ABSTRACT ART TAKES SHAPE Tiger Tail By Bob Cross
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12.9.21 – 12.23.21 (DECEMBER: ART & ARCHITECTURE MONTH)
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cover image artwork: Tiger Tail by Bob Cross photographer: rod ovitt
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DECEMBER 9 – DECEMBER 23, 2021
Abstract artist Bob Cross signing his original work, Tiger Tail, that he created for the cover of this issue of HUB260.
truly original Tiger Tail, the artwork appearing on the cover of this issue of HUB260 was created specifically for the magazine by abstract artist Bob Cross. In wanting to create an original piece for the cover, Cross used some of the 196 individual “frames” from his piece Little Wing on-view as part of the exhibit A Sense of Place: Abstract Art in Northern Indiana (12.3.21 – 3.13.22) at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art. Using the individual “frames” as his material, Cross created a collage that mixed, edited and placed the “frames” in a different combination to create a completely new and original piece of art.
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7 DAYS events & happenings
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holiDAYS special events & festivities
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theFEED food & drink culture
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disCOVER engage & connect Abstract Art Takes Shape
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rod ovitt
CONTENTS issue details
FRAME creative scene
Tiger Tail serves as an ultimate example of abstract art – artwork that does not attempt to represent an accurate depiction of a visual reality but instead uses shapes, colors, forms and gestural marks to achieve its effect.
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7DAYS events & happenings
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→ SHOP WELL, DO GOOD: The Northeast Indiana Make-A-Wish Council is hosting a Holiday Pop-Up Gift Shop featuring home decor at Jefferson Pointe. All proceeds benefit the organization’s granting of wishes to critically ill children. The organization currently has 87 children who are waiting to have their wishes come to life. 10am – 9pm, Friday & Saturday; 10am-6pm, Sunday, oki.wish.org/popup
→ TEACHERS WHO CAN: Thru December 19. University of Saint Francis’ Gallery is filled with the talents of teachers at the Alumni/Faculty Exhibition. Rolland Art Center Gallery, USF Main Campus, 2701 Spring Street, 260.399.7999, sf.edu
10-12 ← MAJIC TRULY COMES TO LIFE: The Fort Wayne Ballet’s annual performance of The Nutcracker 7:30pm, December 9, 10 & 11; 2pm, December 11 & 12. Tickets $35+, artstix. org/260.422.4226; Arts United Center, 303 E. Main Street, 260.484.9646, fortwayneballet.org
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DECEMBER 9 – DECEMBER 23, 2021
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↑ NASHVILLE NOEL: Originally established to appear on The Nashville Network, A Nashville Family Christmas has kicked up its cowboy boots for the holiday season for the past 20 years. The group is known for delighting audiences with its Christmas country music. 7pm, Tickets: $25- $59, The Clyde Theatre, 1808 Bluffton Road, 260.747.0989, clydetheatre.com
NO COST ART APPRECIATION Enjoy all the Fort Wayne Museum of Art has to offer when it stays open late and offers free admission. 5-8pm, 311 E. Main Street, 260.422.6467
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→ SONGS OF THE SEASON: First Wayne Street United Methodist Church hosts Christmas by Candlelight. Benjamin Rivera will conduct the Fort Wayne Philharmonic with a celebration of Christmas featuring seasonal favorites including Corelli’s Christmas Concerto highlights from Handel’s Messiah and selections from Bach’s Christmas Oratoria. The evening will conclude with Hallelujah Chorus. 7:30pm, Tickets: $35/person, 300 E. Wayne Street, 260.422.4681, fwphil.org
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↑ SCORE: The 70th Anniversary season of the Komets continues with the home rink advantage. The team takes to the ice against the Kalamazoo Wings (8pm, December 17), Cincinatti Cyclones (7:30pm, December 18; 5pm, December 19.) Tickets: $14 - $30/person, Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, 4000 Parnell Avenue, 260.483.0011, komets.com
↑ EATING & ENTERTAINING: Arena Dinner Theatre’s supper comedy show Dashing Through the Snow covers the four days before Christmas at the Snowflake Inn. Dinner menu offerings include seared herb-roasted pork loin, herb-roasted portobello, garlic & cheese red mashed potatoes and chocolate mousse for dessert. Tickets: $40/person. 7pm dinner & 8pm curtain, December 17 & 18. 719 Rockhill Street, 260.424.5622, arenadinnertheatre.org
17-19 ↓ SONG & CARROLLS: The holiday tradition of the annual Spirit of Christmas concert continues. Heartland Sings Vocal Artists, under the director of Maestro Robert Nance, present music of the season in the rotunda of the historic Allen County Courthouse. Just imagine the magic created when you hear the harmonies echo from the floor to ceiling. 7pm, December 17; 2 pm, December 18 & 19, Tickets: $30/person, Allen County Courthouse, 715 S. Calhoun Street, 260.436.8080, Heartlandsings.org
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↑ HOP ON FOR THE HOLIDAYS: CitiLink will not collect fares in recognition of the holiday season and to make it easy to get out-and-about on Holly Shopping Saturday. Fares will be free on all services including fixed route buses, FlexLink, MedLink and Access Service, 260.432.4546, fwcitilink.com
→ KRIS KRINGLE KRAFTS: Santa is setting up a locale for artisans and crafters to help with getting holiday gifts for those on your list. Head to Quimby Village the first annual AristoKrafts Fair. The shopping destination will also have food trucks, live music and a mobile bar. 12-9pm, December 18; Noon-6pm, December 19, 1940 Bluffton Road
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holiDAYS special events & festivities
SANTA SIGHTINGS
Good Shepherd Books & Gifts 915 S. Clinton Street, 260.399.1442 Goodshepherdbookstore.org 20% off one full priced item. Plus free cookies!
