Indianapolis Visual Art Critique Archive, 1999 to 2012

Indianapolis Art Critique Archive, 1999 to 2012

This is an archive of art critiques and exhibit previews and overviews from about 1999 to 2012 in Indianapolis, Indiana. 

It's just a peak into the artists and exhibit spaces of that time. 

Pieces are written for NUVO Newsweekly, the weekly alternative newspaper, and the daily, Indianapolis Star. 

There are approximately 220 art critiques or brief "clips" as they were called, representing over 100 venues (from museums to coffee shops) and about 200 artists. About 65 group shows are spoken about as well. Overall, there are about 270 articles here. 

NUVO's five star critique rating explained: A five star rating system applied to most of the NUVO pieces and were used to gauge the quality of exhibitions. 

1 star: life’s too short 

2 stars: not bad, needs some work 

3 stars: good job 

4 stars: excellent! 

5 stars: life-altering experience 

Feel free to forward imagery that may accompany any of these old pieces to create a more complete archive. 

More pieces will be posted according to their publish date. 

Weekend's best: visual arts - The Indianapolis Star, September 2, 2010, Pg. H8

"Ball-Nogues Studio: Gravity's Loom" - Indianapolis Museum of Art

"Manic Botanitc" - Annette Davidek, Georgia Marsh, Jane Hammond - Garvey Simon Access

"Invocations: New paintings and drawings by Jay Parnell" - ARTBOX

"Exploration" - Stutz residents - Lydia Burris and Patrick Flaherty

   Benjamin Ball, Gaston Nogues, Jay Parnell, David Morrison, Annette Davidek, Georgia Marsh, Jane Hammond,Indianapolis Museum of Art,Efroymson Family Entrance Pavilion, Artbox, Garvey Simon Access, Stutz, Lydia Burris, Patrick Flaherty, prints, printmaking, painting, artist, art, Indianapolis, Indiana, Black, Phil Campbelldrawings 

Face of Art: Evan Lurie Gallery - Indianapolis Star, May 23, 2010

 

April Show features works not yet found in typical galleries

 By Mary Lee Pappas / Star correspondent

Posted: April 30, 2010

David Hittle (right) is the host of the April Show. One of the artists, Jerome T. Neal, holds his work, "The Station." - Frank Espich / The Star

"Mother," an oil on plywood by Neal ($80), will be among works at the April Show. - Photo provided by David Hittle

The American foursquare, turn-of-the-century Victorian at 322 N. Arsenal Ave. is home to former social worker David Hittle. But for one night in April, it's transformed into a full-scale art gallery.

Inside, the steep walls become display space for the April Show, a salon-style art show and sale featuring works by artists who have not had access to mainstream galleries despite their talents and abilities -- artists who have overcome incredible odds.

"They've overcome an obstacle of one kind or another," Hittle said of the more than 20 artists participating in this year's show. "From physical disabilities to mental issues to emotional issues and various traumas, and we still have a number who were or are still homeless."

Now in its 13th year, the inaugural April Show in 1997 included three painters Hittle knew: Jerome T. Neal, Berry Connell and the late Harry Blomme. Neal and Connell are both full-time professional artists now.

"I don't know a lot about art myself, but I think it's a part of all of them that they couldn't suppress if they wanted to," Hittle said of Neal and Connell. "I think it's in them and something that wants to come out. They have to do art."

Neal said that in 1997 he was working a humble job and living in a meager apartment while creating his art. He was amazed at the turnout for the first April Show, which he said provides a great incentive to paint.

"I was surprised when it first started how many people showed up," he said about the show that attracts a diverse group of art lovers. "What really got me was that the kids liked my work. That's what it's all about. It's why I don't do so many nudes."

Neal creates colorful acrylic paintings, street scenes and figurative works. He said his business cards say he's a "modern artist," but that he always tries to "do something up-to-date, scientific or something in the news."

In addition to works by Neal and Connell, this year's April Show will showcase art by various other artists, including quilter Dorothy Caldwell, who will have two large pieces for sale. The daughter of sharecroppers from Wyatt, Mo., "(Caldwell) learned (to make quilts) in the Southern tradition of African-American women and from her mom. She's really good," said Hittle.

Throughout the night, patrons at the April Show will get the chance to peruse the art and meet the artists behind the work, which Hittle believes is a form of therapy for them. "That is probably the large drive for why they continue to do it," he said.

It's also an opportunity for them to make money.

"I think you could probably call a lot of them professional because they do sell their art, and in some cases that's all they do to make money," said Hittle. All of the show's profits are given to the artists, who donate 10 percent of what they make, sometimes more, to organizations they've benefited from.

