Raffle to fund exhibition at Putnam County Museum

“Shima Series: Basua” is a signature wool wall piece by local artist Martha Opdahl. The piece will be raffled of on Thursday, Oct. 31 to help fund the current Putnam County Museum exhibition “Bearing Witness: 88 Cores + Paradise and Its Dark Side.”

Courtesy photo

A signature wool wall piece by Putnam County artist Martha Donovan Opdahl will be raffled on Oct. 31 to help fund the exhibition “Bearing Witness: 88 Cores + Paradise and Its Dark Side” at the Putnam County Museum.

Long-time residents of Greencastle will remember Opdahl’s controversial winning entry in the 1976 Indianapolis Star Ruby McKim Flower Garden Quilt contest. Opdahl went on to earn an MFA degree at Indiana University-Bloomington in 1985.

She has exhibited her work in juried and invitational shows nation-wide and internationally, such as SOFA Art Exposition at Navy Pier in Chicago (1999), and the International Fiber Biennale in Zhenzhou City, China (2010).

Her work is represented in private, public and corporate collections such as the Mint Museum, Charlotte N.C.; the Indianapolis Museum of Art; the Museum of Art and Design, Washington D.C.; and The Museum of Art, Santa Fe N.M.

Her work has been published in the “Fiberarts Design Book” series 1-3-5-6-7; American Craft, Surface Design Journal, Arts Indiana and most recently, “Textiles: The Art of Mankind: by Mary Schoeser (2017). She has been awarded four Indiana Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship grants.

Opdahl is the curator of the Bearing Witness exhibition, showing through Oct. 31. She lives and works in Greencastle.

This piece is on display for viewing at the museum. A similar piece, “Bira” (1998), can be found locally at the Prindle Institute for Ethics at DePauw University.

Raffle tickets can be purchased online (www.putnamcountymuseum.org click on SHOP), by phone 653-8419, or locally at the museum in Greencastle. Raffle tickets are $20 each or $100 for 6 chances to win.

The drawing will be Oct. 31 at 4 p.m. at the museum. The winner will be notified.

The Putnam County Museum is a non-profit organization; raffle tickets are tax-deductible as applicable by law.

Museum hours are Tuesday through Friday, 1-4 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Appointments for group viewings of Bearing Witness during days/hours when the museum is closed can be arranged by calling 653-8419.

The Putnam County Museum, is located at 1105 N. Jackson St., Greencastle.