DECEMBER 11: The Santa On Tour, a drive thru celebration presented by the MLK Club will take place for its 25th year. 12 – 2pm, for ages 2-12, Fort Wayne Urban League, 2135 S. Hanna Street
House to Home 110 W. Columbia Street, 260.267.0620 Housetohomefw.com Receive a $5 store credit on purchases of $50 or more. (Store credit is redeemable after January 1, 2022)
DECEMBER 11: Santa and his holidaydressed reindeer on-hand at the Botanical Conservatory for Santa & Reindeer Saturdays. Also enjoy the Alpine exhibit and other festive scenery as you make your way to see Santa. (Note: Santa takes a break from 2-2:30pm.) 12-4pm. Tickets: $5/adult; $3/children ages 3-17, 1100 S. Calhoun Street, 260.427.6440, botanicalconservatory.org
HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS: Thru December 19. The holiday favorite Fantasy of Lights is on view. Franke Park is transformed into a spectacular winter wonderland with over 140 larger-than-life displays. And thanks to Blue Jacket’s partnership with Humane Fort Wayne there are even holiday biscuits for furry family members. 5:30 – 9 pm, Sundays through Thursdays; 5:30 – 10pm, Fridays and Saturdays. $10/car, Franke Park, 2826 S. Calhoun Street, 260.744.1900, bluejacketinc.org
DECEMBER 18: The furry four-legged family members have two opportunities to be photographed with the “main man” of the season. Furry Friends with Santa2Remember: 2-5pm, Pet Supplies Plus, 6326 W. Jefferson Boulevard Pet Photos with Saint Nick: 3-5pm, The Bradley Hotel, Arbor Restaurant, 204 W. Main Street DECEMBER 19: Santa Visits Waynedale on a trolley. Donned in his red suit and accompanied by the Mrs., Santa slowly makes his way through the area’s neighborhoods. Be sure to come out. 1pm, Indian Village; 1:20pm, Sand Point & Belle Vista; 1:35pm, Old Trail; 1:50pm Southwest Waynedale; 2:30pm, Avalon; 2:50pm Lake Shores West & Lakewood; 3:15pm Lakeshores East & Winterset. For a map of Santa’s route visit waynedalenews.com
FESTIVITIES DECEMBER 10-12: Santa wears ballet shoes as the Fort Wayne Ballet has turned the Arts United Center’s plaza into a traditional Chirstkindlmarket (German Christmas Market) as a nod to the German author E.T.A. Hoffmann who wrote the story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King from whence the ballet The Nutcracker came. The Kris Kringle Holiday Village’s hours mirror the Fort Wayne Ballet’s weekend performances. Shopkeepers of the specially designed chalets include Chasing Squirrels, Cat People Press, Studi07, Mad Hatter Cookies and Little Bird & Co. 4-10pm, December 10 & 11; 12-5pm, December 12. Arts United Center Plaza, 303 E. Main Street, KrisKringlefw.com
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DECEMBER 9 – DECEMBER 23, 2021
DECEMBER 11: ‘Tis the season for holiday shopping and Downtown Fort Wayne makes it special to shop local with its The Days of Holly Shopping. There are also plenty of special deals to keep your holiday spirit up: Coney Island Gift Shop 131 W. Main Street, 260.424.2997 Fortwaynefamousconeyisland.com 50% off selected items Creative Women of the World 125 W. Wayne Street, 260.267.9048 Gocwow.org Spend $75 in store and receive a 10% off coupon to use in 2022. David Talbott Collection/ David Talbott Menswear 532 W. Berry Street, 260.387.6531 Special sales include deals on cashmere scarves, Happy Socks and sport coats.
HANDMADE HOLIDAY: Thru January 9, 2022. Find the perfect handmade gift at the Art Farm Holiday Pop Up Gallery. The curated collection of artisans is open to the mask wearing public. To maintain proper social distancing, free scheduled tickets are available for entrance during busy weekend hours. Wednesdays – Sundays, 12-6pm, 17612 E. North County Line Road, Spencerville, IN, 260.740.8725, artfarmindiana.com CONSERVATORY CHALET: Thru January 2, 2022. Get swept away to the Alps for the holidays at the Foelinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory’s Alpine Holiday. Wind down a mountain path and enjoy the scenery. 10am – 5pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays; 10am – 8pm, Thursdays; Noon – 4pm, Sundays. Tickets: $5/adult and $3/child (ages 3-17), 1100 S. Calhoun Street, 260.427.6440, botanicalconservatory.org
theFEED food & drink culture :: NEIGHBORHOOD NOSH: The local Bistro Nota eatery has re-opened for dinner Wednesdays – Saturdays, 5-9pm. And the pub-like space is made even more intimate with the open kitchen where it is possible to see co-owners and chefs Jake & Cam (on a first name basis only) making everything offered on the menu from scratch. 620 S. Calhoun Street, 260.488.6682, bistronota.com :: FOOD FACTS: Many reading this will know the name Linda Miller and her role at previous dining establishments. And many others will remember the name Wolf & Dessauer and the fact that its home is now where Citizen Square is located. So what do you get when you combine these two important facts? You get Wolfy’s Restaurant. Miller’s new spot for breakfast and lunch. Breakfast offerings include a bacon, egg and cheese croissant and a burrito with chorizo eggs, potatoes, green salsa and cheddar cheese. The lunch menu is all about sandwiches. 7:30 – 10:30am for breakfast; 11am – 2:30pm for lunch. Mondays – Fridays, 200 E. Berry Street (down under), 260.427.8532 :: COFFEE & CULTURE: Win a chance for free tickets to the Fort Wayne Ballet’s The Nutcracker by participating in its first The Nutcracker Coffee Tour. Take The Nutcracker Coffee punch card to the 8 participating in coffee houses (Conjure Coffee, Crescendo, Firefly, Fortezza, Mocha Lounge, Pembroke, Utopian and West Central Coffee) where a beverage purchase provides a card punch (only one per venue). To be entered in the drawing, completed coffee cards need to be mailed to Fort Wayne Ballet, 300 E. Main Street, Fort Wayne, IN 46802
FAIR TRADE | SUSTAINABLE FASHION | UNIQUE GIFTS
SHOP SMALL... Give Global This holiday season, surprise your loved ones with treasures that are handmade by female artisans from over 50 countries.
