First Thursday

Identity: Searching Inside Ourselves at Cornerstone Center for the Arts Work by Dave Kuhn on display at Gallery 308 Work by Dave Kuhn on display at Gallery 308 Work by Dave Kuhn on display at Gallery 308 Work by Jan McCune on display at Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co. Work by Sarojini Johnson on display at Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co. "Lament" by Katie Norman (Dynamo Art Group) on display at Muncie Makes Lab Green screen demonstration by Muncie Public Library at Muncie Makes Lab

The Artist Within
313 S Walnut
Potter's Panic...

VERY RECENT works Made in Muncie

Cornerstone Center for The Arts
520 E Main
Identity: Searching Inside Ourselves

Join Cornerstone Center for Arts for First Thursday on June 4, 2015, for the opening reception of “Identity: Searching Inside Ourselves” featuring an installation about history and community by Inspire Academy’s 6th grade class. This interactive showcase will include in-depth profiles of “identity” crafted through interviews, photographs, and stories gathered this semester highlighting local citizens that have lived through experiences of otherness and developed a deeper sense of belonging. This event will also give you the opportunity to speak with the artists and their community partners.

Inspire Academy – A School of Inquiry – is a tuition-free, public charter school located in Muncie, Indiana. Inspire is an “Expeditionary Learning School” that teaches its students through semester-long, in-depth studies called expeditions. “Identity: Searching Inside Ourselves” is the final product for this year’s 6th grade class who have studied a variety of cultural, religious, societal, and other perspectives of those who often are overlooked in history. The project focuses on the questions, “What is otherness?,” “How has what defines otherness changed/stayed the same throughout history?,” “How have dominant perspectives limited our resources for understanding history?,” and “How does considering multiple viewpoints enrich our knowledge of history and ourselves?” Each question has been evaluated by looking at identity, otherness, belonging, and dominant and non-dominant perspectives over the last 3,000+ years of Western history, as well as the current day.

The students have incorporated fieldwork to gain more knowledge from experts in the topic of study, as well as those from the community who have shared their own Testimonies of Identity. Students have utilized their research, interview, writing, and photography skills to create a narrative of the beautiful and multi-faceted nature of identity in our own community.

The opening reception will take place from 6:00 to 8:00 pm on Thursday, June 4th at the Cornerstone Art Gallery on the second floor of Cornerstone Center for the Arts. There will be a special discussion at 6:30 pm with the artists and their community partners. The show will be on display throughout the month of June. For more information about the show visit www.cornerstonearts.org or call the Department of Education & Communication at 765-281-9503, ext. 23. To learn more about Inspire Academy visit https://iasi-k12-et.schoolloop.com/.

Gallery 308
308 E Main
Dave Kuhn Memorial

A tribute exhibit featuring the works of David Kuhn opens First Thursday at Gallery 308 on June 4.  Curated by his friend and fellow artist Alfredo Marin-Carle is a collection of Kuhn’s art created over a lifetime. The opening reception for the “Dave Kuhn Memorial” exhibit will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. The public is welcome.

According to his Marin-Carle, Kuhn’s friend of more than 25 years, the exhibit will showcase more than 70 works of art created by Kuhn over his lifetime. Born in Greenfield, Indiana, in 1951, he attended John Herron School of Art in Indianapolis, Kuhn started his career as an illustrator working at ad agencies in Indianapolis  eventually landing a job as an illustrator at P.A.W.S, Inc. where he spent 25 years before retiring.  Marin says Kuhn was incredibly prolific and described his friend’s art having an incredible sense of color. With influences ranging from the Populuxe aesthetic to Memphis Design, from classical Japanese drama to Brazil’s Carnival, it would be an understatement to call Dave Kuhn’s art eclectic. His works not only embrace a range of cultural influences, but also convey his deep and abiding sense of playful curiosity and ongoing experimentation.

Though initially known for his expertise as an airbrush artist, he cast a wide net in choosing the tools and materials he would use for his own art, not only airbrush, but also assemblage, laminates, fiber, incised impasto, pastel, color pencil – he created in all manner of media, producing works of lively imagination and, later in his career, exploring ghostly symbols and figures as mysterious as those found on ancient cave walls. His diverse aesthetic was further informed by his passionate love of music.

A former rock drummer, Dave’s musical taste was as wide-ranging as his cultural interests: Tom Waits, bebop, blues, Latin rhythm, and of course reggae, for though he lived his entire life in Indiana, he was, at heart, an Island soul. In all its many forms, his artwork reveals Dave’s generosity of spirit and his passionate embrace of life. 

The gallery is open Fridays from 3-7pm and Saturdays from 12:30 – 5:00pm.  Admission is free. The show continues through June 26.

Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co.
224 E Main
Jan McCune and Sarojini Johnson

Local artists Jan McCune and Sarojini Johnson will exhibit new work with support from the Indiana Arts Commission for the months of June & July. The duo received grants to support their studio efforts; Johnson’s, in printmaking, and McCune in jewelry-making. Johnson, a Ball State University art professor, will speak about her exotic and elaborate intaglio prints at 6:15 PM. McCune will follow with a talk and jewelry casting demonstration at 6:30 PM.

Offers McCune: “For my Indiana Arts Commission grant project, I learned silver casting. Each piece of jewelry in the show has one or more components which I created either by sand casting or centrifugal casting.”  Regionally known first for creating earrings and bracelets, McCune has only recently started producing the rings that require casting equipment. The former art teacher explains, “What I love about casting is that I can now produce complex three dimensional forms which I would find impossible using any other technique.”  New pieces include silver castings of an ornate antique button, an acacia seed pod, and a redbud pod, each one-of-a-kind and steeped in “sense of place.” This is Indiana fine art down to its roots.

Light refreshments will be served, and the public is invited to attend. Gordy Fine Art & Framing is located at 224 East Main Street, next door to Muncie Civic Theatre. For more information, call 765-284-8422.

Muncie Makes Lab
628 S Walnut

Movie Magic with Muncie Public Library
Experience a little piece of movie magic right here in Muncie! Movies like Coraline, ParaNorman, and the Nightmare Before Christmas all use stop motion to bring characters to life. Learn how much work goes into making just a few seconds of film – and how fun it can be. Also learn how to transport yourself to another world with the use of a green screen. Kids can watch themselves go to Hollywood, the beach, or outer space with the tap of an iPad button.

Cosmic Rubbish, Dynamo Art Group
Dynamo is a series of traveling pop up art shows based in Muncie. The work is from a collection of student and local artists with a variety of media and subject. The goal of this group is to promote diversity of art throughout our community, and to familiarize students with the exhibition process. We will be presenting our show Cosmic Rubbish at the Muncie Makes Lab between 5 and 8pm.

Mutual Bank Marble Wall
110 E Charles
Afterhours Art Reels – The Grand Budapest Hotel

Muncie Downtown Development will host outdoor “Afterhours Art Reels” following the First Thursday Gallery Walks, June-September.  Films will be projected onto the Mutual Bank wall on Charles St. at dusk.  Seating will be available on the Fickle Peach patio located at 117 E. Charles St. for guests 21 and up.