Changing STEM to STEAM

This has been an ongoing discussion in the arts industry for a while now, and locally I think it's become a hot topic.  Obviously artists, arts educators, and arts organizations are going to have strong feelings about this, however it's something that everyone should think about.  Design has an affect on almost everything we do, even the things we encounter on a daily basis and never think about.  Read this Purdue Exponent opinion article and let's hear your opinions.

Also, while you're considering this, take the time to support the arts.  Sign the petition to tell Congress not to cut funding for the arts and arts education!

"With a 49% budget cut, the NEA will be forced to drastically scale back their grant-making. These disproportionate cuts of $71 million are short-sighted and will ultimately be devastating when combined with the additional loss of $639 million in potential matching funds for the arts. For every dollar the NEA invests in a nonprofit arts organization, it is matched on average 9-to-1 by additional grants. Communities rely on NEA grants to leverage additional support for the arts, generate local economic activity, and fuel innovation. Through the relatively small investments made by Congress, NEA is making possible extraordinary things all across the country, including seeding new jobs in the creative economy.

Stand with us as we protect this important educational and economic investment in our country, by telling Congress that cutting funding to the NEA is not an option. Now is the time to make sure that they hear our voice and protect the arts in America. Add your name to the online petition and make a difference in the lives of all Americans."

Save the Date- September Gallery Walk

It's that time again! Join us for our final Gallery Walk of the season and for our opening reception with new work by the Wabash Valley Watercolor Society, Stacy Bogan, and FibR.

Check out our Save the Date email here! We hope to see you there!

September Arts Intersect

Here's our latest Arts Intersect with events for September!  Be sure to check it out! Click Here!

Another Event by the Kokomo Art Association: Call for Artists!
The Kokomo Art Association is calling all artists and artisans!

ART ON MAIN in Downtown Kokomo, Indiana
We are so excited to be hosting Art on Main in conjunction with the Indiana Historical Society's Bicentennial Train stop in downtown Kokomo. The Indiana Bicentennial Train will be making stops throughout Indiana and we are looking forward to its stop in Kokomo. You don't want to miss this very special event. Art on Main will be held Saturday September 28, the last day of the Bicentennial Train stop in Kokomo. We will be on Main Street just east of the train. Set up fee for KAA members is $35 and $50 for non-members. This is a great opportunity to exhibit and sell your work! Don't miss out! For more information contact Lynn at celarekb@yahoo.com or Cheryl at kokomoartassociation2012-kaa@yahoo.com.   

Correction: 5th Annual Sidewalk Chalk Festival!

If you're looking for something fun to do September 4th through the 8th be sure to attend the 5th Annual Sidewalk Chalk Festival!  This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Education Building.  Click this link for more information!

Mosey for the Arts this Saturday!

2013 Mosey for the Arts  This Saturday!   a free street celebration featuring visual and performing artists and cultural organizations.

Mosey for the Arts joins Mosey Down Main Street this Saturday, August 10 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm.  Mosey for the Arts presents family-friendly live performances, hands-on art activities, and cultural information highlighting regional artists and arts organizations. Participants will enjoy all the Mosey favorites including live music on three stages and a wonderfully varied assortment of entertainment and food. The event will offer the audience a close-up look at the broad range of arts in our community.   Mosey for the Arts is an arts partnership between Friends of Downtown, Tippecanoe Arts Federation, and the Cultural Plan Education Committee. This program of the Lafayette/West Lafayette Cultural Plan Education Committee is designed to address Goals 3.2 and 3.3 of the Community Cultural Plan. The goals of the plan include improving community awareness of cultural offerings and exploring ways to increase participation in arts and culture. For more information on the Community Cultural Plan click here! Information about area arts and cultural educational opportunities in our community can be found by visiting Art Connection here. Check out our Arts Village Sponsored by Wabash Valley Mental Health Center (located across from Lafayette Brewing Company).  Those participating in Mosey for the Arts include: Stacy Bogan, Grateful Heart Gallery and Gifts, Lafayette Symphony Orchestra, Songwriters Association of Mid-North Indiana - SAMI, Tippecanoe Arts Federation, Morton Community Center, Tippecanoe County Historical Association, Purdue Convocations, Purdue Galleries and Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette, Art Museum of Greater Lafayette, Bach Chorale, West Lafayette Public Library, Tippecanotes, Adam Cantor, Andrew Nuss, Midwest Fife, Pipes, and Drums, Adam Vanderwielen, Old Tippecanoe Quilt Guild, Friends of Bob Live Music Co-op, Friends of the Education Building, Red Poppy Studios and Gallery, and more! Mosey Down Mainstreet is a free street festival made possible by the Friends of Downtown. Hours are 6pm - Midnight.

