INDO is a Chicago-based design and fabrications firm specializing in site-specific installations created with materials diverted from the waste and recycling streams.

Co-creators Linsey Burritt and Crystal Hodges blend sustainable practice, innovative design and thoughtful collaboration to produce interiors, window displays, art installations, objects and environments for a diverse range of clients, designers and venues.



INDO began 2013 by being mentioned as two of ‘The Most Kick-Ass Girls of 2012’ in a list published by Carhartt, the traditional tough-boy clothing manufacturer. This dynamic duo, Linsey Burritt and Crystal Hodges, have had an amazing past year, appearing on ABC Local (WLS-TV) and being featured in Martha Stewart’s Whole Living magazine, The Chicago Tribune, Huffington Post, and others. The leading visual merchandising trade publication, VMSD, just named two of INDO’s projects to a short list of ‘2012 Stunning Window Displays from Around the World.’

Burritt and Hodges believe in sustainable living so much that they dedicated their careers to it. They co-founded INDO, their West Loop company, in 2007 (think window without the w’s), building window displays and installations from materials that have been diverted from waste and recycling streams. These soft-spoken, stylish young women are making loud statements with their creative repurposing of recyclable goods, practicing what they term quiet activism—urging viewers to think about waste in our society.

Their client list includes Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Taste of Chicago, the Merchandise Mart, and others. Library catalog cards, expired hibiscus, nail polish caps, 6,000 pounds of paper, 17,000 yards of string, and ‘used fabric tubes from foxy designers’ are their selected media. ‘If our work can spur a conversation, that’s a win. If our work causes people to reflect on their consumption patterns, that’s a win, too.’


How did you meet?

LB: We met in the South Loop at a coffee shop Gourmand Coffee. We both were working there and attending Columbia College. I was a Graphic Design student and Crystal was studying Interior Architecture.

What was the catalyst for starting INDO?

CH: City Soles, a shoe store in Wicker Park, commissioned us to do a window and we eventually did 4-5 installations for them. We established a portfolio from these installations and our collective work at Columbia. In 2010 we did a project with Shannon Downey at Pivotal Production for Urban Innovations where we used office paper.

Do you each have designated tasks on projects?

LB: We decide at the beginning: one manages and one assists, it’s a collaboration for us. We begin with an idea session; on most projects we both can do all roles, but we take turns at managing.

What businesses use your services?

LB: Ad agencies, design firms, retail establishments.

How do you calculate your fees?

CH: We calculate our fees on a project by project basis. We scope the project parameters and define the client’s requirements. We then estimate the project which requires a back-and-forth dance until we find the sweet spot. We calculate our rate hourly for most projects, for interiors we cross reference with a square footage rate, and then assume a range for material costs.

Is ‘green’ a big part of your work?

CH: Yes, absolutely. That part comes under material sourcing. We try our best to get materials from stores that like the recycling stream so that we are just diverting it from that stream instead of buying new things. We have to keep buying new glue sticks and other things to support projects but, for the most part, the recycling stream is where the materials come from. We also pay attention to where it’s going after the window is finished so it won’t be thrown away.

How do you handle the recycling phase of a project?

CH: For our smaller projects, we save things. We save and recycle all of our fishing lines; it doesn’t take up that much space. The 6,000 pounds of paper for Steppenwolf is coming down relatively soon and we have to return that to where we got it from, which is Recycling Services. They’re going to take all the paper back; we planned that with them in the design phase.
 
What are your favorite materials to work with?

CH: We love paper. It is easy to come by and easy to manipulate.

Are most of your materials purchases or donations?

LB: We purchase our materials half of the time and the other half of the time they are either donated or found. When materials aren’t coming to us by way of being donated or found we reach out to recycling companies to see what they have in stock. Last year we purchased a gaylord with 1,000 pounds of sheets of plastic that the recycling company so graciously stores for us. The sheets were used in the Taste of Chicago installation and it’s amazing to us those sheets came at the size they are (3′ x 4′).

