87 Past Events at Downtown

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.

Painting by Lindsey Bishop on display at Cornerstone Center for the Arts Painting by Lindsey Bishop on display at Cornerstone Center for the Arts Painting by Lindsey Bishop on display at Cornerstone Center for the Arts Artwork by Jan McCune on display at Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co. Artwork by Sarojini Johnson on display at Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co.

Cornerstone Center for The Arts
520 E Main

This First Thursday, visit Cornerstone Center for the Arts from 5:00 to 8:00 pm, Thursday July 2 for a presentation from local artist Lindsey Bishop. The show, entitled Roy G. Biv features a collection of paintings inspired by the hardship, joyance happenstances, tragedy, and tender compassion of life. The vibrant 2D collection is painted in the entire color spectrum. Included in the show is a painting which pays tribute to her late friend, Mandy.

“My goal in creating each piece is to send viewers back out into the world with the desire to smile at a stranger and find beauty in a tree’s bark,” said Bishop.

The opening reception will take place from 5:00 to 8:00 pm on Thursday, July 2 at the Cornerstone Art Gallery on the second floor of Cornerstone Center for the Arts. Roy G. Biv will be on display throughout the month of July. For more information about the show call the Department of Education & Communication at 765-281-9503, ext. 23.

Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co.
224 E Main

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.

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.

Mutual Bank Marble Wall
110 E Charles
Afterhours Art Reels – Purple Rain

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.

Artwork from Beyond I CAN on display at The Artist Within

The Artist Within
313 S Walnut
Beyond I CAN

The Artist Within will feature artwork from Beyond I CAN during the month of August.  In addition to their work, Greg Pyle will be providing live music from 5-8pm during the First Thursday opening August 6.

Light refreshments will be available for those attending.

The exhibit will be open to the public during business hours August 6-29, 2015.

Beyond I CAN is a program for post high school individuals with special needs, where they develop an artistically based line of products to sell in their gift shop. These artisans are best known the line of recycled greeting cards they have produced the past ten years.

The most recent addition to the program is pottery, which will be featured at the August First Thursday event.

Beyond I CAN is constructing clay pottery using terracotta pots for molds. Everyone is a pot maker as they all make little round balls to line the inside of a terracotta pot to create a new original pot.  When dry they are fired and glazed by the artisans.  A collection of their wares will be available to purchase during the First Thursday event.

Cornerstone Center for The Arts
520 E Main
Pop Art Presidents

Join Cornerstone Center for Arts for First Thursday on August 6, 2015, for an opening reception and art show featuring the art of Missy Adams. The show entitled “Pop Art Presidents” is a collection of paintings honoring the lives and history of the 43 presidents of the United States.

Missy Adams is a local artist who took her love of portrait painting and history to create a series of paintings celebrating the colorful personalities and interesting lives led by the nation’s presidents. The show was painted with the limited color palette of red, white, and blue and utilizes shading and layering to create depth representing each president’s own personality. Each painting features a corresponding quote from that president displayed under their portrait.

The opening reception will take place from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at the Cornerstone Art Gallery on the second floor of Cornerstone Center for the Arts, 520 E. Main St, Muncie. The show will be on display throughout the month of August.

Adams describes painting as her passion, love, therapy, and her nightmare at times. She started painting at a young age and has been primarily self-taught. She has experimented with watercolor, acrylics, oil, gouache, and even coffee to paint on glass, cardboard, canvas, and paper to discover what works best. She describes her style as not realistic per se, attributing her ability to see things differently from others as her inspiration.

For more information about the show visit http://www.cornerstonearts.org

Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co.
224 E Main
Summer Invitational

A rare event from last year’s exhibition schedule at Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co. is back for round two and appears to have some serious staying power. The Summer Invitational brings together works by artists from across the Midwest who all have ties to Muncie and/or Ball State University – most as students, few as professors. The exhibit features both 2D and 3D works by artists who are not currently represented by GFAF Gallery, offering viewers an opportunity to experience fresh, new art from beyond the Muncie scene. Exhibitors include Kaylee Dalton, Steve Garst, Heidi Jensen, Ben Johnson, James Labold, Josh McGarvey, William McQuail, Tim Miller, Amelia Morris, and Casey Parmerlee.

Light refreshments will be served, and the public is invited to attend. Brief talk to introduce the exhibit as well as artists in attendance at 6:15. Gordy Fine Art & Framing is located at 224 East Main Street, next door to Muncie Civic Theatre. For more information, call 765-284-8422, visit Gordy Fine Art & Framing on Facebook, or go to http://www.gordyframing.com.

Art by Debra Grindhart Dragoo on display at The Artist Within Art by Missy Adams on display at Cornerstone Center for the Arts Art by Hannah Barnes on display at Gallery 308 Art by Hannah Barnes on display at Gallery 308 Art by Jessica Summers on display at Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co. Art by Jessica Summers on display at Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co. Art on display at Muncie Makes Lab Photography by Christine Johnson on display at Muncie Makes Lab Photography by Lorri Markum on display at Rose Court

The Artist Within
313 S Walnut
Sprayart Colour Layers

A series of new paintings by local artist designer Debra Gindhart Dragoo. This exhibit of aerosol paintings is a design series where colours and textures combine creating fabulous funky fun! Celebrate local art, celebrate this artist turning 63 and celebrate paint your own pottery upstairs! This exhibit also includes Green Glam studio earrings from the “Onepairaday” artist challenge. Make plans to stop by for live music, light refreshments and birthday cake and to wish Debra a “Happy Birthday”. The exhibit is free and open to the public and will remain on display through September 26th during normal studio hours.

Cornerstone Center for The Arts
520 E Main
Pop Art Presidents

The show entitled “Pop Art Presidents” is a collection of paintings by Missy Adams honoring the lives and history of the 43 presidents of the United States.

Missy Adams is a local artist who took her love of portrait painting and history to create a series of paintings celebrating the colorful personalities and interesting lives led by the nation’s presidents. The show was painted with the limited color palette of red, white, and blue and utilizes shading and layering to create depth representing each president’s own personality. Each painting features a corresponding quote from that president displayed under their portrait.

Adams describes painting as her passion, love, therapy, and her nightmare at times. She started painting at a young age and has been primarily self-taught. She has experimented with watercolor, acrylics, oil, gouache, and even coffee to paint on glass, cardboard, canvas, and paper to discover what works best. She describes her style as not realistic per se, attributing her ability to see things differently from others as her inspiration.

For more information about the show visit http://www.cornerstonearts.org

Gallery 308
308 E Main
Kali Yuga

Gallery 308 will showcase the talents of abstract artist Hannah Barnes, with an exhibit entitled "Kali Yuga". The opening reception for the new exhibit will be held Thursday, September 3 from 5 to 8 p.m. The public is welcome.

Barnes said, "My inspiration for the exhibit is a reflection on a six week research trip to southern India that I took last summer. In Hindu cosmology, Kali Yuga is the name for the era the world is currently cycling through - the last of four in a cycle. It is marked by conflict, discord, and strife"

According to Barnes, she has been making abstract images since she was four years old.  She added, "A combination of my experience in India and the events of the last year inspired me to create a body of work that emphasizes the accumulation of patterns and structures marked by conflict, discord, transformation and degeneration."

Barnes is an Associate Professor of Painting at Ball State University. She creates work that draws on a familiar vocabulary of abstract forms and tropes to explore the nature of meaning within abstraction. Her work has been exhibited in such places as the Institute of Contemporary Art in Portland, Maine; the Academy of Fine Art and Design in Wroclaw, Poland; Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, and Trestle Gallery in Brooklyn, New York. Barnes recently completed a residency at the Heliker-LaHotan Foundation in Cranberry Isles, Maine, and she was the recipient of a 2013 Full Fellowship to attend the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, VT.

Ms. Barnes received an MFA in Visual Art from Rutgers State University of New Jersey and a BFA in Painting from Maine College of Art. In 2008 she joined the School of Art at Ball State, where she teaches beginning, intermediate, and advanced courses in painting and drawing, as well as undergraduate senior projects and graduate seminars in studio art practice.  Born in Massachusetts, Barnes resides and works in Indianapolis, IN.

According to Barnes, "My work engages the interplay of drawing and painting to explore ideas of structure and fragmentation, surface and depth, perception and illusion, and the indeterminacy of images. My recent work draws on the fragile and indexical qualities of watercolor to foreground touch, trace, mark, process, and impermanence."

Gallery 308, which provides space for local and regional artists with monthly "First Thursday" exhibits, is in its 14th year as a nonprofit art gallery.  For more information about the Gallery 308 exhibit opening, contact sherry@jackscamera.com. The gallery is open Fridays from 3-7pm and Saturdays from 12:30 – 5:00pm.  Admission is free. The show continues through September 26.

Gallery 308, located at 308 East Main in downtown Muncie,  is a 501(c)(3) community art gallery which exists to provide exhibition space for artists, encourage innovative work and serve the community as a cultural and educational resource. The Gallery opens a new exhibit every First Thursday. Contributions to Gallery 308 are tax-deductible. For more information about upcoming exhibits, volunteer and donor opportunities, please call 765-289-8575 or visit http://www.gallery308.org.

Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co.
224 E Main
Interiority: New Paintings by Jessica Summers

Jessica Summers has been selected to exhibit for the month of September at Gordy Fine Art & Framing Company. Her oversized drawings and oil paintings command attention, as the viewer feels included in the scene, or just offstage. The artist explains, “I honor the tradition of artists representing the contemporary domestic interior and choose to use my suburban home as the subject and setting for my work.”

Beneath the exceptionally detailed surface, Summers’ pieces “explore modern relationships in which couples cohabitate but for numerous reasons rarely connect.”  Her use of dramatic lighting and sharp camera angles, along with eye contact to acknowledge the audience, brings intimacy into the these private spaces while the artist remains in control of what is revealed or concealed, undoubtedly leading her viewers to seek for more information in details, angles and shadows.

Summers holds a BFA in 2-Dimensional Studies and Art Education from Bowling Green University and an MFA from Bowling Green State University, where she is currently an adjunct professor in Fine Arts. The winner of numerous awards, Summers was invited by Ohio’s First Lady, Karen Kasich, to be the Fall Spotlight Artist at the Ohio Governor’s Residence, where she delivered an artist talk that was later televised. She has also had solo exhibitions at Durham Arts Council in Durham, North Carolina and Fairmont State University in Fairmont, West Virginia. Jessica has also participated in a number of invitational small group shows at Indiana University South Bend, University of Findlay in Ohio, and Portland ArtsPlace in Portland, Indiana, among others.

