Issue Two: Spring 2016 by Pique: Fort Wayne Art & Culture

FORT WAYNE ART & CULTURE 2016: ISSUE TWO

LOCAL ARTISTS

FW FRESHEST FLESH

CALL FOR ENTRY: HOLD YOUR TONGUE

THE SOUND OF OUR CITY

Color engages. It lives. It tells a story. It’s why, since day one, we’ve been inspired to excell in color.

CO L O R PRI N TI N G EXCEL L EN C E

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SCHOOL OF CREATIVE ARTS UNIVERSITY OF SAINT FRANCIS • FORT WAYNE, INDIANA

FALL 2016: DOWNTOWN CAMPUS Music Technology • Museum Studies • META (Media Entrepreneurship Training in the Arts) • Dance SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED IN: Studio Art • Graphic Design • Animation Art Education • Pre-Art Therapy • Communication • Music Technology • Choir Marching Band • Color Guard • Guitar Ensemble • Jazz Ensemble • Drum Line Theatre • Dance • Art History (Fall 2016: Museum Studies)

SOCA is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. The University of Saint Francis complies with all federal regulations prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, age or disability in matters pertaining to admission, employment and access to programs.

260-399-8064 / art.sf.edu

FORT WAYNE ART & CULTURE

OUR MISSION Pique: Fort Wayne Art & Culture aims to establish a sincere connection with members of our community and inspire them to take an active role in the cultivation of Fort Wayneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s artistic future. Believing firmly that the talent in Fort Wayne should not go unnoticed or unsupported, we provide local artists with the recognition they deserve, while providing the community with insight into their own cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growing art culture.

In our adoration of all things local, Pique: Fort Wayne Art & Culture is not only sold in local galleries and shops in Fort Wayne, but the publication itself also highlights local businesses and the services or goods they provide to the people of Fort Wayne. We must support what we have in order to grow, and this publication highlights just how much Fort Wayne has to offer.

THANK YOU, FORT WAYNE Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum Alexandra Hall Art Alison Resac Artlink Contemporary Gallery Aysha Yeiter Barger Realty Bead Source Black Anvil Bob Storey - Cover Illustration Cara Lee Wade Civic Theatre Club Soda Corey Purvis Crestwoods Daniel Church

Dan Swartz DeBrand Fine Chocolate Dusty Neal Elly Bead Emma Anger Euphoric Salon and Spa Excell Color Graphics FoxSea Skin Grace Berg Heather Miller Hedgehog Press Hope Arthur Orchestra Indiana Stamp Co. J Tubbs Jacob Shriner Jared Applegate

Jeb Bartley Jennifer Ford Art Joel Janiszyn Justin Johnson Loren Law Let's Comedy Lydia Gerbig-Fast Matthew Plett Mike Mankin Miss Lauren Moonlit Design Co. Nate Click Neat Neat Neat Nick Ferran One Lucky Guitar Rebecca Stockert 4

Ryan W. Thomas Slow Dakota Suzanne Galazka Sweetwater Sydney Korte Design Swish Design Tattoo Fort Wayne Theresa Thompson Tiffany Street Tim Parsley Theoplis Smith Trevor Rush University Of Saint Francis School of Creative Arts Wunderkammer Company Zack Kittaka

MARIAH KNIGHT Founder/Designer

SIERRA DISCH Photographer

BOB STOREY Cover Illustration

BRADEN HINES Writer

ERIN KNIGHT Writer

DREW ALLEGRE Photographer

KAYLA MAYERS Writer/Editor

BENJAMIN DEHR Writer/Photographer

TREVOR RUSH Writer

DAN SWARTZ Writer

KRISTIN KING Creative Writer

JEFF DOLLENS Portrait Illustrations

WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S INSIDE 05

THE PEOPLE BEHIND PIQUE

MATCHBOX PINHOLE CAMERA

FW FRESHEST FLESH

YOU BETTER WORK

FINE ARTISTS

Tim Parsley

Tiffany Street

Corey Purvis

Heather Miller

Theoplis Smith

FACTORY SETTINGS

SUZANNE GALAZKA

LET'S COMEDY

ACD AUTOMOBILE MUSEUM

MUSIC

Fused

Neat Neat Neat

Hope Arthur Orchestra

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Herb Garden

Mind, Body, Soul: Yoga

HOLD YOUR TONGUE

CRAFT

Bead Source

Funky Art Bracelet

Lydia Gerbig-Fast

DIY MATCHBOX PINHOLE CAMERA WHAT YOU NEED Matchbox 35mm Film Empty Roll of 35mm Film Aluminum Can Plastic From a Spiral Binder

Electrical Tape Fine Sewing Needle Scissors X-Acto Knife Sharpie Marker Clear Tape Thin Cardboard

STEP ONE Remove the match tray and mark out a 1" square exactly in the center of the tray. Carefully cut out the frame shape with a sharp knife. Any rough edges will appear around the edges of each photo. To reduce reflections in the camera, color the inside of the tray and the inside of the matchbox sleeve with a black marker.

STEP TWO Exactly in the center of the front of the matchbox sleeve, mark out a .25" square. Carefully cut this square out, keeping the edges as neat as possible. STEP THREE Cut a .5" square from the aluminum can. Using the fine sewing needle, gently press into the center of the aluminum. Twist the pin between your fingers while doing this so that it slowly “drills” a hole through the metal. Don’t push down hard with the pin so that it goes straight through; the idea is to produce a very small hole with clean edges.

STEP FOUR

STEP FIVE

Place the aluminum onto the box so that the pinhole is exactly in the center of the square hole in the box sleeve. Tape the aluminum onto the box, securing all four sides. It is possible just to use a piece of tape across the pinhole to act as a shutter, but a sliding shutter can be easier to use. To create a sliding shutter (optional) cut two pieces of thin cardboard, a square about 1.25", and a rectangle about 1" x 1.5". In the square piece, cut out a .25" square in the center.

Place some black tape on one side of the rectangular piece to help prevent light leaks. Place the square piece over the pinhole and tape down three sides, leaving a gap in the top into which the rectangular shutter card can slide. Check that the shutter can be pushed down to fully cover the pinhole. STEP SIX Deciding how far to wind the film between each photo can be a bit tricky. If you wind too far the film is wasted. Wind too little and you get double exposures. Here’s a way to accurately wind on between each

STEP SIX CONTINUED

STEP SEVEN

photo. You need fairly stiff plastic which is thin, springy, and curved. The spine of a spiral ring binder is ideal. Cut off one of the loops, take the new film canister, place the pointed end of the plastic so that it just enters one of the sprocket holes of the film. Tape the plastic to the film canister securely. Test the clicker by gently pulling out some film. The clicker should ride on the back of the film smoothly and make a click as it drops into the sprocket holes. It does? Awesome! It doesn’t? Remove the tape, wind the film back into the canister again, and try repositioning the clicker slightly.

Now, to insert the film into the box you need to trim the leader off the film, cutting the edge as squarely as possible. If the film stub from the empty canister is not cut squarely across, trim it square too. Pull out a little more film and thread the film through the matchbox. Make sure the emulsion side (non-shiny side) is facing the pinhole. Using clear tape, splice the ends of the film together as neatly as possible. Try to make sure the edges are lined up together so the film can pass easily into the empty canister. Tape both sides and make sure the joint is secure.

STEP EIGHT Slide the match tray back into the box. Then, turn the spindle of the empty film canister so that the slack film is wound into it. Make sure the edges of each film canister are pushed up tight to the matchbox and no film can be seen. The film is now loaded but needs to be made light tight. STEP NINE If you want your pictures to be free from light-leaks, it’s very important that no light at all can get into the camera other than through the pinhole! Black electrical PVC tape is very effective at keeping out light. The most important places to seal are between the film canisters and the

STEP NINE CONTINUED matchbox. Place strips of tape down the front on both sides. Use two layers and make sure it is firmly sealed all around. STEP TEN Pay attention to the ends of each reel. Add more tape here, trim around the spindles so that the tape adhesive doesn’t stick and prevent the film from being wound. Again, use a couple of layers and check all around both joints to make sure they are totally sealed. The cardboard of the matchbox will also leak a small amount of light, especially in bright conditions. This will give your photos a mottled red effect. If you don’t want this, tape all over the back and sides of the box so that no cardboard is showing.

SHOOT THE CAMERA When shooting outside on a sunny day, expose the film for 1 to 2 seconds. When it is cloudy, try 5 seconds. When shooting inside with indoor lighting (discouraged), expose the film for 1 to 5 minutes. Bracket the first few rolls until you are comfortable with exposure times. The film is ready to unload when it will not wind forward anymore. When this happens, rewind the film back into the original film canister. To do that, remove some tape with scissors and remove the clicker. To avoid exposing the film you have shot, e careful not to leave the tape loose when rewinding. Finally, rewind the film and cut it by either canister. Now you can take the roll of film to any local photo shop or convenience store that develops film. When you take the film into the store, request that they do not cut the film; this is because the frames will be different than normal. Happy shooting.

FW FRESHEST FLESH Local tattoo artists were invited to enter work that they created on clients who also live in Fort Wayne. All works displayed here are in the artist's preferred style. Fort Wayne has a strong collection of astounding tattooers who are ready to give you your next piece.