2021 CUISINE CALENDAR
:: RESTAURANT & RETAIL: HUB260 joins forces with UMI to create an easy way to shop the best local boutiques all in one place, including Magnolia + Moss Mercantile, Chic Boutique, Matilda Jane, Idlehour and Peony & Rose. Also in attendance are Bella Sante, Dashing and Dapper jewelry and Pure Barre. Free. December 9, 5-8:30pm, Umi, 2912 Getz Road, 260.203.9975, umifortwayne.com
Indulge and celebrate with good cheer & good taste. December: National Root Vegetables & Exotic Fruits Month; National Egg Nog Month; National Fruit Cake Month 12.9
National Pastry Day
12.10
National Lager Day
12.11
National Gingerbread House Day
12.12
National Hot Cocoa Day
12.15
National Cupcake Day
12.17
National Maple Syrup Day
12.20
National Sangria Day
12.21
National Fried Shrimp Day
125 WEST WAYNE ST FT. WAYNE, IN 46802
260-267-9048 www.gocwow.com
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Little Wing by Bob Cross Photo by Rod Ovitt
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DECEMBER 9 – DECEMBER 23, 2021
TAKING SHAPE A 21st CENTURY ART FORM
A Sense of Place: Abstract Art in Northern Indiana December 3, 2021 – March 13, 2022 Fort Wayne Museum of Art HUB260.com
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time & place
Bob Cross, While You Slept, acrylic-charcoal-24k gold on canvas
by Bob Cross, Abstract Artist
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or decades, modern art in Northern Indiana was considered solely the province of college art programs and art museums. Today, we expect to see contemporary art everywhere – from our city’s street murals, public art projects and even in the most traditional-styled houses.
We have opened our hearts and homes to abstract art. A Sense of Place: Abstract Art in Northern Indiana is the new exhibition at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art. I co-curated the show with Paradigm Gallery Director Abby Leon. The exhibit represents my belief of how the region has shifted to not only accept but also embrace abstract art and its local creators. Over 100 years ago, the American Impressionist painter, T.C. Steele and other forwardthinking artists settled in Brown County, Indiana. This group of Indiana Impressionist painters, who worked in the late 19th and early 20th century, were known as the Hoosier Group. In addition to Steele, members of the group included Richard Gruelle, William Forsyth, J. Ottis Adams and Otto Stark. They became known for their interpretative renditions of the Indiana landscape. And it is through their dedicated efforts of disparate
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artists that they created the artistic cultural legacy that continues to shape and define art in Indiana. Some historians believe the earliest examples of abstraction date back to Roman antiquity with the painting of faux-marble wall panels. Today, we see a shift away from this utilitarian type of work to the creation of art for arts’ sake. There is no doubt that this is due to the invention and increasingly easy access to photography, film-making, video and the Internet. And if we layer on top of this, the development of technology and the speed at which it provides information about world events, it creates an extremely difficult situation for people to process the mass amounts of information they are receiving on a daily basis which ultimately leads to the occasional existential crisis. From this comes the perfect storm for the disruption of people’s attitudes, thoughts and understanding of the world around them. And over the decades, it is the art forms like Impressionism, Cubism, Abstract Expressionism and Post Modernism that have served to capture this “progress” and mirror our emotional reactions to it.
