Art Gallery Openings at the JCC Indianapolis
The JCC Indianapolis Art Gallery hosts about eight exhibits of fine arts each year. Works on display include paintings, prints, sculpture, mixed media, photography, fiber art, and more. Art gallery shows run for about six weeks with each show having an opening reception with the artist(s) on-site to talk with attendees about their passion and process.
Most of our past artists are from Indianapolis and central Indiana, and many are nationally known, including Johnny Mckee, Emma Overman, Julia and Jack Wickes, Aline Chevalier, and group shows like Religion, Spirituality, and the Arts.
Currently on Exhibit
The 67th Street Printmakers is a community of artists brought together by their love of printmaking. They met through years of studio time at the Indianapolis Art Center, and have been dedicated to sharing their art and the various methods of printmaking ever since.
Upcoming Art Gallery Shows
For upcoming events, visit the Events page.
We also send arts-only emails to those interested in arts events at the J. The emails are sent about twice a month. Visit our Stay Connected page to learn more and sign up.
JCC members and staff will showcase their work in our beautiful gallery this fall!
Submissions are open from May through mid-July. $15 entry fee. Contact Camille with questions at carnett@jccindy.org.
Open to members and staff only.
Coming in August.
Recent Art Gallery Shows
Bonnie Maurer has the soul of an artist. In this exhibit, she gave voice to the joy in welding sculptural arts objects using steel and other recycled materials. She claims the family junkyard, Wrecks Inc., as one of her influences. “Junk,” she says, “may be my true calling, calling out of chaos to order, to play, to humor, calling to memory, calling to the imagination.” She also channels Alexander Calder’s spirit of making things for the “fun” of it. “Inherent in welding found objects are the elements of discovery and surprise,” she says. One of Maurer’s professors asked: Does she have a whimsical seriousness or a serious whimsy? Perhaps both. You decide!
We were honored to showcase the return of internationally renowned artist Nhat Tran to show her latest creations in three demanding media: urushi lacquer, acrylic, and copper. The pandemic calamity brought her to rethink and redesign her artistry. It became an opportunity to explore new media, to attempt bold experiments, and to acquire the mastery of precise hand gestures through the coordinated motion of shoulders, arms, and wrists. The exhibition displayed a large selection of her most recent works. Her style is distinctive, and yet no theme is ever repeated. Each composition, large or small, form its own universe where colors rhyme with forms in spinning and flowing rhythms. Come and witness the transporting whirls, twirls, and swirls that gyrate all around her paintings and sculptures, each a handloom that weaves its own peculiar mix and flux of elemental emotions.
This exhibit in honor of Black History Month featured two local artists: Kassa Bekele and William Rasdell. Bekele is an Ethiopian American painter. Rasdell is a photographer who has traveled around Africa in search of Jewish enclaves. He has also spent time with in the community of Ethiopian Jews in Israel.
Together, Bekele and Rasdell provided an artistic experience that helped sew together thousands of years of common history and belief that leads right to the present day.
The personal mission of Marianne Glick, one of Central Indiana’s most renowned and beloved artists, is to ignite, inspire and direct energy for positive action. Her paintings allow her to colorfully express her mission and bring joy to those who view them.
This most recent exhibit was inspired by her love of ’80s music and the impact it has had on her. Included in this group were “River of Dreams” by Billy Joel, “Walking in Memphis” by Marc Cohn as well as “Mardi Gras,” “Cool, Cool River” and “Slip Slidin’ Away,” all by Paul Simon.
Mixed Media by Claudia Labin and sculpture by Irwin Labin
Evolution is all about the ins and outs, the circling back, and the spirals we drive ourselves into and dig ourselves back out of again. It is all about deep shadows punctuated by bursts of lights, always striving and delving further into the no man’s land of unknown territory.
About the Artists
Painter Megan Jefferson’s works are inspired by nature. This art gallery show featured works that explore focal point and depth of field.
For more about the artist, visit the Jefferson Art Studio website.
The JCC was proud to showcase artwork from its members and staff in this annual exhibit.
About Irwin and Ann Katz
The Art Gallery is made possible in part with funding from the Irwin and Ann Katz Cultural Arts and Education Endowment Fund. Irwin “Irv” Katz was devoted to the JCC for more than 70 years, serving as president of the JCC board of directors at its old location from 1950-52 and again from 1958-61 during a pivotal time: its move and construction at its current location. The resulting 24,000-square-foot facility boasted meeting rooms, nursery school facilities, a gym, locker rooms, and outdoor space for summer camp.
The annual Ann Katz Festival of Books and Arts was transformed from a one-week book fair to a major cultural arts program in Indianapolis when, in the year 2000, Katz infused the festival with a significant annual contribution. At that time, the festival name was changed to honor the memory of his wife, Ann, an inveterate reader and lover of books and literature.
Friends of the Arts
In addition to foundations and corporations, support for arts programs at the JCC comes from a group of active, engaged arts enthusiasts called J Friends of the Arts. As an example, the group provided more than $50,000 in funding to purchase new, more comfortable seating for the Laikin Auditorium. To become a member of J Friends of the Arts, contact Camille Arnett at 317-715-9240 or carnett@JCCindy.org.
Lifelong Learning is a Core Jewish Value
The story of the Jewish people is one of freedom from tyranny and oppression. As a people, we believe that true freedom is experienced in a community’s ability to educate, to expand minds and perspectives, and to tolerate opposing ideas rooted in truth. The goal of JCC programs is to educate and inform and also to forge and strengthen partnerships, e.g., The Unity Project whose mission is to build respect and understanding between various communities, especially the black and Jewish communities, through dialogue and the arts. Other partnerships include The Indy Jazz Foundation for our Jazz at the J series; Dance Kaleidoscope and Indiana Writers Center for Spirit & Place events; Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library for our Circle City Authors series and many others.