Subtle scents of freshly-washed linens, ink, and newspaper linger in a room that doubles as an art studio and apartment living room. In the duo-purpose room, a drafting table sits with bits of linoleum, sketches of designs drawn onto paper, and art supplies including ink, a paint-roller, tape, and a heat-press piled onto it. Posters line the walls of the studio and contribute to a feeling of creativity.

This is where Analiese Causey creates art and established her own business.

Analiese Causey, local Bloomington artist and Indiana University sophomore, launched an Etsy shop named Blooming Creations that sells graphic T-shirts created with hand-made print-making stamps on Sept. 11, 2018 to combine her passion for art and her need for money.

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This is what you see as you enter Stage Flight Circus Arts Studio. This room is a reception area that leads to the gym itself.

The advanced performing group warms up and reviews choreography for their Jungle themed performance. This group consists of both advanced students and teachers.

Clint Bobzien contemplates how he is going to incorporate various tumbling routines into the Jungle performance. Clint is the the co-owner and head instructor along with his wife Hannah.

Clint Bobzien telling students Sarah Miller and Abby Smith that they are partners for the handstand on shoulders trick. Clint and Hannah opened this Studio three years ago and they have grown from having three students to 87 students.

Clint Bobzien stands on the mat as George Creek does a front tuck over him. Clint performed as an acrobat for 20 years and taught gymnastics for ten years prior to opening this studio.

Clint Bobzien watches as Teddy Barker does a double front tuck after jumping on the mini trampoline. Clint and Hannahs students range from age six to age 60 at the studio.

Hannah Bobzien talks to a group of aerial students about the Jungle routine they will be doing. Hannah has been involved in acrobatics and gymnastics since high school and has performed all over the world in various circus groups with her husband Clint.

Hannah Bobzien writes the different animals that the performers will be portraying in their jungle performance in May. Hannah. This is the second year that their studio has had a group that performs.

Instructor Teal Larsen helps keep the ring steady as Mandy Libs attempts to perform the “hanging bat”. Teal has been an instructor at Stage Flight Circus Arts for two years and has taught trapeze, aerial silks, aerial hoop, and stilt walking at various resorts and studios all over the country.

The advanced aerial silks groups attempts to figure out what they are going to do for the jungle performance. This is one of there groups that both Hannah Bobzien and Teal Larsen oversee.

The aerial silks group tries to look like a group of bugs stuck in a spiders webs as Nick Johnson stalks them on the ground as the “spider”. The jungle themed performance will take place at the Buskirk-Chumley theatre on May 25th.

Upon walking out of the studio there is a sign to remind students to be open and creative because it is worth it. Both Clint and Hannah emphasize how they don’t want their students, no matter what age or skill level to feel as though they need to hold back or that they aren’t good enough.

Have you ever thought about dropping everything and going off to join the circus? Well that might be much more possible than previously thought for Bloomington residents thanks to the presence of Stage Flight Circus Arts.

Stage Flight Circus Arts is a studio in Bloomington Indiana owned by Clint and Hannah Bobzien that specializes in training in a variety of disciplines under the circus arts umbrella. The studio also features a performance group that is currently preparing for a jungle themed performance.

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Camera and sound crews set up as they prepare for the nights event. A live stream was displayed in Franklin Hall for the entirety of the piano’s burning.

Ross Martinie Eiler plays a song on the defunct piano before it is set ablaze. Ross has been playing piano for twenty years and is a piano technician at Indiana University.

The piano awaits its fate on the evening Wednesday, February 7th, 2018. It is somewhat functional, but there are parts that are beyond repair. Certain keys on the piano cannot be played and internal parts do not function.

Annea Lockwood, the composer, uses lighter fluid to help start the fire. This is the second time Lockwood has set fire to a piano for a musical performance.

Ross Martinie Eiler laughs with Annea Lockwood as he plays a last few notes on the now burning piano. Eiler was invited to the event to play the piano before it was set on fire.