There will be an opening reception on Thursday, September 3, 2015 from 5 to 8 PM and the artist will speak about her work and answer questions, beginning at 6:15 PM. Light refreshments will be served, and the public is invited to attend. There will be art-related activities for both children and adults.

Gordy Fine Art & Framing is located at 224 East Main Street, next to Muncie Civic Theatre. For information, call 765-284-8422, visit Gordy Fine Art & Framing on Facebook, or go to http://www.gordyframing.com.

Grace Episcopal Church
300 S Madison
Violist Katrin Meidell and Friends

I would to let you know that Grace Episcopal Church has begun a concert series on First Thurs. We realize we are several minutes away from the center of downtown but we wanted to support the art scene and downtown Muncie. Our concerts are planned to run from 7:30pm to 8:30pm. Our main hallway has in the past been for hanging art works and will be on First Thurs. events.

The Sept. 3rd concert will feature violist Katrin Meidell and friends.

Muncie Makes Lab
628 S Walnut

Featured Projects from Muncie Public Library’s UDo Makerspace
Muncie Public Library's UDo makerspace hosted a six week Google Maker Camp for the second year in a row. The purpose of maker camp is to help inspire and instruct young innovators, engineers, and artists. Our featured projects included felt finger puppets, cardboard guitars, circuits and LED's, and even a DIY terrarium.

College of Architecture and Planning First Year Design Students Retrospective
Students within the First Year Program at the College of Architecture and Design at Ball State University learn and develop environmental design principles and skills through presented questions and a series of explorations. This exhibit is a celebration of the exemplary responses to these questions throughout the 2014-2015 academic year. Individual projects displayed within the exhibition include: "The Order of Things," "Defining Spaces," "Translations," "(S)P(L)ACE and EVENT," "Folding Space," "Biomimicry," and "Stitching the Urban Fabric of Muncie”.

Faces of the Cheonggyecheon, Christine Johnson (BLA '16)
During the spring semester of 2015, Christine Johnson (BLA '16) conducted an observational photography study about the Cheonggye Canal in Seoul, South Korea, and the people that came to visit from the middle of winter to spring. From that she has produced maps, drawings, photos, and videos that look deep into the history and culture of the Cheonggyecheon and into the experiences of those who visit. She hopes that through this project she can raise awareness about how important these types of landscapes are to people in the form of social, insightful, and pleasant experiences.

Mutual Bank Marble Wall
110 E Charles
Afterhours Art Reels – Phantom of the Paradise

Muncie Downtown Development Partnership, in collaboration with The Fickle Peach, presents After Hours Art Reels following the First Thursday Gallery Walks in June through September. Come enjoy the gallery exhibits from 5-8pm throughout DWNTWN, and join us afterwards at dusk for these great cult and art film classics!

Our final show is: Phantom of the Paradise. Phantom of the Paradise is a 1974 American musical film horror film written and directed by Brian De Palma, and starring Paul Williams, William Finley and Jessica Harper. In the film, a disfigured composer writes his music for a woman he loves so that she will perform his music. However, a record producer betrays him and steals his music to open his rock palace, The Paradise. Betrayed, the composer dons a new appearance and exacts revenge on the producer.

The story is a loosely adapted mixture of several classic European works: Gaston Leroux's novel The Phantom of the Opera, Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Faust by Goethe/Christopher Marlowe.

Initially, the film was a box office failure and received negative reviews, however it earned praise for its music, receiving Academy Award and a Golden Globe nominations. Over the years, the film has received much more positive reviews and has since become a cult classic.

The Ball State University student short film shown prior to this month's movie is "WHOLE" . Film by the Rieth Brothers. This film was the winning short film for the 2015 BSU Frog Baby Film Festival.

Films are projected onto the Mutual Bank wall on Charles Street at dusk. Seating will be available on the Fickle Peach patio area located at 117 E. Charles St. for guests who are 21 and up. Viewers who are not yet 21 can watch the films from the sidewalk surrounding the patio area. A hot dog food cart and beverages will be available.

This will be the final film of the summer series. Go to our website to see the film trailer.

http://www.downtownmuncie.org/after-hours-art-reels/

Rose Court
125 E Charles

Life is short, capture it! Born and raised in Delaware County, and a graduate of Ball State University, Lorri Markum has spent most of her life behind a lens. Her professional career began with a love of music and live performance. After landing her first concert photography job photographing Aretha Franklin, and soon after, Sir Elton John, she has spent nearly twenty years photographing the top artists, and legends in music.

Though most of her work is known through her work in the music industry, her true love as a photographer lies in pursuing photojournalism and street photography in black and white. She enjoys capturing moments as they naturally unfold, the common, the forgotten, the subtle, and the bizarre from New York City, to New Orleans.

A collection of Lorri Markum’s photographs will be on display during September 3 from 5–9 p.m. at the Rose Court on East Charles Street. The works are black and white canvas prints of street scenes, and nature, from Indiana to Mississippi, New Orleans to Muscle Shoals. All will be available for purchase.

Art by the Muncie Artists Guild on display at The Artist Within Painting by Missy Adams, on display at Cornerstone Center for the Arts Monkey Thunder returns to Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co. Jewelry for sale at HeidiJHale Designs Art on display at Muncie Makes Lab Art on display at Muncie Makes Lab Dynamo, on display at Muncie Makes Lab Art by Andrea Swartz, on display at Rose Court Art by Andrea Swartz, on display at Rose Court Art by Jenny Smith, on display at Rose Court Art by Jenny Smith, on display at Rose Court

The Artist Within
313 S Walnut

ArtsWalk 2015 will be First Thursday October 1st from 5-9pm The Artist Within will feature the Muncie Artists Guild. The Guild will be unveiling their mural that depicts a 1907 downtown Muncie scene entitled, “Main Street Looking West”. Twenty-one artists from the Guild participated by each painting an 18”x18”canvas depicting a section of the scene.  Some of the artists used oils while others chose to paint with acrylics. The panels will be assembled to create the large mural.  The mural will remain on display at the Artist Within throughout the month of October, but will then be moved to a permanent location in City Hall as a gift to the city from the Muncie Artists Guild. The members will also be showing several individual works of art.  Please join us for the October 1st reception at the Artists Within featuring music by Bryce Taylor and light refreshments.

In addition to the exhibit, Toren Scott will have his pottery on display out front with Normandy Flowers on the scene filling Toren's pieces with fresh flower arrangements by his wife Audrey.

There will also be a pottery demonstration conducted by the BSU Ceramics Department.

Canan Commons
500 S. Walnut St

Muncie’s own Jennie Devoe will perform on the Canan Commons Stage at 7 p.m. At the conclusion of her set at 8:30 p.m., we will set in motion a spectacular lighted interactive display. The project was funded by a grant to MDDP by Ball Brothers Foundation and was designed by PROJECTiONE and Ball State’s Institute for Digital Intermedia Arts. The launch of this one-of-a-kind public attraction will be the cornerstone of our celebration of Muncie’s 150th birthday. This special event for all ages includes other surprises as well!  You will not want to miss this Sesquicentennial finale.

Cornerstone Center for The Arts
520 E Main

Join Cornerstone Center for Arts for the First Thursday ArtsWalk on October 1, 2015, for your last chance to see "Pop Art Presidents" by Missy Adams. The show entitled “Pop Art Presidents” is a collection of paintings honoring the lives and history of the 43 presidents of the United States.

Missy Adams is a local artist who took her love of portrait painting and history to create a series of paintings celebrating the colorful personalities and interesting lives led by the nation’s presidents. The show was painted with the limited color palette of red, white, and blue and utilizes shading and layering to create depth representing each president’s own personality. Each painting features a corresponding quote from that president displayed under their portrait.

The artist will be present from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the Cornerstone Art Gallery on the second floor of Cornerstone Center for the Arts, 520 E. Main St, Muncie.

Adams describes painting as her passion, love, therapy, and her nightmare at times. She started painting at a young age and has been primarily self-taught. She has experimented with watercolor, acrylics, oil, gouache, and even coffee to paint on glass, cardboard, canvas, and paper to discover what works best. She describes her style as not realistic per se, attributing her ability to see things differently from others as her inspiration.

For more information about the show visit http://www.cornerstonearts.org.

Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co.
224 E Main
Monkey Thunder 5

Monkey Thunder started four years ago as a one-night only, pop-up, art coup of sorts in an effort to address the wants and needs of an under-served faction of our local arts community. With little to no guarantee of staying power, it thrived. After 4 glorious iterations, Monkey Thunder is back, and it's going public!

Organized and curated by Gallery Manager Braydee Euliss, MT5 will be a month-long event with the opening reception coinciding with ArtsWalk, Downtown Muncie's biggest First Thursday of the year on October 1st from 5 - 9 PM.

The artwork featured will be an eclectic selection of both 2D and 3D work from local and regional artists, current faculty and students at Ball State University School of Art, as well as guest artists from across the country.

In addition to the work displayed at GFAF gallery, Monkey Thunder 5 includes video, performance, and other time-based artwork on view in Muncie Civic's Black Box Theatre under the direction of Maura Jasper, visual artist, filmmaker, and Assistant Professor of Intermedia Art at BSU. This 'side-show' is a Monkey Thunder favorite and offers a rare exhibit experience for both the artists and the audience.

Light refreshments will be served, DJ Jannell will provide the music, and the public is invited to attend. This is a family friendly event, but please note, the work on exhibit will be interpretive, experimental, difficult, conceptual, and subversive. Gordy Fine Art & Framing is located at 224 East Main Street, next door to Muncie Civic Theatre. For more information, call 765-284-8422, visit us on Facebook, or on the web.

Grace Episcopal Church
300 S Madison

Jazz concert with Phil Cooley at Grace Episcopal Church (corner of Madison & Adams). Concert will begin at 7:30pm and feature early 20th century jazz.

HeidiJHale Designs, LLC
301 S Walnut

Several one of a kind pieces will be on display and for sale.

Heidi Hale, local artist and longtime resident of Muncie, has chosen ArtsWalk October 1st to welcome the public to her new studio.  HeidiJHale Designs, LLC is a working studio located at 301 S. Walnut in Muncie’s Downtown Arts District.  The studio is located in Suite 102 of the Mitchell Place Building and is a fully functioning jewelry design studio with a retail space that allows customers to purchase pieces of jewelry created in the studio and/or place custom orders.  Heidi is known for her creative designs, unique use of materials and outstanding craftsmanship.  She has been making beautiful jewelry along with teaching others for many years. 