Do certain settings influence your choice of materials?

LB: Sure! That’s the nature of site-specific. Since the bulk of the materials we use are in a simple, raw form they are extremely adaptable.

Do clients dictate what they are looking for or do you have free rein?

CH: Sometimes they do; they usually come to us because they have something that they want to show. Delta-Brizo always have a new technology they want to showcase. Then it’s up to us; we go through our creative process and give them a few interpretations. We have creative rein, but they give us a seed. Sometimes the small shops give us full creative rein.

Talk about your recent ‘tea project.’

CH: TeaGschwendner is a German company with its first store in Chicago at Division and State Streets. They decided to do a window display because they’re thinking about rebranding. Even though they’re a German company in America, they’re recognizing where they are in the world. A friend brought us to their attention and we did their first window. It was a small window and something we have been struggling with lately is we don’t do too many small boutiques because we have to manage the budget. What we do is usually so intricate and ‘out there,’ that’s what we’re known for. To take enough time for us to get a small budget to work is very difficult. We’re trying to be more successful so we can work with the smaller boutiques in Chicago. It’s not easy to do what we do in half or a quarter of the time.

What is your most challenging project?

LB: The current Brizo installation at Dream2O showroom in the Merchandise Mart was challenging as we worked with string in a new way. We built a full scale prototype in our studio, which we don’t generally do since it takes a lot of time. We find a challenge in projects of all sizes. For Brizo we were challenged by sculpting string in a new way, but for the Tea project, we were challenged by a tight time frame.

What is your most rewarding project?

LB: Steppenwolf. It often felt as though it was an impossible project. It was a big accomplishment for us. We sorted through 10,000 pounds of paper and the final result used 6,000 pounds of paper. To see that go up and stay up was quite gratifying.

CH: With that project we had the opportunity to work closely with a recycling agency that was very excited to be involved and to see what their material could be used for. They had a different sense of purpose when working with us. It inspired a larger community than we are used to working with. We also had a lot of volunteers that gave their time to help us sort through the paper for specific uses.

Would you say that this project has given INDO a media presence?

LB: It was a slow trickle. We would get a slow trickle of press and then it was full stream.

CH: Linsey has been very involved in the design community since college and a lot of our press came from that community bouncing our name around. People find the work that we are doing and the materials we’re using interesting. We have a different model, because we made it up: we’re doing what we want in windows and with this medium. It’s not that we made up window dressing, but we’re doing it a different way and people are responding to that. People ask ‘Why did you start, how did you start? How do I do something like that?’ We really don’t have an answer. You just have to do something you like and see what sticks.

Where does your inspiration come from?

LB: I don’t think it comes from one place.

CH: A lot of times we just play with materials. We process things internally, we both just dream about things. We take our time and think about it, and not let anything hold back that kind of ideation. Then, we get real with it; just allowing yourself to dream about it yields results.

You currently share studio space with Strand Design, a hot new furniture design company. How did that come about, and does that foster a more creative work environment?

CH: I actually worked with Sharon Burdett, Strand co-owner and principal, at a different job. When I was doing retail design, Sharon was doing the graphics for that company.

LB: Ted Burdett had studio space that was shared by 6-8 different artists—now it’s our current space. At that time Crystal and I were excited about being creative on our own and we talked about starting a collective together. We met a few times with Sharon and Ted around the time that Strand was born and we decided to share space together.

Do you find that you feed off each other in your different areas of work?

LB: Yes, just being in the same space with other creative people, even at a subconscious level, informs and supports the work.

Do you have a staff or interns, or use volunteers as a project requires?

LB: We’ve used volunteers in the past for lack of budget. It would be a dream to be able to afford to work with other like-minded, creative individuals as it makes the work better.

Where do you hire them from? Are they students at Columbia, or professionals?

