Making the Rounds

This month at the Harrison Center, we're hosting a serious art-soccer mashup with Indy's new professional soccer team, Indy Eleven.  Eleven artists in the Harrison Gallery have created art that relates specifically to soccer and Indy's new professional team.  Among the place-based art by Vivian Gladden and Katrina West in City Gallery, you'll find beautiful plein-air paintings of the Old Northside Soccer Park.  Gallery No. 2, in a nod to Indy Eleven's logo (which prominently features Lady Victory), is filled with various artists' interpretations of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. But more is more and while brainstorming ideas for the show, Harrison Gallery curator, Kyle Ragsdale had an idea about how we might make another soccer/art connection.  Distilling the theme down to the simple shape of a soccer ball, we put circle-shaped boards into the hands of 20 artists and gave them…not a single direction except to bring them back.  And one by one, they have come back, an impressive range of ideas applied - from the most literal interpretation of an actual soccer ball to artistic depictions of the trajectory of a ball to abstractions with no discernible sports link.

(L) Velocity III, Elizabeth Guipe Hall. (R) The Whole Ball of Wax, Carolyn Springer

Elizabeth Guipe Hall and Carolyn Springer both created work using encaustics (above). Other applications used include collage, woodcut, mixed media and acrylic paint.

(L) Showdown, Braden Hinkle. (R) "Major" League, Michael Taft

A number of high school artists participated as well and we were impressed with both their technical skills and their creativity.  While Braden Hinkle's "Showdown" captures an intense fusbol confrontation, Michael Taft puts a cycling spin on the cleverly titled "Major" League.  The piece features famed cyclist Major Taylor with the Indianapolis city flag as the backdrop.

Stop by the Gallery Annex and make the rounds.  We think that art and sports should play together more often. We hope you'll agree!