rod ovitt
disCOVER engage & connect It is likely that the 21st century’s defining art form will be Abstraction which conveys ideas rather than events. Think about it … there are many abstract concepts we believe including the idea of love, the principles of mathematics, the value of money and the notes of music. And like art, it is the examination of these concepts that assist us in defining who and what we are and shape our perspectives and understanding of what it means to be human. And when it comes to the modern-day expression of these abstractions, I believe the work by our region’s artists is unique and has deep roots in the American art form of Abstract Expressionism developed by the Hoosier Group. There is a well-defined linear path from the Hoosier Group breaking with academic tradition to create a regional style of increasingly more abstract art. This art form was frequently on view at the Fort Wayne School of Art in the first half of the 20th century. When my parents first met at the art school in the late 1940s, it was an oasis for the avantgarde. Some of my earliest memories growing up in the 1950s and 1960s in Goshen, Indiana were our weekend pilgrimages to Fort Wayne to “experience art”. This movement was also embraced by other artists including the Midwest regionalist landscape painter Thomas Hart Benton, whose student, Jackson Pollock became an essential figure in defining the American style of contemporary art. The roots of the art movement established in Indiana has connections to internationally renowned sculptors, who are also from Northern Indiana, including David Smith (Dekalb) and John Chamberlain (Rochester) as well as abstract printmaking legend Kenneth Tyler (Gary). Over time, what was once considered new, unusual and experimental art became artwork that is meaningful, and substantive. And the interest in post-modern art continues to grow and evolve. Again, this is due, in part, to technology and its ability to provide easy access to what’s new and innovative. The fact is smartphones have
placed at our fingertips a type of global creativity that has allowed Abstraction to become more mainstream. As not only a long-time resident of Northern Indiana, but also through my work painting murals and faux-finishes in contemporary homes which have become more prominent in our residential landscape, I have become more aware of people’s appreciation of post-war modern art. Even in what is believed to be a very conservative area, Elkhart County, residents are building more and more contemporary homes. However, I noticed the design of Northern Indiana contemporary homes is unique because of the region’s climate and culture. I soon realized the area’s interpretation of contemporary architecture is parallel to how regional artists have established a unique perspective, influenced by geography, of abstract art. And it is through this perspective that they continue to push Abstraction forward in new and modern ways. By bringing together 13 of the region’s talented abstract artists -- who have been influenced by architecture, Indiana’s natural environ and their unique points-ofview -- it is my hope that the significance of this collective grouping will provide a strong foundation and context from which we can begin to define abstract art in Northern Indiana and the region’s continual innovation, creativity and cultivation of this art form. It is my understanding that A Sense of Place: Abstract Art in Northern Indiana is the first survey exhibition of its kind. I’m grateful to the Fort Wayne Museum of Art’s CEO/President Charles Shepard and Vice President/COO Amanda Shepard for having the willingness to come alongside me in this endeavor. I also want to thank the regional artists who have given so much of their time and my sincerest appreciation to my co-curator Abby Leon for her insight, guidance and friendship over the past year. And it is my vision that by seeing this exhibition, it will become as clear to you as it is to me how Fort Wayne, its surrounding counties, including those that are just south of the Michigan state line are committed to the arts and embracing the forward-thinking abstract artists among their midst.
Bob Cross working on Tiger Tail, an original piece of artwork for the cover of HUB260.
A Sense of Place: Abstract Art in Northern Indiana exhibition includes abstract art works from local/regional artists: Austin Cartwright, Painter, Fort Wayne Bob Cross, Painter, Elkhart Kaylee Dalton, Painter, Elkhart Sayaka Ganz, Sculptor, Fort Wayne Justin Johnson, Mixed Media, Fort Wayne Monica Meler, Printmaker, Fort Wayne George Morrison, Sculptor, Fort Wayne Michael Poorman, Painter, Fort Wayne Audrey Riley, Mixed Media, Fort Wayne Theopolis Smith, Painter, Fort Wayne Mary Pat Wallen, Painter/Sculptor, Warsaw Jake Webster, Sculptor, Goshen Jay Zerbe, Painter, Michigan City
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Alma Thomas, Wind Sparkling Dew and Green Grass, acrylic on canvas, 1973. Gift of Vincent Melzac, 1976.04.
The Origins of Abstraction
by Charles A. Shepard III and Amanda Shepard
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DECEMBER 9 – DECEMBER 23, 2021
Steven Sorman, from time to time XII, monoprint, hand painting, and collage, 2000. Gift of the artist in memory of David Shapiro.
disCOVER engage & connect
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et’s mentally travel back 36,000 years to the Paleolithic era and focus on the drawings applied to the walls of the caves of Altamira in Spain. In ancient days, those drawings were a critical part of a communication system, letting people know where the good hunting was located and how to find it. These images played an important role in the day-to-day life of that society. It is also very telling that one of the first written forms of communication was made up of images and perhaps artworks of beauty. Since ancient times, images and by extension art, in general, have shifted in their use and societal response. And in the last 400 years, the notion of art and its ownership has also shifted to allow for a larger art purchasing public. As the wealth and influence of the merchant class grew, churches and royal families were no longer the only patrons of lucrative art commissions. This also caused the subjects of art to increasingly become more secular as those buying the art sought to celebrate their worldly success and possessions. Realism in art continued to reign both because it accurately depicted the “things in the world” and because, at the time, Realism was the universally understood language of art. START OF IMPRESSIONISM By the 1700s, the public art market was thriving, and the European art academies held influence and sway over artistic style. Yet one artist, in 1844, J.M.W. Turner broke away from tradition to present a more dynamic way of seeing and depicting things. Turner, who had natural artistic talent, studied at London’s Royal Academy of the Arts and achieved tremendous success before he turned 25. He emerged as a model example of the establishment’s Realismtrained artist. However, Turner began to
chafe at the constraints of the Realist style which, in his mind, depicted things accurately but were bereft of any sense of the essence of the things portrayed. To understand Turner’s perspective, think of a ship at sea in a perilous storm with almost zero visibility. Turner, a frequent voyager, had first-hand knowledge of this type of scene and understood that, in those moments, nothing appeared real. His quest as an artist was to convey what those “unreal” moments were like. Turner likely considered his work realistic although it bore little resemblance to the Realism art form favored by all the other painters at the academy. The artists who were devoted to academic Realism were highly skilled illusionists, whereas Turner sought to paint truth itself. This distinction is what led to Claude Monet’s haystack series almost two decades later, as Monet found, that one of his favorite subjects, the mounds of golden hay in his neighbor’s field, changed in appearance throughout the day. The importance of this is that Turner, the originator of the style that would become Impressionism paved the way for Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edouard Manet and Mary Cassatt, all of whom drew a new and clear line between Realism and a style of painting that would later be termed Impressionism. By the 20th century, the Impressionists were soon in the company of Expressionists (artists who distort the image and thus reality in order to make it express their inner feelings or ideas); Fauvists (artists who created art characterized by strong colors and fierce brushwork in a specific time period 1905-1910); Cubists (artists who used a revolutionary approach to representing reality by bringing in different views of subjects (usually objects or figure) in the
same picture resulting in paintings that appeared fragmented and abstracted); Futurists (artists who aimed to capture in their art the dynamism and energy of the modern world); and a flood of other non-Realist artistic trends that have all come to define modern abstract art. The Turner-esque idea that each of these trends or styles had in common was that there was more to everything in the world than simply what could be seen by the eye alone. For many people this was very confusing. How could we judge these strange art forms when there was nothing in the world fto use or comparison? In his book, Art, published in 1914, British art critic Clive Bell posed the question, “What quality is shared by all objects that provoke our aesthetic emotions?”
