Contemporary Art Museum of Indianapolis Announces Opening Weekend May 1-3

The Contemporary Art Museum of Indianapolis (CAMi), operated by arts nonprofit Big Car Collaborative, officially opens its main building’s doors to the public on May 1, 2026. 

The newly renovated 40,000-square-foot building in Indianapolis' Garfield Park neighborhood represents a decade-long evolution of the CAMi (previously Tube Factory) campus into one of the Midwest's most significant new cultural institutions.

Grand Opening Week — presented by the Herbert Simon Family Foundation, Central Indiana Community Foundation, and 12 Stars Media — offers three days of distinct programming celebrating the museum's inaugural exhibitions, its Bean Creek and Garfield Park neighbors, and Indianapolis' creative community.

FRIDAY, MAY 1  |  FIRST FRIDAY + PUBLIC OPENING DAY  |  6–10 P.M.

(Building opens at 9 a.m.)

CAMi's public opening coincides with First Friday, Indianapolis' monthly arts district celebration. Visitors are invited to socialize, meet exhibiting artists, and explore inaugural shows across six gallery spaces totaling more than 10,000 square feet in the new building.

Inaugural and Campus Exhibitions Include:

•  Ivelisse Jiménez's Campo de Resonancia — Efroymson Gallery

•  Jess Dunn & Sylvia Thomas's Drafts — Katharine B. Sutphin Media Gallery

•  You're Standing Inside the Instrument: A Score for 19 Buildings — Listen Hear Gallery

•  Will Higgins' The Speedway's Attic — Research Gallery

•  O.P.T.I.O.N.A.L. — Office of Provisional Thinking, Indeterminate Outcomes, Nonessential Activities, and Life: a conceptual art office where visitors are encouraged to get creative

•  From the Collection Of… — An exhibition highlighting work from the collections of supporters who helped make CAMi possible

•  Mae Alice Engron — Guichelaar Gallery *

•  Cory Robinson's Kept Secrets : Open Code — Tube Gallery *

•  Tony Cokes' Untitled (m.j. the symptom) — Tube Video Gallery *

* existing campus galleries

First Friday visitors can enjoy dinner from Chef Dan's Cajun and Southern food truck, as well as wine, beer, and coffee from CAMi's new bar and cafe “Stall” and Normal Coffee.

SATURDAY, MAY 2  |  NEIGHBORHOOD CELEBRATION  |  NOON–3 P.M.

Saturday's programming centers on CAMi's immediate community. Situated within the boundaries of both the Garfield Park and Bean Creek neighborhoods, CAMi will celebrate its neighbors with live music at noon by The Roundups, artist conversations and activities, and a group neighborhood tour at 1 p.m.

The celebration coincides with the Garfield Park Art Walk, organized by neighborhood artist Jennifer Meeker and sponsored by CAMi, as well as the opening day of the Garfield Park Farmers Market in adjacent Garfield Park.

 SUNDAY, MAY 3  |  LEVITT VIBE INDIANAPOLIS CONCERT  |  9 A.M.–3 P.M.

Opening Weekend concludes with the Levitt VIBE Indianapolis concert, transforming CAMi's outdoor amphitheater and pocket park into a stage for live music, dance, and community celebration. The event is free and open to the public.

Performers include:

•  Virginia-based jazz headliner JJJJJerome Ellis

•  Indianapolis-based traditional Mexican folk dance group Grupo Folclórico Macehuani

•  Indianapolis-based classical ensemble A.K.A. 

Beyond the stage, the event will include vendors from the Indy Gay Market, food for purchase from Pi Indy pizza food truck, and refreshments from Stall and Normal Coffee.

Special thanks to Levitt Family Foundation, Jungclaus-Campbell, Efroymson Family Fund, Eskenazi Health, and Lumina Foundation for their generous support of the 2026 Levitt VIBE Indianapolis Music Series.

CAMi’s main building also introduces a new cohort of 18 studio artists working across a wide range of practices, including painting, ceramics, multimedia, social practice, digital media, and interdisciplinary approaches. These artists contribute to a dynamic, working creative environment where visitors can engage more directly with the artistic process. The building is also home to five small business storefronts, with tenants including Hepatica Pottery Collective, a collaborative ceramics studio; HQ Books & Records, an independent bookstore and record shop; Indy Plant Room, which offers creative wellness experiences centered around plants; and Line + Form Art Center, a community-focused art studio. The goal is for select studios and storefronts to be open to the public during the grand opening weekend, creating opportunities to engage with artists and support local small businesses.