She invites the public to visit her on Thursday October 1st from 10am-9pm to share in the excitement of her Grand Opening.  Regular store hours are 10-5 Monday through Friday, 11-5 on Saturday, and begin Friday October 2nd.

You can get a “sneak preview” of what to expect at http://heidijhale.com.

Hue Salon
125 E Charles

Local green artist Debra Gindhart Dragoo will have a collection from the greenglamstudio at Hue salon. A mix of AEROSOL AND OLD LACE and PRETTY FACES and SPRAYART COLOUR LAYERS. Series selection specifically chosen for the salon with a splash of Green Glam jewels of course. All works are repurposed.

Please join the talented stylists from Hue salon and Debra Gindhart Dragoo for light edibles and join in the celebration of ARTSWALK! Support local artists and #DWNTWN Muncie.

Muncie Makes Lab
628 S Walnut

AIAS Art Auction
The Ball State AIAS (American Institute of Architecture Students) chapter is organizing a gallery and art auction to be featured in the October First Thursday Art Walk. Student work including photography, sketches, paintings, and sculptures from College of Architecture and Planning students and faculty will be displayed. All proceeds from the event will support the Ball State AIAS chapter, helping send students to regional and national conventions.

MPL Creative Makerspaces: Connection Corner and Maker Loft
Creativity and technology join forces at Muncie Public Library’s two makerspaces: Connection Corner and Maker Loft. These spaces provide technology access and education to adults and children, and seek to encourage creative tech use. Whether you’re making a short film, learning to code, or manipulating circuitry to create sound, our makerspaces have the tools and knowledge to help you complete your project.

Narrative Tables, Dept of Architecture BSU, Instructor: Sean Burns
How might concepts and methodologies of “narratology” be integrated within the design and fabrication of an object?  This exhibition investigates the potential for a table to serve as a medium to express a chosen story, using narrative world-making strategies, borrowed from contemporary literary theories. Each designed table tells and teaches a different story by encouraging the message of the narratives to be discovered, interpreted, and experienced by the end user through the detailing, material selections, form, and function of the object.

Title: Dynamo IV
DYNAMO is an art collective dedicated to promote diversity of art throughout our community. Our fourth show consists of artwork from student and local artists with a variety of media and subject. We have work at Muncie Makes Lab as well as the Living Room! All those who are interested in joining future Dynamo endeavors, please contact either Katie Norman or Sarah LaBarge at dynamoshows@gmail.com.

Muncie Symphony Orchestra
Charles and Walnut

Muncie Symphony Orchestra, sponsored by The Sursa Griner Group of Raymond James and Associates, will perform from 6-7 p.m. at the corner of Charles and Walnut St.

Rose Court
125 E Charles

Jenny Smith (http://jennysmithphotography.com)
Instagram has become one of her favorite social media outlets. The saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words”, is oh so true. An interesting image can stand alone… however, if you decide words are necessary, you can always #hashtag your comments so others may search your chosen descriptive words and see for themselves the images you have posted.

Come take a look at the work of @jennymooresmith and apply her tips in processing images that post to Instagram. All you must do is create your own account. Most everyone has a cell phone - use that camera and download free apps. Join the #instacraze revolution today! Instagram images are easy to print if that’s your desire.

The square format is the standard for Instagram, however you can make any size image fit into that format for posting and printing. My top 3 Apps: Instagram, Snapseed, SquareReady

Andrea Swartz (http://atozstudioworks.com)
Andrea Swartz, an architecture professor at Ball State’s College of Architecture and Planning (who just likes making), will show images and artifacts of a recent installation done for the Indianapolis Art Center. See @macqueenswartz #installationnation and #stitching to get a preview. A shout out to Muncie’s own Steve Selvey and Robert Jessee of ROC: Reclaim Repurpose Architectural Salvage on Liberty Ave. (and on Facebook) for their support on this project.

Special Digital Art Event by IDIA Lab
Charles and Walnut

Ball State’s IDIA Lab, in partnership with Paws, Inc, Delaware County Historic Society, Muncie Arts and Culture Council, Center for Middletown Studies, Ball State University Libraries and Ball State Information Technology, has created a special digital art event in honor of Muncie’s 150th birthday. Jim Davis' Garfield will virtually host the event. Experience begins at dusk on the corner of Charles and Walnut St.

Additional ArtsWalk 2015 Notes

Prime Trust will host a “Soup Crawl” benefiting Second Harvest Food Bank at a variety of DWNTWN restaurants. Tickets are available in advance for $15 at all Prime Trust branches and Second Harvest Food Bank.

Muncie’s YART 2015 will be held in conjunction with ArtsWalk. This guerrilla art sale, with a goal of making art affordable and accessible to the community, brings together artists and art patrons in a casual and unique setting.

Art on display at The Artist Within Art on display at The Artist Within Art on display at The Artist Within Art by Christine Abercrombie on display at Cornerstone Center for the Arts Art by Alfredo Marin-Carle on display at Gallery 308 Art by Jennifer Smith on display at Gallery 308 Art by Jeanne Mcleish on display at Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co. Art on display at Muncie Makes Lab Art on display at Muncie Makes Lab Art on display at Muncie Makes Lab Art on display at Muncie Makes Lab Art by Sandi Highley on display at Rose Court

The Artist Within
313 S Walnut

The Artist Within welcomes artists of the ALCOVE to November First Thursday. An opening reception with live music provided by guitarist member Ken Bantz will be held from 5-8pm on Thursday November 5th.  Please come meet the artists and enjoy their first exhibit at the downtown studio along with live music and light refreshments.

The group show, “A Look at the ALCOVE”, will include both 2-D and 3-D artwork by their members and remains open during normal business hours through November 28, 2015.

The ALCOVE is a group of 16 visual and performing artists that work together to promote their art as a group and as individuals. They meet once a month in Portland, IN, and welcome new members. Some examples of their exhibits are the revolving work throughout the year at the John Jay Center for Learning in Portland, IN and at the West Jay Clinic in Dunkirk, IN. Several members have work at IU Ball Hospital and Blackford County Hospital.  “The ALCOVE and Friends Holiday and Gift Show” at the Portland Center is held each November-December. They also exhibit as a group once a year at the Blackford County Arts Center, in Hartford City, IN.

Cornerstone Center for The Arts
520 E Main

November First Thursday at Cornerstone Center for the Arts will feature Muncie artist, Christine Abercrombie. Abercrombie’s collection entitled “Origins” is an abstract exploration into color, texture, and design fueled by real life emotions and personal growth. The opening reception will be on Thursday, November 5, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm.

Abercrombie is an abstract painter, wife, mother, and local small business owner that has found profound healing, strength, and happiness through painting. She hopes to inspire others to dream, create, and act on what their soul loves to do.

She describes herself as an "intuitive" painter - producing pieces that do not begin with any particular plan or layout. She has added painting to her daily routine and considers it to be a way of meditation. Abercrombie describes her paintings as a work of passion; they are all about emotion and the importance of imagination and dreams to personal growth and cultivating love and positivity within herself, her family, and the world. 

“Origins” will remain on display in the Cornerstone Art Gallery throughout the month of November. For more information about the show call the Department of Education & Communication at 765-281-9503, ext. 23.

Gallery 308
308 E Main
Paperchaser 2015

Gallery 308 opens its Paperchaser 2015 exhibition with a free reception from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, November 5.  The 6th annual show is a juried art show featuring the artworks of contemporary artists working in paper-based media.

Dave Franklin, Gallery 308 Board President, said, “More than $2,100 in cash awards will be announced at the Gallery opening on November 5 including the Best of Show winner. The awards ceremony will be held at 6pm at Muncie Civic Theatre.  Paperchaser 2015 will be juried by acclaimed painter Jeanne McLeish.

Gallery visitors will have the chance to see than 30 works-on-paper ranging from watercolor, to oils, to mixed media to photography.   The exhibit will be on display through November 20.  The gallery’s hours are Fridays 3-7pm and Saturdays from 12:30 – 5:00pm.  Admission is free.

Gallery 308, which provides space for local and regional artists with monthly “First Thursday” exhibits, is in its 15th year as a nonprofit art gallery.  For more information about PAPERCHASER 2015 opening, contact sherry@jackscamera.com.

Located at 308 East Main Street, Gallery 308 is a 501(c)(3) community art gallery which exists to provide exhibition space for artists, encourage innovative work and serve the community as a cultural and educational resource. Contributions to Gallery 308 are tax-deductible. To inquire about gallery hours, volunteer and donor opportunities, call 765-289-8575, or visit http://www.gallery308.org for information about upcoming exhibits.

Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co.
224 E Main
Watercolor Invitational:  Smith, Mcleish and Brouwer

Jerry Smith, Jeanne Mcleish and Rena Brouwer, three watercolor artists from across Indiana will be featured during the month of November at Gordy Fine Art & Framing Company.  These artists were selected by Brian Gordy, a watercolor artist and owner of GFAF gallery.  Says Gordy, “Aside from the fact that they are all consistent award winners, they are three of my favorite watercolor artists in Indiana.  Each painter’s approach to the medium is distinctive, dynamic and decidedly different from each other’s work.”

Jerry Smith, a Crawfordsville resident, paints expressive, yet vividly detailed rural and city scenes that feature a unique undulating rhythm.  He is a signature member of many prestigious organizations including American Watercolor Society, Watercolor Society of Indiana and Transparent Watercolor Society of America.

Jeanne Mcleish, a resident of Mooresville, brings her paintings of forest floors, creek-beds and ravines to life with sizzling, yet sophisticated, combinations of colors.  Jeanne is also a signature member of Watercolor Society of Indiana and Transparent Watercolor Society of America.

Rena Brouwer, a resident of Piermont, paints spontaneous, dreamlike expressions of realistic subjects, exploiting the property of fluidity in watercolor. Her process involves facilitating the accidental effects brought on by adding washes onto wet paper, then reacting to those effects.  Rena is a signature member of many organizations, including Transparent Watercolor Society of America, and Watercolor Society of Indiana.

Please join Brian and Genny Gordy for their final First Thursday reception as owners of Gordy fine Art & Framing Company. The reception is from 5:00-8:00 with a brief talk by the artists beginning at 6:00.  Light refreshments will be served.

Gordy Fine Art & Framing is located at 224 East Main Street, next door to Muncie Civic Theatre. For more information, call 765-284-8422, visit Gordy Fine Art & Framing on Facebook, or go to http://www.gordyframing.com.