The April Show

» When: 7 p.m. today. » Where: 322 N. Arsenal Ave. » Cost: Free admission. » Info: (317) 974-1163.

The April Show, Jerome Neil, David Hittle, Frank Espich, outsider art, art artist, painters, Indianapolis,  Berry Connell, Harry Blomme, Dorothy Caldwell

Casey Roberts - Indianapolis Star, April 23, 2010, Pg. 34

 Casey Roberts, Prints, Indianapolis, Indiana Artist, painter, Indianapolis Art Center, Freaky ForestBy Mary Lee Pappas/Star Correspondent

April 23, 2010

Casey Roberts is more than an artist. He's also concerned about the environment in his own way, which shows through in "Freaky Forest," his latest exhibit at the Indianapolis Art Center.

Roberts, 38, uses unique cyanotype paintings to offer a critical look at environmental issues, but with a bit of levity.

Warm blue and beige tones -- created through a Civil War-era technique called cyanotype, which includes the use of baking soda and mild bleach solutions -- lend an overall visual coziness and a dreamy, comfortable quality in which beauty overshadows any bigger message.

"It's real simple. I'm not a super conceptual artist," said Roberts. "I want people to relate to it."

Trees are his major artistic protagonists in the 20 new works on view. However, he's introduced some new woodsy characters, too.

"Tons of trees. Armies of moths. Lots and lots of moths. They are almost like protectors, or scouts," Roberts said, explaining their role in his illustrative scenes, in which plant and animal forms are blocky and flat but resonate as delicate.

"There are trees with magic, obviously," he says with a light laugh. "It's the only way trees can communicate -- through magic."

And you actually start to believe him as you become immersed in his imagined landscape's full pine trees.

"It's all fantasy," Roberts said about his work. But there's an antagonistic undercurrent, a dark side at play here, too. "It's not all bubble gum."

His color scheme and topics easily lend themselves to being spooky and eerie, quiet like a fairy tale. "Freaky," he said, with a sense of humor.

For example, "Home Town" features a hole-riddled tree whose trunk is graffiti-emblazoned. "It's kind of a conversation between nature and man and how we clash and relate to each other," said Roberts, who for the first time has introduced sculptures into his repertoire of characters.

His "Freaky Forest" includes the outrageous addition of white ceramic, ambiguous animal heads with blue eyes. The busts, which have accompanying portraits, range in size from 15 to 24 inches and are among the exhibit's many surprises.

"I am so happy with them. They crack me up," said Roberts, who maintains a studio in the Murphy Building in Fountain Square. "These are the things I am most excited about in the show.

"With every show, I make a few steps forward. I feel like I'm progressing. (But) I'm still kind of chicken," he said. "One of these days I'm really going to break out and freak some people out."

Freaky Forest: Works by Casey Roberts

» When: Today through June 6. Center hours are 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. » Where: Indianapolis Art Center (Churchman-Fehsenfeld Gallery), 820 E. 67th St. » Cost: Free. » Info: (317) 255-2464, www.indplsartcenter.org.

State museum to showcase Indiana artists

 By Mary Lee Pappas / Star correspondent

Posted: February 19, 2010

Jeanne McLeish, watercolor and oil painting, "Blue Canoe," Morgan County.  - Photo provided by The Indiana State Museum

The Indiana State Museum will shine a spotlight on 93 artists who live and work in Indiana during its seventh annual Indiana Art Fair this weekend.

Having a show with such a large local connection is a source of pride for the museum.

"When going to many of the larger outdoor art fairs, Indiana artists are dispersed among artists from around the country. Our event allows art lovers to support local art made right here in Indiana by coming to one venue," said communication director Kathi Moore. "And these are not just artists from the metro area, but from around the state."

A record number of artists from 30 counties will be represented in this year's show, thanks to a partnership with the Indiana Artisan Program, a state government entity created in 2008 to market locally crafted goods.

"The Indiana Artisan Program and the Indiana Art Fair focus on the same thing: to bring attention to locally made fine art, craft and food," said Joanna E. Hahn, cultural history education specialist at the museum, who's headed the art fair for three years. "It seems only natural to team up and pool our resources with regards to attracting artists, as well as audiences. It helps to bring more diversity to the art that will be seen at this year's event."

That eclectic mix includes everything from marshmallows to wine to classic Indiana landscape paintings.

"In past shows, we haven't had food and wine artisans, and it will be interesting to see how our audience reacts to this new addition. I can only bet that they will be enthusiastic to sample locally made wine, maple syrup and homemade marshmallows," said Hahn.

