December 20 – January 4
Recent Additions to the LCA Permanent Collection
Hyndman Gallery

Consisting of some 500 works of art, Lubeznik Center's permanent collection features a wide range of contemporary works by both regionally and nationally known artists. Selected by exhibitions Curator CarolAnn Brown, these recent additions will be on view in our Hyndman Gallery for a limited time. 

October 14 – January 6
Indiana Wildlife Artists Twenty-eighth Annual Exhibit
NIPSCO Art Education Studios

The work of some of Indiana's finest amateur and professional artists working in the subject area of wildlife and nature is featured in this traveling exhibition of work. First organized in 1982, Indiana Wildlife Artists promote the advancement of wildlife art and conservation of our natural resources.

October 14 – January 4
Larry Chait: Motion and Memory
Hyndman Gallery
Opening Reception: October 14, 6–8 p.m.

A journey home is captured through the filter of time and distance in this exhibition of evocative photography.

October 14 – December 18
Jözef Sumichrast: String Theory
Hyndman Gallery
Opening Reception: October 14, 6–8 p.m.

A spectacular installation of eleven horses suspended by string is the centerpiece of this exhibition that explores our understanding of matter/energy and its relationship to space/time.

October 14 – December 18
Lost and Found
Brincka/Cross and Robert Saxton Galleries
Opening Reception: October 14, 6–8 p.m.

The concept of the “readymade” or “found object” began with Marcel Duchamp and his 1917 work “Fountain,” which consisted of a urinal displayed upside-down. Duchamp was part of the anti-art establishment Dada movement, and so the work was meant as a challenge to prevailing ideas of art. Does something become art simply through being touched by and interpreted by the artist? Does display of an everyday object in the context of a museum or gallery cause us to ascribe it a different set of meaning than in its “natural” environment? Found objects connect these varied works by Lubeznik Center’s Area Artists Association.

September 11 – October 9
Fish Prints: A Tribute to Coastal Awareness Month

Created by 4th and 5th grade students from Lake Hills Elementary, these "Gyotaku" or Japanese fish prints were part of a local celebration of Coastal Awareness Month involving Michigan City Area Schools, Lubeznik Center for the Arts, the Northwest Indiana Paddling Association, LaPorte County Soil and Water Conservation District and Save the Dunes.

September 2 – October 9
Israel: Land of Contrast & Faith
Photographs by Michael Steinberg
NIPSCO Art Education Studio

Israel is a land where vast contrasts exist between the ancient and modern. This dichotomy is most apparent through the architecture and the people of Israel, with their differing political and religious beliefs. Photographer Michael Steinberg takes us on a journey of Israel as viewed through his personal lens.

July 1–October 2
Text Messages
Hyndman Gallery
Opening Reception: July 1, 5–8 p.m.

Jean Bevier, Jennifer Boe, Karin Vance Chickadel, Lora Fosberg, Amanda Katz, Michael Bill Smith and Charles Wickler are featured in this exhibition of work by artists who use language, text or typography to help convey meaning. Political, personal, satirical or lyrical, these "messages" are interpreted through a wide range of media including paint, silk and neon. While some are the result of personal musing, others contain social, political or cultural commentary.

July 1–October 2
Melissa Jay Craig: Transcriptions
Brincka/Cross and Robert Saxton Galleries
Opening Reception: July 1, 5–8 p.m.

A maker art books and sculptural installations, Craig’s works manipulate scale, color and texture in handmade paper.

July 1–August 28
Dana Zier & Students: Art From the Zoo
NIPSCO Art Education Studio

Artwork by animal painter Dana Zier and students from LCA's popular Art at the Zoo class are featured in this exhibit. Over the course of 4 weeks, students met at Michigan City's Washington Park Zoo, drawing from live models and learning painting and pastel techniques. Their work will inspire you!

April 16–June 26
Woman as Artist, Woman as Muse: Diamond Collection Posters of the Belle Epoque 1890-1910
Hyndman Gallery
Opening Reception: April 15, 6–8 pm

Women are featured as both artist and subject in these rare, original art nouveau advertising posters. This program has been made possible through a matching grant from the Indiana Humanities Council in cooperation with the National Endowment for the Humanities. Sponsored by Bulk Transport. Audio tour sponsored by Great Lakes Catering.

April 16–June 26
Tommy: The Material Girl
Brincka/Cross Gallery

Colorful art quilts by Tommy Fitzsimmons.

April 16–June 26
Vintage Vogue: Cover Art from the LCA Permanent Collection
Robert Saxton Gallery
Opening Reception: April 15, 6–8 pm

From the permanent collection of the LCA, these Vogue magazine covers from 1916–1933 feature fashion illustration by masters of the Art Deco style, including Helen Dryden and Eduardo Benito.

