ArtReach Graduate talks about program’s impact

Latoya preps materials for a session of her SMART class

Latoya, 16, has been participating in the Art Center’s ArtReach program at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center every other Thursday night since she was 7 years old. Last year, she also participated in SMART (Supportive Mentoring through ART), a partnership between the Indianapolis Art Center and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana. She got a scholarship to continue in the program this year as a teacher’s assistant.

When did you develop an interest in art?

I started drawing when I was two, but I was drawing stick figures and trees that didn’t look like trees and cars that looked like some kind of airplane. Since I’ve gotten older and since I’ve been in Ms. Jude (Odell)’s outreach class at the Martin Luther King Center, I realize I’ve become a better artist because she’s helped me achieve a better perspective and I’ve seen myself as an artist ever since then.

How did you hear about the ArtReach program?

I found out about it because my grandma was in it (the Second Time Around program at Martin Luther King Community Center for grandparents raising their grandchildren) and she started taking me along with her. And ever since I started doing the program I kept bugging my grandma, ‘can I go with you?’ When I went I saw the best art teacher I ever had since I was a seven-year-old. Now I’m sixteen and I still will remember her even when she’s gone.

Latoya with Jude Odell, her ArtReach instructor for the past nine years

Why is Jude Odell such an important person in your life?

I’ve noticed that my way of thinking about art has changed because I used to think of art as just being a hobby that you can do. Now I think of art as even my career other than being a veterinarian. I found that art is not only a hobby, it’s a passion. Art is how I express myself. Most people express themselves by the way they dress or act; I express myself through art.

Art has made me feel that I am a person and not just a person that’s just here on the earth just to be here. I feel that I have a purpose now. Because before art, I felt not like a person. I was used to feeling…nothing. Art made me feel like a person because I could express myself through it.

You won the Outstanding Student award last year. Tell us about that.

That night (of the exhibition opening) I was surprised to hear my name. I was happy, too, because everyone was cheering for me. And that’s the kind of thing I don’t get. So I kind of feel happy from people cheering for me.

Has the ArtReach program changed you?

My grandma feels it has helped me grow as a person and being more outgoing and show people I’m not just a quiet person that can sit around and not be part of a crowd. It’s helped me to see that I’m an artist and not just a person who loves to do art. (It used to be that) I wouldn’t talk or anything. If there was a question, I’d probably say I don’t know, shrug my shoulders, shake my head. Now I can give a straightforward answer using my words, not shrugging my shoulders or shaking my head. I can say yes or no.

Anything you’d like people to know?

The Art Center here in Broad Ripple is a great place to come for all the kids that feel that they don’t have a place to go. It will show them that they matter in the world and through art they probably could show their real personality and who they are through art.

Jude Odell has been an instructor in the Indianapolis Art Center’s ArtReach program for 20 years. Since has taught hundreds of children throughout her career and established long-term relationships with some of them, like Latoya.

Jude Odell, Indianapolis Art Center ArtReach instructor for the past 20 years

How did you get started and why have you stayed?

(When) I started working in the program, I was selling my artwork full time and I felt I needed a balance in my life. I wanted to work with children and I began working when outreach was in public housing.

How did you meet Latoya?

When Latoya started coming to ArtReach, she was probably seven, maybe eight years old. I believe the Martin Luther King center at that point was the afterschool program and we met every week. She was young and she was very shy and quiet and hardly ever spoke. At that point, she was just newly living with her grandmother. She seemed afraid of the world at the time. But she always liked art. As she grew up, she started finding herself and blossoming.

How has the program changed over the 20 years?

ArtReach when I started was in public housing. And it was very very different. We did that for several years. And there was a time where I was the only ArtReach instructor. It was down for awhile. … I’ve been at different sites along the way. Each site has its own dynamics.

What do you see for the future of ArtReach?

I’m pretty happy with ArtReach the way it is running these days and the way it’s put together. It seems like it’s going into the right communities and presenting the right types of experiences for kids.

What do you like best about the Art Center’s ArtReach program?

I work with children all over the city in a lot of different programs. The ArtReach program is one in which I see the children week after week and I really develop strong bonds and relationships with them. The program I develop often is a response to the specific children, seeing what they need and where they’re going.

And we can do a variety of things. We have a longer period than they would in school so we can do bigger projects that take longer and (they can) get more wrapped up in it. I like to teach about really opening your eyes to a bigger world. So we do a lot of multicultural art. We also look at different artists and we talk about how they think and what their perspective is. So I like to broaden the children’s minds in terms of seeing life from different perspectives and different viewpoints and that helps them develop their own viewpoints and perspectives more.

