Bloomington newcomer gives talk at City Hall

Avi Katz uses his artwork to tell a story.

His artwork features scenes of Bloomington, focusing on the details of the city that a less-observant person might fail to notice, such as the corners of the Monroe County Courthouse lawn.

Perhaps that’s why the Bloomington Entertainment and Arts District is exhibiting Katz’s art in the City Hall Atrium during the month of June. The exhibit is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, as well as during additional hours when the City Hall is open for meetings. This is Katz’s fourth exhibit.

On Tuesday evening, Katz participated in an Artist’s Talk at the Council Chambers at City Hall where he discussed the philosophy, inspirations and techniques behind his art.

Born and raised in Israel, Katz graduated from the School of Visual Arts in New York and has created artwork for popular television shows, including Nickelodeon’s “Blue’s Clues.”

He also has created illustrations for video games and advertisements in the United States, Canada and Israel.

Katz first worked as the only in-house illustrator at the largest advertising agency in Israel  before deciding to move to Bloomington.

He said the high energy and demanding hours at the agency provided valuable experience for him.

Although his prints on display could be mistaken as parts of a comic book story, each image could stand alone.

“I know it looks like comic book art, but it’s serious art to me,” Katz said. “It’s the comic book world gone artsy.”

To render his style, Katz first sketches an image on paper and then scans it onto the computer to fill in shading, shadows and color.

Using a computer makes for “less the mess,” he said, and allows him to explore other color and shadow options.

The exhibit features images of local places, including the Monroe County Courthouse square, the Ivy Tech John Waldron Arts Center and the Bloomingfoods cooperative market. Katz played around with lighting and drew the same image of an environment in daylight and nighttime. He also sketched landmarks from different angles and directions.

His prints also show the courthouse from the north, south, east and west, focusing on the four corners of the courthouse lawn.

“I bring my history and cultural whatever into Bloomington, and it’s a clash,” Katz said. “It’s Bloomington Euro.”

Katz exercises his “artistic freedom” in some of the prints, adding personal details as well as local animals. In one print, for example, a turtle walks across a telephone wire on one of the corners of the courthouse lawn. In another print, wheat fields grow in the middle of a parking lot.

Miah Michaelsen, assistant economic development director for the Arts for the City of Bloomington, first saw Katz’ artwork at the Ivy Tech Waldron Arts Center.

Michaelsen had bought one of Katz’s pieces and encouraged him to display his work at City Hall.  

The atrium has displayed artists whose work relates to Bloomington for the past six years and usually showcases a new artist each month.

“When there is a show that really resonates with people, I get a lot of positive comments from employees,” said Michaelsen. “Employees hate to see a particular show go down after a month when they really enjoy the artwork.”

Michaelsen also said that the exhibits are a nice way for people who go to City Hall to do business to see the artistic and cultural side of Bloomington.

Bloomington resident Gayle Nadorff attended Katz’s Artist Talk on Tuesday. The artwork resonated with Nadorff, who is interested in photography. She said she wants to incorporate the same storytelling elements in her photographs.

“I love the fact that there’s a story involved in every print,” Nadorff said. “It looks like the Bloomington that I know.”