Pictured is the Midwest Museum of American Art. The original bank vault was incorporated into the museum space. Photo provided by Darla McCammon.

By Darla McCammon and guest author Darlene Romano

In the heart of downtown Elkhart in a renovated neo-classical style bank building is the Midwest Museum of American Art. The building was constructed in 1922 as St. Joseph Valley Bank. In 1978, Dr. Richard and Jane Burns created a public trust for their collection of 100-plus works and secured the building as a museum with donations from the community. The original bank vault was incorporated into the museum space.

The museum is a showcase of 19th through 21st century American art and houses the largest collection in the United States of hand-signed lithographs and collotypes by the famous American illustrator Norman Rockwell. In all, the permanent collection numbers over 6,000 works with 900 on display at any time during the year within the 25,000 square feet of space. The collection features the work of historical Indiana artists and significant artists from the pages of American art history.

Some years ago, I read about the Elkhart Juried Regional Exhibition hosted by the museum and decided to view the work of artists from 20 Indiana counties and four southern Michigan counties. The exhibition is a major survey of current trends and is an opportunity for artists to show their work and compete for cash prizes. Awards presented to artists each year exceed $25,000 in cash. The competition is held in September, and the selected artworks are on display from the beginning of October through the last week of December.

As I entered the museum to view the exhibition of the work of local artists, I found myself walking through an exhibit that gave me a fresh view of art in a variety of mediums. I strolled through the exhibit, focusing on each piece, and felt as if the artworks were speaking directly to me. I discovered new techniques that inspired me to experiment and found myself itching to get back to my own art studio to create a new work of art. One beautiful painting of a forest floor covered with sprouting mushrooms reminded me of childhood spring vacations in Parke County when my parents took me and my sisters mushroom hunting. In an instant, I was a young girl again, running through the forest, looking for mushrooms. Do you find yourself reacting emotionally to artworks? You will be amazed at the emotions and memories that flood your mind when you are viewing artwork if you open your mind to the experience.

The museum, located at 429 S. Main Street in Elkhart, is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, and from 1-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $10 for adults with discounts for children and students. For more information, visit the museum website at www.midwestmuseum.org or call (574) 293-6660.

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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