Tattoo by Nate Click on Sierra Disch

DUSTY NEAL

Dusty Neal tattoos using a traditional execution, while approaching his work in an illustrative and more detailed manner. @dustyneal

Makenna Click

Joel Janiszyn

Chris Gordon

Ian McAffee

Joel Janiszyn's preferred tattoo style is bold American traditional. @joeltattooer

Josh Wenning

Spenser Sawyers 11

Heather Centers

Nate Click

Nate Click specializes in stylized realism, with a concentration in black and grey. All styles of tattooing are welcome though. @nateclick

Mackenzie Bruno

Mike Mankin

Sam Decaro

Tobi Vehrs

Katie Kolkman

Mike Mankin is influenced by neotraditional, whether he's doing black and grey, color, or even geometric pieces. @manakinskywalker

Shannon Elward 12

Miss Lauren

Miss Lauren's tattoo style is primarily full color illustrative. @misslaurentattoos

Peg Wood

Ryan W. Thomas

Mindy Schroeder

Bill Gardner

Katie Cooper

Ryan W. Thomas loves tattooing in black and grey. @ryan_w_thomas

Ryan Hunt

Josh Gudreou 13

YOU BETTER WORK tips on showing your art Fort Wayne has a variety of galleries that artists can pursue to show their work, whether they are trying to build their resume or make a living selling their art. Visual artists like to think of themselves as being intrinsically different from performance artists when in actuality, the “business end” of both artistic categories are incredibly similar. In the end, both visual and performance artists need to be comfortable with, and set up appropriately to “gig” through a city, region, etc. and do so in a professional manner so that they can slowly build an appreciative audience, gain critical appeal, and build a network of curators and exhibition spaces to work with. The first step to doing this is making sure you are prepared, have a strong portfolio of your work, and are ready to answer questions about your goals. When building your portfolio, you will want to gather quality images (cropped to the picture plane of the image, high resolution, labeled clearly). Editing down your portfolio to not include everything is incredibly important. This gives the curator an idea of your work, including what you consider your best work, while also letting them know that you understand the procedures of the art world enough. It will allow the curator to have an idea of your taste level depending on the images included. Be sure to edit images to fit the tastes of the venue, or theme of the exhibition. This portfolio should include work that relates to each other in some fashion. Having a body of work when approaching a gallery is a good rule of thumb. This portfolio can be either digital or physical, but it would be best to have both. With a strong portfolio you will now be capable of soliciting galleries for exhibitions and applying for group and juried shows. The best way to solicit galleries and alternative exhibition spaces varies, but usual best practices include being prepared with your portfolio upon first contact,

be it walking in to show a gallery attendant your physical portfolio and set up a meeting with a curator or gallery director, or to include your portfolio or a link to it in your email contact with the gallery. Do not be discouraged or surprised if your inquiries go unnoticed. Galleries and alternative spaces are bombarded with these solicitations on a daily basis. Ultimately, the best case scenario is to build a relationship with a gallerist or other artist working with the gallery to have an introduction versus random contact. The artist must also remember that exhibitions tend to breed more exhibitions when they are doing this correctly. Be prepared for further exhibitions, and realize that once you get in a gallery, you should not neglect the alternative spaces you can also work with, as galleries are always trying to find work which is relevant to a buying market, and staying present in various levels of the art market is the easiest way to build a career exhibiting your work. Luckily, the emerging art market in Northeast Indiana has a wide variety of galleries and alternative spaces for both juried and non-juried exhibitions and these venues are welcoming to both emerging and established artists, and are perfect for “gigs” to jumpstart an arts career or continue to build an audience. By Dan Swartz Places that artists could pursue or that have call for entries include, but are not limited to, Wunderkammer Company, Artlink, Pint N Slice, Old Crown, First Presbyterian, the Unitarian Church, Indiana Tech, University of Saint Francis, Manchester University, Huntington University, IPFW, Prana Yoga, the Allen County Public Library: Jeffrey R. Krull Gallery, Castle Gallery, Crestwoods, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Jennifer Ford Art, Cinema Center, Garrett Museum of Art, and more.

Wunderkammer Company: Photograph by Mariah Knight

Jeffrey R. Krull Gallery: Photograph by Sierra Disch

Wunderkammer Company: Photograph by Benjamin Dehr

Artlink: Photograph by Mariah Knight

Take lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s next step.

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Any dream will do.

TIM PARSLEY [ PAINTING & COLLAGE ] What is your artistic process? My work primarily consists of painting, drawing, and collage. Collage has been a newer medium that came in sideways. Previously I had focused on painting and drawing, but as my work progressed and the use of appropriated imagery became more prevalent, my paintings and drawings developed a collage aesthetic. So I started making collage in the traditional sense of cutting and pasting pieces of paper. Now I find that collage has become very similar to drawing for me; both are the spaces where I feel freest to think things out and to take risks. Painting is more stressful for me and generally involves a lot more planning. Perhaps because of painting’s rich history and the involvement each piece demands, I feel the pressure to get it right every time. What was it that made you decide to pursue art? I spent thirteen years in a good profession that increasingly didn’t seem to fit. Simultaneously, I would still have a lot of interest in going to museums or to galleries and found that I still had this submerged interest that was trying to come back out. I eventually got out some old acrylics and bought some canvases and just started making really bad late night paintings. It had been about ten years since I had even drawn in a sketchbook and it became obvious that that’s where I found energy. When I decided to pursue a career as an artist, it was because of a depletion of purpose in my previous profession, and I needed to honor who I was supposed to be. My wife and I had three kids at the time, so the stakes were high. However, I knew I would regret it if I didn’t pursue making art. I’ve never regretted the decision.

from the comfortable clarity of hindsight is too simple. I’m more interested in exploring America’s “anxious nostalgia,” which comes as much from our complicity as from our criticism of the past.

Can you tell us about your American History theme? American History has become my muse. At the core of it, I am very interested in the idea of how America was constructed and how there was a conflicted mix of hopeful progress and destructive ambition simultaneously.

Is there a piece of advice you share with your students? I don’t know if it is the most important thing, but a piece of advice I share is that their questions are often more important than the answers they are trying to find. If I sense that they are on autopilot or that they are looking for the right answer just to get it right, instead of giving them an answer, I might give them ten more questions. I feel that artists need to have an itch that they just can’t quite scratch. That’s what will keep them up and moving, pushing their art in the direction it needs to go. Finding a good set of questions that are almost unanswerable is what can keep someone moving forward creatively. Something that I hear myself frequently saying to students is, “If you find yourself frustrated and unsure in something you are working on, that can be a very good place to be as an artist.”

What do you find alluring about 18th century and 19th century American leaders and intellectuals? I’ve thought about that for a while, actually, and I started to play with some ideas in the 20th century, but it doesn’t work as well for me. I think it is because around that time America became more self-aware and self-critical. I’m not opposed to criticism, but it often feels too quick. Too easy. Up until about the civil war, there seemed to be a general consensus, at least regarding the validity of American progress, even if there were strong differences as to the direction of that progress. There was also a strong underlying sense that “this is God’s will,” which fueled that progress and expansion. If I had been alive in that time, it’s likely I would have been swept up in the same kind of blind ambition. To only criticize it

Interview by Kayla Mayers 18

TIFFANY STREET [ PHOTOGRAPHY ] What is your photographic process for still life work? I appreciate photographing inanimate objects. They’re very easy to work with. My process is similar each time I photograph. I’ll determine what supplies I need: lenses, backdrops, props, lights, et cetera. Usually, I’ll set everything up and start shooting. When I start to feel bored, I’ll take a few more photos and be finished. What is the content of this body of work? I think these photographs are kind of facetious: they aren’t serious. Something unexpected happens when a photograph mimics another medium; I’m referring to paint. What is your favorite thing about photography? I really dislike photography. I can’t think of anything I like about it. I started taking photos because it seemed like an easy way to make art. In a lot of ways, it’s one of the hardest ways to make art. Anyone can do it, so who’s the real artist? It’s very challenging. Maybe that’s my favorite thing about photography: it’s so exasperating. What are your goals as an artist? To be valid, most artists (by 30 or whatever) feel like they must have an established studio space in Brooklyn, gallery representation, loyal followers and a roster of a dozen future solo exhibitions. Yeah, I do have those types of goals. I want to be a valid artist, but validity doesn’t have a singular definition in 2016. It really hasn’t for a long time. I’m more invested in personal productivity and growth. I will create tons of art, every day, and it will all be very good. I’m not doing that now, but that’s what I would like to be doing. What is your favorite photographic medium? I’ll share that I despise the darkroom. I used it for years and always have disliked it. I really stink at it. I never had what it took: the patience. I’m not patient. I like this digital age sometimes. I enjoy instant film. I think it’s fun. It’s expensive but incredibly gratifying. Like anything, I guess it depends on how important it is to you. What wisdom would you share with other artists? There’s no short answer, but I’ll give the shortest possible. Basically, you need to trust yourself. If you don’t trust what you’re doing, what are you doing? You’re wasting time. Interview by Mariah Knight 21

COREY PURVIS [ ILLUSTRATION & GRAPHIC DESIGN ] How has a degree in graphic design benefited you? It helps a lot. For all the merchandise or print work I do, knowing all of the technical aspects that have to do with printing has definitely helped. A lot of illustrators will get hired just for the illustration, not knowing much about the software or the digital side of things. Then someone else is hired to take that illustration and lay it out. I cut that step out; I do the illustration and the design. I prefer that because I have more control.

remember you. Eventually more popular bands started getting ahold of me. It didn’t start that way though; I started reaching out to bands myself, offering to do free work kind of as an investment in myself. I’ve done merchandise designs for so many bands that are connected in some way, that people just caught on. I feel like some artists try to avoid me now because so many people have worked with me. I have to try to keep things fresh so they’ll stay interested. What themes show up in your work? Within the last year or two I’ve gotten into drawing portraits of people’s faces then scratching them out. That’s definitely a theme, but I don’t do it every time. People were requesting that from me for awhile, so I ended up doing it a lot. I draw out the faces then scratch over them; I don’t know how that’ll look so I’ve got to have the face drawn already. If I really like how the face or the features look, I’ll scratch underneath the line-work so you can still see it.

What’s your illustration process like? I find inspiration from things I see that I want to draw—things I could see fitting my style. That’s the first part. I usually start on paper with pencil and ink. Then eventually I scan it and the rest is assembled digitally. The digital output is a mixed media illustration because it’s both digital and fine art. How long does one of your illustrations take to complete and where do you find the motivation? I’m actually a really fast worker. I’ll get a lot of illustrations done the day I start them. Sure, there are projects that I spend way more than a day on but the average is probably a day. It’s weird because I have to be in the mood to create an illustration. I’m not in the mood very often, which becomes a problem when you’re a freelancer (laughs). My crazy brain likes to decide when to find the motivation. I just take advantage when I am actually motivated and plow through the work.