June 3 –June 24
In Their Shoes, Artwork by the Social and Learning Institute for the Disadvantaged
NIPSCO Art Education Studio

Portraits and spectacularly decorated shoes created by clients of Michigan City’s Social and Learning Institute are featured in this exhibition. The product of weekly art classes, taught by local artist Debra Sawyer at Lubeznik Center for the Arts, the mixed media works are both expressive and exuberant. All of the artwork from the exhibition will be offered for sale, with prices starting at $75. Proceeds will benefit the Social and Learning Institute for the Disadvantaged as well as Lubeznik Center for the Arts’ outreach and education programs, like the one that produced this exhibition.

April 29–May 29
Metal Music Diary: Photographs by Juli Palmer
NIPSCO Art Education Studios
Opening Reception: May 15, 2–4 p.m.

Juli attended her first concert when she was 37 years young. It was Motley Crue.  Since then, she’s been hooked on going to concerts and photographing them.  Her images capture the energy of the live music experience.

March 11–April 20
Art from the Start
Michigan City Area Schools Student Art Exhibit

Opening Reception Monday, March 14, 4:30–6:30 p.m. (CT)

Impressive in both quality and quantity, this striking display of art and fine crafts includes 2- and 3-dimensional pieces by kindergarten through 8th grade students. Created in the art rooms of the Michigan City public schools, a variety of art mediums including paint, clay, chalk pastels, and paper are represented at each grade level.

Feb. 19–April 10
What Will Your Legacy Be? Margaret Burroughs Prints
Conference Room Gallery
Opening Reception: February 18, 6–8 pm

Lubeznik Center for the Arts is pleased to share prints from our permanent collection by Chicago artist, teacher, leader and DuSable Museum of African American History founder, Margaret Burroughs.

Feb. 19–April 10
Through the Woods, Around the Block
Opening Reception: February 18, 6–8 pm

Local artist Larry Jensen presented an international cast of wood turners with a simple challenge: Starting with 2 identically sized solid wood blocks measuring 6x6x3, create an original work of art from one and leave the other untouched. The results will amaze you.

Feb. 18–April 10
100 Views of Chicago: Bronislaw M. Bak Woodcut Prints
Hyndman Gallery
Opening Reception: February 18, 6–8 pm

As fresh today as they were in 1967, the soul of a city is evoked in Bak’s stylized prints. 100 Views of Chicago is a folio of 100 black-and-white woodcuts published by Studio Press of Chicago in 1967. The images include iconic scenes of Chicago such as Marina City, the high rises along Lake Shore Drive, the Art Institute, the Chicago River, and the Field Museum. 

Feb. 11–March 4
Black History Month Poster Contest
NIPSCO Education Gallery
Opening Reception and Award Ceremony February 23, 4–6 p.m.

Part of an annual contest sponsored by the Michigan City Human Rights Commission, this exhibition features posters designed by kindergarten through 12th grade students. First, second and third place awards will be given in four grade categories at a presentation by Michigan City’s Mayor Oberlie at City Hall on Feb 23rd at 10 AM.

Feb. 11–March 4
ImageMakers 2010 Photography Contest: United Through Photography
Boys & Girls Club of Michigan City
NIPSCO Education Gallery

Since 1960, the ImageMakers Photography Contest has provided aspiring photographers with a chance to express their creativity through pictures. Club members, ages 7 through 12 are proud to display their favorite photographs of our Club and our community.

November 14, 2010–February 13, 2011
Beyond the Arches: Selected Works from McDonald’s Corporate Art Collection
Benefit Exhibit Preview and Reception: November 13, 6-9 pm
Public Opening Reception: November 19, 6-8 pm

Housed in the corporate offices in Oak Brook, IL and throughout the United States, McDonald’s Corporate art collection spans decades and includes more than 3,700 pieces of 2- and 3-D art works by regional, national and international artists. Lubeznik Center for the Arts is honored to bring selected works from this distinguished and rarely viewed collection to Michigan City. Download the audio tour here or phone (585) 627-4173 and listen as you tour!

November 14, 2010–February 13, 2011
Jack Lane: Saloon Society Chicago Style
Opening Reception: November 19, 6-8 pm

Populated by newspaper people, writers and their groupies, Jack Lane’s photographs from O’Rourke’s Bar evoke Chicago’s Saloon Society of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Join us for a “spirited” panel discussion featuring Chicago writer and newsman Rick Kogan at the November 19th opening reception.

November 5– January 9, 2011
Markus Giolas: Edible Abstractions
Opening Reception: November 19, 6 –8 pm

Supersized images of sliced lunch meat offer a visually striking opportunity to examine our connection to the food we consume. A staple of American culinary culture, blown up to 50 x 50 inches the humble deli slice of ham or pimento loaf becomes a beautiful abstract image in its own right, while also reminding us how far removed most of us are from its origins.

