John Waldron Arts Center opens July exhibit featuring local artists

The July exhibit at the John Waldron Arts Center features the work of four local artists. The gallery will open tomorrow and include a gallery walk and a live music performance.\nThe works of Jerry Farnsworth, James B. Campbell and Peter Lawrence will be on display in the Rosemary P. Miller Gallery. Monique Cagle is the featured artist in the \nFlashlight Gallery.\nThe exhibit is full of color and texture, said Ed Vande Sande, Development and Marketing Director of the Bloomington Area Arts Council.\n“It’s going to appeal to a lot of people who may be lukewarm about a normal gallery walk,” Vande Sande said. \nFarnsworth is a kaleidoscope designer and artist. He is a member of the Brewster Kaleidoscope Society, an international kaleidoscope organization. His kaleidoscopes are on display in museums in Japan and England. \n“Kaleidoscopic art is one of the few art objects that are not complete without an outside and inside design,” Farnsworth said in a press release. \nAt the gallery opening, in addition to displaying his work, Farnsworth will perform his “Kaleidoscope and Cosmic Light Show Spectacle.” The performance will include projected images as large as 30 feet by 30 feet set to psychedelic rock music played live by a local band. Kaleidoscopes were used by acid and psychedelic rock bands in the ’60s and ’70s, Vande Sande said.\n“This is the kind of arts experience I saw all the time in the ’70s. It’s a really tight psych rock band. Classic music like this doesn’t go out of style,” Vande Sande said.\nCampbell crafts three-dimensional wall sculptures made from expanded PVC mounted on hardwood. Themes in his artwork include world culture, music and environment, \nhe said. \nLawrence draws his inspiration from the internal struggles of literary characters. His subjects include birds, animals, angels and human figures. \nCagle’s talents include drawing, illustrating, jewelry making and acrylic painting. She has received three first-place prizes in the acrylics division at the T.C. Steele State Historical Site Paint Out. Her artwork is quite exceptional, Vande Sande said.\n“You look at her paintings, and it lowers your blood pressure,” he said. “It gives you a sense of peace.” \nThe galleries at the John Waldron Arts Center only feature local artists from Brown, Greene, Lawrence, Monroe and Owen Counties. All the artists in the upcoming July exhibit are Bloomington natives, with the exception of Cagle, who is from Nashville, Ind.\n“There is no shortage of extraordinary people here,” Vande Sande said. “Our mission is to support local.” \nThe exhibit opens at 5 p.m. Friday, July 6 in the John Waldron Arts Center. The gallery walk will begin at 5 p.m. Farnsworth’s “Kaleidoscope and Cosmic Light Show Spectacle” will begin at 7:30 p.m. The artwork in the exhibit is for sale. Admission is free.