The Indianapolis Art Center Student Experience

Art changes and enhances lives.

Last week I told you about Matt Warren who after a 20+ years working in landscaping and construction found a new passion, and career, starting with a steel sculpture class at the Indianapolis Art Center. With a new semester of classes approaching I wanted to share with you the stories of a few more of our students.

HEIDI MANDICH

In 2005, Heidi Mandich signed her son, Alec, up for a summer pottery camp at the Art Center as a way to get him out of the house and with no intention of taking a class herself. However, she and her husband quickly became intrigued by their son's experience and decided that the three of them should take a private glass class, dubbing themselves the von Trapp Family Glass Blowers.

While her husband found his niche in the world of glass, Heidi realized it was not glass that she dreamed of, but jewelry. "Having taken a lamp-work glass bead class years ago, I felt that if I could just take a metalsmithing class I could figure out how to present the beads," recalled Heidi. However, she didn't stop there. Each semester brought on a new challenge in her jewelry making, daring her to take a different class, to bring a new element and way of thinking into her pieces.

After four years Heidi has decided to take her learning to the next level and teach a class. "I don't really know how it happened. I've been monitoring the open studio for the past three years and loved the feedback and appreciation I have gotten from students. I love coaching them through questions and seeing them succeed. Teaching a class just seemed like the next step" she said. For Heidi, the Art Center is more than just a place to come and take a class.

"It's an inspiring and energizing environment. I have seen it transform people's lives in unimaginable ways. People have found a way to be someone beyond their limitations because of the Art Center. That's amazing!"

DICK NEED

Dick Need has been a student at the Indianapolis Art Center for the past six years. Feeling that he had the ability to draw, Dick signed up for a class. He has tried his hand at ceramics, metalsmithing, jewelry, and making stained glass windows.

For the past three years he has been an avid attendee of the open drawing and painting studios, a class with no instructor but providing the opportunity to draw and paint from life with a different model each week. When asked what he would tell those hesitant about taking a class he simply replied, "You got to do it. You got to try!"

NANCY THOMAS

After 33 years at the telephone company, Nancy Thomas decided it was time to retire and start doing what she truly loves: art. While her reason for signing up for classes at the Art Center was one of convenience, she quickly fell in love with the facility and the people.

Starting off, Nancy dabbled in oil, colored pencil, pen and ink and wood sculpting, but over the last six years she has found that her love lies in watercolor. "I haven't painted in oil since."

About taking classes she remarked "Just plunge in there. Do it and learn. It opens a whole new avenue."

KATE OBERREICH

(Yes, for regular readers of this blog, this is me, your blogger. Write about what you know, right?)

My student experience at the Indianapolis Art Center began in 1992 at the age of eleven when my mom signed me up for the summer Fine Arts Day Camp. Since then the Art Center has been a second home. A figure drawing class in high school gave me the opportunity to build my portfolio to apply to art school, open figure drawing classes allowed me to keep my drawing skills fresh, and an encaustic painting workshop earned me extra credit at school. I now have my Fine Arts degree and am working full time as an artist and arts administrator.

In addition to all this, I'm also a Guest Services Rep at the Art Center. I, along with the rest of the Guest Services and Education Department staff, invite you to give us a call if you are giving thought to a class, workshop or sampler. We are happy to help you find the perfect class to get you started on your own creative experience.

Our Spring Class Schedule (featuring Matt Warren on the cover) will be available online starting Wednesday, November 11. Registration begins December 2. Indianapolis Art Center members recieve an extra discount on classes when they register during Early Bird, December 2-16. And classes begin the week of January 11, 2010.

Story by Kate Oberreich with Meredith Bentz and Lisa DeHayes

Wife's Gift Turns into Career

Wife's gift turns into career

Matt Warren was at a dead end in his job. After 20+ years in landscaping and construction, he was bored and needed a change. The only options were striking out on his own or finding something else to do. A gift from his wife helped him do both.