September 18 - November 7, 2010
Oscar Martinez: Isolation of Being
Brincka/Cross and Library Galleries
Opening Reception September 25, 6–8 pm

As a child in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Oscar Martinez loved to explore the river behind his home. His work is clearly inspired by the lush colors and natural forms of what he calls "my little paradise on earth." The shock of isolation he experienced upon moving to the U.S at age 13, contrasted with the idyllic memories of his childhood, established a polarity that he explores at length in Isolation of Being.

An accomplished artist who has had numerous group and solo exhibitions, Martínez resides in Chicago where he has been actively involved in the Chicago mural movement. Appointed by the Governor of the State of Illinois to the Illinois Arts Council, he served as chair of Media Arts. He has served on various boards and commissions including as President of the Latino Institute of Chicago and founder of the Latin American Museum of Art.

September 18– November 7, 2010
The North End: Lubeznik Center Area Artists Association 30th Anniversary
Opening Reception September 25, 6-8 pm

Michigan City has a long and colorful history as a tourist destination and lakeshore community, attracting artists and creative characters as part of its diverse population. This exhibition features more than 40 works by local artists, each choosing a unique location from Michigan City’s “North End” for inspiration and interpreting the site through their own medium and style. Works of photography, painting, sculpture, poetry and music are all represented in the exhibit ― emphasizing the rich contribution of the arts, and artists, to the character of the North End.

More information on the Area Artists Association.

September 28–October 28, 2010
In the Shadow of Cortés
NIPSCO Gallery

History and art collide in this exhibit featuring the work of historian and author Kathleen Ann Myers and former National Geographic photographer Steve Raymer.

July 24 – September 19, 2010
Art@The Center
Work by Students of the Lubeznik Center
NIPSCO Gallery

Art by participants in Lubeznik Center for the Arts’ classes and workshops are the subject of this multi-media exhibition.

July 17– September 12, 2010
Phil Shore & Sherry Giryotas: Place
Hyndman Gallery
Opening Reception July 17, 7-9 pm

The sculptural and painted works of Shore & Giryotas examine the relationship between humans and nature. While Shore’s artwork is informed and influenced by his travels to, and the study of, archeological artifacts of Ancient Greece, Giryotas' inspiration is closer to home, recording "memories of our land in Michigan."

Sharon Gilmore, Scrambling (detail)

July 17– September 12, 2010
Sharon Gilmore & Donna Hapac
Brincka/Cross and Library Galleries
Opening Reception July 17, 7-9 pm

Utilizing an experimental, intuitive approach, Hapac constructs organic sculptural forms from organic and manufactured materials. Gilmore’s works use found objects to create archetypal or mythical items from nature. Both artists borrow inspiration and resources from the environment.

July 17– September 12, 2010
Bev Overton: Junk Mail and Wrappers
Conference Room Gallery
Opening Reception July 17, 7-9 pm

Ephemera gets a second chance to inspire, amuse and “become beautiful and whole” in these colorful mixed paper constructions.

July 17, 2010
John Searles: Pas de Deux
Sculpture Garden
Unveiling July 17, 7-9 pm

The metal sculptures of John Searles reflect his enduring interests in mathematics, design, movement, energy and freedom and are an expression of his on-going dialogue with the metals he works with. Made of aluminum, Pas de Deux represents two ballet dancers, as well as the passion, delight and interdependence of Man & Woman.

June 18–July 18, 2010
Pieces of Me: Artwork based on the Drawing Collages of Tony Fitzpatrick
NIPSCO Gallery
Opening Reception Saturday, July 17, 7–9pm

Expressive collages created by Safe Harbor and Boys & Girls Club afterschool students are featured in this unique exhibit. The result of a six week lesson plan that began with writing about a memorable event, the stories and artwork illustrate each child’s life experiences.

The Spider Music
(detail)

April 24–July 11, 2010
Tony Fitzpatrick: No. 9, An Artist’s Journey
Hyndman Gallery
Opening Reception Saturday, April 24, 7 pm

No. 9, An Artist’s Journey features drawing collages that blend found objects, symbolic images and poetic narrative in lively and complex works.

Self-taught, Chicago based artist and poet, Tony Fitzpatrick is a former boxer, bartender and radio talk-show host, as well as an occasional movie actor.  With a gift for imagery and detailed drawing, Tony's characteristic style is informed by sources such as children's books, field guides, circus posters, tattoo designs and folk art.  In November 2009, Newcity named Tony Fitzpatrick the "Best iconic Chicago personality now that Studs Terkel is gone.