world began teaching its theory and practice. After World War II, abstract art was so popular that colleges across the country opened new art departments which were directed by recognized masters of abstract-art styles. And, in the August 8, 1949 issue of LIFE magazine, the American public was given a thumbs-up endorsement of abstract art with its glowing multi-page feature article on Jackson “Jack the Dripper” Pollock. In today’s art world, Abstraction is no longer the disrupter it once was, though its power as a method of artmaking still captivates many artists. As an American art museum that chronicles the creativity of our country from the last 200 years, our collection includes Modern art and its icons of Abstraction.
He then went on the explain his theory of significant form (the idea that the form of an artwork or forms, within an artwork can be expressive, even if largely or completely divorced from a recognizable reality). Bell believed that we should judge new abstract art based on our personal aesthetic experience and response to the colors, shapes, and lines presented in the artwork.
In the last decade alone, we have acquired several hundred works by David Shapiro and Steven Sorman both of whom were late 20th century artists who reveled in the nonrepresentational. Other significant works of abstract art in the permanent collection of the FWMoA include those by Alma Thomas, Gene Davis and Francisco Valverde.
This idea asked more of the viewers of the artworks than in any other time in the past when we would have easily based our judgement on the artwork as to how well its depiction of, let’s say, a horse compared to a real horse.
The museum’s exhibition A Sense of Place: Abstract Art in Northern Indiana illustrates the influence of our region of the country on the development of American abstract art by showcasing the work of more than a dozen local and regional artists who express and share their unique perspectives. We couldn’t be more honored to feature them in the Fort Wayne Museum of Art.
Essentially, Bell asked the viewer to engage with the art in a new way and experience it for what it was, not what it was trying to be. MOVE TOWARDS ABSTRACTION The world gradually began to embrace Abstraction in its many forms. Markets responded and art schools around the
Charles A. Shepard III is President & CEO of the Fort Wayne Museum of Art. Amanda Shepard is Vice President & COO of the Fort Wayne Museum of Art.
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Faith Walk, acrylic and aerosol on canvas by Theopolis Smith III
Placemaking With Abstract Art 14
DECEMBER 9 – DECEMBER 23, 2021
disCOVER engage & connect
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hen Bob Cross submitted his proposal to Charles Shepard, CEO of the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, for the development of an exhibition with the works of contemporary abstract artists in Northern Indiana, he explained that the more he looked at abstract art in the region, he saw patterns emerging which he felt were worth refining. “We have an identity of place in our work which makes it distinctly different from contemporary work from other parts of the country. This is just like the idea that contemporary architecture styles in Miami differ from those in Montana,” said Cross. Cross went on to explain, “In the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, there were plenty of quality modern artists working in the New York area, but they were unorganized and had difficulty gaining traction. After World War II, the military group the Office of Strategic Services, that included architect Philip Johnson and art dealer Leo Castelli, organized modern artists into a group called Abstract Expressionists. This was, in part, because of the State Department’s efforts to exhibit uniquely American art in the United States’ embassies around the world. This helped to raise America’s image as a desirable place to live and do business and made it possible for artists in America to have meaningful success.” And with the exhibition A Sense of Place: Abstract Art in Northern Indiana, Cross wanted to bring together the local and regional artistic talent of abstract artists to prove how Northern Indiana is the place for forward-thinking visual arts. And like the organizing of America’s Abstract Expressionists, Cross believes that by bringing the talents of the region’s abstract artists together there is the opportunity to present a comprehensive overview of how Northeast Indiana is expanding the definition of Abstraction to include its own nuances and characteristics. And like other movements, Cross believes this initial collective exhibition will serve as the impetus to push Northeast Indiana as a destination for creativity and talent… especially when it comes to the creation of abstract art.
