Harrison Center

In Courtland Blade's exhibition, Observed, Blade focuses on ordinary places around the city, in varying light, weather, and times of day, to offer different perspectives on Indianapolis and opportunities to forge new connections to the city.

One of Blade's major goals for this show is to define what gives his pieces power. He decided the work didn't need to be 'bigger' to be powerful, and instead, focused on the message he was trying to say about a place—"I committed to painting Indianapolis as I experience it, not as I thought it should look."

Online Gallery: https://gallery.harrisoncenter.org/show/harrison-center-observed-by-courtland-blade
Blog: https://www.harrisoncenter.org/blog/observed

Kami Noland, undergoing massive life changes while creating her show, experienced hardship that left her debilitated for much of the first four of the seven weeks she had to prepare. But she pushed on.

With a quick walk through the gallery, you might not be able to tell, but when you linger with her pieces, taking note of the diversity of what she presents, you can start to see her search for direction—her effort resulting in the 57 unique pieces created over the years that make up Unfettered.

The great thing about art is, as Noland puts it, "[it] takes so many shapes. No one is the ultimate authority on what is 'good' art. It's entirely too subjective."

Online Gallery: https://gallery.harrisoncenter.org/show/harrison-center-unfettered
Blog: https://www.harrisoncenter.org/blog/unfettered

Consider this your sign to porch! Gather your people (and maybe meet a few new ones), swap stories, stay a little longer than planned, and create lasting memories. ☀️

Learn more about Porching traditions at https://www.harrisoncenter.org/porch!

In Patina, artist MJ Coyle builds paintings the way a room earns its character, layer by layer, until something that looks like it's always been there emerges.

Coyle's path to painting runs through interior design. Working on spaces that needed art at a scale or mood he couldn't find elsewhere, he started making the pieces himself, color stories pulled straight from his head and onto canvas. "If I can't find something that I'm looking for," he says, "I will make it myself." His materials range widely from piece to piece: chalk, charcoal, oil, acrylic, even coffee and a shower squeegee found their way into this body of work.

Online Gallery: https://gallery.harrisoncenter.org/show/harrison-center-patina-by-mj-coyle
Blog: https://www.harrisoncenter.org/blog/patina