Gallery at Fishers City Hall showcases more than 50 pieces of art
Writer / Jocelyn Vare
Artwork / Chase Cannon
If you have shopped at the Fishers Farmers Market in the summer or attended a Tuesday night show at the Amphitheater, you’ve been steps away from a hidden art gallery. This gallery displays artwork from local and regional artists in new exhibits throughout the year and is free to visit. From the outside, the art gallery doesn’t look like an art gallery at all. It looks like City Hall.
“Art in City Hall” is the appropriately-named art gallery presented by Nickel Plate Arts, Fishers Arts Council and the City of Fishers. The gallery space is both floors of the Fishers City Hall’s large atrium and showcases about 50 different pieces of art, each one usually available for purchase. The 2018 gallery schedule features nine different art exhibits to celebrate the creativity and diversity of the entire community.
The February exhibit is a part of the community’s recognition of Black History Month and showcases presentations from Fall Creek Junior High students. Seventh and eighth graders have created displays that celebrate the stories and impact of African-Americans in our country. The exhibit shares the history and triumphs of Black Americans beginning with the roots of slavery from Africa. Art in City Hall gives students the opportunity to present their work outside of school and connect with Fishers residents.
The March exhibit coincides with this year’s local art celebration of American Disabilities Act Awareness Month, an initiative led by Cecilia Coble, Fishers City Councilor and Chairperson of the Fishers ADA Roundtable. The Art in City Hall exhibit in March will feature the work of Central Indiana artists with disabilities. A special reception will be held on Friday, March 2, to welcome Fishers residents to Art in City Hall to view this art exhibit, meet the artists and enjoy performances, too.
The annual “High School Senior Showcase” will open in April and run through the spring. This exhibit is one of the favorite Art in City Hall exhibits each year and features the work of graduating seniors from Fishers High School and Hamilton Southeastern High School. Students are guided by their art teachers to prepare their work for this exhibit and price for sale. A free public reception will be scheduled to meet the artists, view their artwork and celebrate HSE Schools’ art teachers.
After six seasons, Art in City Hall has proven to be a springboard for local artists to pursue their craft. Chase Cannon is a Fishers resident and participated in Art in City Hall’s Senior Showcase just before she graduated from HSE High School in 2016. Cannon participated as a featured artist in an Art in City Hall exhibit again in 2017. In her second exhibit, she presented photography about her life in Paris after she graduated from high school. Today, Cannon is back in Indiana and will be attending Herron School of Art and Design this fall.
“The part I liked most about exhibiting at Art in City Hall was the sense of affirmation that came with realizing that I am good enough to exist as an artist beyond high school,” Cannon says. “Exhibiting in a community space led to meeting so many citizens who recognized me as an artist – and that really strengthened my sense of accomplishment.”
The month of June is devoted to an exhibit featuring professional Indiana artists who are members of Indiana Artists. Originally founded in 1917 as the Indiana Artists Club, Indiana Artists (IN/A) will display the work of more than 60 artists at Art in City Hall. The organization represents professional artists from across the state who engage in all media and disciplines of art.
Local artists will be featured at Art in City Hall during the month of July as well. The Hamilton County Artists’ Association is a long-standing membership organization of artists from Hamilton County.
The organization’s juried exhibit will be a highlight during the annual Arts Crawl event in the Nickel Plate District.
In August, the Art in City Hall exhibit will be devoted to life on the prairie. Conner Prairie will present artwork and artifacts to bring the interactive historical museum experience out to Fishers residents.
Art in City Hall’s fall and winter exhibits will have a seasonal flair. Bountiful harvests of Indiana will be the theme of artwork showcased in September and October and will feature the beautiful landscape, agriculture and forestry imagery of the state. A winter wonderland art exhibit will be presented in December as a perfect complement to the holiday light displays that surround City Hall that time of year.
As residents explore the Nickel Plate District in Fishers this year, Art in City Hall will greet them with creative artwork and diverse exhibits. Art in City Hall coordinator and Fishers Arts Council board member, Tom Rich, invites Fishers residents and artists to connect at the special exhibit space.
“Fishers Arts Council is reaching out to a number of visual and performing groups to expand opportunities for artists to share their work with the Fishers community,” Rich says. “We will engage artists, community and schools together at Art in City Hall every month of the year. In 2018, ‘art in Fishers’ is a given, not a question.”
Art in City Hall Upcoming Events
Black History Month Art Exhibit, presented by Fall Creek Junior High students
February 5-28
Fishers City Hall, One Municipal Drive.
Free. Open 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday.
www.fishersartscouncil.com, 317-595-3111
Visual & Performing Arts Reception: A Celebration of the Arts and Community Unity
Friday, March 2, 6 p.m.-8 p.m.
Fishers City Hall, One Municipal Drive.
A free public reception will feature art created by local students and adults with disabilities, a performance by the Fishers Community Chorus, and appetizers and refreshments.
www.fishers.in.us, 317-595-3111
Artists that would like to be considered for an upcoming Art in City Hall exhibit, can email tomrich1952@yahoo.com or direct message Fishers Arts Council on Facebook.
