2022 Artists

IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital

Phyllicia Carr

Phyllicia Carr is a self-taught multidisciplinary artist from Indianapolis, IN and is known for expressing herself through visual art, graphic design, and photography. She uses her intuition to explore realism and abstract elements while highlighting her subjects with nature. Her mixed media portraits are inspired from vivid dreams, research, and deep introspective revelation to communicate the importance of empowerment, love, beauty, vulnerability, and healing for the Black community. Phyllicia received her B.A. in Communication from North Carolina A&T State University. Her work has been exhibited at the Indianapolis Central Library, WACO Theater Center’s Wearable Art Gala (founded by Richard Lawson & Tina Knowles Lawson), Pardi Gras Ball, PardiWay, the AMP, and was a winner for Martk’d shoe design competition sponsored by Finishline & Puma sponsored.

Website: www.ilovephy.com

Design Narrative

Theme: Water Safety and Health | Water is crucial for our health and safety, yet it can be detrimental to our health and safety when it isn’t clean. Contaminants like algal toxins, pharmaceuticals, PFAS, heavy metals, and others can threaten our drinking water and are often unregulated or require expensive treatments to remove. And yet, our household water supply is one of the primary tools we use to keep our homes clean and sanitary.

Newfields

Shaunt'e Lewis

Shaunt’e Lewis is a published Visual Artist and Illustrator. She was born and raised in Springfield Massachusetts and moved to Indiana in 2011. Her work centers around self identity, black culture and femininity. She specializes in colorful, bold illustration as well as murals and original paintings for private collectors and commercial clients. Her passion for art and entrepreneurship and her unmistakable style has led her to work with some amazing companies such as West Elm, Makers Mark, NCAA, Indy 500, Vuse, Nordstom, Meijer, Jiffy Lube, PBS, Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site and more. Her work has also been featured in The New York Times, Complex Magazine, Hello Colorado and several local publications.

“My work explores the relationship between feminism and the arts while incorporating bright colors and clean lines. I am particularly captivated by the endless facets and abstractness of my culture. I love to hear the difference views and personal connections that my art creates. I find it very rewarding to share my passion and artistic talents with others. Through my work, I hope to inspire others to pursue their passions.”

Website: www.ShaunteLewis.com

Design Narrative

Theme: Water Access, Affordability, and Equity | Many of us take access to water for granted – we turn on the faucet and out it comes. Sadly, this is not true for everyone. Over 2 million Americans live without easy access to water, and there are a variety of factors as to why. Race, social class, and location are all contributing factors to water accessibility. This is a worldwide problem as well as one happening in our own backyard. Any imagining of an equitable future must include affordable access to clean water for everyone.

Citizens Energy Group

Sharon J. Brooks

Design Narrative

Theme: Water Conservation | Lawn irrigation has a significant impact on our water supply and utility bills. Excessive summer lawn watering can lead to wasteful main breaks on the local water system and low-flow conditions in area waterways. Runoff from fertilized lawns can also lead to excessive weed growth and algae in waterways. Limit lawn irrigation to no more than twice per week and avoid watering during the heat of the day to prevent evaporation. It’s important to conserve water indoors, as well. Take shorter showers, repair leaky toilets and faucets, and turn off water while brushing teeth and shaving. Visit www.citizensenergygroup.com/WaterWise for more ways to conserve water.

Ingredion Inc.

Matthew Cooper

Matthew Cooper is an emerging self-taught artist specializing in mixed media paintings. He received his ALA from Vincennes University in 2012 and attended IUPUI Herron Art & Design where he studied drawing and minored in Africana studies. From exhibiting in galleries during his early career, to being commissioned to paint murals around Indianapolis and becoming a featured artist at the Arts Council and Circle City Industrial Complex in 2021, Matthew is leaving his mark on his hometown of Indianapolis, IN.

Social Media Pages: Instagram @matthew_ecooper | Website https://matthewcooperart.squarespace.com

Design Narrative

Theme: Food Industry and Water | Water is closely tied to food production in a number of ways. Food manufacturing operations use large amounts of water in the production of common household goods like soft drinks, baking powder, and more. Consider how these manufacturers and their consumers would be impacted if water resources were in short supply or not clean enough to use for food production. This change would impact our diets or even our social activities like grabbing dinner with friends.

