File - Akron Area Arts League

Thank You……Thank You!
The Akron Area Arts League appreciates the support received from the
community, local businesses and from individuals like you.
Members:
James R.C. Adams
Juan Baca
Darleen Baker
Barbara Bart
Judith Bearss
Lisa Bemish
Sherry Benedict
Jacquie Bixler
Mina Bobel
John/Elaine Briggs
Bonita Brunner
Jennifer Caudill
Dave Clark
Judith Climie
Marlene/Terry Compton
Gretchen Coplen
Beverly Cowell
Steve Creighton
Ted Denton
Pam Ege
Karla Ellis
Brian Felts
Liz Flaherty
Jan Ginther
Jerry Ginther
Deana Gottschalk
Shirley Gray
Honeywell Center
Ilene Howard
Doris Ihnen
Joyce Jones
Linda Kahmark
Don/Kathy Kegarise
Mike Kenny
Linda Leasure
Deanna Love
Sarah Luginbill
Sandra Martensen
Jenny Miller
Patricia Mitterling
Mary Lu Molho
Jan Morgan
Don Musselman
Dale/Patty Pace
Richard/LaDonna Rader
Ruth Reese
Lola Riddle
Susan Ring
Thelma Rohrer
Laurie Schotz
Karen Shane
Jackie Shepherd
Janice Shewman
Kristen Shriver
Norma Shriver
Dauneda Shultz
Valynnda Slack
Carl Sparks
Jeremy Springer
Jim/Bonnie Steen
Julie Sutton
Diane Tesler
Pat Thompson
Tic Toc Trophy Shop
Joe Wildermuth
Becky Williams
Deb Winegardner
Janet Wood
Mike Yazel
Annette Young
Patrons:
Anonymous
Dean/Suzie Baker
Tana Bondar
Ross/Priscilla Burdge
Donald Caldwell
Larry Cunningham
Niki Davis
Richard Day
Sandy Denton
Don/Karen Camp Drone
Earl-Love Funeral Home
Janet Hackworth
Hartzler Funeral Home
Hoffman Body Shop
Marilyn Kruger
Alona Leininger
Ken Myers
Perry/Freddie(Kathy) Olshein
Corinne Pickens
Jeff/Brenda Ramseier
Violet Seiwert
Frank Smith
Jon Duane Smith
Merl/Linda Tinkey
Steve/Jennifer Weinert
AAAL was one of three local organizations to receive a $5000 award from the
Northern Indiana Community Foundation. This award has created an endowment
fund for the arts league. Large or small contributions to this fund will help the AAAL
become financially sound. The endowment is a permanent fund, the principle is never
touched. The AAAL has completed eight years and we are planning for a long and
successful future. Help us grow by contributing to our Endowment Fund. Please make
checks payable to: NICF and designate for the Akron Area Arts League. Thank you!
Akron Area Arts League, Ltd.
8th Annual Honors 2015
To provide active leadership in fostering
a vibrant community in which artistic
expression and appreciation flourish
LOOK…Art is Everywhere!
P.O. Box 702
Akron, Indiana 46910
Phone: 574-598-2875
E-mail: AkronAreaArts@gmail.com
www.AkronAreaArts.com
8th Annual AAAL Award Honorees
Don and Kathy Kegarise of Kewanna are
artists with an eye for design, composition
and style in the visual arts and writing.
Kathy does painting, photography, quilting and writes prose and poetry. She has
self-published picture books with stories
and poems and has written other booklets
specifically for the Pulaski County Public
Library and for a project with gifted 5th
graders in the Pioneer Elementary School. She says her most time consuming job has been to support Don in his endeavors and to raise the kids.
Don paints in all mediums and is a woodcarver who has create to-scale
models of the carousel in Logansport. He works in pen and ink, and writes
prose. He has self-publish two books about his childhood, Where Have You
Been? Nowhere. What Have You Been Doing? Nothing. and “Where Are
You Going? When Are You Coming Back?. They enjoy sharing their talents so that others can see the beauty and joy in the world.
Don and Kathy have been married 41 years, have three children and
eight grandchildren. This couple live in a rural home, which they designed
and built, that just barely sits in Fulton County. It has been home to them
for 15 years and they have made it an environmental fairy land. The wildlife that lives around them provides inspiration for their work. They have
learned to stop and look at the clouds and stars, the wild flowers and the
flow of the water. They sit quietly and listen to the birds and watch the butterflies. They exemplify the Arts League slogan: “Look…Art is everywhere!”
Their latest project has been to join with other Kewanna artists to help repurposing the former Kewanna Baptist Church giving it the name of The
Heartery. The mission of The Heartery is
to be “open to that which nourishes the
heart and mind”. Plans are in the works
to host live performances in music, theater and other artistic venues for the community.
The art league is happy to honor this
beautiful, talented couple with the 2015
Artists of the Year Award.
The league provides decorations for the Fireplace mantle in the Akron Community Center.
The decorations are changed with the seasons
and we especially go all out for Christmas.
This year our theme was gold with poinsettias.
The AAAL is responsible for the changing art
exhibits at both the Rochester and Akron libraries. We featured works by the 2014 AAAL
Artist of the Year, Brenda Ramseier and the winning art works from our
annual July 4th show. Solo shows featured guest artists Susan Kline,
Peru; Manchester University Professors James R. C. Adams and Jena Oke.
AAAL members and their entries from the Clark Gallery/
Honeywell Center’s “TREES”
themed show were shown in
Akron and the AAAL Annual
Members’ Photography Show
was in Rochester. One of the
most fun exhibits was the 12” x
12” floral challenge done by
local artists. The 27 works provided lots of variety and plenty
of color.