What are your goals as an artist? I want to expand as an illustrator. I want to climb the ladder, as far as clients go. I want to push my style to become bigger. I’d like to climb and get into more fine art and work more with galleries. I just had my first solo show at Wunderkammer. The same weekend I was also in a showing at the Cinema Center. After this first show I learned a lot; I want to do some things differently, do a lot of my work in one show.

How do musicians know to contact you? The music scenes I usually work within are really connected. Once people know you or see your work they start to

Interview by Benjamin Dehr and Kayla Mayers

HEATHER MILLER [ SCULPTURE ] Where did you go to school? I went to school at IPFW and have a degree in Elementary Education. I took many classes toward an art degree; I think I’m to the point where I have to show my portfolio. I’m teaching art now with that combination of skills. I work for Oak Farm Montessori School in Avilla, and I’m a children’s book author. I have published a total of 30 books and nearly 50 articles.

What does the white represent in your sculptures? I like the purity and simplicity of it because it is heavily textured, and the texture is so involved. I keep thinking about adding color to it, but I don’t feel like I have explored the white enough. The textures came from a trip to Yellowstone National Park a few years ago. All the minerals that run through that space have the same textures. A lot of those minerals did have bright colors, but the colors were more natural than paint would be. If I did incorporate color, I would expect it to have more earth tones, like turquoise, that you would find in nature. My work usually does have some nod to nature. Most of the pieces in my previous show were inspired by some sort of seed pod or fungus. If I go out and about, something will catch my eye and I’ll put it in a sketchbook to use as a reference for later.

What is your sculpting process? The material I use is the same material they use to make casts for broken bones. It’s plaster-embedded gauze and I buy it by the box. I usually find some sort of an armature—it could be something that I see that inspires me, or I have to look for some kind of a foundation. One piece that I made was found while I was out at a friend’s ranch and her husband was on a fourwheeler. He had this big metal basket on the back and it was all bashed up, so I asked, “Can I have that?” People are kind of used to me asking for weird things. That one turned into the first piece that led into the pods. It was supposed to be in the wall and shaped like a geode. On the inside it’s kind of scalloped plaster—some people think it looks like ribs. On the outside, it's all fuzzy and covered with different yarns. I call it a visual hug because the inside is raw and aggressive looking, and the outside is soft and nurturing. When people came, they kept looking up inside of it, so I thought, “Wouldn’t it be funny if I could get people to stand and put their head inside, and they could look silly being a part of the sculpture?” So, the pods started out as a joke and then just evolved from there.

What more do you feel like you have left to learn? I feel like I’ve just started. I was painting when I jumped back into art seriously and what I painted then led to what I do now with textures in sculpting. I’m still interested, and I still feel like I’m learning. Some day what I’m doing will lead to the next thing, but right now I’m satisfied with what I’m doing with my sculptures. Interview by Kayla Mayers Photography by Sierra Disch

What other kind of materials do you use in your work? Sometimes the things inside are surprising; for example, I have some that are formed around a beach ball, and some are around Styrofoam balls. I’ve also used raffia and dried avocado skins. I drape it with plaster and really focus on texture. I like to use gravity, so I’ll tilt my canvas upside down. When I do that, I have to do my work upside down. Finally, I take a butane torch to it and that’s where the texture really comes out. What is the content behind your newest body of work? The running theme behind my work is that I want the viewers to interact with my work. I don’t want them to glance at it for three seconds and then walk away. I want them to be inquisitive when they approach my pieces; I also want them to laugh at them because things inside are surprising, scary, or funny. The pieces often spark conversations between people and they have a lot of fun with it.

THEOPLIS SMITH [ PAINTING ] When did you start referring to yourself as an artist? I knew I was going that route when I was probably 13. I’ve been painting since the age of three though. I took it more seriously when I was 13 and had a portfolio by 14. That’s when I was finding the most potential, the most results. Art chose me. I kept doing it and kept getting better. I’m comfortable with it but that’s not to say that I’m perfect at it—far from it. It’s something I genuinely enjoy and other people enjoy my journey.

within me.” Coming from a depression, I was always looking for the intention to do good, the intent to have a decent thought. That’s a clean heart for me. I tied that in with my artwork because that’s all I did when I experienced those moments. So any time I’m doing art, that’s me doing my laundry. That’s how Phresh Laundry was birthed. Do you prefer sketching or painting more? Believe it or not, I do them simultaneously. You may find me in the living room or my studio with five different things going on. You can find me sketching in one spot, three canvases going on in another, and maybe doodles somewhere else. I’m very sporadic–organized if you will. If I do one kind for too long it feels like a job. So I’ll circulate.

How long have you lived in Fort Wayne? I’ve been here 25 years. I’m originally from St. Louis. I’ve lived in Philadelphia, Chicago, and then by way of Detroit I came here. I have a family here now. It’s a good place to raise children. I like Fort Wayne because it’s eclectic. It’s a melting pot. It has a hometown feel but yet potential for a bigger city feel. I like that it has all walks of life here. I like the culture. It’s a smaller culture, but there’s a heartbeat emerging here.

What are your goals or plans as an artist? My goals are to make sure that I’m heard, visually. I want to build great relationships with all kinds of people. I don’t want to waste my potential. I don’t want to go to the grave having just existed. I want to know that I’ve left some kind of mark. I also want to do a speakeasy show. It’ll only be by word-of-mouth. You have to know the password. You can come in and check out the environment—nice music, nice art, good food, and good people. That’s what I’m about.

What is Phresh Laundry? Phresh Laundry is my alias. It’s a concept. I was depressed in life and didn’t know which way I was going to go. I found myself with an "aha" moment while doing laundry. There’s a scripture in the Bible where David is talking to God and he says, “Create in me a clean heart and renew the right spirit

Interview by Benjamin Dehr 27

FACTORY SETTINGS It was the last of the small sandwich squares. When she pulled it from the bag, she remembered that in fact it was not a square, but an intricately cut triangle; the only shape her son would dare eat. No matter the contents, he said, everything’s better in a triangle. This seemed a bit illogical, but for a slight second when the bread, which hid layers of peanut butter and jelly beneath, hit her lips, slid into her mouth and down her throat, she believed him. There were things that she didn’t know about him, like triangle cuts were necessary, that he was wise beyond his years (but not in the way that most parents believe about their children), that he had outgrown the dream of sailing on strange tides with pirates, or had now wanted to build and live in a secluded greenhouse. She wondered when sides of his personality started to surface and how long had she not noticed such things. The park was unfamiliar to her, giving an uncomfortable feeling under her skin that almost ached. Like the first day of high school when she realized that she couldn’t be whoever she wanted to be, but whoever they allowed her to be. Women dressed in tracksuits, pushing strollers as if competing in a marathon. And others were nose deep in People Magazine or not-so-subtle erotic novels, while she alone sat and let herself melt into this brave new world. Prior to this afternoon her son came here with a woman named Carrie, who was in fact his live-in nanny for six years, and whom he loved much more than his mother, a woman he knew little about but could recognize by a mop of jet black hair, and a plethora of forearm tattoos. He asked her if it hurt when the ink went in, and told her a story about the

by Kristin King

man that archaeologists uncovered in the mountains. His bones were marked; the ink went all the way through. He wondered if her bones were marked and when he asked her, she said perhaps. She had brought nothing to distract her, knowing that one mishap could cost her what little time she had. While other women talked pretentiously about organic diaper benefits, she could only help but remember every reason that caused her to reject this, and in that moment she wanted to bolt. Had wanted to run, disappear, and leave everything about this behind; again. But she couldn’t, or rather just didn’t. And that could have been because she felt obligated, being a mother for Christ’s sake, or also how she felt weighted to this trivial bench in a snobby park that wasn’t somewhere that belonged to her and her son, but him and some other woman he used to love more than her, and may always. But for today, she was his mother, and he was her son, and she would play the role she had to. A trial run, let’s see if you can handle this without bailing, he said, the father of her son. Someone who for reasons unknown allowed her another shot at this whole mother thing, which was what she wanted, or at least she thought so, but wasn’t sure yet if it was because she felt it was what she had to do, or because she felt it stinging in her bones. There was something here that irked her beyond the simple disregard for suburbia. Almost as if a mold had seemed to be placed at the gated entrance, and all women had to be stamped into this mold in order to 30

enter, and if you didn’t then how on Earth could you have the benefit of looking and talking just like everyone else. Each one with blonde hair, almost golden, permanently straightened, and God forbid one piece fall out of place when having to untie little Jimmy’s shoes from the top of the monkey bars because it seemed like a good idea to see if he could get out of them while upside down. Factory settings, she thought. Must be that the day you birth out this child and decide exactly who it will be by giving it a name like Robert or William, who of course will become a quarterback in high school and marry a woman who will look and act just like his mother, you revert back to settings inside your head that read: Mommy Dearest. But of course when this day befell upon her, and after knowing now that birth is not in fact a beautiful thing but equivalent to doing splits over a crate of dynamite, she remembered that she didn’t recognize it as a tiny person, but just phlegm, and even after they washed his face and he had that new baby smell, she felt nothing. She didn’t often let herself remember these things. Yet, being here reminded her that other women did think these things. Like the blonde, and trying to specify which one wouldn’t matter anyway, on the next bench over who had been eyeing her the whole time perhaps wondering whose child was hers, but only to make sure that her own child didn’t come near him or her in the event that he or she may be a biter. And she gave this woman a look that said much more inside her head than

it actually did in execution, but still caused her to dart her flawless robotic face away from her direction and back into her 50 Shades of whatever bullshit. But when her own son came back to her for a moment and asked for a juice box, and she gave him one, but not the one he wanted because fruit punch was not the favorite of the little girl he was crushing on, but rather grape, and how could she not know this, he finally said, thank you Leah. And this caused the cold, shiny, blonde machine to turn back again towards her, recognizing that he had not in fact called his mother, mom. And how she shrunk in her bench at the discomfort she felt for this black-haired woman that she had never met, and wished she might never have to. While all this time Leah was also recognizing the high levels of uneasiness radiating off this other woman and thought to herself, What the fuck could you possibly know about my life? And while this woman continued to repeatedly glance over, Leah all the time knowing that whatever she was thinking was probably the absolute worst, corrected her, but only to herself when she thought, okay so sometimes you’re 23 and you don’t have a care in this shit world and don’t think that you ever will. So you party and you get tattoos, and you dance with a guy you just met at some bar you always go to while listening to some song that happens to be your favorite, and then you go home together and shit happens like it always does. Then you stay together for a while, and realize one day that there’s this tiny little thing growing inside of you and of course you freak out, but this guy, who is actually a pretty decent one says you’ll do it all together and he means it, so you decide to stick this thing out.