Grace Episcopal Church
300 S Madison

Kathleen Maurer, soprano singer from Ball State University School of Music will be performing at Grace Episcopal Church at 7:30pm. Doors open at 5pm with an art exhibit with feature artist Susan McCollum.

Muncie Makes Lab
628 S Walnut

A collection of artwork by Muncie Central High School students; art teachers Margery Frank, Britt Husman, and Helen Zacek.

Painting: Dance: Design  Profs Joe Bilello + Rebecca Pappas
Can you dance a painting? Students from CAP and Dance work together to turn 11 paintings from  Ball State's David Owsley Museum into 3-d environments and choreographed pieces to be performed at the Muncie Makes Laboratory on Walnut Street 6:00-7:30 pm.

The Woven Ideal: The Wapahani Series, Lisa Dunaway
The five pieces in this collection were created in honor of the White River, or Wapahani in the Miami language.  The branches that anchor each piece came from Sycamore trees along the White River in Muncie in a public park.  I went to the White River to gather materials for this collection because I wanted a connection to the Wapahani.  I purposely used the personality of the branches to allow for asymmetrical and irregular knot work, to mimic the ebb and flow of the river.

CAP Americano Sur, Profs Ana deBrea, Jonathan Spodek
Introduce students to the unique urban and social history and culture of four countries related to the Latin Culture:  Uruguay + Argentina  Bolivia + Perú through a study  of the architecture and the built environment. Students traveled to selected cities to compare, research, and learn about the art, culture, and architecture in the different countries.

Rose Court
125 E Charles

Rose Court will be featuring paintings by Sandi Highley, Faye House and Marie Starr.  They, along with other friends and family, meet at Friends Church to exchange ideas and encourage creative expression.  Their subject matter ranges from nature to abstract expressions of animals and people.

Sandi was born and raised in Muncie.  She is a graduate of Muncie Central High School and was one of the original founders of The Flower Bin.  She is a real estate broker and was past president of the local, state and National Women’s Council, National Home Builders Association.  She also served on the Women-Build Steering Council for Habitat for Humanity.

Confection #5 by Heidi Jensen, on display at PRIMER in the former Cintas building Photography on display at Gallery 308 Photography on display at Gallery 308 Artwork by Ana de Brea on display at Muncie Makes Lab Artwork by Cynthia McHone on display at Muncie Makes Lab Artwork by Lynette Whitesell on display at The Artist Within Artwork by Lynette Whitesell on display at The Artist Within

The Artist Within
313 S Walnut

The Artist Within features "Empathetic Anesthetics", artwork by Lynette Whitesell throughout the month of December. First Thursday December 3rd from 5-8 pm kicks off the Holiday Season with “Light Up Downtown” and the annual lighting of the community tree at Canan Commons. Many activities are planned for the evening and the Artist Within will host an opening reception to meet their featured artist Lynette Whitesell.  Please come meet Lyn and enjoy the festivities and light refreshments.

Former Cintas Building
500 E Jackson

The first in a short series of exhibits, PRIMER is a regional exhibition of contemporary artwork. The series serves to promote artists living and working in Indiana by featuring a variety of media and techniques with a focus on current trends. It also serves to raise awareness and support for Muncie Arts & Culture Council and Ball State University School of Art as they collaborate on the possibility of future community studio and work spaces as well as gallery space and programming in the old Cintas building.

Exhibiting artists include Kennedy Conner, Chet Geiselman, Garrett Heinkel, Maura Jasper, Heidi Jensen, James Labold, Olivia Laird, Holly Lay, Dylan Martinez, John Morris, Katherine Thomas, and Thomas Williamson.

Enter at the southwest corner of the building.

Gallery 308
308 E Main
8 Days in Cuba

Gallery 308 opens 8 DAYS IN CUBA “exhibition with a free reception from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, December 3.  The exhibit features the photographic journey of 15 Ball State journalism students and four journalism faculty members on an eight-day trip to Cuba in March 2015.

Ryan Sparrow, the exhibition coordinator and three other BSU journalism teachers accompanied the students on the trip including Chris Flook, Robin Blom and Hans Kellogg.  Sparrow said, “The students went on a trip of the lifetime. The idea was to travel to Cuba and get a sense of its people, culture and history.   What they found was a county ready to forget its past conflicts with the United States but not quite aware of what that might mean.”  He added, “What we got from the trip was the chance to interact with the people of this warm and inviting country.  There is a sense of optimism about the future of Cuba and a county on the brink of change.”

The spring break trip saw the travelers visit Havana, a former coffee plantation and the town of Trinidad.   The exhibit will feature a mix of 25 photographs from both the faculty and the students of landscapes, old cars and of interesting faces of people they met on their trip. 

The exhibit will be on display during the First Thursday gallery opening on December 3 and by appointment through December 30. Visitors may call or text 765-289-8575 to set an appointment.    Admission is free.

Gallery 308 is a 501(c)(3) community art gallery is located  at 308 East Main Street. Muncie.   To inquire about gallery hours, call 765-289-8575, or visit www.gallery308.org.

Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co.
224 E Main

Carl and Barbara Schafer invite you to Gordy Fine Art and Framing Co. on First Thursday December 3, 5 – 8 pm. We will open our Annual Salon Show with work from all 25 artists represented by GFAF Gallery. Many of the artists will be on hand to chat and answer questions.

At 6:30 the Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce will welcome the Schafers as new downtown merchants at a Ribbon Cutting celebrating their new ownership of Gordy Fine Art and Framing Company.

Bring your friends for the many creative experiences available on First Thursday throughout downtown Muncie. At Gordy Framing, we specialize in promoting talented artists from East Central Indiana, and offering expert design and craftsmanship for framing and displaying your most treasured family possessions and works of art.

Grace Episcopal Church
300 S Madison

Steve Robert and the Jazzmanian Devils will perform at Grace Episcopal Church. The concert begins at 6:30pm. This band plays a folk rock style of music. Art work by local artist Patrick Foley will be on display through out the evening. Doors open at 5pm.

Heidi J Hale Designs
301 S Walnut
Heidi J Hale Designs will have “Santa’s Helpers” on hand during the December 3rd “Light Up Downtown” festivities.   Please make plans to stop in and let these helpers make your “wish list” complete with ring sizes, preferences and contact info for your “Santa”.  They would also help you in your gift selections for the special ones on your list. Heidi and her helpers hope to see you during First Thursday from 5-8pm.

Muncie Makes Lab
628 S Walnut

Title: ‘Doodles 2’
Down Time Patterns, Cynthia McHone
Media: Pen and ink
This exhibit celebrates abstract harmonies. The rhythms, geometries, textures, and abstract landscapes created under the influences/echoes of Gustav Klimt, William Morris, Owen Jones, and appliqué quilting.

Title: boxing INSIDE THE BOX2
Design is the New Religion, Ana de Brea
New construction

Artwork by Jim Faulkner, on display at Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co. Artwork by Holly Lay, on display at Muncie Makes Lab Performances by choreographer Sidra Bell in The Old Cintas Building

Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co.
224 E Main
The Paintings of Jim Faulkner

Gordy Fine Art and Framing Company will open The Paintings of Jim Faulkner on First Thursday, February 4, 5 – 8 pm.  Included in the show will be more than a dozen watercolor paintings by the artist who will be on hand to engage with viewers and answer questions.  Light refreshments will be served and the public is invited to attend.

Faulkner’s dedication, sensitivity, and skill as a painter for more than 50 years has made him one of the most loved and revered artists in this region and statewide. His artistic excellence and contributions to Muncie's cultural vitality were honored last summer during the inaugural Mayor's Arts Awards where Faulkner was recognized with the award for Artist in the Community.  He has been a full time painter since 1977 at his country home that he shares with his wife Eleanor.  They are both great animal lovers and his studio is in a restored barn. 

“I am very taken by the constant change taking place in everything,” says Faulkner.  “The new that decays, becoming the old.  In the natural world, both new and old seem to hold my interest…  I paint the meadows, woods, homesteads, towns, and people of the Midwest, trying to find meaning in the stillness of an old abandoned farm, or the quiet of a snow-covered wood, or even the aging of the human face.”

“Weathered buildings and bent trees are central to the images in this exhibition,” says gallery owner Carl Schafer.  “They are evidence of the constant winds and shifting limestone bedrock in our region that have pushed them and allowed them to settle at slightly precarious angles.  Over the course of his career, Faulkner has succeeded in defining East Central Indiana’s wide open landscape.”

At 6:15, Carl and Barbara Schafer will introduce Faulkner to those attending, and tributes that have been gathered from his close friends and colleagues will be read.  Those attending the event will be invited to write their memorable experiences with the artist and things they find impressive about his accomplishments.    

Gordy Fine Art and Framing Company promotes talented artists from East Central Indiana and offers expert design and craftsmanship for framing and displaying treasured family possessions and works of art.  The Paintings of Jim Faulkner may also be viewed during regular business hours: Monday through Friday, 9 am – 5:30 pm, Saturday, 9 am – 3 pm.  Gordy Fine Art and Framing Company is located at 224 East Main Street, next door to Muncie Civic Theatre.  For more information, visit www.gordyframing.com or call 765-284-8422.

Grace Episcopal Church
300 S Madison

Grace Episcopal Church will host a youth concert at 7:30pm and an art display opening at 5pm. We will be featuring Maya Kilburn a student at Yorktown Middle School who will be performing 3 violin pieces by Brunch, Kreisher and Bartok. She is an accomplished violinist winning the junior divisions of both the Muncie Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition and the New World Youth Orchestra Concerto. Also we will feature Minghao Yan, a junior at the Indiana Academy who will be performing traditional Chinese music on the erhu, a traditional Chinese 2-string instrument. He will also tell the audience about his family’s traditions at the Chinese New Year which begins Feb. 8 this year.

Muncie Makes Lab
628 S Walnut
CritChat: An Open House

For the last eight months, Muncie Makes Lab has been home to CritChat, a free, community meet-up developed and facilitated by artists Holly Lay and Braydee Euliss.  This monthly gathering invites local artists of all kinds to participate in conversation about their own work and the work of others. Painters, photographers, sculptors, and makers of all types are encouraged to bring completed work, work in progress, and even unrealized ideas with the sole intention of sharing. By enabling dialogue, promoting collaboration, and providing critical feedback, the group hopes to build community & support for emerging area artists.

Artwork by several CritChat members will be exhibited together publicly for the first time during “CritChat: An Open House” at Muncie Makes Lab on First Thursday, February 4, 5 – 8 PM. Featured in the exhibit are artists Spencer Davis, Kara Clark DuQuette, Michael DuQuette, Holly Lay, Rochelle Martin, Jannell Summers, and Seth Winn. Artists will be present throughout the evening, and guests are encouraged to ask questions and engage them in conversation about their work. Light refreshments will be served.

