Arts Commission approves Arts in the Parks & Historic Sites grants for 2020

The 72 grants to individual artists and organizations, totaling $208,071.59 were approved by the Commission during its December 6, 2019 Quarterly Business Meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Arts in the Parks and Historic Sites is a partnership between the IAC, Indiana State Parks, and Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites and funds art activities that encourage visitors to create and experience art that celebrates the uniqueness of Indiana’s historic sites, parks, lakes and forests. The program draws upon traditional and non-traditional arts and artists in Indiana, weaving the arts into the state’s natural beauty and rural settings.

Each year the program continues to see increased interest from artists and arts organizations in being part of sharing the arts in a non-traditional environment. Projects will take place in 26 of the state’s 33 park properties and all 11 of its state historic sites. Participating in the program creates access to the arts and fosters a life-long appreciation of the arts and the park or historic site.

About Indiana State Parks
The mission of Indiana State Parks is to conserve, manage, and interpret resources while creating memorable experiences for everyone.

About the Indiana State Museum and State Historic Sites
The mission of the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites is to celebrate, explore and steward all that is authentically wondrous about Indiana.

About the Indiana Arts Commission (IAC)
The mission of the IAC is to positively impact the cultural, economic and educational climate of Indiana by providing responsible leadership for and public stewardship of artistic resources for all of Indiana's citizens and communities.

Funded Projects:

• John Arnold - Marion County 
• Indiana Limestone Carving Workshop
• Spring Mill State Park
• June 2020
• $3,000

Highlighting Indiana’s history, culture, and the natural resource limestone, this workshop will teach the strength, durability, beauty, and plasticity of limestone. The free workshop allows individuals first-hand experience of stone carving that’s been done for generations in Indiana, creating their own stone carving to take home.

• Arts for Learning - Marion County
• Indiana’s Living Folklife Traditions
• Mounds State Park
• May 2020
• $2,649

Indiana’s Living Folklife Traditions is a celebration and exploration of the cultural traditions of the region. Activities include yoga for mindfulness, plant and insect observational drawing, nature mandala making, basket weaving, pottery making, and a music performance during the park’s Annual Plant Sale.

• Arts Place, Inc. - Jay County
• Arts in the Parks at the Limberlost Limberlost State Historic Site
• June 2020
• $3,000

Arts in the Parks at Limberlost will be offered at the home of Gene Stratton-Porter. Gene was a best-selling author, photographer, and naturalist who used her influence to urge legislative support for the conservation of the Limberlost swamp. Her legacy will be celebrated wth activities such as a nature walk and draw, scultping a moth, making a photogram, creating handmade paper, or designing a butterfly/moth book.

• Sam Bartlett - Monroe County
• Crankies in the Park: Brown County
• Brown County State Park
• September 2020
• $3,000

Artist and musician Same Bartlett blends Indiana history and original art in a scrolling narrative, or “cranky,” that celebrates Brown County State Park. The Brown County Cranky will highlight the park’s natural and human history, tellings its unique story. The project includes both performances and collaborative workshops.

• Michael Bever - Clinton County
• The Art of Bubbles
• Indiana Dunes State Park
• March 2020
• $1,500

Bubbles are used in nature for a variety of purposes, from attracting prey to providing cover. Participants will explore various ways to make bubbles and how to make bubble art.

• Big Car Collaborative - Marion County
• Haiku Hiking: The Wagon of Wonders at Turkey Run
• Turkey Run State Park
• April 2020
• $3,000

Big Car and Turkey Run State Park invite visitors to take a closer look and “curate” the beauty and science of the park. Visitors will respond to prompts such as “pick your favorite crinoid, rock, insect, or vista,” to be documented with cell phone photos or haiku. Big Car artists will display the results of visitor-generated content at the traveling Wagon of Wonders and via social media and WQRT radio.

