Friends of Art offer scholarships

Nestled away on the second floor of the Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Arts building is one of IU's greatest-kept secrets: the Friends of Art Bookshop. It has the most variety of any art bookshop in the state of Indiana, said graduate student Charles Stewart, a research scholar in the Department of Art History.\n"It carries hard-to-find books and periodicals that deal with the whole gamut of visual culture," he said. \nBut the bookshop wouldn't be there if it weren't for its namesake, the Friends of Art. \nFriends of Art is a non-profit organization, founded in 1968, and an extension of the IU Foundation. Its primary mission is to raise awareness of the arts and to provide students from the School of Fine Arts and the IU Art Museum with scholarships, travel grants and awards, said Fenella Flinn, executive director for the Friends of Art.\n"We have students that travel to Africa, Europe and Asia with our funding, and come back to us feeling so inspired," Flinn said. \nLast year, the Friends of Art gave approximately $30,000 back to student artists from the School of Fine Arts and the IU Art Museum in scholarships, travel grants and special awards. \nThey also sponsor the Master of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibitions, the School of Fine Arts Library Benefit Dinner and the Art History Association's Annual Graduate Student Symposium. These functions are supported by funds from book sales and membership dues.\n"With their support, I was able to conduct research on an archeological excavation in Autun, France during the summer of 2002." Stewart said. \nThe Friends of Art is open to anyone who appreciates art. \n"These students tell me that their trip would not have been possible if it weren't for the funding from our organization," Flinn said. "They are so grateful to us."\nMemberships start at $15 for students, $30 for non-students and $50 for families. These are the three most popular types of memberships, but there is also a patron membership which allows businesses in the community to become involved.\n"The society acts as a bridge to allow the wider community to participate in IU's visual culture," Stewart said. "I felt like I was representing the whole Bloomington community, since I was supported by the many members of the Friends of Art."\nThe membership includes a 10 percent discount at the Friends of Art Bookshop, invitations to various organizational events, as well as the Library Benefit Dinner. All money from the bookshop goes directly back to the students as well.\nPast activities for the Friends of Art include receptions, lectures and excursions to various places. Halloween weekend, they traveled to Chicago, with one outing to Milwaukee Nov. 1 and then back to the Chicago Art Institute on Sunday to see various works from Manet. \nUpcoming event for The Friends of Art includes the Fine Arts Library Dinner, which will be held Jan. 24, 2004. For this occasion, the Fine Arts Library is transformed into an elegant dining hall. \nThere are also future plans for trips to New York and Provence, France next spring, and a possible visit to L.A. in the winter of 2004. There will also be a number of day excursions throughout the semester to surrounding cities where students will visit art museums and other art attractions. \nFor more information on how to join Friends of Art, contact Fenella Flinn at 855-5300 or pick up one of the many brochures located at numerous art galleries throughout Bloomington. \n-- Contact Lynndi Lockenour at llockeno@indiana.edu.