"I came home and she said 'I got you a class at the Art Center.'" Warren recalls. It may have seemed a bad omen when he almost set his pants on fire during his first steel sculpture class, but Warren sees it as a fitting introduction to at art form that has become his true passion...and calling. Two and a half years after that first class, Warren is still at the Art Center is his full-time occupation is Artist. He's been in several art shows and has even done some commission work.

"There are lots of smiles these days in our household," he says. "Things are just really good. I'm having a great time."

Fab Fall Finds at the Indianapolis Art Center Basile Studio Shop

Treat your friends to a little Halloween madness from the Basile Studio Shop! Check out these treats to add some fun to your seasonal decor...

Ceramic artist Kate Tonguis (Sinistra Studio) of New Orleans creates these whimsical raku cat sculptures. Non-Halloween inspired cats are also available for the cat lover in your life. $24.95.

Blown Glass Pumpkins by Indianapolis Art Center faculty Lisa Pelo-McNiece are a perfect addition to your holiday table and also make a great hostess gift. Price ranges from $36-$45. Interested in making your own holiday treat? Contact Amanda Walters, Tour Coordinator, at 255.2464 ext. 249 for information on upcoming glass activities including making your own snowflake ornament!

Happy-go-lucky artist Allison Strine makes these double-sided pendants with an image on one side and a fun sayings ("Sometimes she can be a little witchy" & "Candy corn is her favorite veggie") on the other. Use as a necklace pendant or on your rearview mirror, or as a fan pull- anywhere you need a little cheer. $32.

A work of art all their own, Halloween themed handmade greeting cards from My Pepita's Magic are great to give and to get. All pieces are hand cut and assembled and add a bit of whimsy to any gift. Non-Halloween cards and gift tags are available too! $6.

But wait, there's more! The Art Center's Basile Studio Shop offers the best in local and regional handmade art. New items are arriving all the time and with the holidays coming up, it's a great place to find special gifts. Located just inside the main enterance to the Indianapolis Art Center, the Basile Studio Shop is open Monday through Friday, 10am to 5pm (open until 8pm on Thursdays) and 10am to 3pm on Saturday.

Indianapolis Art Center Grounds Inspire Indy Urban Sketchers

"We show the world, one drawing at a time." from the Urban Sketchers Manifesto.

The Indianapolis Art Center and its grounds, the 12-acre ARTSPARK (designed by world reknowned architect Michael Graves) inspires many visitors every year. Recently, it's attrached a new small, yet growing group of artists.

Lead by Jerry Points, a local artist and Art Center instructor, Indianapolis Urban Sketchers is a group of artists with a common interest in drawing. Gathering in small groups, Urban Sketchers meets at points of interest around Indianapolis and on several occasions, the Indianapolis Art Center has made it's way into their sketchbooks.

"We have drawn around the urban sites of Indianapolis and have discovered interesting areas around the Indianapolis Art Center and the gardens," says Points,"The great thing about sitting down to sketch is that we see things differently and focus on areas of the subject that catch our eye. With the Graves building and beautiful gardens, we plan to return again and again. And in terms of urban environment, it is always a zen time to draw there."

Begun in June 2009, Indianapolis Urban Sketchers is affiliated with the international group, Urban Sketchers. Points began the Indianapolis group with the feeling that artists should have more opportunities to keep their drawing skills sharp and liked the idea of sketching with others.

Points invites anyone to join, "As the weather turns, we will take our sketchbooks inside to various buildings around Indianapolis, including the Indianapolis Art Center." There is no direct teaching and no cost, and helpful comments are always encouraged by members. The group communicates by e-mail to set up a meeting place and time. Following each drawing session, images, like those seen here, are posted to the group's blog.

For more information about Indianapolis Urban Sketchers, or to join, contact Jerry Points at jpoints@indy.rr.com or visit the Indianapolis Urban Sketchers blog, here.

