Art Galleries

indiana’s Art Galleries

D i scover l oca l a r t

brown county

Brown County Art Gallery

Brown County’s original art gallery, established in 1926, featuring many of Indiana’s finest contemporary and early art colony masters.

3 blocks East of Courthouse, Main St. & Artist Dr. Nashville, IN 47448 812-988-4609 • browncountyartgallery.org

Mon-sat 10-5, sun 12-5

french lick

Hinshaw Rock’N Gems

Nationally and internationally know artisans, the Hinshaw family has been creating beautiful jewelry and decorator pieces since 1961. Unique jewelry designed and created by silversmith, Merrill Hinshaw. Named by Lapidary journal as one of the top ten stone polishers in the nation, the Hinshaws cut and polish stones by hand to create a work of art.

1232 S. County Road 650 W. French Lick, IN 47432 812-936-7255 • hinshawrockngems.com

daily 11-5:30 and by appt . For visitor info 812-936-3418 or visitfrenchlickwestbaden.com

north vernon

Classic Stained Glass & Gift Gallery, Inc.

250 E. Hoosier St. North Vernon, IN 47265

812-346-4527 888-484-5277

classicstainedglassshop.com

Choose from a variety of beautiful stained glass pieces as gifts or home decor, pick up glass supplies for DIY’s, or take a stained glass class.

Tues-fri 9-5, Sat 9-2, sun-mon closed

74 465

INDIANAPOLIS 70 70 74 65 69

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Make it Your Own Mural Fest

Bringing together art, outdoor recreation, history, and travel.

Northeast Indiana is home to a legacy of makers, doers, creators and innovators, and now visitors to 11 counties in the area can see firsthand the creative talents of national and international artists. The “Make It Your Own Mural Fest” took place in September and featured the creation of large-scale murals—one in each of these 11counties: Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells and Whitley. The murals were all unveiled on the same day, with celebrations and events taking place throughout the region to recognize the artists and communities. These beautiful murals are now finished and ready to be enjoyed.

Zach Medler, one of the 11 participating artists, is a muralist and printmaker from West Lafayette, and has painted more than 20 largescale murals and produced two street art festivals working with arts and community organizations. He believes in the “power” of public art. “Public art

is powerful in that it creates a public aesthetic,” Zach says. “It is best when it tells local stories with local hands. It defines what is significant. It subtly rallies public pride of place. It becomes local tourism info covers and Indiana travel magazine photos. It becomes part of what a Now that the murals are finished, visitors to the 11 counties can experience huge art installations like these two (above) in downtown Fort Wayne. place is. Especially, PHOTOS: Visit Fort Wayne for small towns where everybody knows everybody. Randolph Street in Garrett. He wanted That is why it’s important to support to participate in the project to “ignite local voices in mural projects, so the the imagination” of everybody who aesthetic truly reflects the place and views his art. “Painting a public mural the people.” Zach’s work can be seen is interactive between the community in Adams county, at 411 E. Line and the artist,” Ricco says. “It is a Street in Geneva. unique experience to be a performance

Ohio artist Ricco Diamante created artist and paint large with a changing his mural in Dekalb County, at 130 S. audience that encourages and critiques

the progress. Mural painting becomes a marathon with the community cheering me on to finish strong.”

Now that the murals—which are expected to last 10-15 years—are finished, the participating counties have put together some fun road trip itineraries, designed to bring together art, outdoor recreation, history, and travel. Check them out here: www. visitfortwayne.com/neiroadtrips/

This regional mural festival concept is the first of its kind in the state, with the counties coming together and collaborating to create a cohesive and vibrant attraction. Specific mural locations were determined through a county-led selection committee process with a combination of regional and local input. “The Make It Your Own brand was created to connect future and current talent with Northeast Indiana’s

A group of artists work collectively in downtown Fort Wayne. PHOTO: Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership

unique story and celebrate the region’s outstanding quality of life,” said Kate Virag, vice president of marketing and strategic communications at the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership, the group that launched the festival along with Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne Inc. “We hope to drive talent attraction, talent retention, and tourism by investing in quality of place assets and public art.” Through their efforts they hope to continue growing regional pride and garnering significant attention and exposure nationally.

Many of Northeast Indiana’s regional communities are utilizing public art to create a positive impact in their hometown. In downtown Fort Wayne, the “Art This Way” program has implemented large-scale murals in order to activate public spaces. The 2019 Gehl Public Spaces + Public

ABOVE: Amy Buch’s mural in Auburn reflects the town’s automotive history.

BELOW: Ricco Diamante enjoys painting in front of a “changing audience.” His work is displayed in Garrett. PHOTOS: Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership

Life study, in partnership with the City of Fort Wayne, identified key strategies for activation. The study encouraged more art installations and suggested pilot projects that would build on the existing public art. They noted that murals transform spaces like alleyways into places to gather and enjoy, rather than places to “just move through.”

According to Americans for the Arts, public art engages a community, engenders a sense of pride and community identity, and enhances a community’s quality of life. Murals attract attention and economic benefit. Mural implementation is a key component of the strategy to engage with the public and activate underutilized public space.

The mural festival leaders have allocated funds for industry-standard wall preparation, which will ensure the integrity of the mural projects. Each project will utilize industry-standard paint

America Carrillo puts finishing touches on her mural in Huntington. PHOTO: Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership

and paint application processes, which will provide a high-quality installation. An exterior sealant will be applied to the finished murals to prevent weathering, color fade and mural patina. Taking these steps ensures a high-quality product, which could potentially last for decades.

To learn more go to www. NEIMuralFestival.com

Here’s Where to Find the Murals

Artist: Zach Medler Mural: 411 E. Line St., Geneva

Artist: Key Detail Mural: 201 W. Wayne St., Fort Wayne

Artist: Ricco Diamante Mural: City Hall, 130 S. Randolph St., Garrett

Artist: America Carrillo Mural: 35 W. Market St., Huntington

Artist: Tim Parsley Mural: 212 W. Buffalo St., Warsaw

Artist: Amy Buchs Mural: 202 N. Detroit St., LaGrange Artist: Tobias Studios Mural: 122 N. Orange St., Albion

Artist: Justin Suarez Mural: 900 N. Wayne St., Angola

Artist: Claudio “Remix 1” Rico Mural: 214 E. Main St., North Manchester

Artist: David Rice Mural: 122 W. Market St., Bluffton

Artist: Shawn Dunwoody Mural: 116 W. Van Buren St., Columbia City