But after its born, you feel indifference, and that bothers you, but at the same time it doesn’t, but you wish you could change, which is what’s most important. So you try this all out for a while, a family, whatever. And one morning you’re making coffee, and staring at the pot as it drips, drips, drips, and your son is smashing cheerios in his highchair, and the air around you seems to be moving extremely slow, like when you notice dust as sunlight hits it through the window. In this moment, you realize you can’t do this thing you thought you could, and you realize that this place you

She looks at Leah, who is now sucking on the fruit punch juice box that her son discarded for the grape, and runs two fingers over the spot where her wedding ring normally rests, but not today. Other women in the park, those who drop their children off at her house for playgroup, or join her in block party Saturday ask why she isn’t wearing it, because women notice such things, and she will tell them lies. She will say things like, Gosh I’m always forgetting to put it back on after washing the dishes. But what she really means is Ted and I haven’t slept in the same bed since Christmas of ’09.

"In this moment, you realize you can’t do this thing you thought you could, and you realize that this place you live in isn’t really your home, but you want it to be, or you want somewhere to be, but it all seems lost."

live in isn’t really your home, but you want it to be, or you want somewhere to be, but it all seems lost. And you become nostalgic for this place that you don’t even know exists, and that pains you, and as the coffee drips, drips, drips, and the man who is also the father of your tiny child comes out, you’re gone. Of course the blonde, one bench over, was not exactly thinking these things, but was only thinking, What a horrible mother allowing her son to call her by her first name, which to her is much more important than the fact that he even notices her at all, unlike her own son who hasn’t bothered to look up once from the sandbox.

So watching this young girl, who looks like she belongs in the back of an alley shooting heroine and screaming, “Sid!” at the top of her lungs instead of sitting in a park with a child, she doesn’t necessarily feel what she thinks she should but instead feels jealousy. Jealous of what this girl seems to have, youth and beauty, but not the artificial kind like she does, the way her black hair, which seems so natural, frames her face and brings out specks of green in her eyes. She notices that although this small boy calls her Leah, he at least attempts to teach her how to understand him. Her own son, only the mere age of six, hardly pays any attention to her but instead is so caught up in the battle of G.I Joes in what he thinks is the wild desert, but is actually the sandbox, that

Photograph by Mariah Knight

when she asks him if he wants his lunch he only responds with, Why couldn’t daddy take me? And because of this, most days, she goes home, runs the sink as if pretending to wash her face, but really crouches down against the wall and cries. So seeing this girl, hardly out of her twenties, seemingly carefree despite the fact that she had a child under ten, she remembered that once she was in her twenties and her hair was red and her eyes were blue, and she didn’t cry when her child asked for everyone else except her. Because she didn’t have children, and wasn’t sure she wanted them, but when she met a man who could offer her the life that all young girls are supposed to dream about, she took him up on it, and now she is here. And here is a place where you dyed your hair and eyebrows to match all the women that live on your street because they all go to the same hairdresser who recommended the color for your complexion, and also gave you the card of a woman who waxed you in places you didn’t know existed, and you don’t go by Liz anymore but instead length it back to the formal Elizabeth, while also drinking martinis at 11am book club. All the while your husband is in the city working late but you know damn well that working late is an excuse for inappropriate client interactions, but you put those things out of your mind because you are the perfect wife, and you have the perfect children, and you live in the perfect suburban world. So when she looks at Leah now, who earlier gave her a look that said, You know nothing about me, she looks right back at her and thinks, And you know nothing about me.

As the kids run back and forth across these two women, Leah looks back over at this woman that she believes is just another cardboard cutout who walked right out of Stepford Wives and into reality and Elizabeth looks again at her who she believes raises her son in an unconventional household where he watches TV past 6:30 and says things like “Up yours, Leah” instead of “No thanks Mom” and they almost don’t notice that their worlds, different but more alike than they’d wish, have now collided. And this actually means that their children are now in the midst of a physical altercation over the small girl who received the grape juice box and likes only one of them, but couldn’t dare say, and grew up in a home where her mother told her, “If a boy picks on you it means he likes you,” so now both boys are exerting their masculinity which is almost non-existent at their ages, but that doesn’t stop them. Leah’s kid kicks Elizabeth’s and Elizabeth’s spits on Leah’s, and now other golden-haired mothers are rushing away from their sexual fantasy novels to break up this little rumble, and the two mothers of the children in question have yet to do anything. One looks at the other, and the other looks back, and now they realize that it is indeed their children, and Elizabeth heads into the center ring through crowds of fretting mothers and scoops up her son by his striped shirt. Leah, who didn’t receive the manual on how to be a mother, rushes in subconsciously to protect this small boy. While both wriggle under the grasp of their mothers, Elizabeth’s transfers 33

his wrath to her with a hasty kick to the shin, while Leah’s merely struggles under her firm grip. Glances, much more grave than the earlier judgments, are exchanged and Leah is the first to speak, reluctantly. Boys will be boys, right? With a smirk. But what she really means is, This is my only chance, please don’t fuck this up. And Elizabeth says, A little discipline could do you both well. But what she really means is, I’m a terrible mother. Tension builds, but nothing else is said. As they turn and walk in opposite directions, Leah notices that her son is still clasping her hand, even though she has loosened her grip. And she thinks, sometimes you’re 29 and you don’t know shit about your kid, but for a moment you know that you’re his mother, and that hasn’t ever left you, even if you left it.

"Before you asked if my bones were marked, and I think they are, but not with things like these..." I am marked, she said. He didn’t understand and tilted his head slightly. Before you asked if my bones were marked, and I think they are, but not with things like these, she said as she grazed a few fingers over her arm. ◊

A LIFETIME OF EXPERIENCE Wander into Artlink Contemporary Gallery on any given Monday or Thursday evening and you’ll find Suzanne Galazka leaning over her wooden drawing table with a brush in one hand and her watercolor palette at her side, eyes darting back and forth between her work and the nude model before her. Galazka has been overseeing the model drawing sessions at Artlink for over a decade and has amassed a large portfolio of figurative works, which can be seen on display at one of Fort Wayne’s various galleries when one is lucky. While she has been a prominent member of Fort Wayne’s art community for more than twenty years, she is originally from Wyandotte, Michigan and her journey to the Summit City was by no means short. After graduating from high school, Galazka attended what is now known as the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. After completing the school’s four-year program, which by her own admission took longer than four years because of an extended stay in California, she found her way to Philadelphia where she studied at the prestigious Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Galazka enjoyed her time at the Academy, because, in her own words, “Everyone was so damn serious about art.” While completing her art studies in Philadelphia, she found employment working for the famous pianist Rudolf Serkin, Director of the Curtis Institute of Music, before moving to Poland. Galazka originally moved to Poland to study art restoration. However, upon arriving in the country she discovered that the professor she was hoping to

study under had passed away. Still, she remained in the then Communist country for several years. She learned to speak Polish and fell in love with the Polish culture and slow pace of life. She was hoping to stay in Poland permanently but the Polish government made it very difficult for her to remain without giving up her United States citizenship. It was then that she found her way back to Detroit, but not for long. After a few years in the Motor City, Galazka returned to Europe. In order to be close to Poland she found lodging in Vienna, Austria and secured a job working for the United Nations. When asked what was so alluring about Austria, she stated with great joy that two of her favorite artists had a great deal of work in the country’s museums: Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele. One can certainly see the influence of the artists’ Art Nouveau style in her work. Roughly five years later, in 1989, Galazka was back in the United States and spent time in Little Rock, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee before moving to Fort Wayne because the Fort Wayne Philharmonic had hired her musician partner in 1991. She has lived in Fort Wayne since and worked for various Fort Wayne art establishments including the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Arts United and Artlink. All the while she has managed to continue to create her beautiful figurative works on paper and is excited to see Fort Wayne’s art community grow and flourish in the years to come.

