The Harrison Center helps keeps the community creative, connected
The Harrison Center for the arts is working to keep the community’s creative juices flowing in a variety of ways that also allow people to stay “socially distanced.” Joanna Taft, executive director of the Harrison Center joined us this morning to talk about a few of their current projects that you can get involved in.
Here’s more from the Harrison Center:
In times of quarantine and social distancing, the Harrison Center believes art can help keep us connected and help us process everything that’s going on. Artists have a unique way of seeing the world, and making art ourselves helps us to look closer and feel deeper.
We have commissioned our artists for a “Scenes from Quarantine” series, and we invite everyone in the Indianapolis community to join us in this short daily art series via our social media channels.
Each day, we post a prompt chosen by one of our artists along with an original sketch or another medium. We then invite everyone to sketch the daily prompt with us and then share and tag their work @harrisoncenterarts #scenesfromquarantine & #socialdistanceart
Creating art can be relaxing and a great way to take your mind off of everything that is going on. Anyone can do it – no need to be a professional artist!
For parents listening, this is also a great way for students to receive service hours. Check our Facebook page for details on how and who to contact to participate.
After quarantine is over, we are planning on hosting a “Scenes from Quarantine” show with pieces both from our artists and the community.
This can be a difficult time for artists and local businesses. If listeners would like to help support our artists, they can sponsor a sketch for $50 (all funds will go directly to the artist)!
As a complement to “Scenes from Quarantine” we know many of our community members are also feeling isolated and lonely, especially our older neighbors, so we have organized a community yarn flower installation. We want to encourage beauty and creativity in this time and invite the community to help us crochet knit flower petals which will be installed on the fence along the Monon Trail for passersby to appreciate after the pandemic has passed. Details can be found on our website about how to participate.
As the first Friday in May quickly approaches, we are so sad we can’t welcome guests into our building, so we commissioned artists to install window displays. Next time you are out exercising or walking your dog, swing by the Harrison Center, just south of 16th St. on Delaware, to see the window displays and celebrate the tradition of First Friday in a different way. The installation is open day and night, though the lights are spectacular at night. We just ask that the public be mindful of social distancing practices and refrain from touching the windows.
Lastly, one small daily ritual our neighborhood has put into place is Social Distance Porching. We invite everyone to head outside to their front porch (or balcony or stoop) at 5 p.m. each day to just say hi to their neighbors and wave to those who pass by. We need each other right now! Let’s spread love-not sickness.
The Harrison Center is a community-based, nonprofit arts organization that seeks to be a catalyst for renewal in the city of Indianapolis. Founded in 2001, the organization’s work is two-fold. The Harrison Center for the Arts is home to 36 artist studios and five galleries with programming that is designed to foster the creation of new art, build community among artists and emerging art patrons, create new partnerships, and provide a forum for public conversations between artists and the community. The Harrison Center for the City seeks to connect people to culture, community, and place to strengthen Indianapolis’s core urban neighborhoods.
Art from current and past Harrison Center shows are available for view on Flickr. Viewers are invited to find some new art and email buyart@harrisoncenter.org for inquires.
Learn more about the Harrison Center on its website and social media:
instagram.com/harrisoncenterarts/
facebook.com/HarrisonCenterArts
twitter.com/HarrisonCtrArts
Harrison Center address and phone number:
1505 North Delaware Street, Indianapolis
317.396.3886