07/11/2025
Today, Indexical proudly celebrates a decade of experimental music, performance, and community in Santa Cruz.
Founded in Brooklyn in 2011, Indexical settled in Santa Cruz, California in 2015, beginning with a performance of Casey Anderson’s "TALK RADIO (an opera)" and works from Robert Ashley’s "Perfect Lives" at The Art Bar & Cafe––an event that marked a turning point from its early years in Brooklyn to what would become a permanent home for visionary artistic work.
What began as a volunteer-led initiative has evolved into a stable, deeply integrated presence in Santa Cruz’s cultural fabric. Since our arrival, Indexical has produced over 350 performances, installations, workshops, and community events—continually expanding the boundaries of what music and art can be.
Our work has always centered artists and ideas that often fall outside traditional venues and contexts: experimental sound, interdisciplinary performance, and the work of historically, culturally, and institutionally underrepresented artists. What began with "TALK RADIO" has grown into a decade-long commitment––an artist-led organization dedicated to work that opens space for public dialogue, meaningful critique, and imaginative change.
We’re deeply grateful to the artists, audiences, volunteers, funders, and collaborators who’ve made these ten years possible—thank you.
As public funding for the arts continues to shrink, sustaining spaces like Indexical depends more than ever on community support. We remain steadfast in our mission: to uplift marginalized artistic communities and practices, and to keep our programs accessible to all.
To mark a decade in Santa Cruz, we’re launching $10 for 10—a grassroots campaign to raise $10,000 in community support.
If you value what Indexical brings to this community, give $10 (or more!) to help us keep artists paid, programs open, and our space thriving.
$10 for 10 years. $10 for the next 10. Join us.
https://www.indexical.org/donate