Save the Date! New Gallery Exhibition and Opening Reception!

Come visit us next Friday night!

Make plans to join us at the Wells Community Cultural Center on Friday, August 9, for an opening reception! Come to the reception from 6:00-8:00 to meet the artists and see their work. The exhibition will run from August 9 - September 13.

Reflections, Dreams & Insomnia

Nicole Paraskevas

East Gallery

Mixed Media Glass

A collection of works inspired by life, fantasy and somewhere in between. Artist Nicole Paraskevas depicts these ideas through a series of mixed media glass creations. This colorful show fusing reality and fantasy plays with perceptions, and is inspired by the artist's own experiences and interpretations.  This show is a visual adventure of reality and beyond through the eyes of the artist.

Oil and Ink

Jeff Smith and Don Seybold

Northwest Gallery

Oil Painting and Poetry

Jeff Smith and poet Don Seybold explore the tension and equilibrium between oil painting and poetry. The collection includes poems which interface in multiple ways with the paintings, poems inspired by paintings, and paintings inspired by the written word. Sometimes the connection is direct, more often oblique, provocative, and/or playful. 

They address and foreground, making more transparent when possible, the aesthetic challenges that are encountered by the painter and the poet and how those issues resonate with even greater complexity and pleasure when addressed [and experienced] in tandem. They hope to replicate, as much as possible their creative challenges and experiences for those who come to the exhibit as they encounter the paintings and poems, if not exactly simultaneously, in close chronological sequence.

county fair  

zach medler

east gallery 

installation

zach medler's "county fair" is a multimedia interactive installation featuring toys and games built into the framework of a pop-up sidewalk street fair cart.  the short film 'county fair' featuring all the different parts of the installation also accompanies the work.  the audience is invited to participate by playing the games, turning cranks, and twisting knobs to animate the sculpture.  this installation has been shown in chicago, madison, louisville, and ft. wayne.

August Arts Intersect!

Check out our August Arts Intersect!  There are a lot of fun events taking place in August!  Check our Facebook page for additional events!

Faith West Community Center introduces "Iron Sharpens Iron"

"Iron Sharpens Iron"
“Special thanks to three local companies, Titan Construction Services, Girtz Industries and Wilson Crane Service for their support of this public art project.”- Faith Ministries 

Faith West Community Center is pleased to introduce "Iron Sharpens Iron", by local artistBen Sutter. The large public art piece is located in front of the new Faith West Community Center at 1920 Northwestern Avenue in West Lafayette.

Iron is one of the earth's very common elements and remains the most widely used metal. Its element symbol is FE. The Bible refers to iron numerous times in the Old and New Testaments. One of the best known references is Proverbs 27:17, "Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

Ben Sutter created this sculpture because Faith West exists as a place where we can help one another grow. The lower FE is colored red representing the blood that Jesus Christ shed for those He loved. The upper FE is orange depicting the heating of iron as it is transformed into a new shape. In the same way that iron sharpens iron, one person can sharpen another by loving those around us.