The piano is completely engulfed in flames. Three hours was allotted for the performance time, with a reception in Franklin Hall planned afterwards.

Joan Hawkins, an organizer of the Wounded Galaxies symposium, watches as the piano starts to burn. The Wounded Galaxies is a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of 1968, which was a time of international political revolution.

The piano’s internal strings become visible as the outside structure burns away. As the piano is consumed by fire, the strings pop and crackle, making the music Annea Lockwood planned for the performance.

Annea Lockwood watches from the crowd with satisfaction as the piano burns. As a composer, Lockwood says the noise that the piano makes as it burns is the music of the performance.

A crowd gathers in Dunn Meadow as the piano burns into the night. Piano Burning was a public performance held as part of the Wounded Galaxies festival and symposium.

After a little over two hours of steadily burning on a sand pile, the piano finally collapses onto the ground. According to Lockwood, who has burned pianos before, this time frame is standard.

How do you properly celebrate the 50 year anniversary of the year 1968? Well, you set a piano on fire, of course — and on Wednesday, February 7th, 2018, composer Annea Lockwood did just that.

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James tests out the avant-garde set of his production, Machinal, in the Wells-Metz Theatre during rehearsal. James Nelson began his directing career with an English-speaking theatre group in Germany and has been an IU director and instructor since 2016.

James rounds up his actors for a briefing before rehearsal in the Wells-Metz Theatre. Directing a play about female oppression, James approaches every Machinal rehearsal with humility and a collaborative spirit.

James plays with the string décor before rehearsal on the set of his production, Machinal. The strings symbolize the theme of imprisonment in a woman’s world.

James and actor Felix Merback examine the string dinner table prop before rolling it on the set of Machinal. James has collaborated with his design team to represent societal imprisonment through strings and black-and-white angles.

James arranges his actors on set in the Wells-Metz Theatre for rehearsal of Episode One, the Prison of Automation. Machinal is structured around nine episodes of Young Woman’s life, with each episode representing a socially-constructed “prison” of femininity.

Actress Kaleigh Howland screams with exasperation in her role in Episode One as an overworked employee of the male corporate world. Machinal depicts nine prisons of the female experience, with Episode One symbolizing the Prison of Automation in a male work-centric society.

Actress Abby Lee and actor Joshua M. Smith rehearse a speakeasy scene on set in the Wells-Metz Theatre as Young Woman and her love interest. Their romance represents one of nine prisons of the female experience: the Prison of False Hope.

Young Woman, played by Abby Lee, awaits her punishment during rehearsal of a court scene. Machinal is an expressionist play that portrays the world to audiences through Young Woman’s eyes: a colorless, angular world of imprisonment.

James converses with actress Abby Lee during rehearsal of the final scene in the Wells-Metz Theatre. James always listens to his actors’ insights in the rehearsal room and incorporates them onto the stage.

Stage lights are the finishing touch to the perfect play in the Wells-Metz Theatre. Machinal takes the stage on February 23rd with final performances on March 3rd.

Actors Connor Starks, Caleb Curtis, and Nathaniel Kohlmeier portray the oppressive law enforcers that stifle Young Woman’s voice in Episode Eight, the Prison of the Word. Machinal addresses female marginalization in all areas of society: work, home, socializing, and even the court of law.

James watches the final run-through of Machinal in the Wells-Metz Theatre at the end of rehearsal. Throughout his experience directing this production, James has learned the importance of listening to other voices.

Jagged white lines, prison bar-like strings from floor to ceiling, and a black, avant-garde set rarely come to mind when one imagines the world of theatre. Many envision theatre as an escape from the trials of reality: whimsical sets, frilly costumes, and stories of magic, romance, and triumph. However, one Indiana University director is tasked with telling a disturbing, less-idealistic tale of marginalization.

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A broken piano sits in the sun in Dunn Meadow on February 7, 2018. The piano was there all day, but the piano burning event didn’t start until 5:30.

