Fishers Arts Council invites public to ‘Second Friday’ juried art exhibit reception

Patron enjoy the Fishers Arts Council’s new gallery space at the Collaboration Hub. (Photo provided by Fishers Arts Council)

Fishers Arts Council (FAC) is currently welcoming the public into its third annual Juried Exhibit of Hamilton County Artists, sponsored by Jiffy Lube of Indiana. This exhibit is free and open to the public.

There also will be a free public “Second Friday” reception from 6 to 8 p.m. tonight, Friday, Sept. 9 at the Collaboration Hub Gallery, 11810 Technology Drive, Fishers. The reception will include live music from the Goodman & Joven Duo, refreshments, and adult beverages.

Steve Sanner, President of Jiffy Lube of Indiana, again has stepped up to be the corporate sponsor for this event. Sponsoring the event involves covering the cost of cash prizes for the winning juried artists, event advertising and more. FAC is excited to continue its partnership with Jiffy Lube of Indiana, as the company has been a major arts supporter throughout Indiana, most notably with the Jiffy Lube Mural Project.

“While this is a juried show and our judge decides the awards, the community gets a say as well,” FAC Executive Director Les Reinhardt said.

Patrons can visit the gallery in person during business hours to select their favorite works and vote, as well as during the first hour of the Friday night reception.

“The gallery has also gone live on Facebook, and everyone has really been blown away by the talent coming out of Hamilton County,” Reinhardt said. “The comments are so positive; plus we include those ‘likes’ in our vote tallying for the People’s Choice winner.”

Reinhardt says that those who can’t visit in person can vote for their favorite through the Facebook album pinned to the top of the FAC Facebook page at Facebook.com/FishersArt until 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 9. The awards ceremony begins at 7:15 p.m. Friday and winners will be posted to the album as well as at fishersartscouncil.org.

Guests can visit the gallery in person at 11810 Technology Drive from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. You can also see the juried exhibit in the online gallery at FishersArtsCouncil.org/art-gallery-exhibit.

A juried exhibit is one in which artists pay a fee to enter, and a juror reviews their works digitally before deciding if they will be part of the exhibit. Once chosen, artists bring their art to the gallery where the juror reviews the art in person, and selects winners based on their skill and presentation.

The juror for 2022 is Terry Lacy, selected by FAC’s Juried Exhibit Committee, chaired by Pat Grabill. Lacy received his BFA from the Herron School of Art and his MFA from Indiana University. After teaching graphic design at Purdue University, he and his wife Fran started Lacy Design in Carroll County. Lacy has exhibited widely and accepts commission work in handmade paper in addition to watercolor and oil.

This year was the largest turnout of artists and artwork submitted to the FAC exhibit. On the responsibility of jurying the show, Lacy said, “I found the 2022 Juried Exhibit of Hamilton County Artists show to be very diverse and of a high quality across the board. The range of subjects, the multiple painting techniques, and the surprising skill levels are very impressive. I liked several pieces very much and would readily hang several of them on my walls. It is reassuring to know so much good work is being produced in Hamilton County.”

“We are honored to showcase the incredible talent of Hamilton County in our gallery – with Westfield, Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville, and even that little slice of Indianapolis inside the Hamilton County border represented – we hope to keep growing to include artists from all of our towns,” Reinhardt. “This truly is a beautiful exhibit of Hamilton County Artists.”