CH: Students usually email us and then we save it for future reference. Lately we have a teacher at Columbia that has been rallying her students. We got a great student of hers recently who we’ve been trying to work with. The students are excited and it’s best to have people that are excited to be working on these projects.

Describe a typical studio day.

CH: Go in, make coffee; sometime we chat, sometimes we don’t. We’ll probably check our email; sometimes we’re on the computer all day, sometimes we’re not. We always make lunch, because we have a kitchen at the studio; we usually make an afternoon coffee. Everybody’s lives in the studio revolve around coffee and lunch!

LB: There’s a little bakery, Loretta’s, on Randolph and we go there around 3 o’clock; we all go for a cookie, a little pick me up.

Do you socialize together when you’re away from the studio?

LB: Absolutely. We’ve been friends for 10 years and still have the same group of girlfriends worked with at Gourmand.

Favorite way to chill?

CH: I love to cook at home, and I love my greyhound Rachel (aka: Moto Rainbow).

LB: I love to mix up a great Manhattan to drink while I cook. And play gin rummy.

What’s next for INDO? Any move in the near future?

CH: A future goal is more of our own personal projects. 2013 is already lined up with client projects, which is a good thing. Right now we’re in the perfect space with no plans to move.

Any lectures, demonstrations, or teaching positions?

CH: We do occasional talks to students. There’s also job shadowing with Chicago Public School students, usually at the high school level.

Do you have a mentor(s)?

CH: Tim Cozzens, my studio professor in interior architecture at Columbia, he was always supportive, encouraging, and never gave up on me.

LB: My mentors are my friends. We have a very strong creative community surrounding us. My boyfriend, Sam Rosen, is my main mentor; he is part of the Post Family, an art and design collective in Chicago, and he has a web design firm.

Who are your favorite Chicago artists?

LB: I love Jenny Kendler. She always impresses me and she’s one artist in Chicago whose exhibitions I always attend. She did the Bolt Residency at Chicago Artists Coalition (CAC) and had an installation there recently.

CH: That’s really hard. All of our friends are artists and I don’t have a favorite. I have a favorite photographer who is one of my best friends, Stephanie Bassos. She is so good with people and has a passion for it. Stephanie is continually growing her photography and it’s beautiful to watch somebody escalate. She also did an amazing job photographing my wedding.

LB: We collaborated with Stephanie at the Rainbo Club, a bar in Ukrainian Village back in 2007. They have these window boxes inside that they feature local art in and one day it occurred to me how amazing it would be to engulf them. Stephanie’s work went up on the walls and inside of the window boxes we printed her photos life size and then placed a few props to make those photos come to life.

What are you currently reading?

CH: I’m reading Until I Find You by John Irving.

LB: I’m reading Rework by 37signals.

Is there anything more you would like to say?

CH: There are a few things. When we were talking about materials and how we got started, Margot Harrington wrote something: she basically took everything we were doing and made a sentence about how we diverted things from the recycling streams. We got that from her; it was the first time that somebody helped us frame what we were doing because we were doing this and not realizing it.

LB: She has a blog, Pitch Design Union, we enjoy.

CH: We see that window dressing has a powerful role on the street where it can impact people in different ways. A lot of people stop to look at great displays, just like they would stop to look at great art. For our future plans we are trying to engage people to use window display as a platform for larger campaigns or different kinds of messaging; having more of a purpose, or social platform, rather than just something beautiful. We are not there yet but hopefully in 2013.


Kathleen Waterloo had an 18-year career in interior architecture in Chicago. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute in Chicago in 1996 and is currently an artist in Chicago.

Heather Becker is an artist, author, and entrepreneur. She studied painting and art history at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the International School of Art in Italy, and is represented by Zolla Lieberman Gallery in Chicago. In 1992, Becker developed a national business plan for The Conservation Center, Inc. and later purchased The Center from the founder in August 2003; it has since become the largest private art conservation facility in the country.