By Trevor Rush

2016 Exhibition Schedule April 22 – May 25, 2016 Reception April 22, 6-9 p.m. 36TH NATIONAL PRINT EXHIBITION Small Art Show/Sale Watercolors by Don Osos

June 10 – July 13, 2016 Reception June 10, 6-9 p.m. PAPER AIRPLANES Art Club Photography by Bill Frederick

July 22 – August 30, 2016 Reception July 22, 6-9 p.m. ANNUAL MEMBERS’ SHOW Photography by Dan & Mary Gagnon

September 9 – October 12, 2016 Reception September 9, 6-9 p.m. INDIANA BICENTENNIAL EXHIBIT USF Photo Club

October 28 – November 30, 2016 Reception October 28, 6-9 p.m. CORRUGATED in partnership with Kelly Box Artlink’s Figure Drawers Paintings by Alexandra Hall

December 9 – January 11, 2017 Reception December 9, 6-9 p.m. 11TH REGIONAL EXHIBITION Art Club

AUER CENTER FOR ARTS & CULTURE 300 East Main Street, Ft Wayne, IN 46802 260.424.7195 | artlinkfw.com

Gallery Hours: Tue-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat-Sun 12-5pm RECLUSE by Camila Linaweaver

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Let's Comedy? YES, LET'S

This town of ours has many reputations. Some are good; some are alright. It is known for being a great place to raise a family, for example. It is the hometown of Animal House character Fawn Leibowitz. It is known as being a relatively affordable place to live. And now, due to the efforts of Ryan Ehle, Jared Busch, Alex Price, Ian Anderson, and Corey Courrielche; it is known as a place for comedy. Making something from nothing is nearly impossible. Creating and establishing a community that hasn’t existed before, within a larger community, is no exception. Ehle, Busch, Price, Anderson, and Courrielche are members of Let’s Comedy, a group devoted to bringing quality comedy acts to Fort Wayne and helping, if not jump-starting, the local comedy scene as well. Written and Photographed by Benjamin Dehr Adam Gilbert

I asked Ehle, Busch, and Price, whom I met with in the backroom (which is known as the Tiger Room) at CS3: Calhoun Street Soups, Salads & Spirits, to describe each others’ roles in the group. “I always look to Alex [Price] when it comes to comedian relations and helping to facilitate acts for local and regional shows. He’s a real people person. People both regionally and locally know who Alex is,” said Busch. “Ryan [Ehle] is our comedy dad. He keeps us all from punching each other and he’s the liaison and booker of all of our big shows. He’s basically the brainchild of this. He’s the driving force,” said Price. “Jared [Busch] is the heart of Let’s Comedy. He’s been my best friend since we were 14. This has been something we’ve always wanted to do, a comedy project or some variation of comedy and entertainment. He’s the voice of reason and always the calm one. He’s a great entertainer and a great people-person. He makes everyone comfortable in the room, no matter what their stance is with the show or even with each other,” said Ehle.

There are also two other members of Let’s Comedy: Ian Anderson and Corey Courrielche. Anderson is in charge of Let’s Comedy’s open mics. In case you’re not familiar, an open mic is exactly what it sounds like, an open microphone show where anyone can come and practice or perform comedy. It’s the way most comics begin crafting their acts before and while telling people they're comedians. Let’s Comedy told me that Anderson is branching out to become a traveling comic as well. Courrielche is a consultant for the group and plans specialty shows that are creative and a little off-the-wall with titles like “Your Feelings Don’t Matter,” “Fill in Her Blank,” and “Wheel of Misfortune.” Price is the only touring comic of the group. While out on the road, he meets other comics and comes across many openers for the bigger acts that come through town. But how does a town with only one comedy venue suddenly book big names on a regular basis? With the 38

likes of Doug Benson, Cameron Esposito, Bobcat Goldthwait, Kyle Kinane, it seems every week most of the modern, smart comedians I’ve heard of are coming through to perform. It didn’t happen overnight. Ehle, Anderson, and Busch started something called Jirk Comedy three years ago. They wanted to see comedy in Fort Wayne but couldn’t really leave to a bigger city to do comedy themselves. They began to host open mics and began building a community this way. Within the last year, they did a re-branding and changed their approach a bit. Price and Courrielche were familiar, supportive faces in the Jirk community so they were brought on as part of the team. After meeting Doug Benson at one of his shows, Ehle told him what Let’s Comedy (at that time, Jirk Comedy) was trying to do here in Fort Wayne. Benson was interested and ended up doing a large show at IPFW, the first real booking for LC. After Benson, everything else fell into place.

"T.V." Terrance Cassell

Word got out that not only were there people craving good-quality comedy entertainment in the Fort Wayne area, but there was a group like Let’s Comedy that was more than willing to make it happen and to facilitate that need. “It’s all organic, very grass roots. We built a following by opening it up to the public. That was one of our big focus points in our mission statement—to create a comedy community. In order to do that, you just have to open it up, through pretty constant transparency, and a lot of time spent building relationships,” said Busch. Let’s Comedy is very DIY, but with the grateful help of venues of course. All of the money they make from shows goes back into making the shows continue happening. “I don’t think anyone here is making any money. Eventually, that would be great. Right now we’re just concerned with killing it like we have been,” said Ehle with a casual, yet humble tone. Bringing and establishing something to a community that wasn’t there before is a

Gene Walker

“daunting” task. Starting said community is even more so. The members of Let’s Comedy will admit that they’re new at it. Sure they’ve been booking and putting on shows for over a year, but each show is a new experience, a new way to do things, or an idea that changes it up. The beauty of their organization is that a lot of it has been trial and error. “The beauty in the appeal to a lot of people, especially locally, is the idea that we’re trying to do this together. Our focus has been on the comedy community. That idea of, 'Hey we’re all trying this together, we’re all in this together,' is really appealing I think. It was daunting but exciting at first because every show was something new,” said Busch. Again, you can find most of these shows taking place in the Tiger Room in the back of CS3. It’s an established format that Let’s Comedy finds useful and accommodating for most crowds. However, they host different shows all over town: open mics at Pedal City, comedy bingo at Trubble 39

Cameron Esposito

Brewing, and fake authors reading fake book excerpts at Jennifer Ford Art. From the beginning, Let’s Comedy has been interested in hosting events all over town and trying to incorporate as much of the area as they can, as far as its comedy arms will let it. Let’s Comedy has proven itself. They can book big acts like Wyatt Cenac, Sasheer Zemata, Jen Kirkman, Brooks Wheelan, Matt Bruanger. The list goes on, and it will continue to go on. Not only can Let’s Comedy bring big names which would attract an audience in any town, they are giving local comedians and comedy fans alike a way to come together over something they love. Any time a group can host multiple, quality gatherings a week (and in a very positive nature, no less) ,they’re going places. Even if the places they’re going are already here. To learn more about Let’s Comedy, follow @LetsComedyFTW

HISTORY OF ART AND INNOVATION

AUBURN CORD DUESENBERG AUTOMOBILE MUSEUM Before I stepped out of my 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix and walked into the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum, it was easy to lose sight of how quickly and efficiently I had arrived at my destination, and at that, how the mundane act of driving has become so trivial in our day-today lives. That feeling was quickly lost as I approached the museum and sat down with Ethan Bowers and Sam Grate, the museum’s archives manager and collections manager respectively, and was reminded of how these historic cars helped lay the ground work for where we are today. The building that currently houses the ACD Automobile Museum opened in 1930. Then the international headquarters for E.L. Cord and his team at the Auburn Automobile Company, the walls of this building saw groundbreaking innovations, including the first production front-wheel drive automobile, retractable headlights, and streamlined designs. These advances were so revolutionary that during the 1935 New York Auto Show, spectators were climbing on top of other manufacturers' displays just to get a glimpse of the Cord 810’s design, one of the many examples of innovation that occurred at this headquarters building. The Auburn Automobile Company also produced Auburn and Duesenberg marques, which were equally innovative and revered by the public. Grate spoke of just what attracted people to innovative automobiles such as the Cord. “The big thing that strikes people the most is if you look at automobiles such as the Cord 810 or 812, it has several different

features that other cars in that day did not have—such as a lack of running boards, which today seems trivial, but back then was a huge deal. Also, the radiator was completely removed and replaced with hood louvers. They were moving away from the classic era and more towards the space age designs that we saw in the late 1940s and through the 1950s.” Nearly a century later, the Italian terrazzo floors in the showroom still have scratches and gouges from where the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Company (which remained a tenant of the building over the next few decades) used it as a machine shop of sorts after the Auburn Automobile Company went out of business in 1937. Many of the light fixtures remain unchanged, and the offices of the designers continue to look as they did in the 1930s. But while inside the walls of the museum the cars and architecture remain perfectly fastened in time, outside of the museum the techniques that were used to design and advertise these cars have been left behind. Gordon Buehrig and Alan Leamy, two of the prominent designers of the time, were pioneers in clay sculpting models and hand sketching automobile designs. “Leamy and Buehrig were both risk takers. They were both really young too. I think that’s what E.L. Cord liked about them,” said Bowers. Current design methods are direct descendants of the clay sculpting and hand-drawn artwork of Leamy and Buehrig.

Today, design sketches are made using 3D design programs and clay sculpting has been replaced with 3D CAD modeling. The museum also displays incredibly detailed hand-drawn advertisements for the Auburn Automobile Company’s marques, prominently done by artists such as Alexis de Sakhnoffsky. The ads were based heavily on the features of the car, such as the speed, safety, or the pure elegance of the latest Auburn, Cord, or Duesenberg. Today, the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum continues to have a lot to offer any car enthusiast and has recently taken steps to attract younger demographics. The museum is in the process of digitizing thousands of documents for universities and the general public to access for research purposes, and has set up various social networking sites to reach out and listen to its visitors. Also, in recent years, the museum has installed interactive touch screens with some of their displays to further inform its younger visitors of innovative automobiles such as the Cord 810 or 812 and their wonders. To learn more about the museum, visit their website at automobilemuseum.org, or visit their Facebook page by searching for Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum. The museum’s hours are Monday through Friday 10am to 7pm and Saturday and Sunday 10am to 5pm. The last admission is accepted one hour before closing. By Braden Hines

Imagery provided by Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum

THE SOUND OF OUR CITY

Producing partners bring together an eclectic group of Fort Wayne musicians to create Fused, a collaborative compilation album sure to offer audiences something they can get behind. The album may very well better the community, give hope to the area’s children, or teach some of us that what we’re looking for may be closer than we think.

A CLOSE TYPE OF HOPE By Benjamin Dehr

Local hip-hop artist J Tubbs and producer-manager Jeb Bartley of Crush House Entertainment were tired of the music genres isolating audiences around the city. They wanted something that could bring together a community in spite of niche musical tastes and a lack of fellowship that drove audiences further into their respective slots. The city needed something that signified the eclectic tastes we all share. To accomplish this, they began a project that would take more than two years to complete.

