Tag Archives: Indianapolis

The Gallery presents: Reflections feat. Hirschten, Nimtz, House

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April showers bring May flowers, they say.
April also brings an incredible collection of work by three local artists–Addie Hirschten, Beka Nimtz, and Marie House.  The exhibit, accurately titled Reflections, expresses each artist’s unique way of viewing this world and their place in it.  Their pieces explore the nature of reflection, both literally and figuratively, and are certain to inspire, encourage and provoke new perspectives.

Meet the artists:

Addie Hirschten

Addie Hirschten is a painter, writer and professional storyteller who recently moved to Indianapolis in 2011.  Painting and drawing have always been of interest to Addie.  Fresh, new paintings for sale are posted every few days on her blog and website. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Art from Appalachian State University and currently teaches for the ArtReach program of the Indianapolis Art Center.

Traveling throughout Indiana, Addie presents performances for children in libraries and schools.  Drawing from her background as a children’s librarian these shows incorporate folklore, puppetry and a little bit of philosophy.

“Behind all of my artwork and performances is a message of celebration for the world we live in.  By passing on paintings and stories, I hope to plant seeds of inspiration, hope and healing in others.”

White River from Broad Ripple Park by Addie Hirschten.

Beka Nimtz

A transplant to the city from the cornfields of Indiana, Nimtz almost studied for an Art degree, but instead switched to English.  In terms of writing style, she finds herself unconsciously inspired by a blend of Kahlil Gibran, Annie Dillard, and Wendall Berry.  She enjoys spending time biking and knitting.

On her craft:  ”When creating, we either work out of response to that which is without or within–yet even as artists, making visible the invisible, we can tend to neglect taking a closer look at that which is most inward.  Like exploring caves or sifting for treasure, what do we really find there?  Is our approach to the attention we give to the outward and the inward in our lives similar or different–or do we focus on one to the neglect of the other?”

Beka recently spent some time in Guatemala and will be sharing some of experiences through painting and photography.

by Beka Nimtz.

Marie House

“I have been practicing art ever since I was about 8 years old, but due to the traditions of my parents, they did not encourage my talents as an artist.  They did encourage me to get an education and a real job when I grow up.  I have an associates degree in business administration.

Although I have not made much money in the art genre, I am addicted to practicing some kind of visual art daily, but sometimes the practicing is in the beginning stages of my mind for days until I get to the point where I can’t bear to think on it any longer.  Then I attack the surface of the canvas, paper or board.”

Go Right by Marie House.

The exhibit, Reflections, will open on First Friday, April 6th, with an artist reception from 6-9p.  It will run until Saturday, April 28th.  For more details, click here.

November: Project Einstein

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"Family at Home" by Tha Khun Tial, a student at Southport High School

In August, I had the opportunity to meet with Emily Jacobi, of Digital Democracy, to discuss the possibility of sharing one of her projects in our gallery.  I am excited beyond words to be hosting Project Einstein and the From the Burma Border to Indianapolis project.  Indianapolis is home to one of the country’s largest refugee populations, and this project allows us to view life from their lens.  My words cannot possibly explain it any better than Emily’s, so here goes:

“From the Burma Border to Indianapolis is a powerful photography exhibit, showcasing the photographs of North Central High Schoolʼs and Southport High Schoolʼs refugee students. These students are from the Southeast Asian country of Burma/Myanmar and have fled to refugee camps before being recently resettled in Indianapolis. The images they present illustrate what life is like for refugee youth in their new home and highlight aspects of their tradition.

What past viewers have said about the exhibit:

“Love[d] the opportunity to learn more about the Burmese Community in our city.” – Erica Denney

“What a wonderful way to meet the Burmese students and learn of their lives. It was a very emotional and heart-warming event.” – Carol Holzman

“We enjoyed the students, their stories, and their marvelous photographs. Each one has a remarkable story—so glad they are sharing with the community.” – Marjorie and Jon Williams

"No Bullying" by Poe Si Si, a student at North Central High School

From the Burma Border to Indianapolis is the product of a two-year initiative called Project Einstein–a program under the umbrella of Digital Democracy, founded by Indianapolis native Emily Jacobi.