Coca-Cola Consolidated

Melanie Reinhart

Melanie Reinhart, a lifelong Boone County resident, recently graduated from Indiana University. An outdoor enthusiast, she enjoys kayaking, camping, rock climbing, and hiking. She started designing adventure-themed vinyl stickers during the pandemic as her creative outlet, sharing her artwork on Etsy and in local boutiques. She loves incorporating bright colors and calligraphy into her work. Melanie jumped on the opportunity to try a new medium through the canoe project as she hadn’t previously explored painting. She plans to continue to challenge herself creatively and use her artistic style to share joy with others. 

Social Media Pages: Instagram: @melancraftco | Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MelanCraftCo

Design Narrative

Theme: Beverage Industry and Water | Water is closely tied to large-scale beverage production in a number of ways – from a primary product component to cleaning equipment to the energy required for manufacturing. Large volumes of clean water are needed to produce the products that are commonplace in our households. Threats to water quality and quantity impact manufacturers and consumers, beverage choices and prices, and your dining experience or social activity.

Public Greens - Broad Ripple

Kate Oberreich

Kate Oberreich is an Indianapolis based painter employing multiple mediums including water media, cyanotype, embroidery, and collage. She received a BFA in painting from Ball State University in 2005, with additional studies in classical cultures and mythology.

Kate’s work often explores themes and narratives associated with the concept of finding home and community, both literally and figuratively.

Notable clients include Citizens Energy Group (Indianapolis, IN), 20th Century Fox (for the feature film, The Fault in Our Stars), Indianapolis Monthly, HGTV, Shamrock Cycles (Indianapolis, IN) and Spotts Gardens (Indianapolis, IN).

Social Media Pages: Instagram @kateoberreich | Website www.kateoberreich.com

Design Narrative

Theme: Healthy Soils | A key to managing water supplies and protecting water quality in rural areas is the implementation of “soil health” agricultural practices. For example, cover crops create deep and dense root networks and higher levels of organic matter that help water soak back into the ground and restore underground aquifers. Water quality is also improved because less polluted runoff is able to leave the field and enter nearby waterways.

Old Town at Waverly Park

Sarah Jones

Website: www.SarahKathrynJones.com

Design Narrative

Theme: Agriculture and Livestock | Water is necessary for nurturing crops, but farmers are presented with more risks and challenges each year. Climate change is imposing new rainfall patterns and increasing flood and drought events. Farmers are under more pressure to reduce nutrient, pesticide, and bacteria runoff from fields and/or drain tiles. Additionally, livestock operations can present unique threats to waterways. Water use and management are a large part of the agricultural conversation, and agriculture is a large part of Indiana’s economy.

Metazoa Brewing Co.

Dar Parsons

Dar Parsons is a freelance self-taught artist, publisher and designer from Indianapolis, Indiana. He lives In the Irvington Community with his wife and two daughters. Wamingo Art is what Dar does in his spare time to feed his love for art, books and other strange illustrations. Dar has illustrated five published books and has painted several murals including on the backside of the Irving Theater. Currently, Dar is working on his personal collection called the “The Long bar” and is also working on illustrating another book. If you would like to look at some of Dar’s art, see the links below.

Social Media: Instagram @Darp74_wamingo_art | Website: https://www.wamingoart.com/

Design Narrative

Theme: Drinking Local | Water is essential for producing all types of alcohol: beer, wine, ciders, and spirits. Alcohol producers rely on a consistent source of clean water to produce quality products and keep their facilities hygienic. A lack of clean water not only impacts producers and their suppliers but also the social activities and local culture that support the industry. Samplings, for example, are commonplace at local breweries, wineries, and distilleries and create a fun and unique beverage experience.

Cummins Inc.