Becker co-founded both the largest mural preservation project in the country’s history and the New Deal Preservation Association-Midwest Chapter, a not-for-profit organization that records and preserves works of art from the New Deal Era, and in 2004 authored a book on Chicago WPA murals and art preservation, Art for the People a(Chronicle Books). In 2004 Becker was named “Small Business Person of the Year” for the State of Illinois by the Small Business Association (SBA), and in 2007 The Conservation Center was awarded the “Chicago Landmark Award for Preservation Excellence” by the City of Chicago.






When did you first come to Chicago?

As a senior at the High School for Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, Texas in 1985, I was recruited by the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and given a scholarship to the BFA program in painting. The Hugh Hefner Mansion in the Gold Coast was the dorm for freshman students and that’s where I stayed my first year…that was my introduction to Chicago.

What led you to the path of art conservation?

After I graduated in 1989, I was awarded a scholarship to study abroad at the International School of Art located in the countryside of Italy, between Rome and Florence. We went on several field trips during the program to learn about figurative art in the area, and one was a site visit where a conservator was working on a chapel mural. I went back to visit the conservator and she invited me up on the scaffolding. Over the next few months, I visited several times and talked with her about her career and it opened up a window for me.

At the School of the Art Institute I put myself through school by waitressing, and knew I wanted to find another way to support my art career. In 1989, on the flight back to Chicago from Italy, I decided instead of going back to waitressing, I would pursue a job in the field of conservation. The mixture of art and science was fascinating to me. I asked where the laboratories were and kept hearing “You should visit the Chicago Conservation Center.” I called the founder, Barry Bauman, and he graciously met with me. He realized I had no experience; I just had passion and was eager to learn. The only position he had available was an administrative assistant. I accepted the offer and started typing all of the conservation reports for him.

I was in that position from 1989-1992. In 1992 I kept staying late, learning from the conservators and Barry, and I started thinking about the operation. I’m from a family of two entrepreneurs—my mother and father—and I kept having ideas about how to grow the company. I made an outline and presented it to Barry like a business plan. He told me I had a lot of great ideas and gave me one year to try my plan. I grew the company 12% that year.

You’ve done extensive research on the WPA murals in Chicago Public Schools and other locations. How did this opportunity present itself and how did it evolve?

Barry received a call from Flora Doody, teacher at Lane Tech High School. She had noticed a mural at the school that was falling off the wall, and was devastated to hear that the engineer was going to staple it back to the wall. Mortified, she stopped the engineer, and told him she would contact Barry who she knew from her days at the Art Institute, and seek advice.

Barry and I visited Flora, and we walked around the school, amazed there were 66 murals scattered around the campus. We thought this would be a great research project, because we felt there had to be more murals out there. Barry gave me permission to investigate and I called John Vinci, architect and historic preservation expert, to see what research there was on murals in these public buildings throughout the city. Vinci suggested I call local historian Mary Gray.

Gray had started research for a book she was writing, A Guide to Chicago’s Murals, and asked me to join her. I was in the right place at the right time. We spent the next several years visiting over 500 sites and documenting everything; we found hundreds of murals in the public schools. Not many people knew much about the collection, including the school board or the city.

Mary and I were determined to bring awareness to this issue and we fostered other supporters, such as Robert Eskeridge, Director of Museum Education at the Art Institute of Chicago. We involved several city officials in this project, and the teachers wrote class curricula around the murals. Before we knew it, we were involved with very complex fundraising to preserve the collection; we got support from the Field Foundation, the Driehaus Foundation, Alphawood Foundation and many others.

We were amassing an incredible collection of data and I thought it should be turned into a book. I had been interviewing artists from that era and I talked to Studs Terkel who was involved in the WPA Federal Writers Project. The book I wrote, Art for the People, was published by Chronicle Books in 2004.