Still Life with Apricots
(detail)

April 24–July 11, 2010
Carl Holzman: New Still Lifes
Brincka/Cross Gallery
Opening Reception Saturday, April 24, 7 pm

New still lifes by Chicago artist Carl Holzman seek to combine elements of the natural and artificial in fresh ways. Holzman manipulates light and composition to breathe new life into subject matter from fruit to flea market finds ─ creating unified painted images that bring comfort and delight to the viewer.

Born and raised in Topeka, Kansas, Holzman worked for 2 decades in corporate finance. He eventually studied drawing and painting at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and with portrait painter Richard Halstead. In 2007 Holzman left his day job to pursue painting full time. His work has been exhibited at a number of galleries in Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan.

April 24–July 11, 2010
Drawn to Tattoos
Library Gallery
Opening Reception Saturday, April 24, 7 pm

Once limited to a set of stock images referred to as flash, classic tattoos were copied, traded and repeated. As the popularity of tattooing has grown, so to has the market for a more original and artful approach. Conceptualized between artist and collector, these one-of-a-kind expressions are indelible works of art.

Curated by Harlan Thompson, Drawn to Tattoos provides a unique look at the art of tattoo. The daily drawings of Chicago tattoo artists Harlan Thompson, Tim Biedron, Jason Vaughn and Mario Desa cover the walls of Lubeznik Center’s Library Gallery while a digital presentation provides a colorful look at the product of all those drawings ─ celebrating tattoo as art.

April 24–July 11, 2010
Twila Beahm: Busting Out
Conference Room Gallery
Opening Reception Saturday, April 24, 7 pm

Hoping to raise awareness of how women have been viewed, used and exploited because of their breasts, this exhibit employs humor and word play to invite contemplation of dark subjects including physical abuse, breast cancer, and body image. Each piece celebrates an individual woman's triumphant spirit and strength.

Artist Twila Beahm, who started this intensely intimate project in 2007, says of the experience, "I came to realize that I was not the potter; I was the clay."

May 9–June 14, 2010
Home Grown Art: Home School Students Create
LaPorte County Christian Home School Association
NIPSCO Gallery

This exhibit of children’s art reflects the diverse backgrounds, interests and unique curriculum of these students.

April 24–May 9, 2010
Elementary Schools Art Exhibition
Michigan City Area Schools
NIPSCO Gallery

Impressive in both quality and quantity, this striking display of art and fine crafts includes 2- and 3-dimensional work by kindergarten through 5th grade art students.

Eleanor Himmelfarb,
Fandango Celebration
(detail)

January 30, 2010– April 18, 2010
The New Moderns: In Search of Form
Hyndman Gallery
Opening Reception February 5

Download Exhibition Catalog (PDF)

Curated by local artist Carole Stodder, this exhibition features works by seven internationally known artists committed to working in an abstract manner in their exploration of form. Open to subjective interpretation, these colorful works will stimulate your imagination.

Connie Kassal,
The Young Artist

January 30, 2010– April 18, 2010
Seeing the Light
Brincka/Cross and Library Galleries
Opening Reception February 5

Featuring over 30 works by members of the Lubeznik Center Area Artists Association, Seeing the Light invites contemplation of the title theme of light. Diverse and de-"light"-ful interpretations include works of photography, painting, sculpture and mixed media.

February 27, 2010- March 28, 2010
ImageMakers 2010 National Photography Contest: United Through Photography
Boys & Girls Club of Michigan City
Opening Reception March 6, from 2 to 4 p.m.

Since 1960, the ImageMakers Photography Contest has provided aspiring photographers with a chance to express their creativity by taking and developing their own pictures. Club members, ages 7 through 12, are proud to display their favorite film and digital photographs of our Club and our community.  Many of the images capture service projects or activities that hopefully will instill the viewers to help others.

November 21, 2009- January 21, 2010
Artwork from the Social & Learning Institute for the Disadvantaged

SLID is a non-profit organization in Michigan City that provides instruction to adults with physical, mental and/or emotional disabilities.The Lubeznik Center for the Arts provided the arts instruction to the clients of SLID through a grant from the Duneland Health Council. Their skilled instructor, Debra Sawyer, took the students through a series of explorations of self to create profound self-portraits.

The artwork expresses the likenesses and emotions of the artists in four different mediums; cut paper, oil pastel, ceramic and paper maché.

The core values of SLID are based upon equal justice, human dignity, individualization and a fullness of life. Janet Bloch, Education Coordinator at the Lubeznik Center for the Arts, states that, "This exhibit exemplifies these core values not just for this population, but for all people, with a display of joy and verve that are contagious.The show speaks volumes about the human spirit."

