August 2019: FoodCon 9
In partnership with Big Green, the Harrison Center presents FoodCon 9 on Friday, August 2 from 6 to 9pm. Since its inception in 2010, FoodCon has sought to shine a light on the art and culture of food in Indiana by gathering enthusiasts and experts in everything from aquaponics to urban homesteading. This year’s FoodCon is no exception and will feature booths in the Harrison Center gym and courtyard, covering a broad range of interests including beekeeping, cheese making, oil pulling, restaurant composting and more. A variety of food trucks will be on site as well providing many dining options for event attendees. In Speck Gallery, join the conversation about food literacy, access and preference and discover more about the Learning Gardens that Big Green has built and supported at schools across Marion County since November, 2016. “We are proud to partner with the Harrison Center to host Food Con 2019 to help us further our mission to improve the health of students and communities around the country by creating experiential outdoor learning spaces and garden-based education opportunities in schools," said Megan Montague, Regional Director of Big Green Indianapolis. "Food Con allows us to come together for one night to help us educate the local community on our big vision to change food in Indianapolis and across the county."
Also this month, the Harrison Gallery proudly features ceramicist Jackie Head’s stunning show, This Must Be the Place. "Through my slip cast wall tile installations, I create environments that envelop the viewer. I draw inspiration from the geometric patterns found in Islamic art, and am specifically interested in tessellated patterns and penrose tiling. My work considers visual planes both individually and as a whole. Amassing individual tiles on the wall that connect to construct a larger pattern can develop either a sense of comfort or tension for the viewer, creating an environment that resonates differently with each person. In a nod to historical Islamic art, my wall installations break away from the mass-produced world we live in today and bring the consideration of craft back into the places we inhabit.”
In the Gallery Annex is Gigi Salij’s show, American Feast. Salij said, "The reputation of industrial foods—like Hostess Cupcakes, Spaghetti-Os, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Dinner, Jell-O, Cheetos, Popsicles, and on and on—has suffered in recent times, despite the fact that they evoke powerful feelings of nostalgia and affection. Both a wry commentary and an unabashed appreciation, American Feast is a graphic, colorful, pop-art tribute to the under-appreciated beauty and glamour of our favorite foods."
Mixed media artist Gary Gee returns to the City Gallery with the show, Common Unity. The 2019 recipient of the Robert Beckmann Emerging Artist Award says he drew inspiration for this show from the common ground he has found in interactions within the Indianapolis arts community.
Wesley Cate’s "tell it slant" is inspired by the poetry of Emily Dickinson. Using mixed media, the pieces attempt to reveal the playful complexity of the world around us. Most of the works are busy and employ a touch of grit, with the intent that observers will have to spend some time making sense of the pieces' layers. This work is on display in Hank & Dolly’s Gallery.
In the Underground Gallery, Word, a group show exploring the design element of typography continues.
The work hangs through August 30.
With support from: Big Green, the Arts Council of Indianapolis, the Indiana Arts Commission, Christel DeHaan Family Foundation, Allen Whitehill Clowes Foundation, the Indianapolis Foundation, Penrod Society, Sun King Brewery, and Matinee Creative.