What should people look for in the ArtReach exhibition beyond what’s on the wall?

There’s lots of learning and exploration of the world and yourself that goes on in these ArtReach classes. And experimenting with materials and learning about themselves and interaction with the teacher and the subjects and each other. And we bring just a small token of that to put on the wall. And it’s just a little piece of the ArtReach program going on in the city.

Any additional thoughts?

The two sites I’m at with ArtReach now…with Martin Luther King, I’ve been there maybe 12 years, Coburn Place six years…and I enjoy developing relationships with staff, the children and sometimes the parents and grandparents. Each site is different and has its own characteristic and its own needs. It’s very interesting to make connections with different sites. They are all unique.

So as everyone knows, in just about three weeks downtown Indianapolis will go CRAZY with Super Bowl visitors and events! It is really exciting to see the preparations as the city gets ready for the big day. Those of us who are volunteering are getting ready, too – we had a big training session in mid-December to go over more of the details. Just imagine figuring out where 8,000 volunteers are going to park!  I can tell you that there are several sites around downtown that we’ll be able to park at and then get shuttled into the heart of the action.

I have to admit, I am really excited about what comes next – picking up our uniforms!  All volunteers will receive a warm jacket, long-sleeve shirt and either a hat or ear band with the Super Bowl XLVI logo. I am particularly stoked to get one of the “Super Scarves” that were hand-knit by volunteers.  Laugh at me if you will, but I am really proud to get to wear one.

And if you thought the Art Center wasn’t caught up in the Super Bowl excitement, think again!  We will be playing host to one of the 33 “Super Cars” painted with NFL team colors and placed at attractions all over town.  We can’t wait to find out which team’s colors will grace the Churchman-Fehsenfeld Gallery. We’d all prefer Colts blue, of course…

I’ll check in again as the big weekend draws closer – maybe even sneak in a photo of our uniforms. Until then, have a Super Day!

Becoming a SUPER volunteer

As soon as it was announced that Indianapolis had been awarded the 2012 Super Bowl, I knew that I was interested in volunteering. Along with travel, volunteering around the community is something my husband Larry and I love to do (and we are raising our daughter to do, as well). As a breast cancer survivor, the Komen Race for the Cure is always on our calendar (April 21 in 2012!). The Super Bowl not only showcases our community, we’d be meeting people from all over the country and the world, kind of combining our two hobbies. It was too good to pass up.

Although our volunteer experience has only just begun, it has already been fascinating. We were introduced to plans for the Super Bowl at a volunteer kickoff at Conseco Fieldhouse in September, complete with celebrities and entertainment. You could feel the excitement starting to build.

Last Friday, I took the online Super Service training course so that I and the other 7,999 volunteers will be up to speed on how to provide Super Service. It covered general information about Indianapolis, our hotels, restaurants and attractions, details about the Super Bowl and logistics, plus some general safety information. I’m practicing saying “Have a Super day!” and responding “It’s my pleasure” to people who thank me for stuff. Also, I liked the concept of the 20:12 rule—we are supposed to make eye contact with people within 20 ft. and greet them within 12 ft.

The next step is coming in December, when we all attend in-person training sessions.

It is exciting to be a part of such a huge civic effort.  Even though the volunteer slots are filled, there are still ways for everyone in Indianapolis to get involved.  One way close to my heart is the Indy’s Super Cure Initiative. I know how important it is to support research into the causes and treatments for all types of cancer. I urge all women to consider donating tissue to the world’s only breast tissue bank. Donating is easy and actually fun – there was a free smoothie bar and great “swag bags” when I donated! Here’s the link to donate tissue https://komentissuebank.iu.edu/donation?action=welcome . Or you can always donate by texting CURE to 27722 to donate $10 to the Komen Tissue Bank.

I hope you’ll check back to the Art Center blog in the coming weeks — I’ll be updating my experiences throughout the volunteer process and hopefully giving everyone a taste of what it is like to be part of such a huge event. And, as I learned to say in my training, Have a Super Day!

From Richard McGowan:

I love being a part of El Dia de los Muertos for what the exhibit represents-the enduring nature of love. That understanding was impressed on me ages ago by Jessica Lowry. I attended El Dia de los Muertos as an assignment for a Spanish class and when I saw her altar, for her Uncle Con, it knocked me over.

The altar had cornstalks, a cigar, Autumn vegetables and fruit, a razor… anyone looking at Jessica Lowry’s altar met her Uncle Con. We knew him and the contents of her heart. Jessica trained me.

