Tube Factory artist houses & green space, Guichelaar Gallery

Tube Factory Artist Houses

The Guichelaar Gallery and Residency House located next door to Tube Factory at 1135 Cruft St. is a contemporary art space operated by Big Car Collaborative in the Garfield Park neighborhood. It serves as a home for visiting artists as well as additional programming space.

At the end of 2018, Big Car Collaborative along with partners, Bean Creek Neighborhood Association, Central Indiana Community Foundation, Garfield Park Neighborhood Association, Indiana University, Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership, Learning Tree, and Riley Area Development Corporation received a generous $3 million improvements grant from the Lilly Endowment through its Strengthening Indianapolis Through Arts and Cultural Innovation Initiative. This initiative seeks to bolster arts and culture and focus its impacts on the greater Indianapolis region. You can read the press release from the IndyStar here.

With the support of the Lilly Endowment grant and with the resolution of details with our partnership with Riley Area Development, we will see renovation work finished on five houses that will be sold at affordable prices to artists and five more renovated as affordable rentals houses for artists and neighborhood leaders. Two other buildings — our current residency house/Guichelaar Gallery next to Tube Factory and a small former church on Cruft Street — will serve as program spaces, with the house serving as a gallery and hosting short- and longer-term artists in residence.

Thank you to our supporters!

Financial supporters of the Residency House and garden include the Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation, the Efroymson Family Fund, the Glick Fund, Impact 100, and the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority.

Special thanks to Steve Guichelaar, a dedicated neighbor and friend of Big Car who matched donations from multiple funders by completing hands-on renovations and improvements to the house.

With the help of staff artists Jason Gray, Conner Green, Elliot Thornton and Max Walker major updates have been accomplished to the Guichelaar Gallery and Artists Residency House. Significant improvements include new siding, new roof, dormers, new windows, gallery walls, interior refinishing and painting, remodeled bathroom, accessible ramp and door, and a new porch. Further updates include an upstairs residency space and an 8’ x 8’ light box art installation featuring work of visiting artists. The first work to be featured is a photograph by artist David Schalliol.

You can view before and after photos here.  

You can follow 2019 events here.

Guichelaar Gallery

The Guichelaar Gallery focuses on larger installations and group exhibits, and functions as a space for local young artist to exhibit their work and connect with other artists, creating opportunities for collaboration and a stronger community.

Past shows include:
September 2016 – Lush: Group Exhibition
October 2016 – Brittany Rudolf: A Fort Night
December 2016 – Marilyn Gatin’s Hands on Indiana
October 2017 – Danielle Graves: Days Inn
November 2017 – Home Invasion: Herron Sculpture Department
December 2017 – Shoot!: Group Video Exhibition