The hammers rise and fall as someone plays the piano in Dunn Meadow on Wednesday. Most of the keys still worked, but the piano was broken beyond repair.

Pianist Ross Martinie Eiler laughs as he improvises a song on the piano before the event starts. Onlookers were invited to sit down and play if they would like.

Ross Martinie Eiler, an experienced pianist, continues to entertain the crowd by improvising a piece before the piano is burned. The burning was expected to take about three hours, and it was around 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

Annea Lockwood addresses the crowd before the piano is burned. Lockwood has been creating art with broken pianos since 1968.

Annea Lockwood and Jon Vickers, IU Cinema founding director, light the piano on fire using lighter fluid, newspaper, and a lighter. Lockwood began recording the sounds of burning pianos in an attempt to record what fire sounded like.

Eiler plays “Great Balls of Fire” on the piano as it burns. Another crowd member improvised a song as the piano was on fire, but both pianists were pulled away before it became too dangerous.

Smoke quickly rises from the flaming piano in Dunn Meadow on February 7th. A live stream of the event was being shown on the big screen in Franklin Hall for those who couldn’t stand the cold.

Flames lap at the keys of the piano about half an hour into the event. Annea Lockwood overstrings the strings of the pianos she burns so that they will snap when the flames reach them.

The strings of the piano are revealed after the flames destroy the wooden back. Poems from 1968 were recited by members of the Writer’s Guild of Bloomington as the flames roared.

The fire grows as the entire piano is consumed by flames. The event was expected to take three hours but actually went much quicker.

The bench and the piano both collapse into a pile of flames and embers after burning for a little over an hour. The crowd had dwindled greatly from the beginning, but overall the event was a success.

If you drove down Indiana Avenue around 6 pm on February 7th, 2018, you would have seen what looked like a large crowd surrounding a campfire. A closer look, however, would have revealed the upright Henderson piano that was on fire in the middle of Dunn Meadow.

Composer Annea Lockwood set fire to a defunct piano as a part of Indiana University’s Wounded Galaxies: 1968 – Beneath the Paving Stones, the Beach festival. The Wounded Galaxies festival was designed to explore the intellectual and aesthetic legacy of 1968 on this, the 50th anniversary of the year 1968. Lockwood is known for her interesting art pieces involving pianos, such as burning pianos and her “piano garden,” where the instrument was planted in the ground and allowed to be reclaimed by nature.

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A volunteer raises a banner at the beginning of the event. The crowd for the walk began to trickle in shortly after.

The event took place at White River State Park. The city of Indianapolis is in view as the volunteers set up there tents.

A team member heads towards the stage to mingle. His shirt was an inspiring quote that became popular among the crowd.

Evey Petro gets her face painted. She is getting ready for the walk.

Evey Petro holds up her hand to show off her newly painted skin. She is almost ready to meet with her team.

Bottles were filled with water and glitter in the sensory tent. The children played with them before the walk began to pass the time.

The full crowd of volunteers and team members visit the activity tents. The people are beginning to congregate towards the start banner and stage.

Evey Petro gathers around with her team members. They take a team picture.

Blake Dauby sings the national anthem beautifully. The crowd was in absolute awe over his performance.

The crowd waves their pom-poms for Autism. The last thing they do before the walk begins.

The teams make their way under the banner. The walk starts and the crowd is silent in honor of those who have sensory issues towards loud sounds.

The start banner was also the ending banner. The teams got to come back in through a bubble machine to celebrate.

Waving your blue pom-poms is the new clapping. Organization walks are typically a common fundraiser and awareness event for many different causes nationwide, but once you stepped foot and submerged yourself into the Autism Speaks Walk’s atmosphere, it was apparently clear why it so strongly and uniquely spoke to all of those passionate enough to get involved. This was quite the afternoon filled with smiles, bright eyes, high hopes, and communal bonding. Even the sky shown bright blue for Autism.

Autism, or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is where those who live with the condition may have difficulties communicating, speaking, or interacting with their peers and others. Sensory issues are also a prevalent aspect of Autism and can play a huge role in children and adults who have the condition when dealing with temperatures, textures, sounds, sights, or light in their everyday environments.