In Loveing Memory of Grandma Bloch by Cassidy and Jamie McGowan

And I ‘trained’ my son, who has designed several altars. This year, he and his wife created an altar for her grandmother. Anyone looking at their altar will meet Grandma Bloch. Like Jessica Lowry’s Uncle Con, Grandma Bloch grew up on a farm. She loved the color pink; she was a secretary for 31 years; she enjoyed playing cards, quilting, and crosswords puzzles; she rooted for her Wisconsin teams, the Pack and the Brewers; most of all, she loved her family and her family loved her.

The same can be said for Genevieve Lickona, my friend’s granddaughter born prematurely last November.

I got caught in her struggle to survive, asking my friend Tom for news. When Genevieve died in February, it broke my heart as it did her family’s. Genevieve’s short life appears to have little by way of presenting a personality, but for this: Genevieve was loved by many.

The Littlest Angel by Richard McGowan

My altar, therefore, displays that love, an enduring love founded in faith. The pink felt backdrop is in the shape of a church, with a cross on top and a shroud for cover.  A Bible, rosary, and angels show the faith Genevieve was born into. A saint anchors the altar.

I’d like to think that the altar opens hearts to Genevieve.

I know that the many altars in this year’s exhibit certainly opened mine to the wonderful people who have passed through this world.

Richard J McGowan lives in Indianapolis with his wife Barbara. They have the blessings of three children and one grandchild. He teaches ethics at Butler and has been part of the El Dia de los Muertos exhibit in past years.

The Art Center’s El Dia de los Muertos altar and shrine exhibit is on display until November 27, 2011. Visit www.DayoftheDeadIndy.org for more information. And, be sure not to miss the Dia de los Muertos celebration on Saturday, October 29, 2011 from noon-5pm. The event attracts more than 4,000 people to the Art Center for a day of traditional Mexican food and desserts, music, shopping in the Mercado, and hands-on art activities for the whole family, including: sugar skulls, mural, papel picado banners, embossed tin jewelry, face painting, and more! The altar and shrine exhibit will be up along with exhibits by three other artists. The celebration is free and open to the public, but donations are appreciated (just $10 for Skull Buddies, plush dolls made volunteers as a way to help raise funds). Shuttles to and from Park Tudor School run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call 317.255.2464 for more information.

The Day of the Dead Altar Exhibit

The Indianapolis Art Center’s altar exhibition provides the community an artistic interpretation of Mexican Day of the Dead altars normally displayed in homes. Artists, community members, schools, organizations and individuals of all backgrounds respect and honor this tradition by creating both traditional and contemporary altars. Some altars incorporate many or all of the customary elements such as marigolds, food, water, papel picado, candles, incense, personal mementos and photos displayed in a tiered fashion under an arch. Other altars showcase new interpretations of the altar’s design or structure but still make use of traditional offerings. All the altars featured at the Art Center honor individuals who once walked the earth, respecting what we believe to be the heart of this beautiful tradition.

The Art Center and Day of the Dead Programming

The Indianapolis Art Center began providing Day of the Dead programming in 2000 as a response to the growing Hispanic and Latino populations in Indianapolis. It started as a way to engage this community through a celebration of culture, tradition, and artistic experiences. However, throughout the years the Art Center found Day of the Dead programming to bridge numerous communities, connecting people of all backgrounds through the universal experience of death. Communicating the history and importance of this celebration through art activities that reflect the tradition and engage children and adults in discussion regarding their own beliefs has connected people from all walks of life. The Art Center serves an educational role regarding Day of the Dead and continues to strive to bring people of all backgrounds together.

Patrick Flaherty, Director of Exhibitions

Stay tuned for an upcoming blog featuring the jurors judging the 2012 Student Show.

What is the Student Show?

The Art Center does its annual Student Show to give students the chance to experience what it’s like to enter and compete in a juried art exhibition. My experience in entering juried shows is it really is a rush when you get in. It’s just the greatest thing ever as an artist to have someone you really don’t know privately select your work to include it in a show among your peers. And there’s nothing worse than not getting into a show.

What does “jurying” really mean?