An incredible experience that started in 1994 flourished into an arts preservation program; to date it is the largest mural preservation program in the United States, restoring over 400 murals in the Chicago Public Schools. I am passionate about public art and murals; they have such potential to impact a broad audience that may not have access to the arts otherwise. This project drew me back to my childhood; I was a quiet, shy child and my mother decided to put me into a magnet arts program at a public school. That opportunity changed my life, and I believe having these murals in public schools can open doors and foster creativity for the children.

Beyond paintings what does The Conservation Center work on today?

Together, Barry and I nurtured a more inclusive transition. One of our first conversations was how do we want to grow, and what is the strategic purpose of the growth? Originally we handled paintings, paper, and textiles, and we wanted the ability to treat an entire collection under one roof. In order to do that properly in our industry, experts were needed in all areas. It would be difficult to gain respect in our industry if you said that you treat everything—there’s too much to know in order to be good at everything. So over the course of 10 years, we regularly added another discipline, fine-tuned it, and made sure the newly hired experts worked with the rest of the team before moving on. Eventually we had built a team with the expertise and credentials to treat an entire collection.

Do you have a mentor?

I bought the company from Barry in August 2003. I accomplished this because I had special mentors like Barry, Marshall Field V, and Norm Bobins. They suggested I get a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan. I bought the company without any investors or partners, something that would be very hard to make happen today. I continued growing the company, nearly doubling it in two years. I started an advisory board because I knew there was a lot I didn’t know; I needed to surround myself with smart, passionate people that could help with different aspects of the company—real estate, banking, economy, and financial reporting. Marshall Field V was the first to support me, and Norm was the second. I then added Diane Swonk, Bob Glick, and many others over the years.

How did you assemble this savvy board of individuals and what is the board’s role?

These are all relationships that I’ve nurtured over time; every one of them is a mentor for me. I’m a big promoter of vetting ideas, thinking about positive change, and being creative about running a business. The board plays different roles and is involved in various ways. Diane Swonk taught me a lot about economics and how my business relates to the economy. Bob Glick has given me a completely different perspective on legal issues. Buzz Ruttenberg has been a great help in finding our new building and teaching me strategies in real estate and business. Marshall Field V was involved from the very beginning with the founder and I have had the honor of carrying on that tradition with Marshall. The advisory board meets four times a year: they are strictly advisory and carry no legal responsibility.

What would you like to accomplish?

I don’t necessarily want to get bigger—that’s not my goal. I want to make a wonderful work environment for very talented people: an environment that is effective as a conservation laboratory, which is what I pursued with Jeanne Gang in designing our new facility. Moving into the new space was a very pivotal moment in taking my goals for the company to the next phase of the operation. We spent a year planning and executing the move, and during the last six months we honed all of the details with Studio Gang.

How did you first meet Jeanne Gang?

We’re both members of The Chicago Network, an organization of women entrepreneurs and executives in Chicago. After meeting at a few events, we became friends and developed this great rapport because of our synergies in the art world. I mentioned to her, “We’ve got this challenging new space we’re moving into; and it would be great to have you and your team develop the design with me and the conservators so the space flows with the conservation process,” and Jeanne graciously accepted. It was a privilege to collaborate with her and the Studio Gang team.

Tell me about your disaster assistance involvement.

We have become known nationally as a go-to resource for disaster situations. The first was the LaSalle Bank fire in 2004 where we helped recover over 4,000 photographs in the bank’s famous collection. The next year, Hurricane Katrina hit in New Orleans and we were brought in by AXA Art Insurance to assist at the New Orleans Museum of Art immediately following the floods. We rotated crews in New Orleans for four months, assisting collectors, families and other institutions in the region. We realized that it was a unique service to offer, and we developed a following, so when the wildfires in California happened in 2007, we were called in to assist again.

