A Place with Soul
When his mom passed away at 100 years of age, Oliver Colt decided to leave sunny San Francisco for Indianapolis. When the Old Northside neighborhood welcomed him with crisp 15° temperatures his first thought was, “What am I getting into?” During his 30-years living in San Francisco, Colt was a showroom manager for a high end antiquities dealer, where he spent his days sharing the soul of his trade. Colt, now retired, notes that this term was defined for him during that time when he was surrounded by antiques in the showroom. Now he spends his time looking for soul in Indianapolis. He says it’s here but you’ve got to look for it. One place he’s found it is right around the corner from home at the Harrison Center for the Arts, and he has found community here, too.
Colt's Old Northside home and extensive art collection
Colt looks to discover the essence of a specific quality in every place he visits and he believes he's found it in the heart of this building and the people in it. An avid art collector, and well-educated if I may say so myself, Colt has developed relationships with many of the artists in the building. The connections are strong.
“I am very lucky to have met Oliver and I was surprised to find such a passionate art collector in our back yard. It is rare to find someone with such an extensive and focused collection of high quality original artwork. As a young art collector myself, Oliver has been a mentor to me and I very much enjoy talking to and learning from him.” says HCA studio artist, Justin Vining.
Sitting for a portrait with painter, Nathan Foxton in the City Gallery
So if you see Oliver walking around the neighborhood say "hi." You’ll be happy you did.