Come, be pART of art exhibit and sale

Athens Arts Gallery and The Art League of Montgomery County will be hosting an art exhibit featuring artwork by local artists on the evening of Thursday, Feb. 24 at Fusion 54 on the third floor from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. At this time, you will be able to view and purchase artwork that you or your company can donate to the new Montgomery County Government Center. Each piece of art will have a museum label indicating the name of the artist, the title of the artwork, and the name of the donor. Artwork may also be named in honor of someone or in memory of someone.

The new center, located at the former Williamsburg Nursing Home, will house the majority of county government offices, and will welcome all community members and a multitude of business leaders. You can have a piece of artwork donated by you or your company to brighten the hallways and hearts of all who enter. Our goal is to feature quality artwork by our local artists.

Please send an email to [email protected] or [email protected] to make a reservations by Feb. 16 if you or anyone from your firm would like to attend the art exhibit. Because of COVID, masks are required. If you would prefer for someone locally to select a piece of artwork in honor of you or your company, you may send a financial donation to The Art League of Montgomery County, PO Box 2, Crawfordsville, IN 47933. A piece will be selected, and you will receive a picture of the piece and a donation for your records.

Artists who want to sell their art may bring up to three pieces of artwork to be purchased, but you need to apply to Diana McCormick  ([email protected] 765-366-4721) or Kathy Steele ([email protected] 765-362-7547) before Feb. 16.  You will be responsible for bringing your artwork to Fusion 54 on Feb. 24 between 3 p.m. and 5 pm, completing an Artwork for County Government Center Form for each piece, and picking up artwork that is not sold from 8 to 8:30 that evening. All artwork that is sold that evening will go through Athens Arts. A small fee will be assessed to handle processing costs.

You may have an original piece of artwork from a local artist that you no longer have on display in your home or office. Please consider donating it to the Montgomery County Government Center. The goal is to line the walls with quality artwork from local artists. You can donate the artwork in memory or in honor of someone. It is a great way to have these original pieces of art on display for others in our community to enjoy. You can deliver the artwork to the County Office Building on the corner of South Boulevard and Grant. An Artwork for County Government Center Form must be submitted, and each piece must have the name of the artist, the title of the artwork, name of donor and value attached to the back of the artwork. A committee will select the final artwork to be placed in the building.

The new building has been designed to be handicapped accessible and convenient for community members to enjoy as they visit the building to conduct business. The artwork will enhance the ambiance of the facility and highlight the artistic talents of our local artists.

Kathy Steele is the retired superintendent of the Crawfordsville Schools and the President of the Art League of Montgomery County.