The artist graduated from the University of Southern Indiana in 2009 with a Bachelor's in Fine Art. Ben began his passion for outdoor sculpture with chainsaw carvings which led to metal casting and metal sculpture. He also makes aluminum wall sculpture and carves life-size fishing lures. He has a number of local installations including "David Ross" on Main Street across from the Tippecanoe County Courthouse and "Point of Departure" in the West Lafayette Village.

Faith Ministries is committed to connecting with the Greater Lafayette community in a variety of ways including the creative arts. The Faith East Community Center houses a public art gallery. Faith also produces the popular annual Lafayette Living Nativity and the Lafayette Passion Play. For more information visit www.faithlafayette.org.

Visit the piece in person!

Faith West Community Center

1920 Northwestern Ave

West Lafayette, IN 47906

Link to Constant Contact PR Release

Such a Great Weekend!

This weekend was great!  I participated in my first Gallery Walk!  I was able to go from location to location to visit the galleries and to meet new people!  Although I didn't get to every location, I did get to see quite a few.  I was also able to get a few photos throughout the night.  Here at TAF we had a great turn out, and from what the other locations said, the same was true for all of them.

Gallery Walk at TAF

    

Gallery Walk at City Foods

    

Gallery Walk at JE Field Co and Red Poppy

Gallery Walk at Main Street Wine and Cheese

This weekend, Mosey Down Main also occurred, I went with some friends to check it out!  We made a special stop at Main Street Wine and Cheese to get our Wine Slushies!

Getting Ready to Mosey!

      Ran into some past friends!

     We watched some performers

    Foam City's interactive installation           We watched more performers

     We listened to some live music- The Prannies

    I played with some shutter speeds

Gallery Walk July 12, 2013

Don't forget, the July Gallery Walk is just around the corner!  Check out the business information and map links for more information about each participating location!

Map | Business Information

We can't wait to see you there!

New Exhibition at TAF!

New Exhibition at TAF!

Mugshots- The Greater Lafayette Clay Guild

Impressions of Nature- Rona Schwarz

Word | Spiel- David Miller

Come check them out! Don't forget about Gallery Walk on July 12, 2013!

Check out our July Arts Intersect!

Check out our July Arts Intersect!

Taste Volunteers and Guests!

Thanks to those who came out to support the 2013 Taste of Tippecanoe!  We appreciate all of our wonderful volunteers and guests! We would greatly appreciate if you would take a moment of your time to complete a short online questionnaire about the event and our service.  The links to the surveys can be found below:

If you were a guest please fill out this survey:

General Public Survey

If you were a Volunteer or Gate Captain please fill out this survey:

Taste Volunteer Survey

Save the Date

Save the Date! July Gallery Walk! July 12, 2013 from 6-10pm!

We hope to see you there!

First Post

Hey there! I figured I might as well take the time to introduce myself in my first post on here.  I am the new Marketing and Administrative Director for TAF!  I just recently graduated Purdue University with a degree in Photography & Related Media, as well as Sociology.  I am originally from the Indy area and have only lived in (West) Lafayette for two years, I'm excited to see what Lafayette has to offer!  So far there seems to be plenty of events going on to stay busy.  I hope to see you all there!  Just to get to know me a little better, you can find my personal site here!

I had the pleasure of sharing the wonderful experience of TASTE last weekend, I'm so excited to be a part of it next year! It was so energizing and everyone looked like they enjoyed themselves!  Please visit our photo gallery here!  A special thanks to Dave Keiner, Vanessa Isenbarger, Chris Skees, and Emma Swales for taking photos at TASTE. Photos provided by Dave and Vanessa have already been posted, and I will post more from Chris and Emma soon!

We have a lot of exciting events happening this weekend!  Lafayette Third Friday is tonight. And Purdue Galleries has a new gallery opening tonight!  Fountain Gallery's opening reception will be from 5-7pm! Check out their Purdue page or their blog page for more information!

If you haven't already, please check out our social media sites! Check out TAF's website! Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter (@tippecanoearts)!