Many of the works are for sale and would make wonderful holiday gifts for the art lover in your life. Connoisseurs of self-taught and naive art will not want to miss this exhibit.

For more information, please contact Janet Bloch, Education Coordinator, Lubeznik Center jbloch@lubeznikcenter.org, for the Arts at 219-874-4900 or visit our website at www.lubeznikcenter.org

Two Worlds by Margaret Burroughs from the LCA permanent Collection

December 14, 2009- January 10, 2010
Works from the Lubeznik Center Permanent Collection
Hyndman Gallery

Select works from the Lubeznik Center for the Arts' permanent collection will be exhibited in the Hyndman Gallery and will feature prints that have never been exhibited in the LCA galleries as well as some old favorites.

The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation awarded the Lubeznik Center a $25,000 grant to fund the reorganization of the permanent collection. The LCA has spent several years analyzing, organizing, cataloging the collection and is now ready to begin showing the works on a larger scale. This grant funding helped the LCA define its focus: prints, photography, regional artists, and contemporary and mid-twentieth century paintings. As a result of this process the LCA was able to determine which pieces did not fit with its mission and began developing a focus for acquiring new pieces.

Earlier this year Fred Shaffer, a collector of regional artwork, approached the LCA about some pieces he wished to donate. A couple items were selected that were a good fit for the collection including a painting by the late David Langley. This early work, painted in 1964, was an excellent addition and was just exhibited in the David Langley Tribute from August 1 - October 11, 2009. Langley's wife, who made the exhibit possible, had not seen the Shaffer piece in 40 years and was quite touched to have it included. Individuals interested in discussing the donation of artwork should contact CarolAnn Brown at cabrown@lubeznikcenter.org or call 219-874-4900.

Oct 17- Jan 10, 2010
Prints & Drawings, Works on Paper
Brincka & Library Galleries

Click for larger

The 2009 Lubeznik Center for the Arts’ biennial Regional Juried Art Exhibition is focused on artwork completed on paper and is entitled “Prints & Drawings: Works on Paper". Accepted artists represent all eligible states including Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ohio. Of the seventy six artists that applied for this exhibition, thirty four were accepted. With an array of works ranging from interactive pieces, to etchings, to traditional figure drawings, there is sure to be something to capture the imagination of art enthusiasts to casual viewers alike.

Fifty-three works comprise this eclectic meeting of the arts; of these, three artists will receive cash prizes and $1500 in purchase awards will be presented. These purchases will be acquisitioned into the Lubeznik Center’s permanent collection. Come out to support regional artists.

Artwork was juried by best-selling author and print artist Audrey Niffenegger, best known for her book “The Time Traveler’s Wife” which was recently made into a move and ran in theaters nationwide. Her new book “Her Fearful Symmetry” is now available in stores. Also juried by LaPorte County book and paper artist, and talented instructor, Andrea Peterson of Hook Pottery Paper.

Anne & Margo (1938) © AFS/AFF, Amsterdam/Basel

Oct 17- Dec 10, 2009
Anne Frank: A Private Photo Album, Photographs by Otto Frank
Hyndman Gallery

"Anne Frank: A Private Photo Album", is a traveling exhibition on loan from the Anne Frank Center USA. The opportunity for the public to view these family photos is rare; the Lubeznik Center is the only entity in Indiana privileged to display this exhibit. This project, Anne Frank Family Photos & Other Stories of our Collective Heritage, will use art as a vehicle to create awareness of how Holocaust and global stories are inter-connected with our own Northwest Indiana historical stories of intolerance, prejudice and courage. Anne Frank’s message of tolerance and understanding will help expand our vision of diversity for today.

Just as in many families, the photo album of the Frank family begins with the birth of the first child. As an amateur photographer, Otto Frank has a single theme: the life and times of his daughters Anne and Margot. Nothing we see in Otto Frank’s photos reveals the horrors that Anne and her family will have to endure. What we now know about the fate of Anne Frank affects our perception of her book, Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. Equally so, it is impossible to view the photos that portray her life with an impartial eye.

The exhibit consists of photographs, many of which have never been shown to the public. The photos are reproductions from the Frank family albums, some of which have only recently been discovered. A 28-minute award-winning documentary film, “The Short Life of Anne Frank,” will also be shown in the gallery.

Anne Frank: A Private Photo Album, was developed by the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam and is offered exclusively in North America by the New York based Anne Frank Center USA.

Who is Anne Frank?

Born on June 12, 1929, Anne Frank was a German-Jewish teenager who was forced to go into hiding during the Holocaust. She and her family, along with four others, spent 25 months during World War II in an annex of rooms above her father’s office in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

After being betrayed to the Nazis, Anne, her family, and the others living with them were arrested and deported to Nazi concentration camps. In March of 1945, nine months after she was arrested, Anne Frank died of typhus at Bergen-Belsen. She was fifteen years old.