A juried show is a judged show. The (student) shows do vary greatly year to year and that’s because we change the jurors. A juried show simply means you’re bringing in one or two, sometimes more, outside art professionals whether they’re artists or art administrators. They’re going to come in and they’re the ones who pick the show. They go through the work and select what makes it in and what doesn’t. It’s an honor to be asked to be a juror. Jurors are really very respectful to the work. It’s a very calm, collected process; they’re going around and looking at these pieces. Having juried shows, I know it’s a huge responsibility and it’s not something you just walk into and say ‘oh, it’s in. It’s out.’ It takes hours and hours of time, especially when you have to work with someone else. I want each of our students to know that if you do enter our student show, you’re getting full consideration.When you’re in a juried show, it’s not just the jurors. It’s also the body of work you’re being juried against. Whereas your piece might not make it into one show, it might win best of show in another body of work because it stands out; it’s the only glass piece. Whereas you competed against 20 glass pieces in the last show. Oftentimes, even the same juror that rejects a particular piece in one show has picked that same piece in a different show to be best of show. I’ve had shows where I’ve entered, I’ve gotten in, I get the postcard and my print’s on the postcard. And that’s like, wow, a double bonus! And then the next year, you go in all confident and it’s those three No checkmarks. 

Why should I enter the Student Show?

A lot of people compete for the prize money. A lot of people compete for the solo exhibition that’s given to the Best of Show winner or the group show for the Divisional winners. I’m sure that every person you ask is going to have a slightly different reason for entering. I would say, ‘why not?!’ It’s a competition. It’s totally subjective. If your work isn’t accepted, it doesn’t mean it’s time to throw away the paintbrushes and move on. It just means that in that year, against that body of work, the jurors did not select your piece.  

How do I prepare for a juried show?

What you’ll find is that in each juried show, you’ll read the prospectus and you have to go down and find out if your work is eligible. Sometimes it’ll be ‘this media is and this media isn’t.’ In our student show, since we focus on so many different kinds of art in our 11 different studios, we allow it all to be entered.

What are the requirements for entering the Student Show?

It is the “Student” show. In order to participate, we do require that you are a member. That’s fairly common among juried shows. And the reason is, it’s because it’s a benefit of membership. All of the money it costs to enter comes back in terms of prize money. And so we want it to be our own pool of people. You’re not competing against all of the painters in Indianapolis; you’re not competing against all the ceramicists in Indiana or Ohio or the nation. It is our own home team. This is our home turf and that’s who you’re playing with. So you have to be a member.

You also have to have taken a class here in the last two years. Because we want you to know us.

We want the work to not be any older than two years old because we want it to be fresh. We want it to be what you’re working on now.

What are my odds of being selected for the show?

The more people who compete, the fresher the show because if the same people compete every year, all of a sudden the student show starts to look the same. So what we’re hoping for is for a really diverse pool of people to enter. Usually we have around 120 people enter which generally works out to be about 400 pieces to be juried. With those numbers, you have about a one in four chance, sometimes one in three. Last year (2011), it was more like one in three and a half chance of getting into the show.

We explain to (the jurors) that it doesn’t have to be a balanced show. We usually give them a low number and a high number of how many pieces we think we can accommodate. It’s always a little different each year because the size is different and we really want (the jurors) to be able to pick, but if it’s too little work, it’s not going to fill the galleries. If it’s too much work, it’ll be impossible to look at the show. So we give them a range, usually between 100 and 120 pieces. Some years we’ve increased that range, but we try to give everyone a pretty good chance of getting in. This year (2012), I think we’re going to set the low end at 100 and the high end at 140.

We tell (the jurors) that they need to look at each category and pick at least something from each one, but it’s not like it has to be the same amount from each category, like it has to be 30 beginners, 30 intermediate, etc. We educate our jurors that we have these divisions because someone coming to the Art Center for the first time and it’s the first time they’ve thrown on the wheel, they’re not going to compete against someone going around to art fairs or comes to the Art Center with a master’s degree in ceramics and uses our studios to make their work.

It also has to do with the turnout. If there are 20 submissions in beginning and there are 280 in intermediate, you’re going to see more intermediate work (selected for the show). It’s not fair to say, ‘there are 20 people in beginning so we’ll put all 20 people in the show.’

(The jurors) do look at all the work, but we keep it (in separate categories of beginning, intermediate, advanced and professional). So although they do a walk-through to get an idea of what they’re looking at, they’re not looking at your painting or your photograph in beginning and thinking ‘I saw this amazing thing in Professional.’

Why have different jurors every year?

We do like to change our jurors. That doesn’t mean that if you jury a show, you might not come back some day and jury again. But what we like to is find someone who’s an artist and someone who’s an art administrator, educator or collector. It doesn’t always work out that way, but our thinking there is we want someone who’s really got their hands in it, whether it’s painting or blowing glass or making ceramics. And then we also want someone who understands it from an art educational or art administration point of view in that they look at a wide range of art all the time and know what’s going on outside of their own studio.