Both artists at the helm of CritChat hold BFA degrees from Ball State University School of Art. Holly Lay exhibits her photography and video work throughout the country. Braydee Euliss is the Gallery Manager at Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co. and received the “Next Generation Artist” award at last year’s inaugural Mayor’s Arts Awards.

Find out more about CritChat & join the conversation every 3rd Thursday of the month from 7 – 9 PM at Muncie Makes Lab, 628 S. Walnut St. Muncie, IN 47605. No rsvp necessary. Muncie Makes Lab is a design/build, make, discuss, display, and workshop lab for students, faculty, staff from Ball State University as well as the Muncie community.

The Old Cintas Building
500 E Jackson
Sidra Bell

Following their first event last December, Muncie Arts & Culture Council resumes hosting pop-up events in the old Cintas building on First Thursday, February 4, 5 – 8 PM. Visiting choreographer Sidra Bell will showcase brand new choreography with the help of several BFA Dance Majors from Ball State University. Three rolling performances will take place at 5:45, 6:30, and 7:15 PM with music and opportunity to speak with Bell and the dancers before and after each showtime.

Sidra Bell, Artistic Director of Sidra Bell Dance New York, is currently a Master Lecturer at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, an Adjunct Professor at Ball State University and was an Adjunct Professor at Barnard College in New York City. She has a degree in History from Yale University and an MFA in Choreography from Purchase College Conservatory of Dance.

Please enter the building at 500 East Jackson Street, behind the Cintas truck billboard. Light refreshments will be served.

Bold and Broke, on display at The Gearbox: Muncie Space in Motion, hosted by The Gearbox: Muncie Radicle Traces, paintings by Kaylee Dalton on display at Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co. Mask Making Workshop at the DOMA, on display at Muncie Makes Lab Social and Environmental Justice Artwork, on display at Muncie Makes Lab

The Gearbox: Muncie
500 E Jackson
Bold and Broke

In its second year of pop up shows, DYNAMO will be hosting its seventh show: Bold and Broke in the GearBox: Muncie, the former Cintas building, on First Thursday, March 3, 5-9 PM. More than 20 artists, largely comprised of current and former Ball State students, will be displaying their work. Types of medium represented will be drawing, painting, ceramics, glass, metals, photography, video, and multimedia installation.

DYNAMO is an art collective dedicated to creating traveling pop up art shows based in Muncie, Indiana. The artwork is from a mixture of student and local artists with a variety of media and subject, and a strong interest in learning how to exhibit work professionally. The goal of this group is to promote diversity of art throughout our community, and to familiarize students with the exhibition process.

All those who are interested in joining future DYNAMO endeavors, please contact either Katie Norman or Sarah LaBarge at dynamoshows@gmail.com and like our Facebook page, Dynamo Art Exhibitions for news about future shows. For additional information about this exhibit, please contact curator Heather Jordan at hnjordan@bsu.edu.

Space in Motion
Twelve dancers, twelve unique environments. Space in Motion brings together the talents of Ball State University’s architecture and dance students for a one-time performance in downtown Muncie as part of First Thursday Arts Walk on March 3. From 6:00-7:00pm, twelve Ball State dance students will perform, each occupying a unique environment created by one of twelve Ball State architecture students. The performance will take place at GearBox:Muncie, the former Cintas building located at the intersection of Jackson and Madison streets. Admission is free and music will be provided by Department of Theater and Dance musician, Adam Crawley.

The project was organized by Ball State Architecture Professor George Elvin with Dance Professor Susan Koper and IDIA Lab Director John Fillwalk. “Space in Motion promises to be a very unique experience,” Elvin said. "The students are merging design, dance and music in one of Muncie’s most interesting new art spaces. I think anyone with an interest in any of those things will be glad they came.”

The Muncie Arts and Culture Council is thrilled to have been given an early opportunity to help activate the GearBox space while simultaneously facilitating First Thursday events for artists and groups who might otherwise find it difficult to participate in this Downtown Muncie tradition.

Grace Episcopal Church
300 S Madison

At 7:30pm, David Blakely, violin and Rebecca Burkart, harpsichord will perform Sonata No. 6 in G Major by Johann Sebastian Bach at Grace Episcopal Church in Muncie.

Rebecca is a local performer on harpsichord with a degree in Harpsichord Performance from Ball State University and a Ph.D. in Historical Musicology from Florida State University. She was a Finalist in the International Music Prize for Excellence in Performance in 2011.

She taught at North Florida Community College for seven years and now teaches music history and harpsichord lessons and directs the Collegium Musicum at Ball State University.

Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co.
224 E Main
Radicle Traces

Gordy Fine Art and Framing Company will celebrate First Thursday, March 3, 5-8 pm with an opening reception for Radicle Traces, paintings by Kaylee Dalton. The exhibit will feature several new paintings by the artist who will be on hand to engage with viewers and answer questions. Light refreshments will be served and the public is invited to attend.

Appropriate for March, Dalton’s work is a whimsical interpretation of the garden landscape with a focus on “the ever longed for spring season and its perpetual fascination of new growth.” Bulbs, seeds, and blooms, both above and beneath the soil, have all found a home in her most recent work. Exploiting the rare combination of encaustic wax and water media, Dalton clearly embraces strong textural differences, reflective of the various surfaces often found in nature

Dalton received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from Ball State University in 2008. She was the 2006 recipient of the Watercolor Society of Indiana scholarship. While attending Ball State University, she received five painting awards, including three purchase awards. Dalton studied at the University of Miami, Florida for a Masters of Fine Arts in Painting. She has shown in over 25 group exhibits including Art Basel Miami. She is a member of the Northern Indiana Artists and recently received the Carolyn Jagodits Memorial Award at their latest exhibition. Locally, Dalton was awarded third place at the Minnetrista Open Space: Art About the Land juried show in 2015.

At 6:15, the artist will speak briefly about her work. Guests are encouraged to ask questions and learn more about the artist as well as her unique pairing of artistic media.

Gordy Fine Art and Framing Company promotes talented artists from East Central Indiana and offers expert design and craftsmanship for framing and displaying treasured family possessions and works of art. “Radicle Traces” may also be viewed during regular business hours: Monday through Friday, 9 am – 5:30 pm, Saturday, 9 am – 3 pm.  Gordy Fine Art and Framing Company is located at 224 East Main Street, next door to Muncie Civic Theatre.  For more information, visit www.gordyframing.com or call 765-284-8422.

Muncie Makes Lab
628 S Walnut
First Floor: Mask Making Workshop at the DOMA

Taking place over the course of two weekends, individuals will look at masks in the collection with artist-teacher Aaron Nicholson and create their own works of art for display on March 3 at the downtown gallery of the BSU College of Architecture and Planning called Muncie Makes Lab. Students will learn how to make a sculpture using an armature, paper-mâché, and found objects.

Second Floor: Social and Environmental Justice Artwork
For an assignment in an architecture class at Ball State University, students explored the role of social and environmental justice art in generating awareness, empathy, and change. Students researched topics that they were passionate about and visually communicated what they want the public to know about these injustices through art making.

Begin at the Muncie Central Fieldhouse parking lot and proceed South on Walnut Street, East on Charles, North on Mulberry, West on Seymour and returning North on Walnut Street to the Fieldhouse parking lot.

Muncie Gras 2016

MUNCIE'S BIGGEST PARTY

Muncie Gras 2016 will be held March 19th, 2016 - 7pm-2am in the Streets of DWNTWN Muncie. It is DWNTWN’s biggest party of the year! It’s our version of Bourbon on Walnut Street!

Laissez le bon roulement de periodes! (Let the good times roll!)

Alexander Landerman, "Rabbit in Flax" Alexander Landerman, "Expulsion" The "Bison-Tennial" Project, Muncie Arts and Culture Council "Little Shop of Horrors" playing at The Fickle Peach Sarah Shaffer, "Life in Plastic"

Savage's Ale House (21+)

127 N. High

“The Art of Alexander Landerman”

The work of Alexander Landerman will be on view at Savage’s Alehouse for July’s First Thursday. Landerman notes that: “As our society evolves, so does our relationship with animals. Due to industrialization, factory farming, and massive monocultures, our connection with food sources has been diminished. My interest lies within the roles played by animals, insects and plants, which are increasingly becoming overlooked and mistreated. My hope is to encourage a reconnection between consumers and their food sources and foster a sense of social responsibility.” While there is no formal opening reception, the artist will be on hand throughout the evening to talk about the work with anyone who is interested.

Muncie Arts and Culture Council

227 S Walnut Street; Muncie, IN

“Open House: Bison-tennial Project”

As part of July’s First Thursday activities, the Muncie Arts and Culture Council and the United Way of Delaware County are pleased to announce an open house showcasing Delaware County's Bison-Tennial project - our own Indiana Bicenntenial arts project. Please plan to stop by 227 S. Walnut (former Royal Crown Poker Club) between the hours of 5:00 and 9:00pm to see the Bison project "in progress" and hear from artist Denise King about the inspiration for her design, the Lenape Indian tribe, and their history.  Light refreshments provided.

This project is part of a 2016 state-wide endeavor to celebrate Indiana's 200th Statehood Day. The arts project will feature a 5-foot-tall fiberglass bison that will be decorated and displayed with an end goal of at least one bison on display in each of Indiana's 92 counties. The bison are expected to make appearances in the local community and along the Bicentennial Torch Relay route leading up to Indiana's Bicentennial Statehood Day on December 11th, 2016. The Delaware County Bison will then find its home in Tuhey Park in downtown Muncie.   

The selection committee in Delaware County, composed of United Way representatives and MACC committee members, used an RFP process to solicit proposals and ultimately select Denise King as the artist to complete our Bison project. Denise has a fine arts education with an emphasis in painting and drawing, and is a self-proclaimed Muncie and Delaware County enthusiast and promoter. As a mural artist and community activist with a love of history, she was drawn to this particular project. In Denise's words, "My intention is to create a piece that is not only beautiful, engaging, and interesting, but respectful, informed, educational and a vehicle to spark public interest in the subject matter." Denise has been working on the Bison for the past month and hopes to be finished by August. Until then, the public is invited to "watch the progress" through the window panes of 227 S. Walnut, and venture inside to talk with Denise on the days she is "in studio." 