“With Kaylee’s (Dalton) works they look completely different when you look at them up close in an intimate fashion and when you pull back and view them from farther away. I really enjoy how her work is something that I have never seen before.” “Ceramics can be so scientific and it is incredible how George (Morrison) understands the medium to create unusual forms and shapes. His work is very sculptural but you can easily see the influences from his architectural background in his work.” - Abby Leon, Director of FWMOA’s Paradigm Gallery and Co-Curator of A Sense of Place exhibition
Lavish Evening, hand painted papers with encaustic monotypes collaged by Kaylee Dalton Oculus, glazed ceramic, sandust fired ceramic, terra sigillat by George Morrison
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“It is amazing to see how Monika (Meler) has such an expertise in printmaking and color and uses her knowledge to experiment with such incredible results.” - Abby Leon, Director of FWMoA’s Paradigm Gallery and Co-Curator of A Sense of Place exhibition
By Definition: Abstract Art In 1976, I attended a lecture with Horst Waldemar (H.W.) Janson, a professor of art and a modern art historian of the postwar era. He is best known for his book History of Art, first published in 1962. During the lecture, Janson made the case for abstract art originating in decorative architectural painting and showed examples of painted faux-marble walls from Roman antiquity. Our current understanding of Abstraction follows the invention, in 1822, of photography.As photography developed as an art medium and became more and more accessible, we continued to see a decline in the need for representational art and illustration. Today, smartphone photos and videos have further reduced the need for artists to render realistic illustrations. And, similarly, art trends also follow this path with the evolution away from Realism. We saw the sweeping romantic work of Joseph Mallard William (J.W.M.) Turner that led to the Impressionist movement, followed by Expressionism and Cubism. Each of these art forms continued to distort recognizable imagery and celebrated the artwork for its composition, line, texture, light and
color. And over time in the progression of modern art the portrayal of things from the visible world played little or no part in the creation of works of art. In addition to the development of photography and other technological advances, our culture has radically changed from the agrarian age of the 1800s thanks to advancements in science, education, philosophy and industry. A world was created that is really only comprehensible in fragments and one of the results of this interaction is the fact that much of our relationship with the natural world has evaporated. Like the purely abstract nature of music, abstract art creates an interactive dynamic between the person making the work – the art object – and the viewer. And the adage that holds true when writing, “show, don’t tell,” for the reader to experience through the written word the details and description of the characters’ thoughts and senses also applies to art. But, unlike an illustration the “meaning” of abstract artwork is open to the viewers interpretations and is likely to take on new associations with each passing day. - Bob Cross
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DECEMBER 9 – DECEMBER 23, 2021
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Above: Terrain, relief print and cut paper by Monika Meler Right: Cluster, reclaimed plastic objects with cable ties by Sayaka Ganz
“Sayaka (Ganz) brings so much to her sculptures. She takes reclaimed objects and gives them a new life.” - Abby Leon, Director of FWMoA’s Paradigm Gallery and Co-Curator of A Sense of Place exhibition
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100 DAYS
3. Archipelago, relief print and cut paper by Monika Meler
The Fort Wayne Museum of Arts’ exhibition A Sense of Place: Abstract Art in Northern Indiana is on view from December 4, 2021 – March 13, 2022. And during these 100 DAYS there are several special events and activities associated with the show: CURATOR’S TOUR WITH BOB CROSS January 6, 12:15pm Join guest curator and artist Bob Cross for a tour of the exhibition A Sense of Place: Abstract Art in Northern Indiana. The tour is included with museum admission and is open to the first 16 registrants. RSVP at fwmoa.org/events. NOTE: Bob Cross’ curator tour is available virtually simultaneously on the museum’s Facebook and YouTube channel.
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FROM 9th STREET TO MAIN STREET BOB CROSS, Abstract Artist February 18, 6pm Co-Curator of the exhibition A Sense of Place: Abstract Art in Northern Indiana, Bob Cross shares the impetus for the show and why he believes the art form that will define the 21st century is Abstraction, which conveys ideas rather than events. Cross’ mission to push forward the talents of abstract artists in Northeast Indiana stems from his time, in the 1970s, as a master printer at Tyler Graphics in New York City. He collaborated on producing prints with David Hockney, Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Motherwell, Helen Frankenthaler and many others. It was through conversations with these artists and learning about the 1951 exhibition 9th Street Art Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture that Cross understood how this artist-led exhibition marked
DECEMBER 9 – DECEMBER 23, 2021
the formal debut of Abstract Expressionism and the first American art movement with international influence. Many of the famous names Cross worked were mostly unknown 20 years earlier to the art establishment that ignored experimental art... that is until the 9th Street exhibit. Cross connects the dots between the New York City 1950s exhibition that established the American and modern art movement to the 2020s and Northern Indiana’s impact on abstract art. 2nd THURSDAY: PARADIGM GALLERY February 10, 5-8pm Come meet & greet the artists whose work comprise the exhibit A Sense of Place: Abstract Art in Northern Indiana at a special reception.
SENSE OF PLACE: VIRTUAL ARTIST STUDIO TOUR February 19 Enjoy this special opportunity to watch the A Sense of Place: Abstract Art in Northern Indiana artists be interviewed in their studios. This is a rare opportunity to see the place and process where art is created. Fort Wayne Museum of Art 311 E. Main Street 260.422.6467 Fwmoa.org Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Saturday: 10am – 6pm Thursday: 10am – 8pm Sunday: 12 – 5pm Admission: $8/adult $6/student or senior $20/family
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FACES OF PLACES
The 13 artists in the A Sense of Place: Abstract Art in Northern Indiana exhibit created new works that represent the concept of Abstraction – defined as the distancing of an idea from objective referents – which in visual arts means a depiction away from any literal, representation reference points. Although abstract art is nonrepresentational, the contributing artists all have very defined and concrete statements about the art they create.
AUSTIN CARTWRIGHT, Painter, Fort Wayne
KAYLEE DALTON, Painter, Elkhart
Exhibit Work(s): What Else Do We Have To Hold Onto, oil on canvas
Exhibit Work(s): Golden Hour, hand-painted papers and encaustic monotypes collaged with flashe, acrylic, gouache, pen and pencil on panel; Lavish Evening, hand-painted papers and encaustic monotypes collaged with flashe, acrylic, gouache, pen and pencil on panel.
Artist Statement: “My process of creating is like the human body and its ability to endure transformation, destruction and to ultimately heal. Paint is layered and scraped, and then layered and scraped. In the act of application and removal, the painting creates a history of itself through my decisions. As the painting grows and an identity is achieved, the painting gains a voice. And as the artist I listen.”
