August 13 — Wineless Wine Wednesday with Provocate and artsy types
Joseph Lehner puts on the coolest monthly event in Indy — Wine Wednesday — at his extremely cool house. This month Joseph shifts the happening to Earth House and takes away the wine … and Provocate is invited to be part of the performance art. Yikes!
When: Wednesday August 13, 8:00 PM until much too late for aged Provocators
Where: Earth House Coffee & Books 237 N East St, Indianapolis, IN
This invitation comes from Joseph Lehner, drummer, entrepreneur, impressario:
Hello Friends,
This month’s wine wednesday is WINELESS WEDNESDAY, a coffee house vibe, literally held in a coffeehouse- Earth House on NY and Central. Wine Wed is not at my house this month. 8:00 this wed, Aug 13.
I’ve always been curious if people would come to a wineless wednesday. I know some people DON’T come to wine wed b/c they want to stay away from alcoholic situations or are in recovery, etc. So for those people who, over the years, have declined my invitation on those grounds, this will be a place for you. If you have kids, bring them, as we will be kid friendly for the first hour or two.
There will be poetry, music, and thoughts. Bring your work. Bring your guitar. Or ukulele or banjo. Bring your coffee mug. The good folks from PROVOCATE will be sharing some interesting thoughts as well. If you are not familiar with website/organization/collective that is PROVOCATE, it is the most informative and brain-stirring thing in indianapolis this side of the new Central Library. Check it out: www.provocate.org . So if you have some thoughts to share, bring them. If you, like me, have room in your head to spare, bring that, and be filled.
8:00 until its all over- If you have never been to Earth House Coffee & Books, this is your chance to check out one of Indy’s newest venues and centers of movement:
237 N East St, Indianapolis, IN (317) 637-2716 DIRECTIONS/MAP:
Please come and be part of a special evening.
Thanks! Joseph
Why does Provocate think you should attend this event?
It’s Provocate, we have to recommend it. Even more, Wine Wednesdays are remarkable events. Here’s a review of a previous WW (from the days when Joseph beloinged to Culture Club):
Perhaps in Intake’s Culture Club, where a committee picks their top 5 cultural and arts events for the week, you’ve noticed the name Joseph Lehner. Perhaps you’ve seen a credential next to his name stating, “percussionist, Wine Wednesday host.” Or maybe you saw him on the cover of Nuvo last year when they wrote about house parties, and wondered; “What is Wine Wednesday?”
Well, Wine Wednesday is basically a party/gathering that happens on the second Wednesday of the month in a downtown building/residence owned by Lehner. It started years ago, when the space was still home to a sign company Lehner and a business partner ran. People would cram into the little pockets of space, standing over the neon tanks or inside the paint booth on the ground level, or gathered in one of the small rooms on the second floor, or relaxed on the rooftop with an excellent downtown view.
Dressing up and sipping wine on a Wednesday with lots of interesting artistic people is a great way to make the work-week shorter, while not getting out-of-hand or being in a bar atmosphere.
After the sign company moved to bigger digs, Wine Wednesday took an extended hiatus, as Lehner went to work gutting and remodeling the whole building. The upstairs become one giant open space. Instead of the rickety old ladder to the rooftop, there was a beautiful winding staircase. Wine Wednesdays started again, but now would often have themes and guest performers.
November’s Wine featured a band from Ohio, (the) giants of gender, who I unfortunately missed. But I caught one of two acts by the main feature, a site-specific performance by Motus Dance Theater.
I have a lot of respect for artists who aren’t afraid to take their work to the people. The piece featured a group of female dancers interacting with their surroundings. Dancers swung wildly on white draperies that hung from the rafters. Bodies twisted wildly up the walls and winding staircase. The music matched the abstract nature of the movements, as each dancer went off into their own world, yet all on similar journeys. As the energy built, the whole room was taken on that journey also. About 100 people stood watching, fascinated.
The work was abstract, yet very interpretable. I’m sure the meaning I took from it was different than that of the person standing right next to me. It was done by artists unafraid to take their work to the people, and take a huge risk in doing so. For Motus Dance Theater and Wine Wednesday, it paid off in a great night of art and social stimulation.
From Provocate expect less “bodies twisting wildly up the wall,” maybe a bit more rap about Africa can help make Hoosiers become what we want to be.
If you think this sounds interesting, be sure to check out …
Go to a real Wine Wednesday, second Wednesday of every month. The action usually starts around 11 PM. Contact Joseph for info.