Why have two jurors?

The reason we have two jurors is because it’s so subjective, if you ask three different people to pick their favorite painting in a show, they’re all going to pick a different one. Maybe they’ll pick the same one, but by having two people, we’ve created dialogue. What usually happens is they’ll go through all the work, look at all of it, then they’ll say, ‘okay, we agree on all of these. And we definitely agree that we don’t want these.’ And then where the interesting thing happens is what do they do with what’s left. And that’s where the conversation is. And that’s when the dialogue really gets interesting because someone may see something in a piece that someone else hasn’t considered. Someone might have a technical expertise in a certain media that they can speak to how difficult something may be.  

Most of the time when you enter a juried show, you get your prospectus, you fill it out, you send in your images, and you usually fill out the jury decision card. Two months later, or a month later or whatever, you get your own, handwritten envelope back in the mail with your own hand-filled out decision card with three cold checkmarks. And sometimes there’s a Yes. Most of the time, there’re all No’s. It’s just cold. There’s no good way around it. There’s usually a letter in there, a form letter, saying ‘thank you for entering.’ As my mentor used to tell me, when you get a rejection letter, throw it away immediately; forget about it and move on. When you an acceptance letter, put it on the refrigerator like it’s your third grade project and you leave it up all year or until you get your next acceptance letter.

Because it is so subjective and we want the jurors to make the meaty decisions, they jury the show privately. But then there’s an hour and a half at the end where they go division by division spending about 15-20 minutes in each division where they speak to the decisions they made and you are allowed to ask questions. You’re not allowed to ask, ‘why didn’t you pick my piece?’ or ‘why did you pick their piece?’ But you are able to ask ‘what were you looking for in this category?’ or ‘what was different about how you judged beginning versus intermediate?’ What (the walk-through) doesn’t help is, if your piece wasn’t picked, it doesn’t make you feel better. But it might dispel some of the mystery around it. If you go to a few of them year after year you really start to see how different it is based on who the jurors are.

What is the cost to enter a juried show?

For Art from the Heartland and the Student Show it is $25 for two entries. For the Student Show, you can continue to pay $5 for each additional entry. For the Broad Ripple Art Fair, it’s a $35 entry fee and you get four images. All these jury fees are non-refundable and that is always the case (in any juried show you may enter). Most jurying fees are $20-25. So it’s not uncommon for artists to have to pick and choose which shows they’re going to enter because if you start to enter every juried show that comes up, you’re racking up hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in entry fees.

The student show always breaks even. If there’s extra money, we’ll just put that aside for awards next year. The Student Show is in no way a fundraiser (for the Art Center).

How does the Student Show jurying compare with the Broad Ripple Art Fair jurying?

How the Broad Ripple Art Fair is juried, we have a panel of five jurors. These are selected from art professionals, artists—sometimes we try to put a couple Art Fair artists on there, a couple art administrators—a museum professional, someone like that, so they all bring that into the pot. There’s no discussion among the jurors (for this show). They are looking at projected images and they each have their own laptop on which they enter a score from 1 to 7. We ask them not to score 4 so they are forced to either like one a little bit or not like it a little bit. We go through these (images). It takes about 10 hours to do it. And then those scores are captured online and the artist committee goes through and tabulates to figure out where the cutoffs are in each category. It’s an open jury as a service we provide (to students). You’re welcome to come into the auditorium and watch. You’ll see the images projected. You’ll see how many we go through. There were 801 applicants last year times 4 images for each (3,204 images). You’ll hear a brief artist’s statement read for each person, e.g., I work in ceramics. This is what I do-type of thing. You’re not allowed to comment and we do keep you back a little way from the jurors. You’ll get a sense of how fast and how quickly those decisions have to be made, how competitive it is, and how much artwork is out there. We do it open so if you’re starting to sell your work and thinking about doing the Art Fair, but aren’t quite ready, you can see what you’d be competing against. We also do it because we want to prove to our artists that we look at each and every image and that we really do give everyone the same amount of time and the same amount of consideration.

To see/hear excerpts from Patrick’s interview, visit the Art Center’s YouTube channel. The video is 11 min. long, but there are chapter divisions marked by black if you need to skip through.

The Blue Monkeys

Entertainment extraordinaire Elliot Feltman, of the Blue Monkey Sideshow talks about what sideshows are all about and what we can expect from the Blue Monkeys at ArtSparkle: Circus under the Stars.

