Annual Well House event graces Art Museum

The IU Art Museum collaborated with the Well House Society to host the fifth annual Wine, Wisdom & Song. On the first and third floors of the IUAM, members of the Well House Society and other IU supporters gathered for a night of wine tasting, socializing and fun. The event was open to the public at a cost of $20 for non-members. \nThe wine was from South Africa; because of the ongoing African Art exhibits at the Museum. \n"We try to 'tie things in.' There is an African Art exhibit at the museum, so we are tasting South African wine," said Jim Muehling, director of the Well House Society.\nThe Well House Society hosts many different events throughout the year.\n"We try to do a number of events-to have something for everyone," Muehling said.\nThe IUAM's African Art exhibits include an African Hair exhibit, Beer and Wine in Africa, Africa Beads and Beadwork. Professor of Art History, Patrick McNaughton, was supposed to give a talk on African Art, but could not be present due to an unfortunate accident involving his son.\nBrian Kearney, associate director of development at the IUAM, and Muehling enjoy bringing people together for this special event.\n"We try to relax and enjoy each other's company and have a learning aspect as well," Muehling said of the event.\nRestaurant owner, and self-acclaimed wine educator, who would only be addressed as "Strats," gave a little talk about South African winemaking.\n"South Africa is the best kept secret of all the wine regions in the world," Strats said.\nStrats made it clear he was not the "wisdom" portion of the evening. \n"Wisdom is in short tonight," Strats teased, "But we have a lot of wine so we should have a lot of fun. It wasn't until the mid-70s that South Africa started making wines like other regions such as California, Australia, and New Zealand; because of the Apartheid government, no one would buy or sell their wine."\nStrats informed everyone that South Africa provides the prime conditions for wine making.\n"South Africa is virtually unaffected by disease, and the land is so fertile, it takes a tenth (of) the fertilizer of other countries."\nA community wherein the lowest donors give $2,000 per year to the University, The Well House Society works hard to keep its members involved. These events give members a chance to learn about other areas of IU, to which they could donate.\nThe Well House Society is run by Muehling, two directors, Kelly Bamba and Jane St. John, and administrative assistant Sandy Inman. It raises a number of unrestricted funds for IU every year.\n"We do a lot of entertaining. We work hard and we have a lot of fun," Inman said.