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Summer Festival of the Arts showcases IU's cultural offerings through August

• May 11, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University Bloomington kicks off the fifth Summer Festival of the Arts this week with an array of exhibits highlighted by the 2015 Kinsey Institute Juried Art Show, opening Friday, May 15, in the Grunwald Gallery of Art.

The festival offers a range of programming through August, with events hosted at the IU Art Museum, IU Cinema, Grunwald Gallery of Art, Jacobs School of Music, Lilly Library, Mathers Museum of World Cultures, Wylie House Museum, the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center and the Bloomington Playwrights Project.

In addition to music, theater, film and gallery exhibitions, the 2015 summer schedule also includes readings by visiting authors to the Indiana University Writers' Conference, which this year is celebrating its 75th anniversary. Among the conference's workshop leaders who will read their work are best-selling author and cartoonist Lynda Barry; novelist and National Book Award finalist Dan Chaon; and IU's own Adrian Matejka, an award-winning poet whose work has been nominated for the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize.

"It's been wonderful to watch Bloomington become a regional hub for summer arts experiences over the past few years," said Ed Comentale, IU professor of English and associate vice provost for arts and humanities. "Our town provides a beautiful setting for showcasing IU's many talents in the arts -- writing, painting, music, theater, crafts. The richness of the summer program makes for a great stroll on a warm day or even a weeklong visit for arts lovers."

"Indiana Festival Theatre is a vital component of IU's Summer Festival of the Arts and is an important part of the Bloomington community," said Jonathan Michaelsen, chair of the Department of Theatre, Drama and Contemporary Dance. In addition to offering more than 35 performances throughout the summer, the summer theater programming provides IU students with the opportunity to work alongside the professional actors brought in for each show.

Highlights of this year's festival include:

• 10th annual Kinsey Institute Juried Art Show, opening reception 6 p.m. May 15 at the Grunwald Gallery, Room 110, in the Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Arts. The exhibition runs through July 11. Attendees can meet some of the artists and vote for favorite artwork. The paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, videos, sculptures, ceramics and fiber works by artists from across the country cover a range of themes, including sex, gender, eroticism, reproduction, sexuality, romantic relationships, the human figure, sexual health and the politics of sex and gender. Free of charge. 
• Readings by poet Adrian Matejka and novelist-essayist Alissa Nutting, 7:30 to 9 p.m. May 30, Bloomington Playwrights Project, 107 W. Ninth St. Both participants in the IU Writers' Conference, Matejka and Nutting will read recent works. Free and open to the public.
• Verona Quartet, 8 p.m. June 23, Auer Hall. The internationally known, award-winning Verona Quarter (formerly the Wasmuth Quartet) performs during the group's residency with the Indiana University Summer String Academy, June 22 to 27. The Verona Quartet is the graduate string quartet-in-residence at the Jacobs School of Music, where the group is mentored by the Pacifica Quartet, Alexander Kerr, Atar Arad and Eric Kim. Cost: $10, $5 students.
• "We Paint … Heirlooms," through May 30, Wylie House Museum, 307 E. Second St. View works by the Bloomington Watercolor Society that were inspired by the group's visit to the Wylie House in the summer of 2014. Free of charge. 
• "Cherokee Craft, 1973," Mathers Museum of World Cultures, June 16 to July 31. The exhibition presents a snapshot of craft production among the Eastern Band Cherokee at a key moment in both an ongoing Appalachian craft revival and the specific cultural and economic life of the Cherokee people in western North Carolina. Wood carvings, masks, ceramics, finger-woven textiles, basketry and dolls are featured. The works presented are all rooted in Cherokee cultural tradition but all also bear the imprint of the specific individuals who crafted them and the particular circumstances in which these craftspeople made and circulated their handwork. Free of charge. 
• "The Gentleman From Indiana," 7:30 p.m. July 11, 12, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23 and 25; and 2 p.m. July 12 and 18, Wells-Metz Theatre. Part of Indiana Festival Theatre and hosted by IU’s Department of Theatre, Drama and Contemporary Dance within the College of Arts and Sciences, this musical tells the hopeful tale of small-town Hoosier life from the turn of the last century. Nationally recognized actor Henry Woronicz will perform in "The Gentleman From Indiana" and Shakespeare's "As You Like It," which will be presented in repertory starting July 10. Cost: $15 to $25. 

About the Indiana University Summer Festival of the Arts

The Summer Festival of the Arts began in 2011 and seeks to bring all of Indiana University Bloomington’s cultural elements together, including live music, theater, conferences, lectures, art openings and films. Events take place from May until August and ensure that those visiting Bloomington as well as students, community members and IU faculty and staff are aware of the rich cultural offerings on campus. For event updates, follow @IUArtsFest and #IUArtsFest on Twitter.