One more week to view my solo exhibit at the Thyen-Clark Cultural Center. I must say, the number of visitors has been terrific and the comments in the guest book are so touching. Thanks so much for coming out.
If you would like to have a personal tour, just contact me and I’ll meet you there if I’m available. Otherwise, admission and parking is free. And the exhibits are open seven days a week. M-F 9-5, Sa 10-2, Sun noon – 3.
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Posted in art, contemporary impressionism
Tagged acrylic, beach series, contemporary impressionist, intimate spaces, kit miracle, Thyen-Clark Cultural Center
Only two more weeks to see my exhibit at the Thyen-Clark Cultural Center in Jasper, Indiana. It has been such an awesome and inspiring experience to show my contemporary impressionist paintings in this brand new facility.
The number of visitors and the flattering comments made in the guest books are humbling. As my son told me, Mom, although these paintings are large, this gallery makes them look small. That is just how beautiful and large the gallery spaces are.
The show closes on Friday, June 25th. If you haven’t had a chance to drop by, please plan to do it soon. I’ve met many friends and guests at the gallery for a private tour, not only of my show, but the entire facility. Just let me know if you’re going to be in town and I’ll be happy to meet you there.
Jasper Community Arts / Thyen-Clark Cultural Center
100 Third Avenue
Jasper IN
Hours: M-F 9-5, Sa 10-2, Sun noon – 3. Free admission and plenty of free parking in the rear of the building.
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Posted in art, contemporary impressionism
Tagged acrylic, contemporary impressionist, gallery exhibit, indiana, Jasper Indiana, kit miracle, Thyen-Clark Cultural Center
After a week of final framing, I packed my exhibit of thirty paintings into two vehicles and delivered them to the new Cultural Center in Jasper on Friday. It’s always a little more difficult than one would think it should be. How to layer the paintings without them scratching each other, damaging the frames, or poking through. Also, so they won’t shift while driving.
The Visual Arts Coordinator, Emily Colucci Peak, helped unload and move the work into the gallery. We unwrapped everything and sat the paintings around. Then moved them into position for hanging later this week.
Wow, so exciting to be in this new space. I still can’t believe that the whole building is the final culmination of ten years of work by many many people.
So, for those of you who are interested, the show opens on Thursday, May 6th. Although there will be no reception due to COVID restrictions, the galleries are open to the public seven days a week. Free admission and plenty of free parking in the rear of the building.
I will also be doing a demonstration painting on Saturday, May 8th from 10 to 2.
If you’re in the area and would like a private tour, let me know and I will meet you there. But the staff is very helpful and each painting will have an explanation next to it.
Thyen-Clark Cultural Center, 100 Third Avenue, Jasper IN 47546
812-482-3070
Hours: M-F 9-5, Sa 10-2, Sun noon -3
Posted in art, contemporary impressionism
Tagged contemporary impressionism, exhibit, Thyen-Clark Cultural Center
Finally, the new library is open at the cultural center. And, boy, is it magnificent! Better than anything I could have imagined, even when I was working on the project!
As mentioned earlier, this is a joint project combining the Jasper-Dubois County Public Library and the Jasper Arts Department (excluding the performing arts center). I posted photos of the new galleries earlier. I’ll add the classrooms, studio spaces, and the black box theater later.
Today’s photos feature the new library. After nearly two decades of planning, votes, fundraising, the doors were open this week. I took my granddaughter for our first visit afterschool on Tuesday. Then went back alone for a more thorough visit on Wednesday.
In speaking with the library director, she said that people have commented on all the new books. She’s replied, they haven’t added any new volumes; the old library was just that over-crowded. Now it has plenty of room for technology, including a maker space, a teen zone, genealogy room, lots of quiet nooks and meeting spaces. Plus…the books books books. It even has an outdoor balcony for those who like some fresh air while they read.
For now, the entire Cultural Center is open six days a week with plans to expand to seven days a week sometime later. If you come for a visit, don’t forget to save time to visit the nearby Schaeffer Barn, the old school house, the mill and the train depot, all set along the scenic Patoka River in downtown Jasper. Admission is free.
The latest view of the atrium in February. It’s really starting to take shape.
Last year I posted about the ground breaking for our new cultural center. (April 3, 2019) It has been so exciting to watch the huge building going up this past year. I’ve been stopping about once a month to take photos of this process.
Just to bring you up to date in case you haven’t been following this story, the Thyen-Clark Cultural Center is located in the center of Jasper, Indiana. Jasper is a prosperous little German town in southern Indiana. Although it only has about 15,000 citizens, in a county of only about 40,000 people, it boasts one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state. Many businesses are located here – Kimball, MasterBrand, OFS, Jasper Engines and Transmissions, and others.
The expansion of the arts began as a nugget of an idea back in 2006 when I first became Director of Jasper Community Arts. We already had a decades long history of the arts and a very nice performing arts center. Unfortunately, the economic crisis of 2008 set everything back for years but in the end, we came up with a much better idea.
The new cultural center is a partnership of the arts and the library and will boast over 63,000 square feet of space, part arts, part library, and a central atrium for community events. After many years of planning, public meetings, many design changes, getting a library referendum passed, our dream is finally coming to fruition. With an amazing challenge grant from Jim and Pat Thyen, support from the city and the state, the local businesses jumped on board, seeing this as a wonderful recruiting tool, and private citizens have dug deep to help fund the project.
Although we were not able to save the old Hoosier Desk Building – it would have cost more to refurbish it than to build new – other old factory buildings in the area along the river have become apartments and condos. A new hotel has been erected and other businesses are moving in. All in all, a wonderful development for a small town where people work together.
As my husband often reminds me when I say “we”, I don’t work for Jasper Arts any more. But I’m still proud of all the hard work that has gone into making this dream a reality and will be so excited when it’s open to the public at the end of this year.
If you’d like to see the plans for the building, follow this link. Or Google Jasper
Cultural Center photos for more images.
Jasper Cultural Center building progress, November 2019. In the background, most of the arts wing is framed in on the west and north sides.
Cultural center December 2019. The large part in the middle is the atrium and the part to the right is the new library wing.
Showing more of the library wing framing on the south side of the building.
The atrium of the cultural center is pretty much up except for the windows. It will be able to host special events with table seating up to 150.
View of the arts wing from the northwest corner. This will host three galleries, a small event space, classrooms and private studios. Plus offices for the staff and a sculpture garden.
Another view of the arts wing classroom space. Here it is being bricked already.
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Posted in art
Tagged cultural center, indiana, Jasper Indiana, Thyen-Clark Cultural Center
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