By TOM RICH
Fishers Arts Council President
The COVID-19 virus might be playing havoc with our lives, and that is not a good thing. But COVID-19 also has shown us how resilient and adaptable we are, especially when it comes to art!
One of the major attractions for visual artists and residents in Fishers has been the Fishers Arts Council (FAC) exhibits at The Art Gallery at City and at The Alcove at City Hall. The city just added a sign announcing the art gallery at the Municipal Complex. And then … the doors shut.
For the past several years, FAC has created a beautiful space at City Hall for local and regional artists to showcase their works. One evening a month, the artists held a reception to talk about their art.
Now what? Road show! You can’t come to our house; we will come to your house. The arts council offers a free virtual gallery exhibit every month.
“The Fishers Arts Council can bring a new artist (or artists) and their artwork into our homes each month,” said FAC President Tom Rich. “You can sit on your sofa, enjoy the art and hear from the artist.”
“And, it is easy,” said FAC Treasurer Les Reinhardt. “Just go to Facebook.com/FishersArt and join in on a live interview with the artist or artists of the month. We walk through the gallery with the artist, asking questions, and learning more about them. Plus, since it’s live, the audience gets to interact with the artist.”
We also wanted to keep the artists engaged. How do we do that? Laura Villanyi, vice president of the board, came up with Monday-2-Monday, an artist challenge.
Every week she offers a push-pull choice for artists to showcase their work. For example, human or animal; quiet or loud; finished or unfinished – just to name a few. (This project is now in its seventh week!) Then, the artist submits his or her work on the FAC Facebook page. The artist stays active and has the opportunity to expand his or her following – maybe even sell a painting.
That wasn’t enough. Why not do a little bit of teaching? So, FAC created a “mini class.” Each night FAC offers “Artwork from the Masters” on Facebook. The goal is to showcase some of the classical art and share a “snippet” about the artist. This is just another way for FAC to keep art alive in Fishers – to provide beauty at a bleak time.
The group didn’t stop there. You can go on the Fishers Arts Council website (FishersArtsCouncil.org) and sign up for ASSET by clicking the red ASSET button. This is a four-part panelist-style lecture series first intended to be held at IGNITE Studios. Currently, it is a webinar. The second session: “The Gallery World – Be in the Know,” is scheduled for 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 25.
FAC Board member Olivia Holt felt that something was missing in Hamilton County – information for artists to help them become entrepreneurs.
“While we have many established artists in Fishers and Hamilton County, there are always those who want to grow, connect with their community, and share their art,” said Holt.
After surveying artists and community members over the course of half a year, she found what they wanted: Marketing help, community connections, getting into galleries and more. With this feedback, Hart developed her program, and that is being made available to the public free with assistance from Hamilton County Tourism, Nickel Plate Arts and Ignite Studios.
Yes, there is still more. FAC is just one group seeking to promote arts and culture in Fishers. The Fishers Arts and Culture Commission oversees Arts and Culture in Fishers with a goal to provide Fishers residents with public art, visual and performing art, and information about where to find it all. This process was just getting started when the virus hit.
However, the effort is moving forward as all of the stakeholders – residents, businesses and city personnel begin to take the words of the Fishers Master Arts & Culture Plan and turn them into art.
In the meantime, if you want to take your own road trip and see more than 25 pieces of artwork in Fishers, check out this link.
… And more pieces are coming! The art train has left the track and is heading to Fishers.
Art lives and thrives in Fishers.