Fishers Arts Council’s Gallery Hop: three exhibits, two locations, one night

Fishers Arts Council (FAC) will hold its very first Gallery Hop from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9 during the usual Second Friday programming. Patrons can either walk or drive the one mile between the two locations with signage along the path to guide them.

Indy Latina Artists (ILA) shares its first exhibit in Fishers at the Art Gallery at City Hall, located at 1 Municipal Drive, featuring 10 member artists with 39 works on display in “Latina: Art & Soul.” FLAVA FRESH 21 !, curated by D. Del Reverda-Jennings, returns to Fishers since the last appearance in 2014. The FAC Hub Gallery, inside the Hamilton County Community Foundation at 11810 Technology Drive, is the host location for the annual juried exhibition presentation series of contemporary fine art.

Art lovers can see the ILA exhibit in City Hall, then walk across the breezeway to check out Balderdash, artwork by Kurt Vonnegut, on display in the Fishers Art Center gallery spaces. Both the Municipal Drive galleries and the FAC Hub Gallery will feature live music, refreshments, and many of the artists on display. Scrapper & Skelton bring the best of the blues to the FAC Hub Gallery while Ezequiel Jimenez fills the Art Gallery at City Hall with incredible melody.

You can see works such as “Chroma Vibes” by Tasha Beckwith (above left) and “El Jaleo” by Mary Mindiola (above right) this Friday during the Gallery Hop. (Art provided)

Additionally, FAC board member Pat Grabill will lead the Focus on the Artist programming at 6:45 p.m. inside the Fishers Municipal Center Theater, introducing the five artist members of Indy Latina Artists. A Spanish/English interpreter will be available during the interviews.

ILA was founded in the fall of 2021 by Mirvia Sol Eckert and Mary E. Mindiola to create community through art, to recognize the contribution of Latinas in the arts, and to empower, mentor, encourage, and promote the work, as well as to provide a showcase for Latina artists and their voices.

“There are talented Latina artists out here in Indy, and we want to shine a light on them,” Eckert said. “Representation is absolutely key. Our Latina voices matter. I hope our audience understands that Latina artists have our own forms of expression and art styles and that we are serious in our craft.”

The annual FLAVA FRESH ! Juried Exhibition Presentation Series of Contemporary Fine Art is an award-winning, multi-venue, Indianapolis-based professional artist development program which is part of a mission to bring about greater awareness, appreciation, inspiration, exposure, recognition, and support for visual artists of all levels of expertise, utilizing all manner of discipline, genre, media, and material through a series of consecutive, professional art exhibition experiences and venues which are always free and open to the public of all ages.

The diverse multicultural, intergenerational art platform, created more than 26 years ago was originally called “Celebration of Spirit” changing to the title of “FLAVA FRESH !” over two decades ago.

“I have worked diligently to cultivate and empower artists as a vocal activist/advocate, published journalist, arts editor, author, and poet for nearly three decades committed to ensuring that marginalized artists of all disciplines works are exposed to the public and by offering current information, documentation, instruction, and opportunities to assist in a creative’s desire and pursuit to propel their artwork to the forefront of the arts mainstream,” says D. Del Reverda-Jennings.

“Having the opportunity to work with both Ms. D and Mirvia, and the artists they have brought together in their respective groups, has been an incredible experience,” FAC Executive Director Les Reinhardt said. “Both women are leaders in championing representation, accessibility, and empowerment through the arts and I am lucky to be able to assist them by offering welcoming spaces for their artists.”

About Fishers Arts Council
Fishers Arts Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization whose mission is to support, advocate, and cultivate visual and performing arts opportunities that educate and/or enhance the lives of those who live, work, and visit Fishers. Visit the brand-new gallery space inside Fishers Municipal Center at 1 Municipal Drive.

FAC also maintains the FAC Hub Gallery at the Collaboration Hub at Hamilton County Community Foundation, 11810 Technology Drive, Fishers. Check FAC out online at FishersArtsCouncil.org or call (317) 537-1670 for more information.