Local Showcase feature more than 80 artists

Cubicles divided individuals from galleries, but the lines between artistic mediums were blurred.

The Local Showcase premiered Saturday at the Bloomington Convention Center, and more than 80 artists sharing 67 booths featured their work.

Only artists within Region 8, an area that includes Brown, Greene, Lawrence, Monroe, Morgan and Owen counties, were able to participate in the “art show with a difference.”

The show was unjuried and the entry fee was $25, making this event both available and affordable for almost any artist of any medium to showcase his or her work. 

Bloom Magazine and Ivy Tech Community College sponsored the exhibition. Bloom Editor Malcolm Abrams said the lines between artistic mediums were intentionally left a little gray.

“Art is anything you can get away with,” Abrams said. “I don’t think there should be any boundaries or subjectivity on who can come here. We wanted any artist today.”

Mediums included stained glass and sculpture, and Martha Brinton, a Terre Haute resident, said she attended the art exhibition to add to her collection.

Brinton refers to her house as a gallery and estimates she has more than 200 art pieces by one mosaic studio alone, the aptly named Moe’s Ache.

On Saturday, Brinton added to her collection of the studio’s work. She purchased a large mosaic owl that sparkled with glass bits.

“We tend to get darker as we get older, but I buy artwork that’s representative of pieces of my life,” Brinton said. “I think it reflects a lot of love. You love the piece, and the artist made the piece out of love.”

Brinton pointed to a window and smiled. She said she liked the way the owl shined.  
Her philosophy behind over-decorating her home and purchasing mismatched, Indiana art is inspiration for both herself and her house guests.

“You bless others with what you are involved with,” Brinton said. “When people walk into my home, they are surrounded by a lot of love.”

Artist Karen Cherrington’s art is also inspired by birds, but is of a different medium. Cherrington is the owner of Material Plane, a vintage clothing store located at 214 W. Fourth St., and inventor of the brand “La Plume.” She makes earrings, necklaces and headbands out of bird feathers.  

Originally, Cherrington was inspired by 1960s style, particularly that of singer/songwriter Cher. As a teenager, Cherrington dyed her hair black and wore fur vests to emulate the pop star’s style, but she personalized her attire by wearing homemade feathered earrings.

Cherrington lived in Oregon at the time and, one day after a windstorm, realized she could make feathered accessories for everyone.

“Of course I thought it was some wonderful, karmic thing that all these birds were just thrown there in front of me,” Cherrington said. “I always thought all people should have feathers.”

Now, Cherrington’s love for feathered fashion has grown into a lifestyle. She has a room in her house dedicated to the production of these accessories and believes “feathers are like finger prints — no two are alike.”