Our largest disaster involvement was the Cedar Rapids flooding in 2008 where we assisted five different museums at one time. There were over 7,000 pieces that we were responsible for; that was our most daunting task. When the floods hit the Farnsworth House, I got a call late at night and we were there to help the next day. Most recently on October 29, 2012, The Conservation Center was called to New York City following Hurricane Sandy, where we assisted both businesses and home owners with damaged art, heirlooms, and unique items affected by the flood waters. Our onsite crews worked to carefully remove and triage over two thousand works of art in order to mitigate additional damage.

How do you organize your disaster teams on location?

For Hurricane Katrina response, we were rotating crews for four months. We would have a team leader with 3-5 people per team go down for 3-7 days. These environments can be very extreme. If it floods in September in the South, the humidity is high and at 100 degree temperatures there is mold everywhere. We don’t send volunteers; only trained team members. It’s incredibly rewarding to be the people that go in and save rare and meaningful items in the situation, and you quickly see that you’ve made a real impact.

Do your teams require any hazmat training or special equipment?

Yes, everything from boots to goggles to hard hats. There are Tyvek suits and mold respirators required, and each person has to be specially fitted with their own respirator. There are also instances where certain vaccinations are required for various exposures.

We have a hazmat expert on staff and need to know quite a bit about that internally because of the solvents we use; there is so much science required for what we do. We attend several conferences for the disaster world, read articles and attend special programs year round.

What technological advances have there been recently in conservation?

There’s a very tight network in the conservation community. Conservators are great about relaying information and helping each other; that’s one of the things that we’re really proud of with this laboratory and our company culture.

For example, if our furniture conservator is posed with a new problem that he’s never had to address before, he can go to other conservators and see if someone has a suggestion on a technique or something new they heard about in a paper that was recently published, or heard discussed at a conference they attended; or they might send an email to their colleague at the Getty for example. There are many stylistic things that have been passed down through generations that you may not know about unless you’ve worked with or apprenticed under an expert. Innovation is a big part of the field, yet at the same time, there is a huge draw into the past, to learn from the mistakes that have been made over time and perfecting techniques that are tried and true. The coalescence of talent, experience, and intuition is something that thrives daily at The Center.

What has been your most rewarding or significant accomplishment?


Assisting five museum collections all at once was a daunting responsibility during the Cedar Rapids floods; yet being able to maintain order in the chaos of a disaster site multiplied by five, was very special in the history of the company.

What has been your biggest challenge in conservation?

One of the hardest things about a specialized company is perfecting and finding the right people to be on the team. This is a very unique talent pool; they must really enjoy working together, and communicate well with each other. I’ve learned the importance of managing and creating an effective workplace, where people like to come to work, and love what they do. When that combination of enjoyment, passion, and a challenge exists, great things happen.

What are the challenges of two careers, art and conservation?

Actually that’s one of the best things about my life. I don’t get tired of coming to work or being in the studio making art; I’ve found a way to balance my time. I’ve been very disciplined and effective with transitioning between activities through meditation and yoga, which I’ve studied for 12 years. I’m very effective with my time; I haven’t watched television for 15 years.

How often do you find yourself in the studio?

It’s probably 80/20…80% at The Conservation Center, 20% in the studio. What is good for me as an artist is I’m very facile. Even though I might work on 5-8 paintings over 6 months, I’m focused and I don’t fuss—it flows.

Who are your favorite women in Chicago arts?

Jeanne Gang is one of my favorite women; of course she’s a dear friend. I also respect Helyn Goldenberg and Mary Gray, who have been an inspiration over the years. Marilynn Alsdorf has shown incredible leadership as a connoisseur of art.

If you could have lunch with any artist, past or present, who would it be?

I’ll say Giacometti. He is very intriguing to me as an artist.

What are you currently reading?

I’m reading a book on yoga by Richard Freeman. He’s amazing. I’ve been practicing Ashtanga yoga now for 12 years; it’s changed my life.



Kathleen Waterloo had an 18-year career in interior architecture in Chicago. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute in Chicago in 1996 and is currently an artist in Chicago.