Erica Coffing presented a demonstration in
drawing portraits and figures in charcoal and
graphite to the AAAL visual art members.
Artist/teacher Brenda Ramseier was chosen
2014 AAAL Artist of
the Year. Since her retirement from public
school teaching she has been a valuable asset in
the life of the League. Most recently she started
The Art Giraffe which is her gallery, studio and
classroom. Check it out: www.theartgiraffe.com
Activities of the AAAL, 2014-15, Continued….
The Annual July 4th Judged Show
was a huge success. There were
95 pieces of art from 28 artists
and over $900 was awarded in
cash prizes. Marilyn Kruger won
Best of Show for her winter painting titled “Snowed In Again”. It
served as a reminder of the snowy
winter we had
just
come
through! Other winners were Mike Yazel, Jennifer Caudill, Lisa Bemish, Jerry Ginther, Judith
Bearss, Thelma Rohrer, Val Slack, Karla Ellis,
Sarah Luginbill and Kris Shriver. In addition to
the art exhibit the AAAL sponsored a talent
show. This first year, there were only six contestants but they displayed that Akron does have talent! We’re committed
to try it again in 2016.
The AAAL sponsors summer music concerts. We helped finance the
Hispanic band that played July 3rd in Pike Memorial Park. And in
addition to the four Akron Music on the Square programs, Saturday
August 8th we sponsored a bluegrass band at the Farmer’s Market in
Rochester. The Akron Music on the square musical groups were:
The Russ Chandler Show, Sentimental Journeys, Night Shift and
God’s Country.
Our attendance was down this
year. If you have suggestions for
musical groups you’d like to have
booked for the Music on the
Square summer concerts please let
us know. We want to keep providing these concerts, but we need your participation in order for it
to be a cost effective activity.
About the Akron Area Arts League
Akron Area Arts League, Ltd. (AAAL) is a nonprofit corporation
starting its ninth year of service to the community. Our mission is: to
encourage personal expression in the arts and to provide opportunities
for increased appreciation of the arts. The AAAL realizes this mission
though its events and activities.
All those living within a 15 mile radius of Akron are in our service
area and all are encouraged to participate in the AAAL activities. This
area includes Rochester, Fulton, Denver, Roann, Laketon, North
Manchester, Silver Lake, Claypool, Mentone, Talma and Tippecanoe.
These communities are in five counties, Fulton, Wabash, Kosciusko,
Miami and Marshall.
AAAL Board 2015-2016
Current members:
Lisa Bemish, Beverly Cowell, Karen Drone, Jan Ginther,
Deanna Love, Dale Pace, Brenda Ramseier, and Kristen
Shriver.
The Arts League is always looking for people who would be inter­
ested in serving on the board. Let us know if that person is YOU!! We would appreciate new faces and new ideas! Also, with the passing of our financial officer Don Drone, we have a need for a person who understands how to keep financial rec­
ords. This help is needed immediately. Webmaster and Facebook Manager: Lisa Bemish
Newsletter Design: Kristen Shriver
Board meetings are scheduled at 1:30 pm in the Akron Community
Center on the second Monday of the month. They are open to the
public.
Activities of the Akron Area Arts League, 2014-15
Each month the AAAL schedules
meetings for writers, photographers
and acoustic jammers. The writers
meet the second Tuesday of the
month from 2-4 pm in the Akron
Public Library. A suggested prompt
provides ideas for writings which are
shared with the group. Also, each
member submits writing samples that are included in a booklet, A TASTE OF
WRITING. Volume III is being assembled and sells for $5. The Indiana Poet
Laureate, George Kalamaras spoke at Ancilla College. Eight of the members
attended his talk. The late Ann Allen was instrumental in getting the writer’s
group started and her experience and expertise is missed.
The acoustic jammers meet the third Friday of each
month from 7-9 pm in the Akron Community Center. It
is such fun to participate in live music provided by a variety of musicians with many different musical styles.
The jam is open to the public and anyone who plays an
acoustic instrument is welcome to sit-in with the group.
Pictured is bass player Willis Halterman, the only musician who is allowed to “plug in”. The bass is vital to the
sound and stand-up bass players are in short supply.
Thanks to Willis’s dedication we always have a rich, full
sound
The photography group meets the third Tuesday
from 7-8:30 pm in the Community Presbyterian
Church, 530 Jefferson Street, Rochester. Members view a 30 minute educational DVD followed
by discussion and sharing of their prints… which
are based on suggested photo topics. The members’ photographs are featured October 20th
through November 17th in the Gallery at the Fulton County Public Library, Rochester.
The Akron Area Arts League supplied teachers and
materials for seven different art programs for kids.
Over 100 children were served. Brenda Ramseier
taught children who are home schooled in the Akron
Public Library for two
six-week sessions--in
the Fall and Spring.
Kristen Shriver taught
five sessions to students in the after school program at the Akron Elementary School. She
also taught three sessions to students who were
enrolled in
the Summer
Parks and
R ecr eation
program in North Manchester. Retired art
teachers Gretchen Coplen and Brenda
Ramseier each taught a 14 hours Summer
Art Camp. Gretchen was in the Bell Memorial Public Library, Mentone and
Brenda taught in the Akron Community Center. Lindsay Kozubik, art teacher
with the Logansport School Corporation taught 14 hours at the Fulton County
Public library, Rochester.
Adults also received art instruction through the
AAAL. Pat Thompson met with residents of
Wynnfield Crossing, Rochester for eight, two-hour
acrylic painting sessions while Jan Ginther went to
Hickory Creek Health Center, Rochester and provided art activities on four occasions. Lisa Bemish
provides lessons in oil painting at the Akron Community Center during the Fall and Spring.
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