Best of Show for this year’s Will Vawter Juried Exhibit went to Patrick Kluesner of Anderson.
Submitted photo
GREENFIELD – This marks the final week to view the 2022 Will Vawter Juried Exhibit, capping off a season celebrating Hoosier works and Greenfield’s artistic roots.
Hancock County Arts kicked off its annual exhibit with a plein air event June 4, encouraging people to set up easels in downtown Greenfield’s new Depot Street Park and paint.
Festivities continued with an exhibit display at the Twenty North Gallery and a reception June 10, celebrating a juried art display of 130 entries by 51 Hoosier artists. Since then, artwork has been on display at the gallery, 20A N. State St., Greenfield.
Best of Show went to Patrick Kluesner of Anderson for “Girls of Summer.”
First place winner was Diana Porter of Bargersville; second place was Sarah Shaw of Indianapolis; third place was Donna Short.
The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, with extended hours 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays through July 16.
On July 16 the venue will feature demonstrations by two artists – Mary Ann Davis at 11 a.m. and Best of Show winner Patrick Kluesner at 1 p.m. It’s the final day to vote on the “People’s Choice” award. There are also two Will Vawter originals on display during the last day of the exhibit.
For more information, visit hancockcountyarts.org.
The annual competition’s namesake honors Vawter, who was born in 1871 and moved with his family to Greenfield at age 6. Vawter illustrated many of James Whitcomb Riley’s books.
Vawter later moved to Nashville, Ind. and went on to help establish the Brown County Art Colony along with other famous Hoosier artists.
Despite moving, he maintained his Greenfield ties and was buried in Greenfield’s Park Cemetery in 1971. Today, an interactive statue of Vawter is permanently displayed at Depot Street Park, allowing visitors to pose for a photo as the statue of Vawter “paints” a portrait.
