Looking Ahead: The Art Beat Horizon

As the summer climax gives way to autumn, let’s pause to anticipate what lies ahead.

One gust of fresh air will come from Holly Dowidat, the young ceramic artist who created the several dogs in the downtown windows that received SO MUCH attention throughout the August Angola Phantom Gallery Renaissance – I myself witnessed many people stopping to point, stare, comment, and take photos. Holly will write her own “self portrait” structured by outline-questions tailored for self-portraiture. This is an experiment: most artists are not writers as well, but seeing them directly per their own raw thoughts and words may be revealing and worthwhile. Holly’s art is very expressive, so let’s give audience to her literary self portrait sometime before winter’s arrival.

Expect another invigorating autumnal gust in the form of a guest post by Ruben Ryan, a young local musician and songwriter, who will write on songwriting. Fresh is the operative word here - at least in the few selections I have heard, which reveal a man living close to his feelings and impulses, with no trace of commercial, trite, formulaic sentiment. This is another experiment which will surely interest many.

Preceding these experiments, a more conventional post will profile the definitely unconventional “Steve Smith, Primal Potter and Entrepreneur” in the near future, and the final First Annual Alley Art Battle follow-up, where we will look at King and Miriam Oberlin. King is the event promoter and painter who also painted the City of Angola’s rain barrel contribution to the recent RISE/Habitat rain barrel benefit auctions. King’s sister Miriam participated in the ‘Battle’ as a photographer, and I have used several of her pictures in subsequent Art Beat posts, not to mention the great picture she took of me which I use as Facebook and internet blog icons. [Holly Dowidat also worked on a rain barrel for RISE, where she daylights as the receptionist].

Be looking in October for a post near to my heart on cultivating poetic and artistic imagination in children, and perhaps a winter post that answers the question on so many minds, “What are Origraphics? Just before winter though, we will look at “New Year Resolution,” a post encouraging and suggesting how YOU might take that polar-bear plunge and begin to practice art yourself. This post will also profile Angola’s Kathy French, who undertook her very first painting just prior to the June 4^th Alley art Battle, where I met her in the audience.

Finally, sometime in 2012 the Art Beat expects to roll out a radically innovative and dynamic framework for engaging ALL age groups in a MUTUAL exploration, where individuals’ discoveries are expressed in and shared through various Art forms! To make it really interesting, the first project will involve Hillary, Humphrey, several ScreenHead children, and possibly Cyber-Man. “What did you say!?” Stay tuned!

That summarizes the Art Beat horizon as the seasons change – just a couple closing notes on other close-by events:

·    The 6^th annual “RISE to the Occasion Taste, Sights, & Sounds of the Lakes” benefit fundraiser is Oct 13 at Pokagon’s Potawatomi Inn, 6:00-9:30PM. This is a most worthwhile and gratifying event. Artists can enjoy full participation by donating a work to the silent auction, and may call Executive Director Demise Payton at 260.665.9408 for additional details. Tickets for the general public are $40 and may be purchased at the RISE facility, 1600 Wohlert, Angola.

·    A reminder that Angola Regional Artists’ Guild meetings are open to the public and 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.

    The Aug 9 meeting featured Barbara Knights-Hale of Jitterbug Photography, who shared a wealth of practical and important tips on digital cameras - exceptionally engaging and well received.

    The Sep 13 program features Heidi Finley, who will discuss her evolution as an artist in the course of earning her M.A. in Studio Art at Saint Francis. Heidi’s work became very abstract, “reflecting a need to reconnect with my artistic self and affirm that reconnection through the act of expressionistic painting.” Should be very interesting.

Until the next post, know that the Angola area lakes region is an Art Region, and its towns are Art Towns!

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 Stephen Rowe currently serves as the Angola Regional Artists’ Guild publicity chairman and writes two additional blogs:

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