One Art Event a Week: Charley Creek Arts Fest and Clark Gallery at the Honeywell Center

[Laura Frank]

Week 17: Charley Creek Arts Fest and Clark Gallery at the Honeywell Center in Wabash, Indiana

I grew up in Marion, a small city about an hour between Indianapolis and Fort Wayne; my parents still live there. While visiting my family over the past weekend, we decided to take a short 30 minute drive northwest to Wabash. Wabash’s biggest claim-to-fame is that it was the first electrically lighted city in the world. But last weekend, the Charley Creek Arts Fest was the bright spot in Wabash.

Charley Creek Arts Fest was a two-day, juried art festival that took place in downtown Wabash at Paradise Springs Historical Park. This year’s festival had about 20 artists’ booths to browse. Initially, the small number of participants concerned me…I was so used to attending the bigger Indianapolis art fairs. But this art fest ended up appealing to me because of its size: I found the smaller number of booths much less overwhelming than other art fairs, and I never had to dodge masses of people. I actually had a chance to talk to most of the artists about their work, which made the event much more personal for me.

My favorite artist was David Mann, a woodworker who travels the world and brings back different types of wood native to the areas. Mr. Mann told me that he does not dye the wood; any color that is revealed is natural to the type of wood used. I walked away with one of his bangle bracelets, made from a Brazilian wood that had a purple tint to it. It was a family affair for the Mann’s: his wife, who created very realistic drawings of pets, had the booth next to him while his daughter knitted out in front of the two booths.

The Community School for the Arts (CSA), based in Marion, had a pottery instructor throwing on a wheel at their booth. His piece, a large urn, won the “Best of Show” prize. I also heard the CSA booth had Garfield illustrator Eric Reaves conducting cartoon drawing demonstrations on Saturday.

I liked how every detail was planned, right down to the artfully decorated ladies’ bathroom. There were also children’s activities; musical performances; and plein air painting demonstrations. There was even a large wooden replica of “American Gothic” where participants could have their picture taken posing as the subjects of the painting.

After we finished up at the art fest, we decided to head over to the Honeywell Center’s Clark Gallery. The Gallery was exhibiting the Wabash County Art Guild’s annual juried exhibit. The Art Guild, celebrating its 50th anniversary, exhibited many different art styles. After viewing all of the pieces, I decided that I agreed with the final decision on the Best of Show winner, a water color of glass pitchers entitled “Nine Pitchers” by Susan Ring. It was great to see so many local, Indiana artists represented in this exhibit.

You might be surprised at the other things the Honeywell Center has to offer. Not only is there a rotating schedule of visual art on display in Clark Gallery, there’s also a Saturday Farmer’s Market; their restaurant, Eugenia’s; and performances by such acts as Michael Bolton, 1964 The Tribute and Annie the Musical.

My family and I really enjoyed the Charley Creek Arts Fest. It seemed like this event sparked a renewed interest in the art community. And with the Honeywell as the cornerstone, Wabash is charged with high powered art events while still hanging onto its quaint charm.

For more information on the Honeywell Center, please visit www.honeywellcenter.org. For more information on the Charley Creek Arts Fest, please visit www.charleycreekartsfest.org.