First of all, what is Fused? J Tubbs: The project is a compilation album with four “fusion” songs which will incorporate all styles of music, all together: hip hop, EDM, country, rock, all types of different demographics and genres, on one track. Jeb Bartley: Right now we’re at nine songs, four of which will be “fused.” It’ll be one fused song then the next track will be genre-specific so the artists can still showcase each individual genre, another fused one, etc.

So it’s an album everyone would like? JT: Right, it has everything. JB: I’m sure there’ll be those who skip a song because it’s a certain genre, but the goal is that they might like that genre mixed in with other ones. It’s about opening their mind a little bit.

What was the goal when you started? JT: It’s about music, but most importantly it’s about bringing in different demographics, the community at large, and people appreciating one another. This project is pretty much piggybacking off of Hip Hop for the City with A Better Fort. Country and rock are mainly represented in Fort Wayne. It felt kind of weird for the team to make a hip-hop project as opposed to something like rock or country. I felt like it was a no-brainer to do something that incorporates those styles of music as well, but also hip hop, house and everything else. Fused brings together both the north side and the south side, not just downtown. We try to break those barriers and use the music as a gateway for people to interact with one another and promote fellowship with one another. JB: It’s been at least two years in the making. We’ve tried concentrating on it not just being a one-hit wonder. There are a lot of things Fort Wayne does in the music scene.

They do it and they do it really big, but they don’t look at how they can do long-term and lasting. We want this to be an ongoing project that we can just keep building on, benefiting local artists—not just one or two—creating different volumes of Fused as we progress into the future.

You’re associated with Fort Wayne Community Schools, so does that mean you have children involved? JT: They’re going to be. We’ve got two artists, Makayla and Carmen V, who will be representing the younger community. They’re 16 and 13. We’re trying to show the value that the art scene—not just music but fashion and fine art and everything else—holds in this community.

How do you plan to accomplish that? JT: Where you start is with the younger people. We don’t want it to be 21 and up as if that’s when you start appreciating art. These kids like music class now. They like art class now.

What message are you trying to send to the younger demographic then?

What was the recording process like? JT: We are actually in the process of recording now, and it’s projected to have a duration of three to four months, set for an August release. Did everyone write in the same room together or was it done in separate places? JT: This project is a bit of both, it’s half and half. We’re pushing to have a lot more in-house writing together for the more collaborative feel, so the artists can feed off of one another creatively.

Are there any problems that you are coming across when recording so many different genres at once? JT: We don’t seem to have much of a problem at all. Timing and schedules are our beasts, as every musician involved is representing for a great following and stance in this town. A lot of them have day jobs along with weekend gigs, limiting time to commit to the project, but we understand and it’s getting completed as we go!

How did you pick the artists and who did you pick? JT: We want to instill the image that Fort Wayne actually cares. Fort Wayne listens to you. Fort Wayne sees your work, so they’re not driven to want to leave their city, as if that will make their dreams come true. We’re trying to encourage keeping art and music in schools because that really matters.

How will FWCS be involved? JB: A good friend of mine, Greg Patterson, is a teacher in the organization and he’s going to work to get schools involved to where we can go there and speak about the project and the efforts of different demographics working together. Tubbs and Bartley are referencing themes that anyone can relate to. The notion of moving away passes through every young adult’s brain constantly, whether they’re from LA or Ada, Ohio. It’s such an easy thought when every movie or book or album celebrates moving out of your hometown to a bigger and better place. But if we all did this, who would be living where we left off? Once the realization comes that most of the people in town have lived here their whole lives, a sense of comfort comes, a comfort with knowing that we would be just fine staying put. If we were taught this through art and music as children, as Tubbs and Bartley are suggesting and striving for, maybe the preconceived notion that elsewhere is better wouldn’t hold so much stock. There is hope that Fused and the artists involved can get the message across, the message that somewhere else isn’t always better than right here.

JT: We found these artists by our involvement in the music community in Fort Wayne, as we host a lot of shows and have relationships with these great artists. For the general inquiry of building the roster, it took about six months due to commitment concerns, as well as legal obligations for a few of the signed artists. Artists for Fused include J Tubbs, The Kickbacks, T Zane, Trace Emotions, The Combos, DJ Double K, Makayla, Carmen V, RQ, Elements Cosmos, and Todd Harrowban. JT: We wanted to get people who were right for it, people who had the same mission, the same goal as us. It’s easy to get somebody involved and interested for their own personal reasons, as opposed to people who actually care about the music scene. JB: We’re looking for people who want to build a relationship and be on a team. Fused is about artists who are on board with the whole project, not just their own personal track. With goals not limited to album sales, Crush House Entertainment is putting their time and effort into making Fused happen and not just for their own gain but the gain of the community. It is apparent hearing them talk about the project that they’re not interested in collaborators willing to show up, record, and then get the hell out of Dodge (or Fort Wayne in this case). They want commitment, like the commitment of children who are taught that they don’t need to leave their hometown to better their lives, as well as those adults who still need convincing.

NEAT NEAT NEAT

Catering to 300,000 people is no easy task. Sure, only a small percentage are interested in buying records in a record store. However, that hasn’t slowed down Morrison Agen, owner of Neat Neat Neat Records, since opening in February of 2011. Before Neat Neat Neat opened its doors, Agen worked in the pro-audio industry for Sweetwater Sound, Guitar Center, and as a high-end audio equipment contractor, installer, and designer.

HOW MORRISON AGEN IS DOING WHAT HE DOES

Of course Agen was interested in vinyl in high school but his interest grew towards cassettes because, “It was the '90s, that’s what was happening then,” said Agen. The name Neat Neat Neat Records was originally the name of a record label that Agen and a friend tried to start based out of Chicago. The label unfortunately had to close its doors, but vinyl itself grew in popularity and was brought back to life out of the digital wasteland. The Neat Neat Neat name was given to the record store to breathe new life into the name and to keep the brand visible. “When I opened the store, I really didn’t think there’d be a whole lot of people coming in. I really, honestly, thought it would be people coming in to sell their records to us,” said Agen. “It’s been a pleasant surprise. I have very few complaints about being in this industry. It’s a lot easier to start a record store than to start a lot of other businesses, that’s for sure. I started this on my own by 48

selling off my science-fiction book collection to get the initial seed money. Now we have a really, really excellent inventory. We’re working really hard to reestablish a great punk inventory and to flesh out some of the other sections. I’d like to have a better hiphop section, a better reggae section.” Striving to improve the store, especially by focusing on growing these smaller collections, Agen is humble enough to admit the store’s weaknesses. Like any business, however, Neat Neat Neat has to cater to its audience. That may mean ordering 15 copies of Adele’s latest instead of getting a few rare jazz 45s. “You know your market. You try to cater to that— weird it up just enough to keep people finding and noticing new things,” said Agen.

The biggest challenge with running Neat Neat Neat, Agen said, is staying ahead of the curve of what is going to be popular even next week. “You can’t order 30 copies of everything. Sometimes you have a big star like David Bowie die and everyone wants a copy of Blackstar. Nobody knew that he would die. People are excited about Blackstar now because it’s kind of his requiem which I think is a lovely tribute. It came out a week ago. There’s not a person I can buy that from at the moment!” A perfect ending to this article loomed close after the interview was over; a customer asked him about a $100 record player that had just been put out on the floor. They chatted briefly about the customer’s audio needs, what his setup was like, and he recommended saving up for a much nicer turntable, one Agen didn’t currently have. He could have ordered it of course, if it had been pursued further. “Never had someone talk you out of spending $100 before, have you?” laughed Agen. Although Neat Neat Neat’s records are already fairly priced, the honesty and advice that come along with those records is priceless.

There’s no better way to understand what a record store does for people than standing in one the day a famous artist dies; the interview with Agen just happened to fall on the same day that David Bowie left this earth. While browsing around, it became clear that Agen was and is focused on providing excellent service to his customers. He even put the interview on hold to talk Bowie when a frequent shopper walked in. Paying attention to customers, especially familiar ones, is essential. Agen is of course polite, but direct as well. He’s not afraid to voice his opinion about music and all things related. He tells the truth even if he thinks it’s against what he should be saying.

@NeatNeatNeatRecords is located at 1836 South Calhoun Street. Written and Photographed by Benjamin Dehr

HOPE ARTHUR ORCHESTRA

Hope Arthur is a young Fort Wayne artist who has had a lifetime of experience in her travels and in her music. The multi-talented musician can be found performing solo or with her entourage, the Hope Arthur Orchestra. She sat down on a piano bench in IPFW’s Rhinehart Music Center and talked with Pique about her experiences as a young artist. Tell me a little bit about Hope Arthur Orchestra. When I was a student at IPFW, I took an orchestration class and the professor said that if I orchestrated my own songs, they would record an album for me through the university. We initially started rehearsing so I could have something for the album, but around the time we started rehearsing was when the Fort Wayne Fringe Festival had their first event. I decided to apply just so we could have the chance to perform them, because I didn’t know if we would. The Fringe Festival was the jumpstarter, because after that we started getting all sorts of crazy gigs. How many people are in the orchestra? There are about 15 people that I regularly call on to play and depending on the nature of the performance, we could have up to 30 people on stage. Not everyone has the stage to get that many people and it’s not always necessary to have a big, huge production. If I’m doing it with strings, I try to have two people per part, but sometimes I only have one person per part. What degree did you graduate with from IPFW and what do you plan to do? I graduated with Music Performance and I just got my degree in German. In terms of the creative stuff, like the stuff that I learned from the music degree, I’m already doing it. I’m really interested in academia and, in the future, I could see myself going back to school for a masters or doctorate and maybe becoming a professor. I’ve recently begun to collaborate with some musicians in Austria to produce creative bodies of work. That’s neat because I get to combine my German skills with art and music. We’ll see what the future brings. I love learning. Which instruments do you play? I play piano, I play accordion, and I sing. In high school, I did percussion stuff, but I don’t focus on that; mostly just piano and accordion. What sparked your interest in music from the get-go? I started taking piano lessons when I was eight, and then I kept doing it. I was partially raised in Miami, Florida because my dad moved there when I was little and my best friend down there had a musical family; her mom was a classical pianist, my friend played the cello, her brother played the violin and her dad played the violin. They also owned a music store. I helped out at their store and sorted music for them. I also took lessons from her mom and would come back and take lessons here [in Fort Wayne]. I always loved classical music growing up and would always listen to orchestral stuff.