 Though the sideshow was historically considered a “secondary production to the circus,” don’t let the word sideshow fool you here. The Blue Monkey Sideshow, an Indianapolis-based performance troupe, is nothing short of a main stage event.

 Elliot Feltman, the talker of the Blue Monkeys, the “captain of raconteur,” says “the sideshow is not a play, nor a magic show,” The Blue Monkey Sideshow is a series of spectacles and stunts “with a contemporary and humorous twist,” that make up a show unlike any other live entertainment. Glass walking, sword swallowing, exotic weightlifting, the human blockhead, and the “three monkey shrink wrap” are only a few of the acts we might see at ArtSparkle: Circus under the Stars.

Feltman performing with the Blue Monkeys at the Artsgarden

 The Blue Monkey Sideshow is a performance unlike any other because Feltman and Bart Simpson, the other “founding” Monkey, are true performers by nature and by trade. Feltman began juggling as a child growing up in New York. He traveled the world working festivals and streets in Egypt, Israel, Western Europe and throughout North America. Still though, after 25 years of experience and travel, the oddest thing he’s ever juggled was at the Indiana State Fair when he was asked to juggle “naked Spam,” as in Spam out of the can.

 The natural knack for entertaining inspired the formation of the Blue Monkey Sideshow in 1998. Feltman and Simpson came up with the name “Blue Monkey” for their show “because Red Fox was already taken,” Feltman joked before explaining that they didn’t want to be known as a kids show; “Blue” denotes the more grown up nature of the show, and “Monkey” for their antics. 

 The list of “antics” the Blue Monkeys have acquired with time and new members are impressive at the very least; their unique skills and dauntlessness on stage have taken them across the country, performing everywhere from Nevada to New York. It’s a show you don’t want to miss, so, as the Blue Monkey’s say, come to ArtSparkle to see the sideshow as it is, as it was, and as it shall be!

Anya Aslanova

Since one of her favorite things to do is picnic, we grabbed a basket of goodies from Costco (her favorite place to shop) and headed out to the riverfront with Anya Aslanova, the Art Center’s new Director of Educational Development, to find out a little more about her! Here are some of her favorites!

Tell us a little about your background.

I was born in Kiev, Ukraine and was there until I graduated from high school. During my senior year, there was a very unique opportunity for a foreign exchange program.

I was one of the 70 students accepted out of the 2,000 who applied. I spent a year here (in the U.S.) in Springfield, Ohio receiving a diploma from an American high school. That allowed me to apply to colleges here.

That was actually my lifetime dream. When I was six years old, if you asked me ‘where do you want to go to college?’, I’d say ‘in America.’ Of course, growing up in the Soviet Union, that truly was a dream; it wasn’t as realistic as it is even today.

Who is your role model?

Hands-down, it is my mother. I don’t know how she did it—letting a teenager, her only child!, go off to a different country. But she did it. Now, as a mother myself of two boys, almost ages 4 and 6 now, I really adore her for her sacrifice. I don’t know if I could what she did. I can only imagine what she must have been thinking. She wasn’t selfish; she let me go. She came over here permanently about three years ago to live with me and my family. She has sacrificed a lot to be here, including being apart from my father who has not yet been able to join us.

Nellie with Anya's son, Vlad

What was your major in college?

I attended Anderson University. My first major was Finance, thinking with the new economy in the break up of the Soviet Union that Ukraine was a new country and so people were a lot more business-minded. Entrepreneurship was starting up; nobody knew what it was. So I thought it would be good for me to learn business and finance. And I really enjoyed, and still do, that aspect of life and work.

How did you get involved in art?

Nellie, Anya's husband, Nick, with sons Vlad (left) and Dima, (right)

My campus job was working the late shift at the library. I used to go through magazines and liked doodling the different people I saw. A friend of mine, who recently had switched her major to graphic design, thought I should show my drawings to her art professor and see if there might be a future for me in art. Growing up in Ukraine, I was exposed to art history, it was just a part of my life and everyday conversation. However, last time I used a paintbrush was in my kindergarten art class. Although I knew well-known artists and could converse about various art periods, I had never, ever considered myself capable of drawing or creating any kind of artwork (hence, the original finance major). So I made an appointment with the art professor and when I met with him, he looked at my drawings very carefully. I’m sure he was trying to think of something complimentary to say because they were not very compliment-worthy. He said I had a great attention to detail. I still have those drawings. He signed me up for two art classes, 3-Dimensional Design and a general art history. And that was the beginning of a whole new life, a whole new career, a whole new perspective.