Her diary, saved during the war by one of the family’s helpers, Miep Gies, was first published in 1947. Today, her diary has been translated into 67 languages and is one of the most widely read books in the world.

Copies of “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl” are available in the Gallery Shop.

Click here for a list of related books and movies of interest to exhibition visitors. (PDF)

Sponsors:

• UBS Financial Services James E. Percifield
• Friends of the Lubeznik Center

October 17, 2009- November 14, 2009
Michiana Resources: Artwork by Adults with Developmental Challenges
Reception October 17 from 7:00 - 9:00 pm (Chicago time)

Thanks to funding from the Duneland Health Council the Lubeznik Center for the Arts provided weekly on-site art classes for Michiana Resources. Through this on-going program clients developed their drawing & painting skills. Reception October 17 from 7:00 - 9:00 pm (Chicago time)

Michiana Resources Inc. is a rehabilitation agency, developed to help individuals with disabilities and/or vocational disadvantages help themselves. This is done through the cooperative development of an individual program plan to provide vocational, developmental, support and advocacy services for the purpose of enhancing the consumer's ability to become as self sufficient as possible.

September 24, 2009
6:30 to 8:30pm
Cassidy and the Sculptors - A discussion with art critic Victor Cassidy & the artists

The Lubeznik Center is proud to present an interview of two eminent sculptors from the region, Neil Goodman and Terrence Karpowicz.  The interview will be conducted by the distinguished writer, Victor M. Cassidy, whose work has appeared in art periodicals such as Art in America, Sculpture Magazine, Art Net and on the blog Chicago Now. The panel will be in the Lubeznik Center for the Arts Hyndman Gallery.

Admission is FREE for LCA members and students with valid ID, $4 donation for the general public.

After the opening reception, “Public & Private” exhibit catalogs will be available in the Gallery Shop for $5.

September 5- October 11, 2009
Indiana State Prison: Inmate artwork
NIPSCO Art Education Studios

Selected artwork by inmates from the Indiana State Prison, located in Michigan City, IN

The "Sand, Steel and Spirit" Edition Box, a collaborative artwork by the
Area Artists Association of the Lubeznik Center for the Arts is on exhibit
at the Center's Conference Room indefinitely.

In 2004, 33 artists each committed to producing a limited edition of 60 art
works to be enclosed in a specially crafted wood box of maple and walnut.
The artists who participated each received a box, with the remainder
earmarked for sale as a fund-raiser for the Area Artists Association and the
Lubeznik Center for the Arts.

The 2 and 3-dimensional pieces include many media including prints,
drawings, paintings, digital prints, photographs, collages, ceramics and
woodworking. The theme of "Sand, Steel and Spirit" reflects the essence of
the dunes of Lake Michigan and its environs.

The box is a document to the creative spirit of the region and can be
purchased through the Gift Shop of the Lubeznik Center for the Arts. Support the Arts - Consider the "Sand Steel & Spirit" Edition Box as a truly unique addition to your home or organizational collection.

November, 2004-January, 2005 - Lubeznik Center for the Arts, Michigan City, IN
March, 2005 - Part of a Collaborative Projects Exhibit, Columbia College, Chicago, Il
November, 2005 - Gallery 107, Acorn Theater, Three Oaks, MI
February 2006-Ongoing - Lubeznik Center for the Arts, Michigan City, IN
April-June, 2006 - Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, IN
November 2006 - Depot Gallery, Beverly Shores, IN 

View "Sand Steel & Spirit" online!

August 1- October 11, 2009
David Langley Tribute Watercolor Show
Cross Brincka Gallery and the West Lobby Gallery
Opening Reception August 1 from 7:00 -9:00 pm (Chicago time)

This exhibit is a tribute to the late David Langley, a local water color artist whose work spanned decades and captured the dune/beach/lake life of the shores of Lake Michigan and particularly in Long Beach, IN.

CarolAnn Brown, curator at the Lubeznik Center, states that "Langley was a longtime participant in our annual Lakefront Art Festival and we felt it was only natural to honor his work during the festival", which occurs August 15 and 16 at Washington Park in Michigan City.

“Clever Exit”, shown here, was Langley’s last piece. He finished this piece prior to his death, just days before the 2008 Lakefront Art Festival.

“Prairie Passage & the Sentinels” (2009) by
Terrence Karpowicz and
Neil Goodman

August 1- October 11, 2009
Public and Private: Works by Terrence Karpowicz & Neil Goodman
Hyndman Gallery
Reception August 1 from 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm (Chicago time)

Karpowicz and Goodman, both living in Chicago, are accomplished and admired artists who have chosen to show works from private and public collections - hence the title. When asked why these artists were selected to exhibit together Suzanne Cohan-Lange, the Lubeznik Center Board President and Chair of the Exhibitions Committee, explains that "Goodman's work is concept based, where Karpowicz is inspired by objects in nature, yet these contrasting approaches seem to work beautifully together."

