“Indy Windy: A Love Story” is part of a Two-part Exhibit Series that showcase artists whose work is sparking new life in old places. “Haunts” is the second exhibit. Each exhibit premiers at the Center for Visual and Performing Arts in Munster and then moves to the Miller Beach Arts & Creative District, the Gary Public Library and Cultural Center, and Art House: A Social Kitchen in Gary. Lead underwriting for the series has been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Legacy Foundation and Peoples Bank. A special grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Fund at the Legacy Foundation will enable the works to be shared with three venues in Gary.
The opening reception for “Indy Windy: A Love Story” was scheduled February 8 with the Exhibit running through March 10 at the following locations:
Miller Beach Arts & Creative District: 540 S. Lake Street, Gary, IN, Gallery hours: Thursdays 12-6 p.m., Fridays 12-9 p.m., Saturdays 6-9 p.m., and Sundays 1-4 p.m.;
Gary Public Library and Cultural Center: 220 W. 5th Avenue, Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.–8 p.m., Friday & Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
ArtHouse: A Social Kitchen 411 E. 5th Ave, Gary, IN, May 31-June 30, 2019. For more information call (219) 979-8156 closer to date.
“Indy Windy: A Love Story” – features artists from Indiana and Chicago who execute large public artworks to create new environments in aging urban and manufacturing areas, while also documenting their experiences and creating new work in their private studios. It is curated by Ish Muhammad, a self-taught artist from Indiana who maintains a studio at the Zhou B Art Center in Chicago’s Bridgeport community on the south side. The exhibit will present an overview of creative activity currently underway by a community of Midwest artists, some of whom have been working together for nearly 30 years.
Muhammad states, “The inspiration for the exhibition is tied to the hustle of being an artist in Northwest Indiana and the relationships built along the way. What started out with artists building professional networks has evolved into true friendships with wedding invitations, graduations, and rent parties. Each has served as mentors, mentees, participated in exhibitions, organized events and collaborated with each other. This exhibit presents artists who respect each other and sincerely desire success for their peers.”
“Indy Windy: A Love Story” will capture the relationship that Northwest Indiana artists maintain with the creative community in Chicago. Informational didactics will help viewers understand the diversity throughout this sprawling metropolitan region and how the artwork is being used to create new environments. The exhibit will showcase a dozen artists, along with two crews and a collective. Among the artworks on display will be selections from Still Crazy: 30 yrs. of Crazy Indiana Style Artists, an exhibition of artifacts and paintings, covering the history of Indiana’s first Latino artist collective, from the Indiana State Museum.
Although “Indy Windy: A Love Story” will include the grit of the graffiti writing movement, it is not intended to be a graffiti-only show, nor will it be a response to whether graffiti is art or vandalism. The exhibit will include the polished work of veteran muralists, fine artists, sculptors, and woodworkers in an environment where the viewer can experience the excitement of urban communities and make connections to the creative energy embodied by the artists’ work.
Artists featured in “Indy Windy: A Love Story” include Ruben Aguirre, members of the Crazy IN-Style Artists (CISA) Crew, FAB Crew, graffiti writer Mario “ZORE” Gonzalez, self-taught artist Tyrue “Slang” Jones, Emmet Kerrigan, Felix Maldonado, Liz Mares, Ish Muhammad, Brian Presnell, Tom Torluemke, members of the artist collective The Unwonted, former steel worker Roman Villarreal, and Chicago-based street artist ZorZorZor.
“Haunts” is the second exhibit in the series and is curated by John Cain. This exhibit will feature the work of guerilla photographers who have been lured to Gary and other cities to capture the haunting beauty of architectural ruins on the verge of being repurposed as gardens and other public spaces. It opens February 8, 2019 at at the Center for Visual and Performing Arts in Munster and will travel simultaneously to the following venues in Gary: Miller Beach Arts & Creative District’s Marshall J. Gardner Center for the Arts, the Gary Public Library and Cultural Center and, the ArtHouse: A Social Kitchen from May 31-June 30, 2019. More information on Haunts will be made closer to the opening date.