Project Einstein Indianapolis is a photography and digital pen pal project taking place at North Central High School and Southport High School. The project teams Karen, Karenni, and Chin refugee students with other school classmates. Students document the world around them and share their inspiring stories.”

The exhibit will open Friday, Nov. 4th, with an artist reception from 6-9p, and will run until Nov. 19th.  The student artists will be on hand to answer any questions and meet their adoring fans.  Please join me in welcoming these artists to our city!

Lessons from a Grand Opening

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To pull a “Fight Club” reference, the first lesson to be learned in an event such as a Grand Opening, is that there is always a lesson to be learned.  My primary lesson for this event: just breathe; it will be ok.

The 24-hours prior to our event were pretty chaotic, which I’m sure is pretty typical.  Due to extenuating circumstances, we were not able to arrange or hang the art until Thursday afternoon/evening.  While the artists did their thing, the rest of us were cleaning furniture, painting trim, running errands.  Just breathe, I kept telling myself, it will all get done.

Here are some pics of the process:

The pieces sit, waiting to be hung.

Doug finishes up the trim on the plum wall.

The exhibit begins to take shape.

By Friday morning, it was apparent–with both West Coast Tacos and our caterer unable to attend–that we were going to have a severe shortage of the snacks I promised.  I put out an urgent plea via text and was so blessed to have members of our community bring things.  We ended up with so much that we didn’t have enough table space!  Thank you to those of you who came to our rescue!

The opening itself went smashingly.  We saw nearly 150 people from all walks of life and places in Indy; it was such a pleasure to meet them and introduce them to our Gallery and vision for the space.

Our new sign!

Jeff Litsey talks with visitors Scott and Charlie.

Enjoying refreshments and conversation.

Visitors enjoying the exhibit.

When all was said and done, the joy of the opening far outweighed the chaos preceding it.  I am so excited to see how this dream continues to develop!

A Grand Opening, indeed!

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Less than 4 weeks until the Grand Opening….eeee!

Most recently I have been knee-deep in hanging systems and postcards and artist recruitment…who knew directing a gallery would provide me with such diverse, and very different experiences.  It has been a great learning process, that’s for sure!

Our Grand Opening extravaganza is coming together splendidly.  A dear friend who specializes in vegan cupcakes will providing snacks, as well as delicious offerings from A Cut Above Catering; West Coast Tacos, one of Indy’s favorite food trucks, will be parked out side serving dinner; Yelp will have a table. . .what else?

Oh yeah!  The artists!  (Jk, I could never forget them.)

I am most excited to introduce local artists, Emily Janowiak and Jeff Litsey!  They traveled to Guatemala at the beginning of the summer and will be exhibiting their artistic responses, appropriately titled, Reflections on Guatemala.

Jeff and Emily pause for a picture in Guatemala.

Emily is originally from Lafayette, and a graduate of IU in Bloomington.  She currently teaches art, and is studying to earn her Master’s in Museum Studies from IUPUI.  ”Central to my work,” she notes, “are the pursuit of identity and the complexities of human relationships, both of which are disorganized and without finality.”

by Emily Janowiak

by Emily Janowiak

Jeff Litsey lives in Indianapolis and works as a pro-barista at Calvin Fletcher’s Coffee Co.  Whether spinning rosettes in latte foam or painting swirls of blue over mountain scenes, Jeff is intent on expressing his world from an artistic perspective.  He is fairly silent in writing regarding himself and his work, but ask him anything (well, almost anything) and he’ll be glad to engage in conversation.

by Jeff Litsey

by Jeff Litsey

Just seeing these pieces makes me excited to see the entire exhibit!  Reflections on Guatemala promises to be the perfect introduction of our little gallery to the world.  Please join us!  Invite friends and spread the word.  We’ll see you there!

Calling All (Local and Emerging) Artists!

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While this site may need some additional tweaking, it is ready to go, and so are we!  We are ready to begin accepting exhibition applications for local new and emerging artists.  Please see the “Gallery” tab for guidelines and application information.  If this is you please consider applying to show in our space.  If not you, but you know someone who would qualify, spread the word!  For updates on exhibits, the grand opening, the artists we feature and more, sign up for email updates (to the right), follow us on Twitter (@FPArtsandBooks) and like us on Facebook.

We’re excited to embark on this wild, crazy, beautifully scary ride with you!  Here we go!