Art vs Art
Fountain Square Theatre
Friday, May 6

Somebody once proposed that Indy arts events be classified on a scale of snootiness, ranging from the ritziest of black-tie affairs to the basest of low-brow entertainment. Each given event would have its place on the continuum and a corresponding extended-pinky icon.

The Wheel of Death at Art vs Art

Judged as such, Art vs. Art, which went on Friday, May 6 at the Fountain Square Theatre, had both its pinkies decidedly clenched. In fact, the whole fist was clenched, and pumping in the air righteously amidst paintings getting chainsawed, acid-dipped or worse, including a particularly non-snooty fate called the “Dirty Sanchez.”

It was, by design, a boisterous, noisy event, administered by “Marvelous” Mike Wiltrout and the Groovetruck Promotions crew. They easily made things exciting enough to keep both my wife and I riled the whole time, despite being pretty exhausted from earlier shows at the Harrison Center as well as the Murphy Building, along with the Spring Gallery Walk on Massachusetts Avenue featuring the Artful Treads of creative area businesses … Sweet Mother of Cultural Convergence! There was a lot of art going on Friday night.

The show was very well-attended, with hundreds of artists, friends of artists and random bloodthirsty onlookers filling the lower level of the Fountain Square Theatre and spilling up onto the balcony, where Penny and I stood, yelling into each other’s ears to be heard over the din.

Our first misconception: that the crowd was yelling for paintings to be destroyed. It’s actually just the opposite — a deafening roar from the crowd earns a painting a brief reprieve from the “Wheel of Death.”

It’s much like gladiator combat during the Roman empire: The fabled “thumbs down” from the emperor was really an instruction to spare the victim, despite what Russell Crowe would have you believe.

Alas, though, it was too loud for ancient similes. “YOU LIKE THAT ONE?!” I shouted at Penelope.

“YEAH!” she replied, nodding forcefully. “THEN SCREAM AND YELL,” I instructed, as she burst into racket, surprising me thoroughly by not breaking the decibel meter set up across the theater.

You see, the way it works is, the artists do the art, in four hours or less, then the voters narrow it down to 16, then the 16 get matched up in random pairs, then there’s this sound level meter with a video camera on it, projected on a big screen, and you yell, and they spin this Wheel of Death, but then you can bid $100 or more and buy the art, and ...

It gets pretty complicated to explain. But it’s easy to like, and it seems to be increasing in popularity. 2004 winner Chris Sickels commented that there were a lot more people there than at last year’s event, and I can’t see why the folks at Groovetruck wouldn’t keep this thing going for next year.

In fact, I’ll be the first to start the encouraging clamor, both my pinkies firmly non-extended: YEAH! WHOO! MORE ART VERSUS ART! BRING IT! WHOO!

To view and purchase Amory Abbott’s winning artwork of a robot painting a bunny, or any of the 48 that didn’t compete for the grand prize, go to eBay.com before Monday, May 16. In the search box, type “Art vs. Art 2005.” Try not to use your pinkies.