Art for Community's Sake

Earlier this year, artist and native Tennessean Tim Goldsmith made his way north toward Indianapolis for the second time.  "A couple of years ago I was part of a team of artists that visited the Harrison Center to participate in a group show,” Goldsmith explained.

Tim has been helping lead a fledgling art collective called New City East Lake Arts. He explained, “This group, having been founded only recently, is starting from scratch with minimal resources. So in the hopes of learning more about operating an arts center, I worked out a month long residency with the Harrison Center. Throughout the past month I have just been trying to absorb as much as possible about how the Harrison Center operates so I can take this knowledge back with me.”

In addition to learning the details about how the Harrison Center functions, Goldsmith’s residency has been filled with time in the studio developing his personal work. “My art practice is working through the idea that art is a portal to relationship, and a tool for building community,” Goldsmith said. “That is my primary interest in art, and that is what I am trying to learn and process.” His interest in creativity springing up from the cultivation of relationships lined up really well with the Harrison Center's focus on art and the role it can play in community building.

During his previous visit to Indy, Goldsmith got to know two women named Ann and Mary. He decided that throughout his month at the Harrison Center, he would create art to honor them. As he worked and reconnected with them, he sought to visually capture their unique stories and unique gifts in two large mixed media portraits.

At the end of his time in Indy, Goldsmith’s work gained the attention of Redeemer Presbyterian Church which purchased them for the church. The portraits can now be found in its narthex, displayed in what Presbyterians might call a “providential” manner, directly above Goldsmith’s studio.

It has been a pleasure to exchange ideas with our friend from the south about what it means to work in community. The work he created here is a tangible reminder of our time together and we hope that he takes with him a piece of the Harrison Center and some ideas that will help New City East Lake Arts to grow and thrive.