Fishers Arts Council (FAC) will soon hold its first ever Juried Exhibit of Hamilton County Artists, sponsored by Jiffy Lube of Indiana.
This exhibit will become an annual fundraiser for the arts organization. Artists pay a fee to enter, and jurors review their works digitally before deciding if they can be part of the exhibit. Once chosen, artists bring their art to the gallery where the jurors review the art in person, and select winners based on their skill and presentation. The jurors for 2020 are artists Jeanne McLeish and Mark Burkett, selected by FAC board member Pat Grabill.
Grabill took on the task of managing the Juried Exhibit for FAC, based on her years of experience with the Watercolor Society of Indiana and their juried exhibits. When asked why she selected these two artists as jurors, Grabill said, “Jeanne McLeish and Mark Burkett are artists with success in many areas: Oil painting and watercolor painting, and Mark is also a printmaker and specialist in creating wood block prints. I have admired their work for a long time, and I feel that their experience in more than one genre makes them excellent judges for this competition.”
Steve Sanner, President of Jiffy Lube of America, has stepped up to sponsor this event. Sponsoring the event involves covering the cost of cash prizes for the winning juried artists, musical guests, event advertising and more. FAC is excited to partner with Jiffy Lube of Indiana, as they opened their first location in Fishers earlier this year and have been a major arts supporter throughout Indiana.
“Jiffy Lube began our “Every Part Matters” mural project in 2016,” Sanner said. “Last year, we won an Americans for the Arts ‘Business pARTnership’ national award for our efforts, the first business in central Indiana to ever receive that honor.”
Jiffy Lube’s newest location in Fishers, located at 13855 Olivia Way just off of exit 210, features a trompe l’oeil (deceive the eye) mural by Indianapolis artist Carl Leck. Sanner says they are “happy to help as the new guys in town!”
FAC Board President Tom Rich has wanted a juried exhibit in Fishers for years.
“We’ve never had a juried exhibit in Fishers before, and now is the time,” Rich said. “There are so many talented artists in Fishers, as well as Hamilton County, and we want to showcase that in a very professional way.”
FAC Board Vice President Laura Villanyi echoed Rich’s thoughts.
“This exhibit is a super opportunity to showcase some of the best artistic talents in Hamilton county,” Villanyi said.
Rich says he is also excited about the jurors selected for the exhibit.
“Jeanne and Mark are just perfect for the exhibit,” Rich said. “They are artists who are very respected in their fields.”
Besides offering cash prizes for the top three pieces selected by the jurors, the community gets a say as well.
“I think it’s fun for the those who visit the gallery to get to select their favorite piece from the exhibit,” FAC Board Treasurer Les Reinhardt said. “We’ll tally up the votes the night of the reception and see who wins.”
Due to COVID-19, FAC has hosted its art gallery on the FAC website, in addition to the live gallery. Reinhardt says that those who can’t visit in person can vote for their favorite through the website Oct. 5-8, 2020.
Sanner and Rich will present the awards to the winners at the reception and awards ceremony on Oct. 9 at the Art Gallery at City Hall in Fishers. The reception will start at 6 p.m. and winners will be announced at 7 p.m.
Artists who want to participate should visit the arts council’s Residencies and Opportunities page at FishersArtsCouncil.org/blog, which has details for the Juried Exhibit as well as other opportunities for artists to sell art and be paid to perform.
“We do our best to keep our site as updated as possible with opportunities that come up, even if they aren’t from us,” said Reinhardt, who manages their website and social media. “When we learn about special classes, grants, or other opportunities for artists of all mediums, we do our best to share.”
Board member and owner of High Frequency Arts Jill Lehman urges artists to submit their works and connect with the Fishers community.
“Art plays a critical role in building a community,” Lehman said. “Thank you to our volunteers, judges, and sponsors for helping us make this opportunity available to local artists and connect the arts into our vibrant community.”
Both the online and in-person galleries will go live on Oct. 5. Guests can visit the gallery in person at 1 Municipal Drive from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays, and from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays during the Fishers Farmers’ Market.
You can see the current online gallery at FishersArtsCouncil.org/art-gallery-exhibit.