How often do you perform? Since I’ve been out of school, I perform solo or with a small group at least once a month. We do the big art performance stuff every six months or so. The art performance stuff is what I get really excited about, but it takes so much energy that we just can’t do it as often. Or rather, I just haven’t figured out how to do it more regularly than twice a year. I’m trying to work on touring. My plan is to start out solo or with a small group and build the tour and the amount of people traveling. I’d love to tour with one of our performance art shows. I also perform classical piano every few months. Who inspires you? Initially I was influenced by musicians such as Regina Spektor, Björk, Joanna Newsom and Maurice Ravel. The ideas/research of David Attenborough have recently proven to be a very strong influence in my work. I’m influenced by my professors Dr. Hamilton Tescarollo, who was my piano teacher, and Dr. Melanie Bookout, who is a musicologist. I also have a strong group of artistic friends. There is a group of us that used to get together every Sunday night and paint together and talk about art. We don’t meet as often anymore, but we’re all still friends and I draw a lot of influence/inspiration from the work of all of my close friends. I was incredibly inspired by someone who was once my partner. I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now if it wasn’t for them. When I met this person, they encouraged me to be myself and to pursue all of my dreams. At the time, that was the first time anyone had done that for me. I owe a lot to them. I also draw a profound amount of inspiration/influence from literature of all kinds. I haven’t been able to read much fiction lately because I have been involved with research for different art projects, but I do enjoy fiction as well as non-fiction. I have a weakness for comparative literature, and I borrow a lot of techniques in that field of study when preparing songs or art pieces. Language, its history, its social function and its influence on the formulation of our thoughts/perspectives is another gigantic influence on my work. What are some of your favorite things about Fort Wayne? First of all, it’s my home, so I feel really connected here. All my friends are here, all my family is here, and I feel like recently there is a growing art community. I’m super pumped to be a part of that. It seems like everyone is getting really excited about all the new things that we can do together. I have also recently been interested in our rich history, especially our Native American history, and digging into that and learning about what it was before it was Fort Wayne. I think a lot of it stems from it being my home and I believe in loving your home. Find more information about Hope Arthur or Hope Arthur Orchestra by visiting their website at hopearthur.com/bio. Interview by Kayla Mayers Photography by Drew Allegre

Herb Garden

nutritious and relaxing

Planting your own herb garden will not only be good for your wallet, but it is nutritious and relaxing. All you need to begin the process are seeds, dirt, pots, and water. We planted our herbs in six small mason jars, kept indoors, and watered moderately every day. Within two weeks they all sprouted. Here are culinary uses and health benefits to six common herbs. Be sure to research thoroughly about growing herbs from seeds or starters before you begin!

Rosemary

CULINARY: Tea, poultry, salad dressing, vegetables. BENEFITS: Rosemary has substances that are useful for stimulating the immune system, increasing circulation, and improving digestion.

CULINARY: Salads, pesto, pizzas, sauces, tomatoes.

Basil

BENEFITS: Basil contains compounds that are known to have anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. It is very low in calories and contains zero cholesterol.

CULINARY: Garnish, soups, salads, meats, potatoes. BENEFITS: Parsley is rich in many important vitamins, including Vitamin C, B 12, K, and A. It keeps your immune system strong, tones your bones, and heals the nervous system.

Parsley 57

CULINARY: Mexican foods, rice, vegetables, meats.

Cilantro

BENEFITS: Cilantro is low in calories and contains no cholesterol. Its deep-green leaves possess good amounts of antioxidants, essential oils, vitamins, and dietary fiber, which may help reduce bad cholesterol.

CULINARY: Fish, poultry, soups, eggs, tomatoes.

Thyme

BENEFITS: Thyme helps with stomach aches, arthritis, colic, sore throat, cough, bronchitis, flatulence, and more.

CULINARY: Tea, potpourri, salads, smoothies.

Mint

BENEFITS: Mint is a great appetizer or palate cleanser, and it promotes digestion. It also soothes stomachs in cases of indigestion or inflammation.

MUGS | WALL ART | STATIONERY | BRANDING | EVENT DECOR moonlitdesignco.etsy.com

moonlitdesignco@gmail.com

CARRIE GIBSON

Owner. Stylist. Nail tech. 3947 Parnell Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46805 260.418.8162 By appointment only.

MIND, BODY, SOUL:

YOGA Entering the 90-degree room filled with people stretching on yoga mats instantly felt like an experience I would never forget. White tapestries hung from the ceiling in the sanctuary at Urban Body Yoga on Illinois Road. I laid my yoga mat on the wood floors and sat on it cross-legged. The sounds of the traffic outside the studio and the thoughts inside my head faded away. Quiet music played in the corner of the room, making me feel relaxed and tranquil, preceding my first yoga practice. When the instructor entered the room, she had a huge smile on her face and welcomed both the old and new faces. She asked us to start our practice in Childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pose, and after observing the people around me, I got into the pose and learned to elongate my body with the inhale and exhale of my breath. Throughout my time doing yoga at this studio, I continued to learn new poses and to focus my breath for the best stretch and the most fluid motion. I learned how to lengthen my Downward Facing Dog and deepen my Utkatasana. I took it seriously when the instructors asked me to set my intention for my practice each time we started. I focused on my breathing to help my poses and emptied my brain of everything that was going on outside of that moment in that room. I learned that there are things my body can do that I never thought it could and that there are some things my body refuses to do. Yoga became a crucial part of my active lifestyle to stretch muscles that I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know needed to be stretched. A surprise in my first yoga practice was that somewhere in the middle of practice we did abdominal exercises that ended up making me sore for several days. This became the reason I was drawn to Urban Body Yoga. Not only did they give me exercises to stretch my muscles and silence my mind, but they also left me feeling like I got a real workout. While I personally felt drawn to Urban Body Yoga because of the decor, friendly faces, and fulfilling yoga practice, Fort Wayne has a number of yoga studios that I encourage anyone to explore in order to find their inner peace. Namaste. By Kayla Mayers

ARTISTS WERE INVITED TO SUBMIT WORK FITTING THE THEME "HOLD YOUR TONGUE." THIS EXPRESSION IS DEFINED AS BEING TOLD TO REMAIN SILENT, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO DO SO. WE RECOMMENDED THAT THEY DO THE OPPOSITE.

C A R A L E E WA D E O N LY I D I D N â&#x20AC;&#x2122; T S AY F U D G E POLAROID TRANSFER

NICK FERRAN HOLD YR TONGUE I L L U S T R AT I O N

TREVOR RUSH CHILDREN'S GAS MASK O I L O N PA N E L

L O R E N L AW TONGUE NAILS I L L U S T R AT I O N

EMMA ANGER I N S I D E T H E S E WA L L S PHOTOGRAPHY

JUSTIN JOHNSON PA L M Y R A I I I N K , G R A P H I T E , W H I T E - O U T, O N V E L L U M

ALISON RESAC B L A C K TA R PHOTOGRAPHY

GRACE BERG I'LL BE UP TO KISS YOU GOODNIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY

JACOB SHRINER LONGING O I L O N C A N VA S

THERESA THOMPSON T H E M O D E R N D AY A R T C O L L E C T O R PHOTOGRAPHY

ALEXANDRA HALL EINSTEIN MIXED MEDIA

J A R E D A P P L E G AT E T H E M A R I LY N M O N R O E C O N F L I C T CHALK ON CHALKBOARD

M AT T H E W P L E T T HUSH HUSH D I G I TA L

REBECCA STOCKERT WE ARE SIAMESE WAT E R C O L O R A N D I N K

Z A C K K I T TA K A SHUT THE TRUMP UP PHOTOGRAPHY

DANIEL CHURCH D R AW N T H AT WAY D I G I TA L

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Wunderkammer Company is proud to host the Pique: Fort Wayne Art & Culture launch party as part of 2016 Design Week Fort Wayne.

P I Q U E Y O U R C R E A T I V I T Y. B E I N S P I R E D . G E T C R A F T Y.