BOB CROSS, Painter, Elkhart Exhibit Work(s): Little Wing, gouache and ink on paper; Cherry Blossom, acrylic and charcoal on canvas Artist Statement: “Little Wing was created over the past eight months in layers. My graduate school instructor once accused me of painting in layers like a printmaker. I wanted the frames to be grouped randomly. To do this, I dropped miniature scale ‘frame’ cards. In the process of making the random matrix, I fell in love with the way some of the cards fell horizontally and vertically, while others landed in a variety of angles … The 196 paintings on paper have a large, connected theme as one layer, followed by lawyers of color.”
Artist Statement: “My process involves making numerous water media paintings, paper drawings and encaustic monotypes. All are clipped or town and assembled as collage, creating layered abstractions with a hint of a landscape. My works are a representation of growth, or lack thereof, I interpret the fascinating consistency of botanical growth and diminishment, the expressive characteristics natural forms exude and their relatable qualities.” SAYAKA GANZ, Sculptor, Fort Wayne Exhibit Work(s): Sway, reclaimed plastic party ware, cable ties, adhesive; Cluster, reclaimed plastic objects and cable ties Artist Statement: “One of the important tasks for artists of our time is to bring more of the natural world back into people’s lives, especially in urban areas. When we encounter the true wonders of nature, the beauty we behold transcends our intellects and reaches directly to our hearts. I desire a similar response from viewers of my work, to provoke a re-examination of our relationship to the natural world.”
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JUSTIN JOHNSON, Mixed Media Artist, Fort Wayne
GEORGE MORRISON, Sculptor, Fort Wayne
Exhibit Work(s): Desert Elegies, mixed media collage; Last Prayer of James Foley VII, mixed media collage, gold on glass
Exhibit Work(s): Artifacts, sawdustfired ceramic, terra sigillata; Oculus, glazed ceramic, sawdust-fired ceramic, terra sigillata; Exceeding Expectations, wood-fired ceramic, concrete; Moon-Light, paper, wood, dowels, LED lamp
Artist Statement: “My collages reference the wars and acts against humanity occurring in the Middle East – specifically Syria and Iraq. I create these ‘elegies’ as meditations – lamenting the violence and bloodshed that continues to occur. My focus has been to illustrate these subjects not as interpretations of violence but as ‘whispers’ and elegies to the voiceless – to those who lost their lives. I am yearning to describe the indescribable, manifesting my own feelings of sorrow.”
Artist Statement: “My interest in clay may have been inspired by the summers in my youth when I worked as an apprentice bricklayer for my father’s masonry construction company. After all, a brick building is essentially ceramic. Another influence for my work is the architect Louis Kahn, a master in the use of brick, who taught that each building material should be used as an unadorned expression of its own unique qualities and characteristics. Clay is a vehicle for exploration of form, pattern, volume and space – all very architectural characteristics. I often use molded, extruded, thrown and slab formed elements as architectural building blocks for my works of art.”
MONIKA MELER, Printmaker, Fort Wayne Exhibit Work(s): Internal/External, relief print and cut paper; Terrain, relief print and cut paper; Archipelago, relief print and cut paper; Anthropocene I, relief print, cut paper, collage; Anthropocene II, relief print, cut paper, collage Artist Statement: “My most recent body of work postulates that humans can only love that which they touch, build or are responsible for making. This theory is what defines the Anthropocene, the geological term for the age of humans or more specifically the impact humans have on the earth – especially with colonization, industrialization and global warming. By incorporating shapes that resemble rocks, pieces of earth, topographical maps and architecture combined with images that are made from domestic objects intended to imitate nature, I am evoking the root of the issue –what is valued– in its many manifestations and forms.”
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DECEMBER 9 – DECEMBER 23, 2021
MICHAEL POORMAN, Painter, Fort Wayne Exhibit Work(s): Leonard’s Walk, oil pastel and collage on cardboard; Spillover, graphite and oil pastel on paper; Quilted, oil on canvas Artist Statement: “I have done my best to leave beauty and ugliness behind and just make art. I have chosen Abstraction because I have found it to be a good path to the unexpected and ultimately the pleasure of seeing.”
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AUDREY RILEY, Mixed Media Artist, Fort Wayne
MARY PAT WALLEN, Painter/Sculptor, Warsaw
Exhibit Work(s): I Love Rich People, encaustic; Anything but the Truth, encaustic on Panel, The Heavy Summer, encaustic; Knowingly and Intentionally, encaustic
Exhibit Work(s): Blushing Beauty, acrylic on wooden panel
Artist Statement: “At the age of five, I was taught to draw a threedimensional cube. It changed everything. That cube and my career in advertising and design greatly influence my art. I am especially interested in typography. Letterforms are geometric shapes that can be simultaneously understood as both abstract and concrete – abstract in their pure form, but concrete when recognized as symbols to create words with meaning. I explore the phenomenon between the visual and the verbal in my art.” THEOPOLIS SMITH III, Painter, Fort Wayne Exhibit Work(s): Faith Walk, acrylic and aerosol on canvas; Era of Diligence, acrylic and aerosol on canvas Artist Statement: “My style of art paints a story of redemption and answers the tough questions life throws at me.”
Artist Statement: “My work portrays my personal journey through life. It is messy; and it consists of multiple layers of what the world might see as mistakes, but I see as beauty. It is seeing the beauty among the rust and corrosion of humanity. I like to call it a controlled chaos, a yin and a yang.”