 What’s one thing people may not know about you?

Well, I lived through Chernobyl. Even though Kiev, my hometown, was 100 km away from Chernobyl, we were all very affected by this tragedy. I was in grade school at the time. I don’t remember too much other than being excited about going to summer camp with all my friends for the whole summer. They actually were evacuating all the children; most of the adults stayed.

When we arrived to camp (Caspian Sea resort area), I remember going into a tent where we were checked with a hand-held device that was constantly beeping (later I learned that it was a radiation meter and it was beeping because our radiation levels were much higher than normal). We were also instructed to take off all our clothes and were given new clothes. At the time, I didn’t realize they were going to bury our clothes for safety reasons. That’s what the city officials did in the fall with all the leaves to keep the radiation levels down. When school started in the fall, some kids went back to Kiev, others, including me, were sent to other areas. My mom sent me to Russia, where her family lived. Upon my return I was stunned to find a lot of my classmates lost their hair. 

Who is your favorite artist?

Because of my background, I have an interest in Russian constructivists, particularly El Lissitzky. My favorite is his “Beat the Whites.” Of course, I love Paul Gauguin. And Niki de Saint Phalle, I adore her attitude… She was bold! And I want her house!

What is your favorite band?

My favorite band is ever-changing. My old-time favorites are Luna, Gogol Bordello, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Faun Fables, Blonde Redhead, Blues Explosion. And, of course, I like Devo.

What is your favorite place in Indy?

I have to say Chatter Box for sentimental reasons. That’s where my husband and I met after an art opening.

Do you have a guilty pleasure?

I have lots, but none of them are guilty! If I had to choose, I’d say dark chocolate.

 What are your goals for your new position at the Art Center?

The Indianapolis Art Center is a truly remarkable, and important, organization in the city. I spent seven years in marketing. I learned a lot about what this organization does for the community. So, I don’t really see moving into Education as a huge change—I’m working for the same mission and really, the same goals in mind. I see myself continuing the wonderful legacy that this organization has and has had for 77 years. I’m so proud and cannot be pleased more to be a part of this wonderful mission and legacy. I think we owe it to the community to continue to be more accessible and relevant and to excite more people about art.

Check out our video interview with Anya on YouTube!

Charming Quarks

Liz Smith describes herself as a late starter in art. As an undergrad, she took her first art class and ended up with a minor in art. She went on to earn her MFA, and then began to teach junior high art classes. Liz fell in love with teaching, and for the next twenty years she taught not only art classes but also geography and language arts. Her experience with art and teaching art helped her connect with her students in geography and language arts in that it gave her a unique perspective on how children react and interact with material.

She and her husband moved to Indianapolis two years ago. Retired and bored, Liz began to again dabble in painting, and found the Art Center a little over a year ago. In looking through the Student Show, she noticed that she liked the work of several of the students and that Susan Hodgin’s name kept coming up as the instructor. She registered for a class with Susan and a year later won the 2011 Best of Show student award and the shot at a solo exhibition. More than  25 of her paintings are now on exhibit in the Clowes gallery.

Her husband’s interest in particle physics and cosmology has largely influenced her paintings, and though she says she doesn’t necessarily understand it all, she is fascinated by the idea of string theory, particles, atoms, and minute collisions and movements that happen all around us. A large part of her inspiration comes from the difference between what you see from afar and what you see up close. We never see the movements of these microscopic objects in our daily life, but upon closer inspection they prove to be beautiful and instrumental pieces of our universe.

Her paintings consist of at least three layers of imagery and pattern, which is meant to create a series of paintings within a painting. The detail in each work is such that the closer you get to it and the longer you look at it, the more you see. One completed 12”x12” canvas takes her approximately 12 hours to complete. That’s one hour per four inches of canvas, which only goes to show how much emphasis Liz puts on detail.

She hopes that people will walk away with an appreciation for the many different perspectives and ways you can look at any given object. In creating these layered paintings, she is trying to show that nothing is quite as it seems until you study it carefully, and even then you will always see something new.

Alternate Universe

L-R: Ejazz, Anna, Kelsi, Tionne, Diana

In January of 2010, Flanner-Buchanan cemetery decided to commission a sculpture for their grounds. Having always been an active supporter of the IPS school district through a well established scholarship program, they turned toBroadRippleHigh School, IPS’s art magnet for help. Art teacher, Deb Tyte, charged her students with the task of drawing what came to mind when they heard the word “ascension.” When one student, Kelsi, sketched a series of butterflies for the assignment, she had no idea her concept would be selected to be the basis of a steel sculpture for Flanner-Buchanan.