BEAD SOURCE Julie Butts is a Fort Wayne local who owned the former brick-and-mortar store Bead Source. Although it is no longer a place you can visit, she runs the store out of her home through Etsy. She does this while maintaining a household with her husband, mothering two children, two pets, and working an additional job. To organize Bead Source in all of its facets, Julie has three separate Etsy shops: one to sell beads, one to sell jewelry kits, and one to sell finished products. Julie also teaches classes, repairs jewelry, and makes custom pieces. You can purchase unique beads that come from all over the world at juliesbeadstore.etsy.com. These include sparkling swarvoski crystals from Austria, pressed glass beads from Czech Republic, and fiery faceted glass rondells from China. Her personal favorites are a variety of semi-precious stones from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Mexico, Russia, Uruguay, Venezuela, and here in the U.S. from Arizona, Arkansas, California, Idaho, Michigan, Texas, and Washington. One of her favorites is Petoskey stone that is found in the lakes of Michigan, a fossil of sea coral from 350 million years ago. If you are looking for one-of-a-kind jewelry kits to be used to create stunning pieces on your own, you can shop at her second Etsy page juliesbeadkits.etsy.com. The kit includes

supplies that the piece requires: beading, findings, miscellaneous necessities which you would need for the specific piece, an image with steps for bead assembly, and an image of the finished project. There are written instructions for the more complicated pieces and, if you are new to jewelry making, you may request basic instructions to be included. Tools needed may be purchased at the above mentioned Etsy shop. And finally, for finished pieces created by Julie Butts, you can shop at her third Etsy store, myjuliejewels.etsy.com. The pieces vary in color and style, all of which were masterfully handcrafted by Julie herself. Thinking about running an Etsy shop yourself? Julie has a bit of wisdom for you. When talking about tips for running an Etsy shop Julie said, ”The most important thing is having good photos.” She stated that ”It is a very, very competitive market and the picture you post is all you have to draw the consumer in. Take the time to make it amazing.” She also emphasized finding the right price at which to sell the product. If prices are too low you may not make enough to continue your hobby, while if prices are too high you may not sell enough to continue.

bracelets, and earrings. For children's parties and large groups, she prefers to allow the students to focus on the designs and she takes care of the finishing work for them. Julie enjoys teaching crafters with intermediate experience wire-wrapping and beadweaving. Something unique that you will learn at one of Julie's classes is how to use a ”measuring bead” which she refers to as her ”trademark earringmaking technique for beginners to stay consistent.” You can also find Bead Source on Facebook or at events in Fort Wayne such as Tapestry at the Memorial Coliseum, Annie's Craft Festival at the Grand Wayne Center, and Northrop High School's Spring and Winter Craft Shows. A memorable project that Julie recently created was a custom woven pearl necklace made of beads from a bride's great grandmother's 1930s wedding dress, as a ”something old” gift. Although Bead Source is no longer a shop in Fort Wayne, you can use the online stores as resources to learn the craft of jewelry making, purchase supplies, or pick out a unique piece. By Erin Knight

Julie teaches classes which are appropriate for any skill level or age. Beginners are able to learn the proper techniques for securing necklaces,

FUNKY ART BRACELET DIY Sandy Hall is a jewelry maker who created a bracelet that she named the Funky Art Bracelet (aka FAB). Before diving into this craft, she worked full time in the print field. What is your experience? I graduated from the Chicago Institute of Typography in 1986, and started working at a large web offset printer, where I worked on a Compugraphic phototypesetter computer, and did key-line and paste-up by hand. Then when desktop publishing was introduced, I went back to school and received certification in a variety of digital programs. Then I worked at a small commercial print shop as a graphic typesetter. When I moved to Ohio in 1997, I worked at a local newspaper, setting the advertisement for a few more years, but it wasn't fulfilling and I realized that I had to reinvent myself.

That's when your love for jewelry making began? Yes, a friend gave me a jewelry making book, and I was intrigued, so I took a few jewelry design classes, though I am mostly self taught. I incorporated my graphic design talents into jewelry. The first piece I started my business with was the Funky Art Bracelet. It is my signature piece. How often do you work on jewelry? Most of my time is spent in my studio creating. It just fascinates me with all the possibilities available. Color, form, and texture are what make my heart sing! I love how I can express my own style while breaking all the rules, but still create a piece of art that makes someone else's heart sing!

WHAT YOU NEED PHOTOS OR ARTWORK PHOTO EDITING SOFTWARE PHOTO PAPER SELF-ADHESIVE LAMINATING SHEETS SCISSORS STICKER MAKER OR DOUBLE STICK TAPE .125" HOLE PUNCHER .125" EYELETS EYELET SETTING TOOL HAMMER ANVIL PERMANENT MARKER WIRE LINKS CLASP JUMP RINGS FLAT NOSE PLIERS

By Elly Bead

”These bracelets have come a long way. I started out making them for family and friends, using their personal photos of vacation shots, beloved pets, etc. So when my friend, Terry Ratliff, opened up his own art gallery and asked me to showcase some of my jewelry, it hit me, why not use his Artwork on my bracelets? Voilà, the Funky Art Bracelet was born. The best part about them is that they’re reversible, so they are two fabulous bracelets in one!” Find work by Sandy Hall in and around Fort Wayne at Terry Ratliff's Art Gallery, Creative Women of the World, Artlink Contemporary Gallery, Katharos Art & Gift, Bloomin' Brewtique, as well as in art galleries around Toledo, Ohio, Durango, Colorado, and at various art shows

INSTRUCTIONS 1. Select photos or artwork to use for ten tiles, there will be five for each side of the bracelet. Import them into a photo editing software program. Crop and size each one to 1.25" x 1" and line up in rows with .25" white between each tile. Print this out on a 8.5" x 11" sheet of photo paper. 2. Once the images are printed out, follow the self-adhesive laminating package instructions and laminate your tiles, then cut out into strips.

4. Cut each tile out to size, remove backing (if using a sticker maker). 5. Evenly stick both back sides together. You should have five two-sided tiles. 6. Trim up sides, and round all the corners on each tile. 7. Line up your tiles in the order you wish them to appear on the bracelet. With a .125" hole puncher, punch three holes in the two end pieces, and four holes in the middle tiles.

3. Run strips through a sticker maker or cover back side with double stick tape. 87

8. Now that your holes are punched, put the eyelets through the holes, and using a hammer, anvil, and eyelet setting tool, set all of the eyelets. 9. Using a permanent marker color the white edges of each tile. 10. Connect all the tiles with wire links and the clasp with jump rings. Add extra jump rings at the end of the bracelet to make it adjustable.

Now that you are done, rock your Funky Art Bracelet and show it off!

Photography by Sierra Disch

LYDIA GERBIG-FAST Inside her quaint home filled with botanical decor, Lydia Gerbig-Fast described how metal-smithing entered her life and never left. She grew up in Indianapolis and attended Ball State University for her undergraduate degree, intending to become a medical illustrator. Her childhood had shaped her career choices; she was drawing at a very young age while her father was a research veterinarian. She loved looking through his medical journals and this career path seemed to fit comfortably with her family. When she finally got the opportunity to have first-hand experience with medical illustration in college, she absolutely hated it. As luck would have it, she happened upon a metal-smithing class and found her passion in jewelry making. There were a number of things that attracted Lydia to metal-smithing that made the profession jump to the top of her choice list. She had always appreciated adorning herself with jewelry and clothing. “The craft appealed greatly to my interest in all things fashion and costume related. Before learning to make jewelry I had always worn jewelry; making jewelry satisfied a great deal of that need for self adornment and I have since worn very little jewelry—I self adorn in other ways,” she explained. She found that she enjoyed making something unique for others to adorn themselves. All of Lydia’s pieces are a rare design because of the unique set of tools that she uses to make her jewelry. She uses hand tools for the majority of her work, starting with a jeweler’s saw and solder scissors used to cut metal and wire. A rolling mill and small antique hammer are used to texture and form her metal.

The intricate, metallic designs are carefully formed with a pair of pliers. The heavy-duty tools Lydia uses include an oxy-acetylene torch and a kiln to fire enamels. She is proud of her hand-held tools that have become so essential for her jewelry-making process. Her process starts with a spark of inspiration, whether from looking at plant specimens or flipping through a magazine. After discovering her motivation, she always finds a gem to design around rather than fitting the gem around a design. She then moves into the sketching phase where she does not make an exact blueprint, but rather a general plan of what she wants. That sketch becomes what it is throughout the actual design process, where the themes of her works really start to show themselves. Lydia finds herself attracted to the two themes of botanicals and classicism— often the two work together to create the intricate pieces. She is inspired by the garden that she and her husband share and where she collects botanical specimens. Her work is inspired by ancient classicism as well as midtwentieth century costume jewelry that was often botanical in nature. When describing her pieces, she said to “imagine a Greek goddess wearing wreathes of flowers in her hair, or a Roman noble woman wearing a gold neckpiece with gem stones.” Lydia’s jewelry is available for purchase and she can be contacted via phone at (260) 744-3181 and via e-mail at lvgfast@gmail.com. Images of her work can be found on her website at lydiafast.com and are featured on IndianaArtisan.org. By Kayla Mayers

Creative minds think alike. Ok, they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t- thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what makes them creative.

Ceramic Tile image grid

But we like to think we understand creative minds and how to help bring your brilliant ideas to life. Of course we make signs, and you might even need one for your next project. We want designers and artists to know that we can help you with your custom, one-of-akind projects, too. Full color printable ceramic tile Gallery-stretched canvas Wall & window graphics Designed-by-you wallpaper Floor graphics Metal fabrication Bronze and aluminum plaques Custom stencils from tiny to huge Engraving on parts supplied

Gallery stretched canvas

Custom wall covering

We enjoy a challenge. If you have a custom application, if you need help bringing your vision to life--give us a call to see if we can help!

1319 PRODUCTION RD. FT. WAYNE, IN | WWW.INDIANASIGNWORKS.COM SALES@INDIANASIGNWORKS.COM | 260-407-4165

CRESTWOODS FRAME SHOP AND GALLERY

Crestwoods is the premier destination for custom framing in the Fort Wayne area. For over fifty years we have made it our mission to provide quality framing using traditional techniques. We apply that same standard of excellence to our modern digital printing service. We value your art as much as you do! It deserves to be printed and presented with the highest quality materials. One of the first things you’ll notice when you come into our shop is our wall of frame samples. We have over 2,500. Our designers work with you to find the perfect frame to complement your piece. Whether it’s a priceless work of art, your high school football jersey or a cherished family heirloom, we’ll sort through the thousands to find the one that fits your vision. We are passionate about our local art scene and our gallery reflects that. Featuring a rotating series of works, we represent Fort Wayne’s finest in all mediums, styles and through an ongoing series of intimate lectures and workshops. We love working with our customers to find the perfect piece for their home or office!

OUR WORK We built a custom poplar liner for this vintage gilt frame, to preserve it’s beautiful finished corners, and allow this striking piece to really shine.

Crestwoods Frame Shop and Gallery | Hours: 10 am to 5 pm, Tues - Sat | Phone: (260) 672-2080 | 314 N Main St Roanoke, IN 91 at www.crestwoodsgallery.com find us on facebook, instagram or