Pictured is “Hoosier Forest Landscape” by John Wesley Hardrick. Photo provided by Darla McCammon.

By Darla McCammon and guest author Darlene Romano

The city of Lafayette has several art museums for the community to enjoy. The Art Museum of Greater Lafayette was founded April 14, 1909, as the Lafayette Art Association. The collection includes over 1,500 objects and focuses on 19th, 20th and 21st–century American art with a special emphasis on the art of Indiana and surrounding states. The watercolor art by Indiana resident John Wesley Hardrick is one example of the artwork in the permanent collection. Hardrick was showing his work by the age of 13 and selling artwork by the age of 22 while attending Herron School of Art in Indianapolis.

Currently there are four exciting special exhibits that include the following:

• Grace Benedict: Observation, Reflection and Renewal – through Feb. 26
• Valerie Eickmeier: The Home Planet – through Feb. 26
• Lucille Morehouse: In the World of Art – through May 21
• Soyoung Jung: Inward and Outward Bound – through May 21

The museum is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week (exceptions are listed on website), and admission and parking are free. The museum offers adult painting and pottery classes, and kids and teen art classes. For more information, visit artlafayette.org or call (765) 742-1128.

Lafayette is privileged to also have two additional art museums on the campus of Purdue University. The Robert L Ringel gallery at Stewart Center and the Patti & Rusty Rueff Galleries in Pao Hall both rotate exhibitions and also show the university’s permanent collection.

The Robert L Ringel gallery currently offers the Art & Design Juried Undergraduate Exhibition through March 10.

The Patti & Rusty Rueff Galleries, located in Pao Hall, are offering the following exhibitions:

• April Maybee – MFA Exhibition – through Feb. 24
• Interior Design Senior Show – through March 10
• Visual Communications Design Senior Show – through March 24
• Industrial Design Senior Show – through April 7
• Integrated Studios Arts Senior Show – through May 5
• Shane Terrell – MFA Exhibition – through April 21
• Shima Jahani – MFA Exhibition – through April 14
• Felicia Roger-Hogan & Tayler Wullenweber MFA Exhibition – through April 21

The Robert L Ringel Gallery at Stewart Center is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The Patti & Rusty Rueff Galleries are open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, contact Erika Kvam at (765) 494-3061 or visit cla.purdue.edu.

EVENTS:

Lakeland Art Center & Gallery: The gallery will open March 1 with exhibiting artists Samara Dulik and Kim Marcadis. Dulik has created her own brand of painting that highlights color through the introduction of graffitism, using acrylics, spray paints, inks, Posca pens and at times, finger painting. Marcadis creates functional pottery with lots of color and texture using many different processes, techniques and materials. The work of both artists will be on display from March 1 through March 26 at the gallery located at 302 E. Winona Ave., Warsaw. The gallery hours are from 11:30 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. For more information, call (574) 267-5568 or (574) 457-6085 or email [email protected].

Grace College Senior Art Exhibit: The annual senior art show at Grace College will be held Wednesday Feb. 8 through Thursday March 2 at the Grace College Mount Memorial Art Gallery. The show will highlight the portfolios of 16 student art majors and their ambitious bodies of work. The gallery is located at the Grace College campus at 808 King’s Highway, Winona Lake. The gallery is open from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, call (866) 237-4640.

Warsaw City Hall Art Gallery: Local artist Deana Harvey will be displaying her artwork through the end of March. If you have already been to her exhibit, make sure to stop by again as she has switched out her artwork to provide a fresh showing. To exhibit at Warsaw City Hall Art Gallery, leave a message for Darla McCammon, curator, at (574) 527-4044 or email [email protected].

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