Forthcoming Film focuses on Owens + Crawley and their “FUCK 2020” Christmas ornament

Kickstarter fundraiser tonight at 201 S. Rural St. from 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.

On May 26, I visited the fabrication studios of Owens + Crawley (Quincy Owens and Luke Crawley) at 201 S. Rural St. wanting to know about their “FUCK 2020” Christmas ornament that will be the subject of a forthcoming film by Paul Nethercott.

Paul Nethercott is the director of Grateful: The Jenny Berebitsky Story.

Owens is a full-time artist while Crawley also works as a full-time science teacher at University High School in Carmel.  The Owens + Crawley name is increasingly associated with public art in Indianapolis and Carmel, but they have also been involved in more, shall we say, whimsical projects. 

“Two years ago we started doing ornaments just kind of for shits and giggles,” said Owens. “And this year ... it was going to be a little bit more political. Not crazy political, because it's a little bit tongue in cheek .... as well but there are some conceptual sides. It's good to touch on politics.”  

Touch on politics the ornament certainly does as it incorporates the font used by the Trump campaign for their “Trump 2020” logos.  But it will also, according to Nethercott, touch on the vitality of the arts community in Indianapolis.

Accordingly, the film will employ the services of artists well-known in the Indianapolis arts community, among them composer Rob Dixon, artist/designer Aaron Scamihorn, and cinematographer/principal owner of Magnet Films David Yosha.  

I also had a chance a few days after my visit to talk with Nethercott on the phone, and I asked him what drew him to the project. 

“One is the sharp design,” he said. “And the irony of the Christmas tree ornament that's both profanity on it. It's an interesting combination of, you know what people call the profane and the sacred. There's a real attitude behind it. And, and I'm not using the word attitude in a negative sense like a teenager is having a bad attitude but there's a real sense of punchiness there and fight and spirit.” 

Paul Nethercott at May 29 Fundraiser event

Nethercott wants people of all sorts, not just artists, to relate to the personal and professional struggles that Owens and Crawley experienced during the pandemic, which led to the cancellation of many public art projects, including projects that Owens and Crawley had expected to pursue.

“On the other hand, there's some unique things going on and they tend to talk about silver linings because actually, 2020 has been a good year for them financially,” Nethercott said.

“This will be another theme of the film, he added. “For many of us, at least, there have been some silver linings in 2020,” Nethercott said.

Originally published in NUVO.