JAKE WEBSTER, Sculptor, Goshen Exhibit Work(s): Last Sound XXII, aerated cement, painted. As part of the A Sense of Place exhibition, this piece can be found outside in the museum’s sculpture garden. The Last Sound V, Georgia white marble. Artist Statement: “The challenge you get by carving and adding other materials is so rewarding. It allows me to experience making art without hesitation or reservation. It’s like I am collaborating with myself to prepare to work with others. Being from Indiana give me the audacity to carve stone. My inspiration comes from the environment in which I live.” JAY ZERBE, Painter, Michigan City Exhibit Work(s): Quiet Movement, acrylic on canvas; Accepting Mystery, acrylic on canvas Artist Statement: “The contrast of chaos with order provides the structure of my work. The appearance of order breaks down under scrutiny, which mirrors my understanding of reality. My emotions seek pattern and rationality, while my intellect sees mismatched parts and ambiguity. The core of my work revolves around the juxtaposition of these diverse structures with uncertain references.”
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FRAME creative culture
Little Cards Bring Big Thoughts Abstract painter Bob Cross is 1 of 13 artists in the Fort Wayne Museum of Art’s A Sense of Place: Abstract Art in Northern Indiana (12.3.21 -3.13.22). Through the spring, HUB260’s FRAME page will introduce you to each of the exhibition’s participating artists. retain the spontaneous sense of freedom. I enjoy every day making them,” said Cross when referring to his soloexhibition Stream of Consciousness: Recent Work by Bob Cross that was on-view in December 2018 – February 2019 at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art.
think we all wish we could figure out what people are thinking. But when it comes to abstract artist
Bob Cross it is a bit easier to see his thoughts … literally, but you still aren’t likely to understand them. In the 1970s, Cross spent time in New York City working at one of the premier art printmaking studios, Tyler Graphics, where he worked with such renowned artists as Robert Motherwell, Roy Lichtenstein, Frank Stella, Helen Frankenthaler and David Hockney. It was from David Hockney that Cross developed his discipline of drawing every day. In Cross’ shirt pocket there are always 3” by 5” blank index cards and a pencil. And throughout any given day, Cross will randomly pull out a card and begin drawing – likely in response to his environment, a specific situation or, of course, his thoughts. “David Hockney got me into the habit of drawing every day. He said you must always be drawing and have a way to record and process your perspective of the world,” said Cross. Cross has been drawing on index cards since 1984. And it is from these index cards that Cross creates his own visual language from which his bigger abstract art paintings emerge. “The small drawings are more fun than they are ‘precious’ and hopefully the larger works that grow out of them
“Over the past 27 years I fell into the habit of drawing small impressions of the world around me, along with my abstract thoughts. Over time these became the point of entry for many of my paintings, prints and sculptures. This process is an ongoing stream of consciousness, a continuous record of my visual thoughts, with a tangible connection to the time and area of the world I inhabit”, he said. And although it may not be possible for the viewer of Cross’ abstract painting Little Wing in the A Sense of Place: Abstract Art in Northern Indiana exhibition currently on view at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art to get a true sense of what he was thinking when he made the piece. It is easy to see the link between the 196 individual gouache and ink on paper framed tiles that comprise the work and his affinity for index cards.
show & tell
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And even if no an agreement can be made about what Cross was thinking when creating Little Wing, it is easy to find consensus about how something so beautiful and complex can come from a simple blank card used for the most utilitarian of purposes in schools and offices.
A Sense of Place: Abstract Art in Northern Indiana
December 3, 2021 – March 13, 2022
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DECEMBER 9 – DECEMBER 23, 2021
During the taping of Bob Cross’ & GOOD COMPANY conversation, true to form, he took out an index card and his pencil and began drawing as we talked. But you will notice that Cross actually didn’t do very much drawing, as he was too busy talking. Watch the conversation which includes Cross discussing his daily drawing habit and the sketch that came from his enjoying a seat at the table for great conversation & good company.
WATCH & GOOD COMPANY CONVERSATION WITH BOB CROSS
311 E. Main Street Fort Wayne IN 46802 260.422.1374 Fwmoa.org
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by Justin Johnson
Abstraction of Tragedy The current exhibit at the Jeffrey R. Krull Gallery in the downtown branch of the Allen County Library, Lament For Aleppo Mixed Media Works By Justin Johnson is a retrospective of sorts. Johnson, who is the gallery director for the University of Saint Francis, has put together a display of his artwork that spans the past 15 years. The 55 works on paper on-view start in 2002 when Johnson’s work focused more on figurative works that emphasized saints, scarabs and spirituality. But what is most compelling about this show is to see, in 2016, how Johnson’s attention shifted to the violent events and atrocities happening, at the time, in the Middle East – especially Syria. Through his efforts to distill each composition down to its simplest forms combined with the desire to illustrate these subjects not as interpretations of violence but as “whispers” and “elegies” to the voiceless – those who lost their lives. “These are lamentations that illustrate tragedy through Abstraction,” said Johnson. “I am visualizing my feelings that cannot be depicted through the pictorial.” Along with the exhibit at the Krull Gallery, there is the rare opportunity to see some of Johnson’s elegies and lamentations in the Fort Wayne Museum of Art’s exhibition A Sense of Place: Abstract Art in Northern Indiana (December 3, 2021 – March 13, 2022). The two works, Desert Elegies and Last Prayer of James Foley VII, by Johnson included in the museum’s show focusing on abstract art allows the opportunity to consider Johnson’s work within the realm of Abstraction rather than just viewing his artwork collectively within a thematic context. Lament for Aleppo: Mixed Media Works by Justin Johnson, thru December 31, 2021, Jeffrey R. Krull Gallery, Allen County Public Library, Downtown Branch, 900 Library Plaza, acpl.lib.in.us HUB260.com
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