at 7:00 PM – Clint Breeze Trio
• Friday, September 17 at 6:00 PM – That Peace Open Mic House Band
• Saturday, September 18 at 7:00 PM – Forgotten Tribe
• Sunday, September 26 at 6:00 PM – Jarrett Weathers and Co
• Thursday, October 7 at 6:00 PM – Rhythm And Groove
• Friday, October 8 at 7:00 PM – DJ Slick Vic & Ferris Booler
• Saturday, October 9 at 6:00 PM – Dead Silence and Jeremiah Stokes
• Saturday, October 16 at 6:30 PM – Gritty N Craft Show
• Saturday, October 23 at 6:30 PM – Lorea
• Friday, October 29 at 6:30 PM – Ed Lanier

“GANGGANG is all about sparking activity within the creative economy and contributing to the careers of artists of color whenever possible,” says Mali Jeffers, co-founder and Executive Director of GANGGANG. “We’re thrilled to partner with Butler to do just that—leveraging Indy’s creative talent to create a more vibrant and equitable city.”

GANGGANG is a cultural startup on a mission to fund entrepreneurs and exceptional cultural ideas, as a means to growing—and building equity within—the creative economy in the Midwest. Born out of the intersection of a global pandemic and a civil rights movement, GANGGANG’s mission to produce, promote, and preserve culture is the revival and the way forward toward more equitable U.S. cities.

“Clowes Memorial Hall was created to bring the community together to experience art and culture, and this new partnership with GANGGANG pushes that mission one step further,” says Aaron Hurt, Executive Director of the Butler Arts & Events Center.  “We are excited to present this new pre-show experience that celebrates great artists of color through free, happenstance performances before ticketed events in Clowes and Schrott.”

The Butler Arts & Events Center (BAEC) is a collection of venues on the Butler campus dedicated to meaningful experiences in and through the arts. Our mission is to bring people together to celebrate community. The BAEC serves the Butler, Indianapolis, and larger Central Indiana communities, hosting more than 300,000 patrons annually for a variety of presentations that provide shared experiences in the performing and visual arts.

Both organizations are excited to seize the opportunity to present a new outdoor series to utilize a shared space on Butler’s campus. Surrounded by three of the BAEC venues—Clowes Memorial Hall, Schrott Center for the Arts, and Lilly Studio Theatre—this lawn creates an intimate space while still offering the ambiance of nature.

The first event takes place on Wednesday, September 15.

For more information about the full lineup of these events and all other BAEC programming, visit butlerartscenter.org.

Media Contact:
Joanna Hodges
Director of Engagement
Butler Arts & Events Center
jhodges@butler.edu