Published: November 26, 2007 05:04 pm      

Area venues display works of local artists

The Hendricks County Arts Council has a new way of showcasing work by local artists.

New displays are up at the Hendricks County 4-H Fairgrounds and Conference Complex in Danville and at the Brownsburg Community & Recreation Center. The fairgrounds’ exhibit features watercolors by Doris Andrews, Bonnie Rose Smith’s photography, and acrylic, pencil and mixed media art by Vicki Wynberg. The recreation center’s exhibit also has Smith’s photography and digital and mixed media artwork by Lynne Medsker.

Both presentations can be viewed during regular business hours through Jan. 7.

“We’re hoping there’ll be a lot of interest in it,” said Medsker, an HCAC board member who’s heading the group in charge of the fairgrounds installation. “We definitely have lots of talented local artists that we’d like to display and help promote. That’s one of the things we’re about.”

The idea got going when fairgrounds’ officials approached the arts council, which occasionally meets at the conference complex, about displaying local art.

“They wanted to have local art hanging on their walls,” Medsker said.

The fairgrounds is an especially good venue for such an exhibit because they have display cases capable of holding three-dimensional pieces like glasswork and pottery. The presentation at the Brownsburg Community & Recreation Center will only include wall art. But any area business, including private enterprises, can participate, “As long as (the display is) available for the public to see,” Medsker said. “We’re trying to show the community we’ve got great artists, so it has to be accessible.”

There are no costs involved either.

“It’s just the community helping the artists and vice versa,” Medsker said.

And Stephen King, another HCAC board member who’s in charge of the recreation center display, says these exhibits will be a positive.

“Any type of exposure art can have in the county is going to be a big help,” he said. “People don’t normally think about art in their day-to-day lives. So it’s good to be able to display it in places with a lot of foot traffic, and see what kind of talent we have here. You don’t necessarily have to go to an art gallery to enjoy art.”

Most of the art is for sale too. Each piece will include information such as the artist, medium, and price.

“That’s between the artist and the potential buyer,” Medsker said. “The venue won’t get involved with sales.”

Local artists interested in displaying their work, as well as businesses and other venues interested in exhibiting it, can e-mail the HCAC at hcacartdisplay@yahoo.com.

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On the Net:

www.hendrickscountyarts.org



wade.coggeshall@flyergroup.com