Walt Thacker

Walt is an oil painter who paints ordinary landscapes in an upbeat and surreal sense with a taste for antiques! Walt has always been a good artist but being self employed, getting married and starting a family; the art endeavors went way beyond the back burner. Life was full, life was good! At thirty-six something happened: H started mellowing out and got out my paints and brushes and went to it. This gave him the sanctuary he needed,  with the everyday stress of work and family life. As mentioned, life was full so his painting time was time he was taking or even stealing from family and work but he stuck to it and thirty years later he’s at his best! At sixty-six he’s trying to get out in public and find his niche. The love and excitement is in the painting: creating the scene and subject matter, mixing the colors and applying it to the canvas always puts him in a better place.

Social Media: Facebook @Walt Thacker Artwork

Design Narrative

Theme: Water Use in Jobs and Manufacturing | Water is a vital part of countless manufacturing processes, including the production of heavy industrial machinery, the building of roads, and the development of pharmaceutical products. All of these industries play a major role in Indiana’s economy and have a big impact on our water supply. Scan the QR code to the right to learn more about the White River Art Canoes and our new podcast that discusses the many values of water, The Collective Tap.

Noblesville Riverwalk; Depot Pocket Park

Christina Hollering

Christina Hollering lives in Zionsville, IN but has been a part of the Indianapolis art community for over 15yrs. She has had studios in the Murphy Arts Center and the Harrison Center. Christina recently graduated from Herron School of Art and Design, where she also teaches, with her Master of Fine Arts in painting and drawing. In the fall of 2022, she will be having a solo show at the Harrison Center and her art at the Indianapolis International Airport. Christina enjoys exploring Indiana’s waterways in her kayak in her spare time.

Social Media Pages: Instagram @christinahollering  | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristinaHolleringArt | Website http://christinahollering.com/

Design Narrative

Theme: Energy and Water | Water is used in many ways that often go unnoticed. Every time you flip on a light switch at home, you are using water. Water is being used to heat and cool our homes and businesses, run appliances, televisions, computers, and even charge our phones. The ways we use energy and energy sources themselves are constantly evolving, and these changes impact our water resources. Water is always present and necessary in our daily lives, often in ways we’d never imagine and which allow us so many conveniences and comforts!

Conner Prairie

Kathy Garnes

Kathy Garnes grew up in Indiana.  She studied Fine Arts at Bradley University in Peoria Illinois and spent a semester studying art at Parsons in Paris, France. After graduating, she became a flight attendant.  Kathy enjoyed seeing many cultures and visiting art museums around the world.  Kathy left the airlines to stay home with her twins.  While they were young, Kathy taught summer art camps through the Hamilton County Artists Association, led arts and crafts for Seton Summer Series and created backdrops for school plays and musicals.  Now that her children are older, she has become more active in creating public art.  Kathy enjoys sharing her love of art with her family and the community.

Indy Arts Guide Page: http:/www.indyartsguide.org/artist/Kathy-garnes-2

Design Narrative

Theme: Our Waters, Past and Present | Thousands of years ago, water was clean, and pristine, and animals and humans traveled far and wide to reach it. No one gave a second thought to fishing or swimming in our lakes and rivers. Now, fish consumption advisories are in place for many rivers, and people can get sick from exposure to our untreated, polluted water. Today water is often taken for granted, overused, heavily polluted, and increasingly expensive to treat for our drinking water. Poor water quality negatively impacts our safety and health as well as other species over time.

Federal Hill Commons

Lynne Medsker

Lynne is a randomly creative artist who is driven by curiosity and imagination.  Creating colorful, whimsical & detailed artwork of all kinds is her passion. Much of her art is inspired by nature but she also has a love of text, texture and patterns that comes into play when creating. She has been pursuing this passion for over 20 years and has creations in private and corporate collections in the US and abroad. She has two coloring books published by Dover Publications, the first, “Zendalas” that includes highly detailed drawings inspired by mandalas and the second, titled “In The Woods” featuring a variety of abstract/funky trees and hidden animals.

Her childhood summers were spent on a southern Indiana lake which fueled her passion for nature, water and fun! Currently she lives on property in rural Morgan County with her rescue pets and enjoys exploring the woods, fields and small creek in addition to working in her home studio.

