The reconstruction and remodeling of the Carnegie Museum has come very far since December 2005 when we first began to gut the interior of the old library in order to transform it into a modern museum -- while restoring the original building's grandeur. Be sure to visit the Carnegie Museum's web site too see more reconstruction pictures.
Winter hibernation is over! Spirits rise with the first hint of spring! Fantastic fabric forays, fresh from the hands of Sugar Creek Quilt Artist's winter wonderland, are blooming quietly in a profusion of color and beauty in the Public Library's Mary Bishop Memorial Art Gallery beginning Monday, March 19 and lasting until Tuesday, May 1, 2007.
The Carnegie building is in the final stages of its remodeling to become the Carnegie Museum of Montgomery County! You can view some recent pictures on the Carnegie web site.
As we enthusiastically welcome the awakening freshness of spring, so too, we eagerly welcome the awakening fresh possibilities available to Montgomery County's high school art students, in the spring of their lives. From winter hibernation, eclectic expressions of original ideas, raw energy and talent have erupted from fertile imaginations and are presented for your viewing pleasure in the Public Library's Mary Bishop Memorial Art Gallery from Saturday, February 24 until Sunday, March 18, 2007. Come often, stay long, and enjoy new facets of the exhibit on each visit. Through the financial and volunteer support of members of Crawfordsville's Tri Kappa Sorority and the encouragement of county high school art teachers, we are again able to present this annual exhibit. These dedicated women and gifted art teachers go out of their way to support talented young artists and provide for them a venue in which to display their work without the grueling process of having to be juried into the exhibit. Every student who has the desire and tenacity may enter pieces into one or more of the following fourteen categories; Ceramics, Communication Arts, Graphic Design, Computer Graphics, Drawing I and II, Jewelry & Metalsmithing, Mixed Media, Painting, Photography I and II, Printmaking, Sculpture and Textile & Fiber Design. Tri Kappa provides an experienced, well-qualified judge, from outside Montgomery County, to award first, second, third and honorable mention prizes to winners in each of the fourteen categories and Best of Show. Generous monetary prizes and ribbons are provided by Tri Kappa as well. Do come and be awed by the talent emanating from these young high spirited artists who "just want to entertain you"!
Our second teacher-artist, Tracy Smoll, was invited by Karen to share the spotlight for this exhibit. Tracy's story is not unlike Karnes', since they both have become practicing artists in later life. Five years ago, as a part of her Art Education major, Tracy took a painting class at Purdue. In that one semester she painted five oil paintings. After the class she didn't paint again for a few years. Since then, she has taken life drawing and printmaking classes and many other workshops. Returning to oil painting, she realized the enormity of the medium. It is a fickle, trying way to express oneself, but gives Tracy a tremendous appreciation for the master painters. Most of her paintings are of people. "Human form, in all of its complexity and beauty, is endlessly fascinating", Tracy says. When we first meet a new person, there is a brief moment when we look at them without judging or categorizing them. We may know nothing about them and they appear only as another human. Without knowing their context, most of us bring our most generous and kind self to the table. Tracy chooses to remove the context of her subject because she wants the viewer to not only experience that brief moment before judging, but to also imagine who the person in the painting could be. The painting, MRI (Marie), in this exhibit is a good example of what she wants the viewer to see and imagine. The painting of MRI (Marie) is a woman that Tracy met on a trip to Bangladesh. She was a tribal woman who was raised in a rural area, but in the latter part of her life lived and worked on a missionary complex. Tracy loves this painting because of the subject's expression of curiosity. She also likes the keys she is wearing around her neck, which show that she is the person in charge of the household. The print "LIFE HERE" was originally drawn from a still life of old toys. When Tracy first saw the still life of the toys, it looked very frightening to her. It reminded her of the fears and anxieties she had as a child. In painting the original, she wanted to keep the child-like quality of the still life by using cartoon techniques to express drama and movement.Spirituality, natural beauty and the pristine innocence of the exotic Native American Culture permeate the amazing artistic efforts of
Local Montgomery County artist Pat Fay has worn many hats in his life, but the hat for which he is best known is his "artist's chapeau" worn while painting, sculpting or teaching art classes. Because of his notoriety, Pat was invited to share his eclectic creations in an exhibit in the Mary Bishop Memorial Art Gallery at the Crawfordsville Public Library from Friday, December 8, 2006 until Wednesday, January 3, 2007. Give yourself a sparkling tinsel-treat, visit the Gallery and pick out a special Christmas gift for a special someone. You'll be so glad you did.Though he has resided in Montgomery County with his wife and five children as long as anyone can remember Pat is a native of Dearborn, MI where he attended Detroit Area Public Schools. His earliest artistic memory is that of drawing cartoon characters with his Aunt Grace and Mother. The positive response of an encouraging first grade elementary school teacher, who after seeing his sculptured snowman, sent him to show his accomplishment to all the classes in the school, was the response Pat needed to realize the value of his art and that it was definitely worth devoting leisure time to. In seventh or eighth grade, with the pulse of curiosity thumping in his veins, Pat dug some clay from an empty field next to his home and sculpted a bust of Abraham Lincoln. After it had air dried, he took it to school to show his Art teacher who was delighted and insisted on showing it to the Principal. Impressed beyond words, the Principal asked if she could keep the sculpture as a school display. With great pride, Pat answered "of course" and skipped home to share the good news with his family. It was a little different story at home. Happily sharing his accomplishment, Pat somehow found himself in "big trouble" with his Mother for giving away something she wanted. Oops! Many years later Pat fashioned a second Abraham Lincoln bust as a gift to his mother who never parted with it. Pat continued to excel at art, which had become his passion, until he discovered girls and put his art on the back burner temporarily. Imagine! It remained in the background during his stint in the Air Force and after his discharge in 1958, when he married and began the busy years of responsibility raising five children. There was little time for artwork, so the artwork gene went into hibernation for a while. After ten years of marriage, Pat began to find little slips of time to devote to art and was delighted to return to sculpture. He took several classes at the Cranbrook Institute of Art and continued his growth in the medium for several years. When boredom set in, he taught himself to draw with pastels. This became his medium of choice until acrylic paints caught his eye. Many books and much practice helped him create several paintings which he found pleasing. A move to Crawfordsville stimulated Pat to try yet another medium when he discovered watercolor paintings and the artists who created them. After workshops and years spent honing his skills, Pat continues to create pleasing paintings from which he derives great pleasure. So, come on in and see what Pat has created from that great imagination bubbling quietly under his always recognizable "artist's chapeau".
Work is now being done to restore the century-old terrazzo floor of the former Carnegie library. Terrazzo is a type of floor where marble is mixed with cement to provide a durable yet elegant surface. This floor will be visible in the Carnegie Museum of Montgomery County's main gallery spaces. You can read more about terrazzo flooring in Wikipedia.
