Today let’s look beyond Angola, northeast toward Clear Lake, and take in Margaret Carlson’s truly wonderful Old Mill Shoppes and Art Gallery. Graciously situated on three countryside acres, this property encompasses four historic buildings moved from Ray, Indiana in the late last century: the Old Ray Post Office, now holding regional art; the old Milking Parlor, now holding antiques; and two old, large mills which serve as venues for special events such as next weekend’s July 30/31 Saturday/Sunday Old Mill Art Festival, an event I absolutely would not miss.
Margaret and her husband Ron bought the old McNaughton property in late 2009, which had stood vacant throughout the prior decade … and that poignant intersection of past and future is what conjures up the Old Mill’s special charm: yesteryear’s buildings with inlaid bricks from old school houses and firehouses … gone fallow many years … now resurrected as a vital nexus of regional art and even a destination for high school art student field trips!
Generally you can see a great variety of regional art at Old Mill 10-5 every Friday through Sunday. Take pottery for example: I saw work by (1) Steve Smith, a recently retired but very dynamic and active Defiance College art professor [expect an August or September article on his new 4 Corners Studio, Gallery and Pottery at Lake James/Jimmerson Lake]; (2) Shirley Brauker’s piece [see photo] which won 2nd place at the Eiteljorg Indian Art Museum/Market in Indianapolis; (3) the remarkable Patty Griest’s pottery. Patty, in her eighties, is a Clear Lake resident who just began working with pottery in her seventies.
And this is precisely what makes it worth a trip to see the Old Mill’s art: diverse expressions at diverse price points by diverse but definitely accomplished local and regional artists of all sort: potters, painters, sculptors, glass blowers, photographers, and more.
If you happen to catch one of Margaret’s occasional Wine and Cheese nights, you are in for an especially accommodating, informal, and rewarding event, where the public can meet many of the exhibiting artists who are happy to discuss their work. All you have to do is introduce yourself, ask questions, and enjoy the music. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed such a night in June, graced by a perfect selection acoustic music at outdoor picnic tables, courtesy of regional favorite Jim Weber, accompanied by none other than Shirley Brauker [see photo, did not get one of Jim, but then everyone knows him].
So do consider the second annual Old Mill Shoppes Art and Craft Festival Saturday/Sunday July 30/31. This year will feature exhibiting artists from four states, food vendors, and music both days by Jim Weber and Friends. My wife and I would not consider missing it.
Even the countryside drive is pleasant: East on 120 through Fremont, left on North Ray Road past the Wild Winds Buffalo Preserve to the 3-way stop, right onto 750 N about two miles to Old Mill on the left. Or from the Clear Lake Marina, turn north onto 700 E then left onto 750 N at the cemetery, Old Mill just ahead on the right.
Other notes: The July 12 Angola Regional Artists’ Guild meeting highlight was a demo by Greg Summers of Fishmonger Art. Greg is a successful sculptor who uses recycled metals - I love his fish [see scores of wonderful fish on FishMongerArt.com], but my favorite work of his is the huge dragonfly on the front of the Fremont Public Library building. The meeting demo was incredibly dynamic and interesting: starting with a smooth flat sheet of steel, and working with just two hammers, a chisel, snips, an anvil with two holes and one slot bored out, and his fingers [to bend the sheet], Greg banged away on both sides for 20 minutes, stopping often to show intermediate results: an accretion of features, dimension, and texture resulting in a before-your-eyes evolution of a great-looking fish! Wish I had a video of Greg’s demo … and wish some of his work could be seen at Pokagon … how fitting that would be …
Guild meetings begin at 6:30PM on the second Tuesday of each month at Angola’s Carnegie Public Library. The first 30-60 minutes usually include a presentation, lecture, etc. open to the public, followed by a closed business meeting.
Stephen Rowe currently serves as the Angola Regional Artists’ Guild publicity chairman and writes two additional blogs:
Stephen welcomes correspondence of all sort per StephenRowe.OriGraphics@yahoo.com