While at the fair, expect to see Shaker-style furniture, boxes and trays by Ron Huhn and woodwork. Jewelers Lee Cohn of Bloomington and Mark Grosser of Carmel, both of whom sculpt modern, sleek gold pieces with a major "wow" factor, will be there, too. On the whimsical jewelryend, Carolyn Aylward of Indianapolis uses recycled buttons, typewriter keys and cuff links to create pieces.

"Often times, these artists get lost in many of the bigger shows," said Hahn. "We're able to highlight not only their work but the region of Indiana they represent."

With such a diverse mix of works, what's the strongest medium this year?

"I would have to say our strongest medium is painting. Each painter has a very specific style and subject matter. Some use Indiana as the subject of their work while others find inspiration outside our state's borders," said Hahn. Indiana Art Fair

» When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. » Where: Indiana State Museum, 650 W. Washington St. » Tickets: $7 (includes museum admission); free for museum members. » Info: (317) 232-1637, www.indianamuseum.org.

Indiana State Museum,Jeanne McLeish, Kathy Moore, Indiana Art Fair, Indiana Artisan Program, Joanna E. Hahn, Lee Cohn, Mark Grosser, Jeweler, art, Artists, Indianapolis

In abstract manner, Carla Knopp gets attention

 By Mary Lee Pappas / Star correspondent

Posted: April 9, 2010

"Some of it looks otherworldly, so you could almost get a sci-fi take on it," says Indianapolis artist Carla Knopp. The two pieces behind her are part of her show that begins today at the Harrison Center for the Arts. - FRANK ESPICH / The Star

Knopp worked on the Art in Motion project in 2003, in which painted race cars were displayed throughout the city. This one was called "Botany in Motion." - Kelly Wilkinson / The Star

Artist Carla Knopp has managed to stay under the radar, but her life could soon become less low-key when she unveils new oil paintings in "Spawn," an exhibit opening today at the Harrison Center for the Arts.

"There was a part of me that needed to lay low," said Knopp, a 1984 graduate of the Herron School of Art and Design. "I was living life."

Still, she and her notable classmates -- Steve Paddack, Brian Fick, Rob Day and the late Ed Sanders -- have been significant players in the local visual-arts culture for more than 25 years, earning their places in Indianapolis art history.

In 2009, Knopp exhibited in New York and was featured in New American Paintings, a juried magazine. Later this spring, she has a show at the Russell/Projects gallery in Virginia. Not too shabby for being inconspicuous.

Knopp's narrative works, which are executed on pod-shaped, non-symmetrical wood panels -- some as large as 5 feet in diameter -- exude an organic, feminine feel.

"Some of it looks otherworldly, so you could almost get a sci-fi take on it," she said of the soft abstractions resembling little microcosmic worlds or deconstructed florals. "There's kind of a spawning in the creative process, so it's a very general term that just happens to work well with the imagery."

That process is what's significant about this new body of work.

Taking an intentional naive approach, Knopp has allowed herself to paint without inhibition. The results are a testament to her marked skills as a painter. It's also a drastic difference from her day job as a decorative painter and muralist.

"I just let myself paint circles, as many as I wanted," she said. "I just went ahead and let it happen." She said she follows her instincts, has fun and pushes herself with the work.

Employing a standard theory of mixing red, blue and yellow to get a full spectrum, Knopp chooses and responds to color psychologically. Each painting winds up having its own color scheme, ranging from hot pink to grays or beiges.

"I am so into color, it's crazy. I become extremely engaged in the palette," she said. "I feel like I have a real structured palette, even though it's not a conventional one. It's not even a conscious thing."

Knopp doesn't have any expectations for viewers with this new body of work.

"I used to worry a lot about the purpose of what I was doing. At some point I just came to believe that it's important for me to be extremely engaged in what I'm doing," she said. "I just started believing that that's what matters, and I still do."

It still startles her when people respond positively to her work. "(But) it's also wonderful. It's really cool. That's not to say I'm not concerned about how things will read or how they work within the art world."

'Spawn'

» When: 6 to 9 p.m. today (artist reception). The show runs through May 1. » Where: Harrison Center for the Arts, 1505 N. Delaware St. » Cost: Free admission. » Info: For more information about the exhibition, call (317) 396-3886 or visit www .harrisoncenter.org. For more information on Knopp, visit www .CarlaKnopp.com.

Carla Knopp, painter, Harrison Center for the Arts, Frank Espich, Hereon school of Art, Ed Sanders, Russell/Projects Gallery, Stye Paddack, Brian Fick, Rob Day, New American Paintings magazine,