The Fickle Peach (21+)

117 E. Charles

“Little Shop of Horrors”

Muncie Downtown Development Partnership, in collaboration with The Fickle Peach, presents After Hours Art Reels following the First Thursday Gallery Walks in May through September. Come enjoy the gallery exhibits from 5-8pm, and join us afterwards at dusk for these great cult and art film classics! July’s First Thursday screening will be Little Shop of Horrors.

Films will be projected onto the Mutual Bank wall on Charles Street at dusk. Seating will be available on the Fickle Peach patio area located at 117 E. Charles St. for guests who are 21 and up. Viewers who are not yet 21 can watch the films from the sidewalk surrounding the patio area. 

Cornerstone Center for The Arts

520 E. Main

“Sarah Shaffer: Life in Plastic”

Cornerstone Center for the Arts will be open until 5pm and is showing the art of Sarah Shaffer. Please note that this is an ongoing exhibition; there is no opening reception for this show on First Thursday.

The show titled “Life in Plastic” explores society’s monumental impact through the form of our tiniest role models.Beyond objectification and the weight of the world's expectations, creating this body of work was a very personal journey for Sarah. She created these paintings using one of her daughter's dolls as a model with the color palette of her childhood memory. These pieces embody her own path to define her self-image and the desire to not pass along physical insecurities to future generations.

Each piece is a depiction of a doll, focusing on a portion of the body and recreated on a large scale. This collection of acrylic paintings portrays the objectification and unrealistic expectations placed upon women. We perpetuate these damaging standards in our interactions with others and within ourselves. The titles are inspired by comments made to or about women in judgement of their appearance, their choices, and their actions.

Sarah, a visual arts instructor at Cornerstone as well as a commissioned artist, is a native of Indiana, grew up in Fort Wayne with A love of art from an early age. Sarah is a graduate of Ball State University’s School of Art, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in metalsmithing earned in 2007. Her senior show titled "Playtime's Over," explored women's issues by combining Barbie dolls with precious metal to create conceptual jewelry.

Nearly 10 years after Sarah's senior project, she has revisited Barbie and some of the corresponding themes of objectification and unrealistic expectations through the form of painting rather than jewelry. In the near decade that has passed, Sarah has become a mother and wishes to confront these themes for the betterment of the next generation.

For more information about the show, call Cornerstone’s Department of Education & Communication at 766-281-9503, ext. 23.

Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co.
224 E. Main

Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co. will be closed July 4 - July 16. The shop will re-open and resume regular business hours Monday, July 18th. Their Summer Invitational exhibit continues through July 30th.

"Exhibiting Excellence," Cornerstone Center for the Arts "Labyrinth," AfterHours Art Reels at The Fickle Peach Gunther Cartwright, "Palm Springs," at Gordy Fine Art and Framing "Be Our Guest," open-door rehearsals at Muncie Civic Theater Spencer Davis, "Figure Study," at Muncie Makes Lab

Cornerstone Center for The Arts

520 E. Main

“Exhibiting Excellence”

In celebration of another successful class session at Cornerstone Center for the Arts, the organization will feature artwork from its youth and adult students in the Cornerstone Art Gallery throughout the month of August. This mixed media collection of art will showcase the best visual arts pieces of the session chosen by Cornerstone’s instructors. With selections from both youth and adults with various artistic backgrounds, this show will truly highlight all that Cornerstone’s arts program has to offer.

An opening reception will be held in conjunction with First Thursday on August 4th from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Cornerstone Art Gallery. The reception is free and open to the public and many of the student-artists will be onsite to speak about their artwork.

The show will continue to be on display throughout the month of August to help promote upcoming fall twelve-week classes beginning in September. Information and registration for upcoming classes, workshops, and camps will be available on the evening of the opening reception as well as throughout the month of August.

For more information about the show call Cornerstone’s Department of Education and Communication at 765-281-9503, ext. 23.

The Fickle Peach (21+)

117 E. Charles

“Afterhours Art Reels: Labyrinth”

Muncie Downtown Development Partnership, in collaboration with The Fickle Peach, presents After Hours Art Reels following the First Thursday Gallery Walks in May through September. Come enjoy the gallery exhibits from 5-8pm, and join us afterwards at dusk for Jim Henson’s 1986 film Labyrinth, featuring David Bowie.

Films will be projected onto the Mutual Bank wall on Charles Street at dusk. Seating will be available on the Fickle Peach patio area located at 117 E. Charles St. for guests who are 21 and up. Viewers who are not yet 21 can watch the films from the sidewalk surrounding the patio area. 

Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co.
224 E. Main

“Industrial Blues: An Exhibit of Photography by Gunther Cartwright”

Gordy Fine Art and Framing Company will celebrate First Thursday, August 4th from 5-8 pm with an opening reception for Industrial Blues, an exhibit of landscape photography by Gunther Cartwright. The artist will be on hand to engage with viewers throughout the evening and will speak briefly to the audience about his work at 6:15pm. Light refreshments will be served and the public is invited to attend.

Cartwright’s landscapes exquisitely capture the details of industry that form the backdrop of life in today’s modern world. About his interest in this subject matter, Cartwright explains, “The power lines, telephone poles, fences and industrial structures are a part of my daily visual experience. They are not in my way. I see them as elements of the landscape. They are there and they make their visual ‘sound.’ I am not interested in the picturesque but rather the formal arrangements of elements and color within the landscape.” His eye for vivid color and graphic compositions often draw unexpected connections among things seen in the everyday landscape, transforming banal and rarely celebrated visual moments into striking works of art.

Cartwright holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the renowned Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, New York. He is currently Professor Emeritus of Applied Photography at the Rochester Institute of Technology, School of Photographic Arts and Sciences. An active lecturer and exhibitor, Cartwright has presented throughout Europe and the United States. He is a recipient of a Polaroid Corporation Photographer’s Grant and a New York State Council on the Arts Public Service Grant (CAPS). He has exhibited internationally in many one-man and group shows, including at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., the George Eastman Museum, Rochester, NY, the National Museum of Photography, Bradford, England, The Photographer’s Gallery, London, England, and at Photokina, Köln, Germany.

Gordy Fine Art and Framing Company promotes talented artists and offers expert design and craftsmanship for framing and displaying treasured family possessions and works of art. Industrial Blues may also be viewed through the end of August during regular business hours: Monday through Friday, 9am-5:30pm, Saturday, 9am-3 pm. Gordy Fine Art and Framing Company is located at 224 East Main Street, next door to Muncie Civic Theatre. For more information, visit www.gordyframing.com or call (765) 284-8422.

Muncie Civic Theatre
216 E. Main

“Be Our Guest: Open-Door Rehearsals”

During August’s First Thursday events on August 4th, Muncie Civic Theatre will have wine in the lobby and open door rehearsals for Be Our Guest on stage (which opens August 6th). In a First Thursday “first,” they will also have a Pokemon Go Lure turned on throughout the evening.

Muncie Makes Lab

628 S. Walnut

“CritChat Exhibit: ART via CRAFT”

Muncie Makes Lab will host its third CritChat exhibit of the year for First Thursday, August 4 from 5-9 PM. “CritChat: ART via CRAFT” is a one night only pop-up exhibit that explores craft as an impetus for art making.

The line between art and craft is a blurry one that often looks to intention and function for clarification. Historically, practices such as painting, drawing, sculpture, and printmaking have been classified as “arts,” while ceramics, textiles, metalwork, and woodwork have been considered “crafts.” The primary distinction between the two has relied on whether the work was made with the intention of being expressive or solely utilitarian. “CritChat: ART via CRAFT” exhibits work that questions this distinction and further blurs the line between them.

Exhibiting artists will be present and guests are encouraged to ask questions throughout the evening. Beginning at 8 PM, the artists will introduce themselves and engage attendees in a sample CritChat experience, leading the audience through the process of providing informed, critical feedback on select pieces featured in the exhibit. DJ JANNELL will provide music, and light refreshments will be served.

CritChat is a free, community meet-up developed and facilitated by artists Holly Lay and Braydee Euliss. This monthly gathering invites local artists of all kinds to participate in conversation about their own work and the work of others. Painters, photographers, sculptors, and makers alike are encouraged to bring completed work, work-in-progress, and even unrealized ideas with the sole intention of sharing. By enabling dialogue, promoting collaboration, and providing critical feedback, the group hopes to build community and support for emerging area artists.

Find out more about CritChat & join the conversation every 3rd Thursday of the month from 7-9 PM at Muncie Makes Lab, 628 S. Walnut St. Muncie, IN 47605. No RSVP necessary. Muncie Makes Lab is a design/build, make, discuss, display, and workshop lab for students, faculty, and staff from Ball State University, as well as the Muncie community.

Join for a gallery walk around DWNTWN Muncie. Watch and learn from local artists as they perform their craft in various DWNTWN shops. Enjoy their company and purchase their unique creations. 

ArtWalk is the biggest annual celebration of Muncie’s Arts and Culture and will attract thousands to DWNTWN

John Scofield to perform at Cornerstone Center for the Arts Patricia Kriegh's "Splang" exhibition opening, Cornerstone Center for the Arts Monkey Thunder at Gordy Fine Art and Framing One year anniversary celebration at Heidi J. Hale Karl Erickson, "Video Thunder" at Black Box Theatre AIAS Art Sale at Muncie Makes Lab Jennifer Smith, "Badlands," at Rose Court Janice Carter at Twin Archer Brewpub The Yart Sale, Old National Trust Parking Lot

For full information on all of the events happening for October's First Thursday Arts Walk, please visit Muncie's Downtown Development website at the following link:

http://www.downtownmuncie.org/artswalk/

Stacie Kammerling, Book Arts Collaborative Erin McAtee, The Pelican's Sacrifice, at The Fickle Peach Andrew Schultz, Flightless Slumber, at Gordy Fine Art and Framing Heidi J.Hale Daniel Williams, Muncie Central Art Show, at Muncie Makes Lab Kevin Miller, Macchu Picchi, CAP Americano SUR Exhibition, at Muncie Makes Lab Stitchery: The Art of the Thread, at Studio Exhale

Book Arts Collaborative

At Mad Jax Muncie

600 E. Main

Book Arts Collaborative will be showing work by art students in the collaborative. This is a show of affordable art by BSU students, all priced in gift-giving range. Book Arts Collaborative will also offer its work, hand-sewn journals, and letter-pressed items for sale

The Fickle Peach (21+)

117 E. Charles

An opening reception for Erin McAtee’s exhibition "In Communion With" will be held from 5-8pm.

Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co.
224 E. Main

Gordy Fine Art and Framing Company will celebrate First Thursday, November 3 from 5-8 pm with an opening reception for Desperately Seeking Charles, a small group exhibit featuring current work from five Ball State University’s MFA Glass candidates with a wide range of glass forming techniques represented. Light refreshments will be served and the public is invited to attend.

Desperately Seeking Charles features a collection of 3-D work in which each artist individually interprets the material properties of glass through their own perspectives and inspirations. The work explores techniques involved in the making of traditional, vessel forms as well as contemporary, glass-based sculpture.

“The exhibition title is derived from a philosophical approach. Desperately Seeking Charles is our effort to find a voice and style of expression with glass. We are all desperately seeking a niche of our own within the contemporary glass community,” explained the group of MFA candidates.

Evan Burnette, Dylan Martinez, and Andrew Schultz are third year candidates who are currently working toward their Creative Project which will be exhibited in the spring of 2017.

Allyssa Burch and Lily Rawson are second year candidates who are currently exploring material investigations and processes within their studio practice.

Light refreshments will be served, and the public is invited to attend. A brief talk at 6:15pm will introduce the exhibit and artists in attendance.

Gordy Fine Art and Framing Company promotes talented artists and offers expert design and craftsmanship for framing and displaying treasured family possessions and works of art. Desperately Seeking Chares may also be viewed through the end of November during regular business hours: Monday through Friday, 9 am – 5:30 pm, Saturday, 9 am – 3 pm. Gordy Fine Art and Framing Company is located at 224 East Main Street, next door to Muncie Civic Theatre. For more information, visit www.gordyframing.com or call 765-284-8422.

Grace Episcopal Church
300 S. Madison

Do you enjoy classical guitar music? If so come out to Grace Episcopal Church (corner of Madison and Adams St.) at 7:30pm for an evening of classical guitar music performed by Paul Reily, an international performer. Come early at 6pm (until 7pm), for a cooking demo with Velvet Miller of Purdue Extension. The focus will be on quick skillet dishes and creating easy, healthy meals especially for the upcoming holidays.

Heidi J. Hale

301 S. Walnut

Heidi J. Hale will be open late for shopping from 5-8pm for First Thursday

Muncie Makes Lab

628 S. Walnut

Muncie Central Art Show (1st fl.)

A selection of artwork by student's from the Muncie Central High School Art Department, led by art teachers’ Britt Husman and Margie Frank, and student teacher Erin McAtee.

CAP Americano Sur Exhibition (2nd fl.)

A curated exhibition outlining the travels and learnings of Architecture professor, Ana de Brea, and students who went on the CAP Americano Sur 2016 excursion. Three countries were visited over the course of 24 days: Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru. While in these three counties, students visited an assortment of architectural sites, museums, and local landmarks. The exhibit showcases selected sites and their importance to ongoing education and the greater architectural discourse.

Studio Exhale

103 N. High St.

Join Studio Exhale for an opening reception for “Stitchory: The Art of the Thread” from 5-8pm. This art show features fiber arts from artists Stephanie Hutchison and Lisa Dunaway.

Hutchison is a co-owner of Studio Exhale and a lifelong student of art. She started to sew through her local 4-H program more than a decade ago, where she created her first embroidery at age nine. She has shown locally at several Muncie galleries including the Fickle Peach and Savage's Alehouse. Her favorite art mediums include painting, sewing, embroidery, and mixed media.
 
Dunaway began crocheting when her grandmother taught her when she was only four. She learned quickly and took up other fiber arts over the years. Dunaway finds the making of fiber art very meditative and therapeutic. Her macramé and cross-stitch work are beautiful examples of the power of her craft.

Tribune Showprint

501 E. Main

Tribune Showprint Posters will be open for tours, and will offer an array of letter-pressed items for sale.

The Turkey has been consumed…SO sick of turkey! Netflix is boring and you REALLY want to get out of the house, with or without your family, and my o my does a beer sound good!  If any of this sounds familiar, join us DWNTWN Saturday November 26th from 8am-3am for the second annual DWNTWN Gobble Wobble Pub and Eatery Crawl! DWNTWN bars and eateries will participate with food or drink specials and other fun surprises.

Holiday sale from the Book Arts Collaborative and Tribune Showprint Detail of work by David Palm, Cornerstone Center for the Arts Scott Anderson, "Cerberus Banana," Annual Salon Show, Gordy Fine Art and Framing Painting by Caryn Moore, from "In the Limelight" at Made in Muncie Holiday Muncie Makers Market Daniel Combs, "Ripped Away," CritChat Open House at Muncie Makes Lab, 1st floor Melissa Livermore and Sarah Lassiter, "I Used Google Translate for This," at Muncie Makes Lab, 2nd floor "Eat, Drink, and Cartography," Twin Archer Brewpub

Book Arts Collaborative and Tribune Showprint

At Mad Jax Muncie

600 E. Main

Book Arts Collaborative will be open for First Thursday with a variety of affordable gift items available including holiday cards for $2 each, printed coasters 4/$2, letter pressed wrapping paper, broadsides, and hand sewn blank journals from $12-40. Students will be on hand to give tours of the Collaborative as well as our community partner's shop, Tribune Showprint.

Cornerstone Center for the Arts

520 E. Main

Cornerstone will open a new art gallery titled “Stop all the Clocks,” with artwork created by the late David Palm. This show explores the desires many of us have had when deep feelings are experienced or special moments occur. The best ways to preserve these moments can be through drawings and paintings like the ones by Palm.

The artwork displayed at this show features landscape, still life, and street life paintings and drawings with an impressionist style. This work was created over the span of Palm’s lifetime and provides a unique perspective on culture and time. Much of the featured artwork captures natural, everyday life, while some of the pieces showcase the messiness of life’s circumstances.

Palm, an Indiana-native, received his degrees in graphic design from the University of Michigan and Yale University. He later moved to New York City where he spent most of his life living and working. He visited Indiana as much as possible and later retired to Muncie, Indiana. He used his painting and drawing to stop time and remember life’s moments of sorrow, pain and joy.

The opening reception will be 5-7pm in the Cornerstone art gallery located on the second floor of Cornerstone Center for the Arts. His framed pieces will continue to be on display in the gallery from December 2016 through January 2017.

For more information about the show call Cornerstone’s Department of Education & Communication at 765-281-9503, ext. 23.

Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co.
224 E. Main

Gordy Fine Art & Framing Company will open its Annual Salon Show on First Thursday, December 1st from 5 - 8 PM. Included in the exhibit will be work by all 25 artists represented by the downtown Muncie gallery. Artists will be on hand to chat and answer questions. The reception will also celebrate the first year of business under new owners Carl and Barbara Schafer.

A feast for the eyes, the GFAF Annual Salon Show celebrates Muncie’s robust fine art scene as dozens of paintings, prints, and pottery pieces fill the gallery. Both new and familiar work will be on view by area artists Kim Anderson, Brian Gordy, Jim Faulkner, Sarojini Johnson, Jan McCune, Alan Patrick, Martin Price, Carol Strock Wasson, and more. This unique exhibit allows for works of art to be taken away at the time of sale, giving patrons the opportunity to consider art in the show for holiday decorating and gift giving.

“There is no other GFAF exhibit that appropriately and visually conveys the impressive amount of artistic talent Muncie and the rest of East Central Indiana supports. The Annual Salon Show is both a testament to that talent and the community of art patrons that continues to reinforce our efforts to grow the local arts scene,” offers Gallery Manager Braydee Euliss reflecting on her tenth year of involvement with exhibitions at Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co.

Carl and Barbara Schafer will introduce the exhibit and artists in attendance during a brief talk at 6:15. Light refreshments will be served and the public is invited to attend.

Gordy Fine Art and Framing Company promotes talented artists and offers expert design and craftsmanship for framing and displaying treasured family possessions and works of art. The Annual Salon Show may also be viewed through the end of January 2017 during regular business hours: Monday through Friday, 9 am – 5:30 pm, Saturday, 9 am – 3 pm. Gordy Fine Art and Framing Company is located at 224 East Main Street, next door to Muncie Civic Theatre. For more information, visit www.gordyframing.com or call 765-284-8422.

Idia Lab

119 W. Charles St.

Ball State University's IDIA Lab will showcase an immersive, virtual reality art installation at 119 E. Charles St. If you want to check out the latest Oculus Rift VR headset and other fun tech, come on down!

Made in Muncie
313 S. Walnut

An opening Reception for “In the Limelight” will be held from 5-8pm.

Muncie Artists Guild will be stepping into the "Limelight" again with their show at Made in Muncie Pottery. Their opening reception will be from 5-8pm. Many of their works in various media will be featured and for sale. The work will be on display for the entire month of December 2016 through January 2017.

Madjax

514 E Jackson St.

What can we learn from today’s extreme environments that can help us adapt to a rapidly changing climate? You can experience the answer at 134°: Architecture for Extreme Environments, the exhibition of 12 shelters designed and built by Ball State University architecture student recently returned from a research trip to Death Valley. Led by BSU Professor George Elvin, the students explored the world’s hottest place and drew lessons from it that can help us live better in a changing climate. At the Project Open House, Thursday, December 1, 5-8pm at MadJax Muncie, visitors can experience twelve unique shelter structures designed and built by the students and learn how today’s most extreme environments can teach us about sustainability, resilient design, and how we can thrive in tomorrow’s climate. MadJax Muncie is located at 514 E Jackson St. 

Holiday Muncie Makers Market
Jackson and Cherry Streets

The Holiday Muncie Makers Market is coming to Light Up Dwntwn! Our local artisans will stock this festive gift market during the 2016 Tree Lighting Ceremony at Canan Commons, on Walnut at the Roundabout in Downtown Muncie, Indiana, on Thursday, December 1st, from 5-8pm. This fun annual family event features Santa Claus, children's activities, music, and the Holiday Muncie Makers Market in a heated tent full of an amazing array of art and gifts!

This community gift sale, with a goal of showcasing the talent of Muncie artists and makers, will help you get all your shopping done early while enjoying traditional family entertainment and kicking off the holiday season. The Holiday Muncie Makers Market will feature a wide variety of fantastic holiday gifts of jewelry, breads and sweets, clothing, gourmet pet treats, photography, oil/acrylic/watercolor paintings, jams and jellies, knits, dogwear, plants, candy, pottery, wreaths and swags, toys, drawings, pies, purses, silk scarves, afghans, fudge, soaps, holiday decorations, prints, perfume oils, headbands, sculpture, stuffed animals, and so much more! FREE to attend!