To learn more about Jerry Points visit www.jerrypoints.com. Points will also be teaching an all levels Oil Painting class at the Art Center on Tuesdays beginning January 12. Visit the Indianapolis Art Center's site for details. The full Spring class schedule will be available in November.

Links:

Indianapolis Urban Sketchers: www.urbansketchers-indianapolis.blogspot.com

Urban Sketchers (International): www.urbansketchers.com

10th Annual Day of the Dead Altar & Shrine Exhibition

ALTAR EXHIBITION

The Indianapolis Art Center is celebrating it's 10th Annual Day of the Dead Altar Exhibition and Celebration!

Over the last 10 years community members, artists, schools and families have been able to pay tribute to deceased loved ones or groups of people who have passed through the creation of an altar, ofrenda. The goal of constructing an altar, is to honor and symbolically welcome back the soul of the of the deceased person(s) during the 1st and 2nd of November, with a holiday/celebration known as El Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead.

In addition to altars created by community members, the Art Center creates a Community Altar each year. The public is invited to add objects, notes and other items throughout the exhibit and celebration.

Items on the altar celebrate the spirit of the deceased in a way that represent the life of that individual. Displayed are such items at favorite food and drink, favorite flowers, candles photos and trinkets to help personalize the altar and tell a story about the person honored.

The Day of the Dead Altars are on view in the Churchman-Fehsenfeld and Frank M. Basile Galleries at the Indianapolis Art Center galleries from October 9 through November 7.

SHRINE EXHIBITION

A shrine serves as a memorial to an individual or a group of people who have died. Like altars, they've become a way of telling stories about people, providing individuals another way to express and transform loss into an experience of beauty. The shrine not only provides community members with an additional way to honor deceased loved ones but with a smaller format to work.

We welcome you to come celebrate El Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead with a community celebration on Sunday, November 1st, 12-5pm. For more information, please visit http://www.dayofthedeadindy.org/!

The shrines are on view outside the Indianapolis Art Center in ARTSPARK from October 26 through November 7.

Explore ARTSPARK this Fall!

ARTSPARK, designed by Hoosier native and world–renowned architect Michael Graves, brings art, artists and the community together through interactive sculptures in an open–air setting. Not bound by traditional ideas of art education, ARTSPARK provides Studios and galleries without walls, creating a place where art and nature harmonize.

Experience ARTSPARK, 12 acres of interactive sculpture designed to stimulate all the senses. Meander through the varied landscape to uncover a palette of hues, fragrant vegetation, various textures, and sounds of wildlife. Explore a space designed for relaxation, reflection, and creation as the sun dances through the trees to create dappled patterns on the ground, soft flower petals are intertwined with rising sculptures. ARTSPARK is your creative connection to culture, art and nature.

This natural creative playground showcases open-air studios developed for people of all ages and abilities to touch, play, create and grow. Discover the changing seasons, changing landscapes, and changing artwork, a place in an environment creative energy meets the forces of nature.

ARTSPARK is home to ongoing concerts, festivals, films, workshops, youth camps, art classes, and the Broad Ripple Art Fair. The Indianapolis Art Center's ARTSPARK is located in the heart of the Broad Ripple Village Cultural District along the Monon Trail and White River, where art, culture, commerce, entertainment, and recreation meet in this creative community–based park, planting and nurturing the seeds of creativity.

ARTSPARK is a dawn-to-dusk Studio and Studio space. No gates, no fences, no general admission charge.

Volunteers Needed for Annual Day of the Dead Celebration

The Indianapolis Art Center is looking for volunteers for it's Annual day of the Dead Celebration on Sunday, November 1 from noon to 5pm. Volunteers are needed to face paint, greet the public, pass out programs and help children and adults with hands on art activities.

To volunteer, contact us at 317.255.2464 ext. 240, volunteer@indplsartcenter.org or visit http://www.dayofthedeadindy.org/.