Kelsi and classmates Diana, Anna, Tionne, Ejazz and Stephanie began work in January 2011 with ArtCentersteel sculpture instructor Julie Ball. Using the ArtCenter’s steel sculpture studio, Julie and the students designed, constructed, and created The Ascension, now installed in Westridge Park Cemetary at 21^st Street and Raceway Road. The sculpture is a spiraling column composed of three steel panels, all twisting upward. The panels have rainbow colored butterflies flying out of them and through the top of the sculpture, ascending to the heavens above.

The Ascension

Julie described the project as a true group effort. “Throughout the process, the students worked together to develop the idea, Tony Lloyd of Flanner-Buchanan offered continuous support, and countless others contributed to the piece in a hundred different ways. The project was like riding a creative wave.”

The sculpture was installed on June 2^nd, 2011, which was, unbeknownst to Flanner-Buchanan and the students, Ascension Day. Ascension Day is celebrated as the day that Christ was seen ascending to heaven by his disciples. As The Ascension was originally slated to be installed in early May, this coincidence resonates with all those involved.

This poignant piece is the product of a series of truly inspiring community partnerships betweenBroadRippleHigh School, Flanner-Buchanan and the Indianapolis Art Center!

Cathy Yingling

Cathy Yingling, ArtSparkle committee member, fashionista and blogger gives us her two cents on what to wear to ArtSparkle: Circus under the Stars!

I have to admit, when I started thinking about what to wear to this year’s ArtSparkle, I was a bit stumped. The last few have been easy themes for fashion: China, Mardi Gras, Morocco. But the circus? That’s more challenging. After all, we don’t want a bunch of clowns running around on August 20 (the guests, anyway.) So, I decided to start with some basic ground rules that apply to every ArtSparkle: 1) It’s August, it’ll be hot; dress accordingly. 2) It will be rocking; you’ll want to dance – either plan to kick off your heels, or go flat. 3) It’s theArtCenter- creativity is encouraged. Feel free to go a little wild.

Lipsy Feather & Lace Layered Skirt

And then, it hit me. Feathers. That’s right, feathers. It’s trend right – from feather hair extensions to feather fascinators (thanks, royal wedding-istas) to feather earrings and false eyelashes, it’s a veritable aviary out there right now. And feathers evoke lots of circus characters – the gorgeous girl on the flying trapeze; the magician’s assistant/show girl – you get the picture. But leave the boas at home. Instead, pair a tank top with a feathered skirt, like this one from asos.com  http://bit.ly/q2pvkU  Bonus: it’s on sale right now. If you want to go a bit dressier and budget allows, here’s another great choice from bloomingdales.com: http://bit.ly/ngpzUC       

Chan Luu feather earings

 If feathers on your outfit feel like a bit much, you can always go with a great accessory – I absolutely love these Chan Luu earrings from shopbop.com:  http://bit.ly/nq04pH    A bit spendy, but they can be worn far beyond ArtSparkle. Etsy has a million feathered fascinators for sale on their site at a variety of price points:  http://www.etsy.com/search/handmade/accessories?ref=auto&q=feather+fascinator&noautofacet=1b (I know many of these are really just headbands, but doesn’t “fascinator” just sound so much more sophisticated?) 

 ArtSparkle would also be a perfect opportunity to go a little wild with a beauty trend, like feather hair extensions:  http://etsy.me/qeUyQg. Lots of salons in the area are doing them, like Honey Blush in Carmel, Geneva Hair Studio in Irvington, Evolve on Mass Ave. and WHITE: The Art of Hair.

Feather eyelashes by Make Up Forever

Make Up For Ever makes some amazing feather false eyelashes, which you can get at Sephora (or on Sephora.com): http://bit.ly/q9KfZs If, like me, the thought of applying them makes you cringe, makeup artists at lots of salons can do it for you.

 If feathers won’t fly with you at all, you can also channel the circus with color – particularly ringmaster red.  This maxi dress from Target would be so comfy on a hot night, and could really be jazzed up with jewelry: http://bit.ly/pghrq0

Nantucket red blazer by Murray's Toggery Shop

Red is  the answer for the guys, as well.For the classicists go for the sports coat: http://bit.ly/nAqzin Or, for the true prepsters, go with something Nantucket red like a blazer, pants, or shorts.  http://bit.ly/ohB5FZ    http://bit.ly/o7dXZt   http://bit.ly/rrXYZB