Holiday Muncie Makers Market event details and RSVP here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/933097013501779/

During the Spring, Summer, and Fall, the Muncie Makers Market is an outdoor, weekly Growers and Makers Market. We will return in Spring 2017! Fresh food, locally grown produce, plants, art, handmade crafts, and live entertainment, all weekly at the Muncie Makers Market on Saturdays from 4-7p on the corner of Jackson and Cherry Streets in the Old West End of Downtown Muncie, and, we are a PokéStop just full of lures. Watch for our Market to return with warm weather!

JOIN the Muncie Makers Market on FaceBook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1627047027524961/

Muncie Makes Lab

628 S. Walnut

1st Floor:

CritChat Open House

Muncie Makes Lab will host its fourth CritChat exhibit of the year from 5-9pm. CritChat Open House is a one night only pop-up exhibit of new, experimental artwork by several CritChat members. Exhibiting artists will be present and guests are encouraged to ask questions throughout the evening. DJ JANNELL will provide music, and light refreshments will be served.

CritChat is a free, community meet-up developed and facilitated by emerging, Muncie-based artists. This monthly gathering invites local artists of all kinds to participate in conversation about their own work and the work of others. Painters, photographers, sculptors, and makers alike are encouraged to bring completed work, work-in-progress, and even unrealized ideas with the sole intention of sharing. By enabling dialogue, promoting collaboration, and providing critical feedback, the group hopes to build community and support for emerging area artists.

Find out more about CritChat & join the conversation every 3rd Thursday of the month from 7-9pm at Muncie Makes Lab, 628 S. Walnut St. Muncie, IN 47605. No RSVP necessary. Muncie Makes Lab is a design/build, make, discuss, display, and workshop lab for students, faculty, and staff from Ball State University as well as the Muncie community.

2nd Floor:

I Used Google Translate For This

Melissa Livermore and Sarah Lassiter join together to create work that explores their experiences with second and third languages. This exhibition looks at self-teaching, code-switching, and the role technology plays in the process of learning a new language.

Savage's Ale House (21+)

127 N. High

Dream Cloud Skateboards will be showing a variety of skateboard art throughout the month of December.

Twin Archer Brewpub

117 W. Charles St.

Eat, Drink, and Cartography: Celebrating “My Indiana Home” with Maps and a Wicked Book

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) is coordinating an exhibit for the Muncie DWNTWN First Thursday Arts Walk.  This Thursday, December 1 Twin Archer Brew Pub (117 West Charles Street) will be hosting an exhibit of maps of Indiana starting at 5:00 through 8:00 pm.  And Keith Roysdon and Douglas Walker will be signing copies of their new book, Wicked Muncie.

The map exhibit, “My Indiana Home,” features Indiana history maps created by the GRMC in celebration of the state’s Bicentennial this December 11.  The maps cover Indiana’s rich political history, women’s history, military history, music, sports, and even movies that take place in the state.  The newest map in the collection depicts the Vice Presidents from Indiana.  The collection of Indiana history maps is available in digital format in the Libraries’ Cardinal Scholar repository or may be circulated from the GRMC.  Teachers can use the maps for classroom exhibits or research, especially for fourth-grade Indiana history lessons.

Ball State University students in Dr. Hannah Barnes’ watercolor and painting class also created original maps of their interpretation of home.  The students visited the GRMC to look at all the different kinds of cartography (above) for inspiration and then painted maps of their Indiana homes.  This collection is extremely creative: One student painted a compass rose of a common Indiana insect, the cicada (above).  These maps will be included as a special collection in the Libraries’ Digital Media Repository.

The book Wicked Muncie by Keith Roysdon and Douglas Walker describes the criminal history of Muncie.  The authors explored the notorious and unusual side of Muncie’s history of crime, including murder, corruption, and illegal gambling.  Books will be available for purchase and signing.

Twin Archer Brew Pub serves all ages as a restaurant and a bar that serves craft beer.  The menu includes fresh ingredients every day.

For more information, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

Natalie Haidle, Studio Exhale

Rose Court

125 E. Charles

“Random Whimsy Art Show”

Join Natalie Haidle, Studio Exhale's Meditation Teacher, as she showcases an eclectic variety of artwork.

Mike Sigman, "Ken Preston: 40+ Years of Student Prints," The Atrium Gallery David Palm, "Stop All the Clocks," Cornerstone Center of the Arts Erin Williams, "The Romance," Gordy Fine Art and Framing Heidi J. Hale Angela Garrels "Self Portrait at the End of One Career," at "Ken Preston: 40+ Years of Student Prints," Madjax An informal conversation about race and diversity will be held at the Muncie Civic Theatre to celebrate the imminent opening of their performance of "To Kill a Mockingbird" "Tiny Home Designs for the Homeless of Muncie," Muncie Makes Lab, 1st floor Yard signs from Neighbors for Public Justice, Rose Court Detail, Chelsea Rene, Savages Ale House Heather Davis, Savage's Ale House Angie Ridge Hedman, "Chaos and Ease," Studio Exhale

The Atrium Gallery
Arts and Journalism Building, 1st floor, Ball State University campus

“Ken Preston: 40+ Years of Student Prints”
The Atrium Gallery will have extended hours of operation for First Thursday until 8pm for this special show from Ken Preston, Professor of Art at Ball State University. The exhibition presents a myriad of work from his students over the years, including Serigraphy, Lithography, Intaglio, Woodcut, and work from his Introduction to Printmaking courses from 1973 to 2016.  Students work was executed at Indiana University, Bloomington, Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman University), Kirksville, Missouri, and Ball State University.

Please note this is not an opening reception, but rather, extended viewing hours for First Thursday.

Cornerstone Center for the Arts
520 E. Main

“Stop All The Clocks,” featuring the artwork of the late David Palm, will continue to be on display in the Cornerstone Art Gallery throughout February. Palm was a Muncie native who spent much of his life traveling the world with his primary residence in New York City. The paintings featured in the show capture the often fleeting memories of important, yet seemingly insignificant, moments in one's life. Palm's sister, Janet Stratton, has offered up her collection of his artwork for the public to view. For more information about the show call 765-281-9503. 

Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co.
224 E. Main

An opening reception will be held for Ritual, an exhibition of new drawings by artist Erin Colleen Williams. Ritual is comprised of a selection of drawings which contemplate the interdependency of human, animal, and object. Inspired by narrative illustrations, mythology, memento mori, and historical occult imagery, the work visually describes intangible emotions such as loneliness, revulsion, sacrifice compassion, and the universality of death. Ritual also refers to the act of daily drawing, a sometimes mindless repetition of pattern and line, which is a meditation in itself. Light refreshments will be served.

Grace Episcopal Church
300 S. Madison

Grace Episcopal Church will host a concert of music reflecting the theme of romance. Start February with some music from the Romantic period and various love songs from composers such as Haydn, Kreisler, Elgar, Dvorak, and Respighi. Our performers this evening are Peter Douglas, piano and David Blakely, violin. Douglas is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Piano Performance at Ball State University. He received his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music (Berea, OH). Blakely is currently a violin performer in the Muncie Symphony Orchestra and teaches violin locally. Our concert begins at 7:30 pm and our doors open at 5pm for viewing of our art gallery. Grace Episcopal Church is located on the corner of Madison St. and Adams St. 

Heidi J. Hale
301 S. Walnut

Heidi J. Hale will be open throughout the First Thursday events offering jewelry for sale.

Madjax Muncie
628 S. Walnut

Ken Preston, Professor of Art at Ball State University, will have a show at Madjax featuring 40+ years of Student Prints.

Book Arts Collaborative (at Madjax)
600 E. Main

Book Arts Collaborative will have an opportunity for the community to pull a print using one of our printing presses.

Tribune Showprint (at Madjax)
501 E. Main

Tribune Showprint will be giving tours of the shop and have some old posters out for people to see.

Muncie Civic Theatre
216 E. Main

Muncie Civic Theatre is inviting the community to participate in an informal conversation in our lobby about diversity and race relations 'now and then' as we prepare to present To Kill a Mockingbird. The conversation will be led by WaTasha Barnes-Griffin from the YMCA and Maude Jennings from the Whitely Community Council. The Shaffer Chapel will have artifacts from the era on display. Hot chocolate will be served. All are welcome.

Muncie Makes Lab
628 S. Walnut

First Floor

“Tiny Home Designs for the Homeless of Muncie”

Ball State University’s Department of Architecture is exhibiting 16 tiny home designs for the homeless and homeless veterans. These projects, produced by 4th year architecture students, were finalists in the 2016 Cripe Competition.

Second Floor

“CritChat: The Upside Down”

As CritChat’s fifth First Thursday event, this one night only exhibit will feature experimental video, sound, sculpture, installation, and drawing by several group members. Exhibiting artists will be present and guests are encouraged to ask questions throughout the evening. CritChat is a free, community meet-up developed and facilitated by Muncie-based artists working to promote collaboration and support for emerging area artists.

Rose Court
125 E. Charles

“Neighbors for Public Justice,” a new local community group, will hold an informational Open House during February’s First Thursday in the Rose Court Building. Several members will be on hand to provide information and other materials about the organization. Additionally, a limited number of yard signs in Spanish, English, and Arabic that read “No matter where you are from, we’re glad you’re our neighbor” will be available for purchase.

Neighbors for Public Justice was formed shortly after the November 2016 election. They aim to “inform and support one another in our individual and collective efforts to promote social justice on a local and global level, equip one another with practical, positive ways to communicate and engage with local, state, and national government, and empower one another to be advocates for all people."

Neighbors for Public Justice meets every Thursday evening at the Friends Memorial Church, 418 W Adams Street, in Muncie from 6pm to 7pm.

Savage's Ale House (21+)
127 N. High

Savage's Alehouse will be showing the work of Heather Davis and Chelsea Rene.

Studio Exhale
103 N. High St.

Studio Exhale will host an opening reception by artist Angie Ridge Hedman entitled “Chaos and Ease.” Hedman is currently a high school art teacher at Monroe Central. She began working on this diverse body of work when she changed jobs after teaching at one school for 17 years. The change of schools was stressful for her, and painting allowed her to quickly get her emotions onto the canvas. 

She prefers working with acrylics because of the accessibility, affordability, and quick drying process. The medium allows her to apply several thin layers of paint in a limited time. Hedman always has an in-progress painting going on in her classroom because she feels students learn and appreciate more if they can be an active witness and participant in the art process. It is important for them to see her as both an artist and an educator. If they see her taking creative risks in art, they might be inspired to do the same.