That’s why the sensory tent for the kids was so important to this fun-filled afternoon. There was shaving cream to play with on the tables and playdough for touch, bubble wands and bottles filled with water and glitter for sight, and face paint for pure fun. It was the children’s favorite spot, both those who lived with autism and those who didn’t… and that was the goal.

Inclusivity of those who seem a little different than us is extremely important and one of the main issues that the Autism Speaks community tries to teach others every single day. To start teaching young kids how to interact with those who are not as skillful communicators as them, and for them to understand their struggles and be patient and willing to make friends with those who live with the disorder, is a wonderful and difficult goal. And what better way to create this social norm than at a young age by playing with other kids who love the same joyous activities. That’s what this tent was all about. Inclusivity, understanding, fun, and normalcy.

Evey Petro, a young girl I had met at the tent and spent some time with seemed to be in love with the fun and friends that the tent provided to her before the walk. “I really really like playing with all of the kids here. I’m shy, but everyone here is nice. I like feeling included. It makes me smile”, Evey said to me.

Now Evey does not even live with Autism, but she knows others who do and that is enough for her to want to make a change in her environment at school and in her community. She’s a kid, she loves to play with others, but she is shy and does not always know how to make friends, so imagine how her peers who do live with Autism feel in these situations. This is why Evey, her mother and father, Dana and Trent, and her older brother Braden Petro walk for Autism. They walk for understanding, for inclusivity, and for opportunity of their friends and family who live with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

As the event went on and Evey and her family got ready to begin the walk, there were a sea of inspiring t-shirts congregating together to all make their way under the same banner as a community and show off their pride for themselves and their loved ones.

On stage, Blake Dauby sang a beautiful performance of the Star Spangled Banner, showing the entire field of people the talent that those who live with Autism are able to possess if you allow them to express their individuality. He commanded the stage and captured the love and respect of the audience within seconds of releasing his first notes.

Before the silent countdown to the race, the crowd was instructed to “wave your pom-poms” that were handed out upon entrance for the parents who support autism, for the grandparents, for the friends, and for the community. This was just another subtle example of how the Autism Speaks organization carefully considers and simply acknowledges autistic needs through the sensory issue of sound. It was a dedication to those living with the disorder and an opportunity to show them that the community respects them and thinks of them as equals.

Once the walk began it was beautiful to watch the team shirts dedicated to loved ones walk under the banner and not soon after walk back under through a cloud of bubbles. The excitement and pride of the teams were awe-inspiring. Pom-poms were once more in hand, but more importantly, raise high in the air to welcome the walkers back in.

For the entire afternoon, it was goodbye to clapping and hello to shaking your pom-poms for Autism. Which honestly is a more fun way of cheering anyway.

A view of the cafe side of Nine Lives. This area is separate from the cats so patrons have the choice to enjoy a cat free beverage or snack.

Amber Keel, Nine Lives barista, tends to a customer on the cafe side of the business. Keel’s always up for recommending customers a great cup of coffee.

Proud of their choice to serve ethically sourced coffees, the cafe also offers a variety of tasty locally sourced treats. The coffee comes from Brickhouse Roasters, which just opened a location in Greenwood Indiana.

After being adopted, most cats pose with their new owners for a polaroid picture. These pictures all hang on a wall in the cafe section of Nine Lives.

Patrons interact with one of the resident cats. All cats at Nine Lives are socialized, adoptable, and come from the Humane Society of Indianapolis.

A view of the main seating area in the cat room. The papers scattered across the table provide details on each of the cats and how to adopt them.

The cats are provided with many surfaces to lounge and sleep upon in the cat room. These are here because cats are prone to sleeping 12-16 hours a day.

Co-owner Selena Hubbard has adorned the cafe with many quirky cat knick knacks and paintings. Some of these art-works are for sale, while others are prints she found on poster websites.

