And the color is...

  Amber...Magnificent Amber.

Each year, the Harrison Center staff chooses a color to theme our December group show around. We send out a call for entries and the submissions pour in by the dozens for what has become one of our favorite HCA traditions.  With as many as 75+ participating artists in this giant annual show, over the years we've featured artwork in shades of red, green, blue, gold, white, brown, grey, orange, purple...even black.

This year, curator Kyle Ragsdale, knowing our weakness for all things Indy, suggested "Magnificent Amber", referencing the 1919 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Magnificent Ambersons, by Hoosier novelist Booth Tarkington (1899-1946). It's said that much of the book was inspired by one of our favorite Indy neighborhoods, Woodruff Place.

But, what about the actual color? Would it be difficult to find inspiration half way between yellow and orange on the color wheel? And what exactly is amber? A quick Google search turned up this helpful description from Peachridge Glass, a website dedicated to antique bottles and glass. "I use the term ‘Amber’ as a starting point and break it further in to dark amber, light amber, golden amber, yellow amber, red amber, tobacco amber, old amber, auburn, bronze, cedar, chestnut, chocolate, cinnamon, cocoa, copper, ginger, hazel, khaki, mahogany, oak, ocher, puce, reddish, root beer, russet, rust, saddlebrown, sandy, sepia, umber, wheat, earthen, caramel, sienna, muddy, topaz, bistre, almond, henna, etc." With such a rich range of hues, we anticipate a glorious array of amber art that is not to be missed!

from the Peachridge Glass website

And once you start looking for it, you'll soon realize that amber is everywhere. A few days after we chose the theme, we happened upon a 5 pound box of amber-colored rock candy...and bought it, of course. Sweet inspiration! Whether you find yours in a glass of cola,  an antique glass bottle, an old book or a big box of rock candy, the time is now to get your amber on. Artists: the deadline for submissions is November 7. Everyone else: mark your calendars for Friday, December 5 and join us for Magnificent Amber!