Oddly enough, The city of Munster approached the same two artists to collaborate on a public sculpture, ultimately titled "Prairie Passage". it is a 32 foot gateway which defines the entry to Centennial Park on Calumet Avenue in Munster, Indiana. Cohan-Lange states "it is fortuitous that both Munster & the Lubeznik Center chose these two sculptors together in the same year. This helps to bring attention to both efforts and make this more of a regional event."

Writer and Critic Victor Cassidy states about Goodman's work in the exhibit catalog: "Regardless of whether they represent objects in real life or not, Goodman’s sculptures are always crisp, clear, and quietly authoritative. He has evolved stylistically over the years, but has never lost his center." Of Karpowicz, Cassidy states, "When he works for himself, Karpowicz revels in exploring materials. He constantly tries out new ideas, often risky ones. He may buy a visually interesting stone from a quarry’s junk heap, leave it in his yard until it speaks to him, bring it into his studio, and make it into a sculpture." The catalog was made possible though the support of Indiana University Northwest and Newcomb Integrated Marketing Solutions.

Neil Goodman’s work is intimately linked to the Midwestern industrial landscape where he has lived and worked through most of his career. A professor of art at Indiana university Northwest since 1979, his studio and residence are in Chicago. His sculpture has been commissioned and collected by museums, corporations, convention centers, parks, synagogues and private residences. Goodman's work has been featured and reviewed in “Art Forum”, “Art in America”, “Art News” and “Sculpture Magazine”. His work can be seen at the Chicago McCormick Place South Pavilion, the Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University, the Burnham Park Children’s Garden at Soldier Field Stadium and at Indiana University Northwest in Gary, IN.

After his undergraduate studies at Albion College, Michigan and graduate work at the University of Illinois, Champaign, Terry Karpowicz was awarded a Fulbright-Hayes Fellowship to the United Kingdom, serving as Scholar to the Wind and Watermill Section of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. There he studied the technical and mechanical aspects of the country’s medieval wind and watermills. He established his sculpture studio in Chicago and has received two National Endowment for the Arts awards, grants from the Illinois Arts Council, and numerous private and public commissions. His work has been exhibited throughout the United States, Europe and the Soviet Union.

August 7- September 18, 2009

(exhibit off site)

"Originals in Black and White" - Members of the Lubeznik Center for the Arts' Area Artists Association explore the use of monochromatic "black & white" in art. By eliminating their use of color artists must address the other elements in their work and thus be challenged look at their process in a new light, so to speak. "Black and White" represents various media, which may include sculpture, paper, ceramics, paint, wood, metal, or photography.

The Area Artists Association is an organization within the Lubeznik Center for the Arts to recognize and encourage active regional artists by providing exhibit opportunities and a support group for juried-member artists to explore topics of mutual interest at regular monthly meetings.

Location: South Shore Arts' Substation #9 Gallery at 435 Fayette Street in Hammond, IN.

Hours: Monday – Friday 10 am to 5 pm

Phone: 219/ 933-0200

July 7- August 31, 2009
Peace Posters
NIPSCO Art Education Studios

Posters from Life Magazine's coverage of Woodstock are currently on exhibit alongside posters created by students participating in the LaPorte County Coalition of Youth Serving Agencies' Summer Camp.

Eric Tucker & Derek Walters – Garden Sculpture Installation

This series of outdoor sculptures is a collaboration between Derek Walter and Eric Tucker. The pieces were inspired by their connection to the landscape of Northwest Indiana. It includes ceramic and steel elements that allude to the regions topological attributes. The artists improvised amalgamations of natural and industrial forms around the notion that their sculptures could embody the relationship between those disparate elements. 

About the Artists:

Eric Tucker holds a B.A. from Indiana University Northwest and received an M.F.A. from The University of Chicago in 2001. He has been exhibiting his sculpture in solo and group exhibitions in Chicago and other Midwestern venues for the last ten years.  Eric currently resides in Northwest Indiana where he maintains and active studio practice and teaches at local colleges.

Derek Walter moved to Chicago from California to earn his MFA from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago.  He is an Assistant Professor at Indiana University Northwest and lives in Hobart.