Social Media Pages: Instagram @lynnemedskerart | Facebook @Lynne Medsker Art & Photography, LLC | Twitter @lynnemedskerart | Website www.LynneMedsker.com

Design Narrative

Theme: Recreation and Shoreline Communities | Indiana offers opportunities to go swimming, fishing, canoeing, skiing, boating, floating, and other types of recreational activities on the water. These activities play a huge part in bringing communities together, making Indiana a place where people want to live, and providing a way to escape the daily stresses of life. Lakes, streams, rivers and their shorelines are also a place for communities to build restaurants, host events, and spend time with family and friends.

Mounds State Park

Katarina Antal

Katarina Antal graduated in May of 2022 from Ball State University with a degree in landscape architecture. Growing up in northern Indiana, she quickly formed a love for the outdoors spending her free time biking, running, and exploring trails which lead her to combine her love for art and the outdoors in her degree. Nature is a significant inspiration for her art, as she is often taken in awe by the beauty and intricacies of life that is found outdoors. In her art, she primarily focuses on water scenes and native midwest flowers. She has also participated in the  2019 and 2022 Goshen Storm Drain Art Projects, as well as painted an electric control box in Muncie Indiana in 2020 as part of the Muncie Box! Box! Art Program.

Social Media Pages: Instagram @katarinaantal

Design Narrative

Theme: Nature and Wildlife | Indiana’s wildlife and natural habitats heavily rely on our water resources for their very existence. Whether water is required for growth, diet, reproductive phases, or even their entire habitat, the presence and quality of water sources have a large impact. What kind of interesting and unique animals swim, hunt, and hide in our waters? Madison County has thirty endangered, threatened, and rare species. How can we help protect our water resources to support these critters and their special habitats?

Eiteljorg Museum

Katrina Mitten

Katrina Mitten is a citizen of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, an award winning artist– beading for over 45 years. She is also an educator at a variety of levels – corporate lecturer, secondary school and university educational programs, and documentary films. Katrina has practiced traditional Great Lakes embroidery style native beadwork through study of family heirlooms, museum collections and practice. The imagery she creates is inspired by the world around her. Her works have been acquired by the Miami Tribe, national museums and private collectors. Illustrating the value she places on education, Katrina has been a corporate lecturer, contributed to elementary, secondary and university level educational programs, and featured in documentary films.
“My teachers are the beadworkers of the past.”

Website: www.katrinamitten.com

Design Narrative

Theme: The Indigenous Perspective | Native communities have a long history and special relationship with the White River and its tributaries – a relationship that is different in many ways to people’s relationship with water today. From the artist herself, “The creation of this canoe is to visualize our respect for the water given to us by the creator.” You will see on the canoe “keekiihtanki” which means water is life flowing. Katrina also adds, “It has images of water beings and protectors because we as Indigenous people have a responsibility to all of life that is dependent on clean water including we human beings.”

Minnetrista Museum & Gardens

Geoff Davis

Geoff Davis, a life-long Hamilton County resident, is a multi-disciplinary artist best known for his hand carved and colorful carved birds, whales and pull toys. In addition to his carvings, Geoff is a leathersmith and letterpress printer. Always striving to learn new techniques, Geoff’s work is known for its unique crackle texture and authentic patina. Geoff is active in the Noblesville arts community and operates a teaching studio in OldTown Noblesville where students student bookarts, letterpress, carving and leather. Geoff was named an Indiana Artisan in 2011 and has been listed in the Early American Life Directory of Traditional American Craft since 2017. His work may be found in private collections and the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake, NY.

Social Media Pages: Websites https://www.twopaddlepress.com & https://www.gbdavisfolkart.com/ | Instagram @gbdavisfolkart

Design Narrative

Theme: Waterway Corridors |Waterways are a critical resource for wildlife, not only as a source of food and drinking water but also as transportation corridors, creating familiar routes and safe connections between larger natural areas. Forested streams and rivers and their connected wetlands, lakes, and reservoirs create an important landscape network that supports endangered species and migratory birds, making Indiana one of the most active flyways in North America. In fact, more than 420 species of migratory birds pass through the state each year, joining the many other beloved Indiana resident species that call these waters home year-round.