September Exhibit: Interpreting the Square

For Immediate Release

August 14, 2009

For more information, please contact:

Miah Michaelsen, Assistant Director of Economic and Sustainable Development for the Arts, City of Bloomington, 349.3534

Danny Lopez, Communications Director, City of Bloomington, 349.CITY, lopezd@bloomington.in.gov

September City Hall Atrium Exhibit: Interpreting the Square: Thirty Artists Explore Downtown Bloomington

Bloomington, IN - The City of Bloomington and BEAD will showcase the exhibit Interpreting the Square, which features a collaboration of thirty artists and creative writers from Indiana University and the Bloomington community exploring the cultural, social, and economic complexity of Bloomington's thriving business district. Each artist has been paired with one of thirty buildings facing the Courthouse Square and has created an artwork based upon his or her interests and medium. The layout of the artwork in the final exhibition will reflect the format of the Square itself. The result will be a multimedia installation that portrays the complexity of the Courthouse Square by combining thirty points of view into one work of art.

Participating artists include Indiana University graduate and undergraduate students, members of IU faculty and staff, and local Bloomington artists and professionals. These artists represent many areas of expertise, including painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, book arts, digital art, sound design, landscape architecture, and creative writing.

Interpreting the Square was devised and organized by Sara Brooks and Kristin Carlson, graduate students in Fine Arts at Indiana University. They created Interpreting the Square to discover how the collaboration of a group of people on an art installation can emulate-and therefore teach viewers about-the complexity of a real-life environment.

The faculty advisor for Interpreting the Square is Laurel Cornell, Professor of Sociology, Indiana University.

In January 2009 the project was awarded the Fran Snygg Grant for Artistic Collaboration from the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculties.

Interpreting the Square will be on exhibit for the month of September in the Atrium of City Hall, located at 401 North Morton Street, Bloomington, Indiana.

Opening reception is Friday, September 4th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. The exhibition will be open for viewing from September 4th to September 30th, 2009, Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm, and on Saturdays from 9:00am to 1:00pm.