May 30- July 6
Wabgonké: Things Made of White Earth
NIPSCO Art Education Studios
Reception May 30 from 7:00 pm -9:00 pm (Chicago time) 

“Wobgonké: Things Made of White Earth” is an art outreach project geared towards ages sixty and over. Project Wobegoké is supported by a grant from the nationwide MetLife Foundation Creative Aging Program. In this innovative program the Lubeznik Center for the Arts will provide arts instruction in sculptural and functional ceramics to the Elders of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians in Southwestern Michigan , near Dowagiac.

“Wobgonké” is a Pokagon word which translates “things made of white earth.” Teaching artist Jason Wesaw incorporates Pokagon language into his methods as a way to interlink participants’ work with their cultural traditions. He often uses traditional processes to make his own art and will pass along these techniques and sensibilities during the 12-week ceramics project.

The MetLife Foundation Creative Aging Program is funded by MetLife Foundation and administered by the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts.

May 23- July 26, 2009
Interurban Trains & Tourism: “Reclaiming the Past for the Future”, Burnham Plan Centennial
Hyndman Gallery
Reception May 30 from 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm (Chicago time)

The LCA is honored to participate and celebrate in The Burnham Centennial with the city of Chicago and all its program partners. The exhibit will feature some of the original lithographs commissioned in the late 1920's to promote tourism and economic development between Chicago and South Bend . These posters, developed as South Shore Posters, are beautiful examples of vintage artwork portraying the early 20th century boom of Northwest Indiana.

The tourism and economic development campaign is alive and well today with numerous contemporary paintings by Mitch Markovitz, John Rush and other regional artists featured in this exhibit. Also included in the exhibition are original paintings from South Shore Freight, NIPSCO, the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, as well as related works and artifacts from dozens of private collections. Additional highlights will be photos from the Prairie Club dunes/beach corridor from the early 1900's, and Save the Dunes campaign. The exhibit will also include a variety of artifacts and memorabilia from the South Shore Line as well as works from the Lubeznik Center's permanent collection. A DVD production with original music by TM Books and Video will be on view in the gallery. Posters, DVD's and books for train enthusiasts of all ages will be available for purchase in the Gallery Shop.

The Lubeznik Center joins hundreds of other organizations as a program partner in this wide-spread event during 2009. The Burnham Plan Centennial celebrates the Bold Plans and Big Dreams that shaped metropolitan Chicago for the past century and challenges our region’s communities, leaders and institutions to build on the success of the Burnham Plan and act boldly together to shape our future. For more information, about the Centennial, please visit www.burnhamplan100.org.

Click here to Learn About Exhibit-Related Programs & Activities

Funding for this exhibit and its related programs are provided in part by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Lake Michigan Coastal Program.

	Westchester Township History Museum

March 14–May 17, 2009
Other Voices: Ricardo Manuel Díaz & Truman Lowe
Hyndman Gallery
Opening Reception: March 14, 7–9:00 pm

Chicago artist Ricardo Manuel Díaz was born in Guantánamo, Cuba, and immigrated to the United States in 1968. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He has also studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Unite Pedagogique d’Architecture #3, Ecole d’Art et Design in Versailles, France. Routed in the émigré’s experience, his work explores the idea of psychic passages and issues of displacement, isolation and transformation. Díaz’ work has been described as a darker, deeper vision of folk art (Allison Hersh, Savannah Morning News, April 2005). He was forced to leave his home in Cuba at the age of 11, and his art is rooted in the émigré experience—exploring “the idea of psychic passages” (Jackie Otto-Miller, January 2008). He likens his works to poems without words. Díaz describes his art as being “concerned with the fragility of human existence, the individual and the fictitious distinction between the self and the external world as separated realities… A silent season, the space that exists between our thoughts and actions—between experience and memories.” His focus is bringing Art into Life and Life into Art.

March 31- June 3, 2007

"Latino Impressions: Portraits of a Culture" (Hyndman Gallery) - focuses on the historic and current artistic trends of the Latino/a community, featuring works by local, regional and international artists, including works on loan from the collections of Maria Bechily and Scott Hodes, Gilberto Cardenas, Dr. Tom Carlson, Jack & Dani Lane and Shirley Lubeznik. "Latino Impressions" will investigate a variety of themes, including personal and political identities, mythic symbols, preserving memory and rights of passage.  Curated by Carol Ann Brown.

Opening Reception March 31, 2007 from 7-9 pm.

Such notable artists as Rufino Tamayo, Rafael Coronel, Diego Rivera, Claudia Fernandez, and Jesus Lugo will be represented. Exhibiting artists: Patricia Acosta, Alfredo Arreguin, Juan Angel Chavez, Juan Compean, Ricardo Compean, Anita Garza, Michael Hernandez de Luna, Blanca Lopez, Jesus Lopez, Martina Lopez, Jesus Lugo, Marcos Raya, Sydia Reyes, Edra Soto, and Maria Tomasula.