Ind. artist presents lecture on artist Alice Neel

During a week’s vacation to visit New York’s prolific art museums, an artist from southwestern Indiana picked up a book for the plane ride home titled “Originals: American Women Artists.”

Her name is Deb Spanger, and she had discovered Alice Neel.

Years later, Spanger said Neel appeared to her in a dream. Because of this, she delved further into the life of the artist she had read about years earlier. She toured Neel’s home. She contacted Neel’s son, and he helped her plan a lecture.

Later, a grant-funded project would allow her to give a presentation about Neel to the women of the Indiana Women's Prison in Indianapolis in October 2010.

Spanger repeated her presentation for an audience at an Arts Work Indiana meeting Tuesday in Bloomington City Hall. This organization helps disabled artists gain employment and support for their work and creativity.

Spanger, who was diagnosed with a mild traumatic brain injury after being involved in a car accident, interwove details of her life with Neel’s story, discussing how they both had fallen for Latin boyfriends and were surrounded by musicians.

Spanger showed several paintings at the presentation that Neel had done throughout her life, including one she had done of a Puerto Rican boy named Georgie Arce.

“I think when she saw Georgie, she must have seen something in his face that spoke to her about someone that’s had a hard life and convinced her to look after him,” Spanger said.

Spanger said her presentation was well-received by her audience Tuesday just as it was at the women's prison and that one person was even “moved to tears” by Arce’s story and Spanger’s efforts to assist him in his freedom.

Arce has spent the majority of his adult life in prison for murder. Spanger contacted him to ask for help with her research and later wrote a letter of recommendation for his release to the parole board. However, even though she said Arce should have been free as of last July, Puerto Rico has since invalidated all birth certificates. This has caused him continued incarceration.

Spanger considered the presentation’s material and audience and decided against presenting to student groups.

“Alice Neel was someone who had to deal with a very complex life, and that was something I felt they may not understand, versus a woman in prison,” Spanger said.

This story was corrected and clarified on Aug. 29.