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Community gets personal with Arts Council offerings
Emboldened with a "lofty ambition" that Putnam County may one day evolve into an arts destination, the Greencastle Arts Council recently offered a blank canvas to draw out ideas and ideals toward developing a community vision.
During its inaugural "Blank Canvas" event last Friday, the Arts Council hosted about three dozen local residents in a setting exclusively featuring works by Putnam County artists while offering community members a chance to share why the arts are personally meaningful to them.
Briefly addressing those visiting a temporary gallery set up at 24 S. Indiana St., Council President Julianne Miranda called the evening "a milestone for us."
The organization has dreams of Greencastle and Putnam County becoming a destination for art connoisseurs and artists alike, she said, including cultivating an atmosphere in which artists could live and thrive here locally.
"We know that the beauty and joy that come to us (from art) are important to our well-being," Miranda said, stressing the "art is fundamental, not ornamental.
"As you look around these walls," she continued, "you'll see why we are here. Each of us has a personal experience with art."
Owners of the art displayed were asked to express why they chose the particular piece.
For example, Ken and Jackie Eitel shared watercolor portraits painted of their sons, Adam and Jacob, some 30 years ago by Greencastle artist Barbara Fuson.
The creations remain among the Eitels' most cherished possessions, they noted on a card posted to accompany the artwork, because the paintings capture the essence of their sons' individual personalities that have persisted into their 30s.
Also extremely connected personally with the art he submitted for display is John M. Hecko, who described the importance of the 1957 oil-on-masonite work of Dodie Hecko.
"The work and the artist are incredibly important to me because the artist was my grandmother," he said. "My grandmother was a contemporary of important local artists Ray French and Richard Peeler. In fact, they collaborated on numerous projects together.
"My grandmother is the reason I love art," Hecko added. "My earliest memories of my grandmother involve paint, brushes and easels. She noticed something in me at an early age, as she did my cousins Katie and Lisa, and taught us technique, the importance of color, light and line and how to be more in touch with our expressive selves.
"Because of these things, I share my grandmother's work. Because of these things, I am John Michael Hecko, grandson of Lendora Beatrice Hecko."
Meanwhile, Barbara Fields Timm shared "Stargazer," an intricate gourd sculpture she owns that was created by Stu Fabe.
"I have 'Stargazer' in my living room," Timm noted, "where I see it every day and it brings me much pleasure. It also reminds me of Stu, who is a great supporter of art.
What makes his gourds so special, Timm said, "is Stu's vision and craftsmanship. His precise weaving meanders in strips across the gourd's black interior to create elegant abstract shapes in the openings. I am attracted to Stu's gourds on a number of levels."
Meanwhile, Susannah Hardesty shared her reflections on one of her own recent creations, the drawing "Moore's Bar at Night."
It is meaningful to her, Hardesty noted, because "this spring semester at DePauw University I had the opportunity to take a beginning drawing class taught by Robert Kingsley, an amazing professor. I hadn't drawn in 50 years. Bob opened my eyes to be able to draw what I see.
"'Moore's Bar at Night' is part of my final project of nine drawings. A new chapter in my life has begun."
Council President Miranda said the "Blank Canvas" experience was designed to offer the community a chance to tell the council why art is important to them while "inspiring the community to join our vision for a thriving arts presence."
Meanwhile, the Arts Council has three short-term goals its members hope to accomplish this year, utilizing volunteers to create:
-- A website with a community arts calendar and artist registry to help promote the arts and artists in Putnam County.
-- Public art projects, including murals, free-standing works of art and other permanent or non-permanent installations.
-- Pop-up events, Farmers Market happenings and other activities yet to be planned.
The Greencastle Arts Council is an emerging non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts in Putnam County. For more information persons may contact info@greencastleartscouncil.org or President Miranda at jmiranda@coachj.com.