AT THE HARRISON CENTER
Johnny McKee will present Love-Handles and Cowlicks in the Harrison Gallery on First Friday, Jan. 2. In his most recent artistic evolution, McKee dives head-first into abstract expression. The non-representational works on paper are full of chaotic colors, visible brush strokes, drips, and splatters. Being human is being imperfect, and this group of paintings embodies that very notion.
Other Jan. 2 openings include:
* In the Speck Gallery, The Resilience of Hope by Stephanie Robertson. This show is an exploration of how beauty and persistence emerge from fragility. Through small watercolor studies and large silk-painted, quilted panels, the exhibition traces the quiet ways life continues: ice melting to reveal pavement, water churning and reforming, plants pushing through the smallest cracks.
* In the City Gallery, All Night Boogie by Warren Beal. Beal brings the spirit of the blues into visual form. For more than fifteen years, the Indianapolis native has collected discarded urban fragments and transformed them into new compositions that echo the improvisational rhythm of a long night’s music session. Each work uniquely captures the city’s pulse.
* In the Underground Gallery, Everyday Poetics by Chris Hill. This show explores public expressions as vital affirmations of existence, especially for marginalized communities. Drawing from what he observes while walking or riding the bus, Hill highlights marks and messages often overlooked in public space. By pairing photographs with additional materials, he expands their meaning and impact.
* In the Sky Gallery, Listen By Elizabeth Guipe Hall. Inspired by recorded bird songs, Hall delves into different species, translating their calls into vibrant, textured artworks. Using layers of wax and collage, she transforms sound into color, offering a visual experience that bridges what we hear and what we see.
* In the Hank & Dolly’s Gallery, Florescence by Leslie Dolin. Dolin uses the idea of flowering as a metaphor for renewal. Created during her shift into empty nesting, the work reflects on a mother’s evolving sense of purpose. Through oil, mixed media, and monotype, Dolin reimagines flowers as symbols of rebirth and the desire to thrive in a new season of life.
* In the Lift Gallery, Circle City Made by Cierra Johnson. Using mixed-media collage, graphic design, and photography, Johnson creates visual narratives that reflect her personal experience and the history of her community. Each piece is handcrafted to embody the unique stories that inspire it.
Guests can also enjoy:
* In the Historic Gymnasium, Wrestling is Art with Zane Pasley, described as a night of engaging, adrenaline-packed, WWE-style entertainment.
* In the Courtyard, engage with Se(e) Change, a large-scale public installation by artists Michelle Walkey-Thornburg and Aaron Thornburg, and watch Neil Cain perform dances that interact with the sculpture. Enjoy a warm firepit-stop while you’re there.
All shows will open at 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 2. Visitors can take in-person gallery tours Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Online galleries will open on Jan. 3. Make an appointment or view the online galleries at harrisoncenter.org/buy-art. Special senior hours are every Friday from 2 to 4 p.m.No appointment is needed.
AT FACTORY ARTS NORTH
Openings on First Friday, Jan. 2, will include the Schwitzer Gallery, centerpiece of the coven of artist studios at the Near Eastside facility formerly known as the Circle City Industrial Complex.
The Schwitzer Gallery will host Queens of Art, featuring the exceptional works of four prominent female Indiana artists – Dana Powell-Smith (“Georgette’s Granddaughter”), India Cruse Griffin, Tania Michelle Wineglass and Faith Blackwell. This groundbreaking exhibition showcases a diverse array of artistic expressions centered on the theme of women, exploring their experiences, strengths and society.
Factory Arts North is one of two buildings in the Factory Arts District, the other being Factory Arts South, which houses restaurants Daisy Bar and Legacy Tokyo, along with other retail establishments.
Several studios and gallery spaces in Factory Arts North will be open throughout the building. Those many options include:
* Aurora PhotoCenter, with Relative Moments, Deanna Dikeman’s photographs showing the small, quiet moments of life that build a family and bind it together. The artist has documented her Midwestern family for over 45 years. When home to visit, Dikeman photographed her family doing the everyday activities, including washing dishes, hanging laundry, mowing the lawn, and cleaning gutters, that physically maintain a home inside and out. Her photographs also capture the lived moments – sharing cake and ice cream, Dikeman’s father doing a crossword puzzle with his grandson, her Mom and Dad waving goodbye from the driveway – that connect one family member to another and older generations to younger.
Aurora PhotoCenter will also host works by Atefeh Farajolahzadeh, an interdisciplinary artist whose practice incorporates photography, video, installation, and writing. Her work explores ideas of place, psychogeography, and liminality, with a particular focus on migration. In her newest photo and light installation, The Shore Is the Long Way Home, Farajolahzadeh expresses the uncertainty and cyclical nature of the experience of immigration—psychologically moving, never fully arriving. In this work, water, both as a physical path and a powerful metaphor, is the primary element represented in different forms, shapes, colors, and light to evoke the emotional terrain of migration from one home to another.
* The Full Circle Nine Gallery will host Debra Gindhart Dragoo with Tactile and Telling: Found Fiber, Found Objects. A staple of the Muncie art scene, Dragoo was a founding member of FC9 and returns now as a guest featured artist, bringing her assemblage art of found objects and found fibers, especially yarn and the concept of “yarn bombing.” She said, “My mother had six children and she made things out of things. This process really stuck with me. “A process that is near and dear to my artist’s heart. Saving the landfills one piece of costume jewelry and discarded art at a time. By using repurposing techniques, I feel connected to our ecosystem and I am grateful to do my part to give new life to once-trashed objects.”
In Five Seasons Studio, Martha Nahrwold – the longest resident artist at Factory Arts District North – will present Lake Views, capturing the summertime vibes of a cottage vacation, hiking by lakes, or at family reunions. Nahrwold creates using “marbled impressionism,” a technique both abstract and representational created by floating inks on water, a centuries-old process to create her unique art.
The Factory Arts District is open during regular business hours, and the Schwitzer Gallery is accessible throughout the week. A number of the city’s most varied and exciting artists and galleries will remain open for their regular hours, with many of them available on weekends, posted on their own websites and social media. Some studios will be open by appointment.
Located just east of downtown, the Factory Arts District encompasses a 16 acres. Its two buildings: Factory Arts South (a 95,000-square-foot facility) and Factory Arts North (a 420,000 square foot facility) as well as two free parking lots. The property was previously home to the Schwitzer Corporation, a pioneer in automotive technology.
AT PETROV FRAME ATELIER
Kevin Sears, a resident of the Athletic Club, will display his photography in THE HUMANITY OF TRAVEL, opening Friday, Jan. 9, in the SoBro gallery. The opening reception will run from 5 to 8 p.m.
The artist said his show focuses on the ‘humanity’ of travel. “My first trip outside the United States (other than to Canada) was when I was in my mid 30s and had a two-week business trip to Japan,” Sears said. “I carefully prepared for the trip spending much time trying to understand both the cultural and business norms of Japan which proved immensely helpful in both my business and personal interactions.”
He continued, “The humanistic element of travel suggests at least a basic understanding of who and where one will visit. It requires one to be respectful of the differences in both culture and food experienced along the journey. Mixing in a bit of kindness, empathy, and humility further enhances the travel experience leading to more meaningful experiences. The photographs selected for this show depict human interaction from a few of my travels.”
