Colorful photography, ceramics on display

Bloomington is a city full of art, music, and culture. Everywhere one looks, he or she can find a music festival showcasing music from around the world or an exhibit of unique art.\nThe John Waldron Arts Center on the corner of 4th and Walnut is one of the places around town that displays unique types of art. \n"It is a place for local and regional artists to showcase their work," said Miah Michaelsen, the Waldron's Gallery Director. \nThe arts center has two galleries. The large gallery is the Rosemary P. Miller Gallery. Here artists are displayed together because this gallery is bigger. The smaller Flashlight Gallery is used to display one artist's work at a time. \n"Two new exhibits open every month," Michaelsen said.\nCurrently in the Rosemary P. Miller Gallery is an exhibit of three different artists. The exhibit began on July 8 and runs until July 30. Two of the artists, Ellen Skye and Owen Mundy, are photographers and the third artist, Melissa Parrott, is a ceramicist. \nSkye is a photographer from Vincennes. "Skye photographs moving trains in bright colors," Michelsen. \nMundy is a photographer from Bloomington. He does documentary photographs. His works in the gallery are photographs of various county fairs and carnivals. Mundy is a founding member of "Your Art Here," a local non-profit community arts organization that looks to use commercial billboards as public art spaces. \nMelissa Parrott is a ceramicist from Indianapolis. Her sculptures have an underwater theme and are made of clay and are painted in bright colors. The sculptures currently in the gallery are painted in various shades of blue, green, orange and purple.\nAt first glance, it does not seem as though these three different artists would work well together. It may even be puzzling as to why they have been displayed together. In order to have work displayed at the Waldron Arts Center, artists must submit their work for review. \n"After they are reviewed, they are juried and scored," Michaelsen said.\nIt is then decided which artists will be displayed, when they will be displayed and in which gallery they will be displayed. This is the job of the gallery director and Michaelsen will shortly be deciding what will be displayed during the 2006 season.\n"The artists (displayed in the Rosemary P. Miller Gallery) were picked to be displayed together because their work sort of works together because of the bright colors used in by each artist," Michaelsen said. \nAll of the art being displayed in the gallery is for sale. For works by Mundy, all photographs are $350. For works by Skye, prices range from $400 to $500. For works by Parrott, prices range from $200 to $1,500. Upon visiting the gallery, one can purchase any of these works by inquiring at the Gallery Shop in the Waldron Arts Center. \nThe Galleries of the Waldron Arts Center are open to the public. Admission to the galleries is free. Both galleries are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information about the exhibits and events at the Waldron Arts center, call 334-3100 or visit www.artlives.org. To find out more about the "Your Art Here" program, visit www.yourarthere.org.