A resident cat looks ready to pounce on one of the many toys provided for the cats’ enjoyment. When the cats aren’t sleeping, they’re a very rambunctious bunch.

Cat wrangler/barista Michelle Stanton cuddles up with one of the resident cats. Some of the cats enjoy the attention while others stay away from the customers.

One of the resident cats prepares to go through the door to the litter box room. This area is separate from the cat room and cafe so patrons can enjoy their beverages away from the cats’ bathroom.

Nine Lives employee Laci Howell shows off her ‘MEOW’ tattoo and galaxy cat shirt. Most employees at the cafe have an obvious affinity for cats, as is shown through their wardrobe as well as their visible love for the animals.

Living in an unfamiliar, overcrowded, dingy shelter can put an unnecessary amount of stress on homeless cats. Nine Lives Cat Cafe in Indianapolis, however, is working to provide these cats with a better temporary home- in an ingenious way.

Selena Hubbard and her father, Eric Hubbard, always had dreams of opening a cafe together. However, they spent a while unsure of what kind of cafe they wanted to open; that is, until Selena finally figured it out.

“Years ago, I saw an article about cat cafes in Asia, and when they started popping up in the US, I thought it would be a great concept to try in Indy. My family and I are all big animal lovers, so the cat adoption aspect of our cafe was a must – we felt like it would be a good way to help get more cats adopted in the city!” says Selena.

Throughout the cafe and cat room, Selena has adorned the walls and tables with several quirky works of art featuring nothing other than: cats. From Studio Ghibli themed drawings with cats replacing main characters, to cat vases holding cacti, to cat wallpaper on the coffee bar, this cafe has it all.

“Some of the art is from local artists and is actually all for sale! We do have some art that is not for sale though, and most of those are actually just prints from poster websites that have been framed” Selena reveals.

The cat cafe comes equipped with both a cafe room and a separate cat room. If patrons wish to enjoy their beverages or treats away from the cats, they can while still viewing the furry friends through a large window in between the two rooms. In the cafe, the Nine Lives team is proud to serve only ethically sourced coffee and locally sourced treats. Though off to a strong start, the team hopes to expand it’s food variety in the future.

“We’re always looking to improve on both the coffee side and cat side, and we have plenty of small changes planned. We don’t have a kitchen (or even the room for a kitchen) but we’d really like to add more food items to our menu that aren’t sweets, so that’s something we’re working on” explains Selena.

When asked what the quirkiest thing about the cafe was, Hubbard replied with:

“I’m not sure that there’s a specific thing I can think of that’s the quirkiest. From employees, to certain pieces of art or decor, and of course the cats themselves, I’d say in general we’re pretty quirky! I think that’s just the nature of a cat cafe!”

Nine Lives, while being an adorable cafe, also acts as a foster home for 8-10 cats at a time, all of which come from the Humane Society of Indianapolis. Each week, the Nine Lives team sets a few days apart aside to bring new cats over.

“Each cat has already been spayed/neutered, has their vaccinations, flea preventative, and has been otherwise fully vetted. The cats are also temperament tested by the people at the humane society, and chosen because it seems like they would do well in a free-roaming cat room and be comfortable with humans” Selena clarifies.

Selena and the Nine Lives team is extremely happy with the success of the cafe, and are always looking for new ways to improve. Though the cafe has only been open for a few years, it has already greatly benefitted both the community, and the cats it provides shelter to.

“We’ve benefitted the community by playing a small role in being able to find the cats of the city new homes. We sometimes have special events and a portion of the proceeds from those go to various animal advocacy groups around the city. We also try to educate about topics like spaying and neutering, declawing, community and feral cats, and more, which I feel like can be a benefit for both the cats and their owners or those who come in contact with them” says Selena proudly.  

With all the joy that the cat cafe brings to it’s patrons, employees, and cats, Selena is most proud of the number of adoptions they’ve made possible. Very soon the cafe will be celebrating it’s 100th adoption since first opening it’s doors.