GREENFIELD — Art teachers not only work with local students on how to develop their art skills; many spend hours on end enhancing their own art talents through the creation of original pieces.
The 2017 Teachers As Artists exhibit runs through May 30 at SoupHerb Restaurant, 16 N. State St., Greenfield.
Patrons may enjoy artwork during SoupHerb’s regular business hours from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays and Tuesday and from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
Event organizer Sandy Hall coordinated the seventh-annual event to give current and former art teachers throughout the state an opportunity to showcase the kind of talent they usually seek to inspire in students.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryShe’s amazed each year at the creativity on display and enjoys giving the artists a chance to share their craft.
“A lot of the entrants are art teachers now, but many are retired, and they have more time to be creative,” Hall said.
The art show has work from 26 artists on display, including a few art teachers from Hancock County. The work will be judged with first-place finishers in the 2-D and 3-D categories earning $250 apiece.
The judges will also identify several pieces as runners-up. Those artists will also receive a monetary award of at least $100.
Clyde Gaw is a New Palestine High School art teacher and has two pieces of 3-D art in the show.
Educators gain plenty of perspective by staying active in the field they love and showcasing their skills, Gaw said.
“From my perspective, preparing new work, using new ideas and techniques for this show helps to keep this art teacher sharp,” he said.
Gaw is showcasing two sculptures based on a papier-mâché technique he used when he entered an art exhibition in Grand Rapids, Michigan, back in 2011, he said.
One piece, “Job,” is about a human being who has experienced one devastating hardship after another. Job, named for the biblical character known for suffering, moves forward with life because his spiritual inclination and faith compels him to do so, Gaw said.
The other piece is entitled “Interchange.” It shows a massive intersection of roads seen from above.
Gaw enjoys being able to share his artwork with local educators who feel just as passionately about creating as he does.
“I absolutely love the fact I can exhibit here in Central Indiana,” he said.
Gaw is especially thankful to Hall and SoupHerb for organizing this year’s exhibit.
This year’s new venue, SoupHerb, is smaller than in past years when the art show was held at the Creative Arts and Event Center (SoupHerb’s former home, which had a larger gallery space). The smaller venue forced Hall to limit the number of entrants and the scope of their work.
She had several artists who were unable to enter the show because their work was too big, she said.
In the end, making the tough decisions to keep the art show local in Greenfield was the right one, Hall said. Having the show at the SoupHerb, where people come in and out daily, will allow more people to see the show.
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The 2017 Teachers As Artists exhibit runs through May 30 at SoupHerb Restaurant, 16 N. State St., Greenfield.
Patrons may enjoy artwork during SoupHerb’s regular business hours from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays and Tuesday and from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
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