A handful of students from the Maryland Institute College of Art are visiting the MECA campus this week as part of a class called "Road, Movies, and Travelogues." The class requires students to propose and carry out a road trip and create artwork based on their adventure.

With MICA professors Nadia Hironska and Eva Wylie, the group visited MECA for a series of activities: making a collaborative print with MECA professor Adriane Herman's students and visiting local printmaker David Wolfe's studio. Their visit was encouraged and organized by the ICA, Office of Public Engagement, and Printmaking Department. 

Today that will be inviting the general public to the ICA from 1:00 to 3:00  to watch them finish a book project and speak about the project. 

Designed to Play: An Exploration in Community Communication Through Sculpture

Wednesday, March 27 at 12 noon, Osher Hall

Kyle DiMare, a senior in Sculpture, worked with the local organization Learning Works / Youth Build Alternatives in Portland. Kyle designed and led a series of workshops on the design process and sculptural building. Using a model of co-creation students worked collaboratively on sculptural forms as a platform for building social relationships, and developed critical communication, problem solving and creative skills.

Printmaking Professor Adriane Herman's titled her Fall 2012 SYL class: "Gathering Influences: Collecting, Collections, Collectors, Collectibles" and challenged her students to consider new aspects and audiences of their art.

The class became a community art project at Bayview Heights affordable senior housing community in Portland. Herman, along with her teaching assistant Pilar Nadal, challenged 11 MECA students and 15 Bayview seniors to discuss the objects we collect and why we collect them. 

After prompting conversation with their handmade zines, the students created collagraph prints that were framed and donated to the senior center. 

The class was sponsored by MECA's Public Engagement program.

The following students took part in this unique class:

Anthony Zambrana
Ari Chasan
Emily Martel
Grace Hager
Hannah Hermes
Hannah Rowlett
Kelsey Haley
Kristina Buckley
Mason Hainey
Megan Daigle
Rochelle Garcia

For a compelling and comprehensive article about the project, click here. 

Illustration Professor Jamie Hogan has announced the release of "Here Come the Humpbacks". The book follows a mother whale and her calf along their annual migration from the warm waters of the Caribbean to their feeding grounds off the coast of New England, portraying the ways they sing, breathe, and avoid dangers. 

The book is now available in hardcover.

>>More info.

Indiana artists explore Hoosier ties in upcoming gallery exhibition

INDIANAPOLIS—An upcoming exhibition at Gallery 924 at the Arts Council features the fine art furniture of Cory Robinson and Matt Hutton. Both Robinson and Hutton are natives of Indiana and studied at Indiana University Purdue University’s Herron School of Art & Design. The artists explore their Hoosier roots in show titled, Beyond Vernacular.

“As a gallery that shows and supports contemporary Indiana artists, we understand the Indiana or Midwest aesthetic is somewhat elusive and often difficult to define,” said Shannon Linker, director of artist services and Gallery 924. “However, Hutton and Robinson seem to have a clear vision of what it means to understand and embrace the visual language of the often simple, but comforting iconography of rural Indiana. They have brilliantly married high design, functionality, and their own personal histories.”

Both Hutton and Robinson found themselves on parallel professional paths, which began in undergraduate studies at Herron School of Art and Design and continued to San Diego State University where they both received MFA’s. Since then, Hutton co-founded the woodworking and furniture design program at the Maine College of Art, where he now works; and Robinson is an associate professor of furniture design and fine art department chair at Herron.   

‘Beyond Vernacular’ will open during IDADA’s First Friday Art Tour Friday, March 1 and be on display at Gallery 924 at the Arts Council from March 1 to 29.

What: Beyond Vernacular

Where: Gallery 924 at the Arts Council of Indianapolis | 924 North Pennsylvania Street Indianapolis, IN 46204

When: March 1 – 29, 2013 | Gallery hours: Tuesdays – Fridays 10 p.m. – 4 p.m., Thursdays 10-6 | Special opening Friday, March 1, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.

About Gallery 924 at the Arts Council

Gallery 924 provides a mix of programming highlighting central Indiana contemporary artists, including solo shows and curated group shows.  The 1,300 square foot gallery is located in the former home of Rollerland and the current home of the Arts Council of Indianapolis.

About the Arts Council of Indianapolis

The Arts Council of Indianapolis builds financial support and widespread appreciation for meaningful engagement in the arts. As the chief advocate for the arts and artists in Indianapolis, the Arts Council provides grant opportunities and professional development resources for central Indiana arts organizations and artists. It owns and operates the Indianapolis Artsgarden, Gallery 924, a 1,300 square foot fine art gallery featuring work by central Indiana artists, and recently launched power2give, an online fundraising platform for arts, cultural, and humanities organizations. For more information visit indyarts.org.

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>>Matt Hutton Faculty bio