• Edward Byrne - Porter County
• Photographing the Indiana Dunes in All Four Seasons
• Indiana Dunes State Park
• January 2020
• $3,000

This project features two two-month long exhibits of 30 framed photos at Nature Center Auditorium during spring/summer and fall/winter. Workshops will be offered for visitors to capture landscape images, with group photo hikes conducted in spring and fall and guided sunset hikes in July. Lessons will also be given at Oudoor Adventure Festival.

• Bekki Canine - Tippecanoe County
• Exploring the Fen
• Prophetstown State Park
• April 2020
• $2,440

Participants will explore the rare fen habitat in Prophetstown State Park through a guided hike and the fen paintings created by local artist Bekki Canine. Then, they will learn more about fen residents as Bekki leads them through the creation of their own painting of an Eastern Box Turtle.

• Chautauqua in the Dunes - Porter County
• Historical Makerspace
• Indiana Dunes State Park
• December 2020
• $3,000

Chautauqua in the Dunes bring to life the historical, cultural, and educational experience of the 1880-1910 traveling Chautauquas. The Historical Makerspace of Chautauqua provides an opportunity for guests of all ages to experience historical innovation in the context of art and music. Guests will see demonstrations and create their own make-and-take historically inspired makerpiece of art/music.

• Dianna Davis - Marion County
• Crafting Music in the Trees
• Mississinewa Lake, Salamonie Lake
• May 2020
• $3,000

Rainsticks and Thunder Drums! Buzzz and Shake! Dianna Davis will hold four workshops where participants will build a bee shaker or a rain stick, learn about pollinators or flood control from an interpretive naturalist, and then create msuic together with their own instruments, wood frogs, and lots of other exciting percussion instruments.

• Duck Creek Center for the Arts, Inc.-  Madison County
• The Taffetas at Whitewater Canal
• Whitewater Canal State Historic Site
• January 2020
• $2,938

“The Taffetas” is a musical staged in the 1950s, featuring a fictional, all-girl quartet from Muncie, Indiana. The gazebo and park adjacent to the Grist Mill at the Whitewater Canal State Historic Site provide the perfect venue, and the musical’s fun and light-hearted theme fit right in with the vibrant musical atmosphere associated with Metamora.

• Dena El Saffar - Monroe County
• The Music of Nature: Listening to the Sounds Around Us
• McCormick’s Creek State Park
• May 2020
• $3,000

Water rushing, birds singing, and crickets chirping remind us there is music in nature – we just need to take the time to listen! Musician Dena El Saffar will share her nature recordings as well as play music inspired by the sounds of nature. This interactive concert is open to all, and participants will have a chance to listen and play.

• Kate Ellis - Monroe County
• Art Residency and Indigo Dye Experience
• McCormick’s Creek State Park
• October 2020
• $3,000

During nine days in October, a shelter house at McCormick’s Creek State Park will be turned into an indigo dye studio. Artist-in-Residence Kate Ellis will facilitate workshops for people who want to learn more about this ancient and fascinating dye and dip cloth into a real indigo vat to take home.

• Evansville Philharmonic Orchestral Corporation - Vanderburgh County
• Music at the Mounds
• Angel Mounds State Historic Site
• January 2020
• $3,000

The Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra will collaborate with Angel Mounds State Historic Site to provide a youth event that will educate tri-state young people and help fulfill the missions of both organizations.

• Classical Music Indy - Marion County
• Music in Nature Concert Series
• Fort Harrison State Park
• January 2020
• $2,965

Classical Music Indy will present a three-part Music in Nature Concert Series introducting a new, original classical music composition written to celebrate the unique natural assets of Fort Harrison State Park. This contemporary composition, by natinally-renowned Indiana artist Hanna Benn, will be developed in collaboration with Fort Harrison State Park naturalist and interpretative staff.

• Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra - Allen County
• Patriotic Pops
• Pokagon State Park
• July 2020
• $3,000

The Fort Wayne Philharmonic will present a Patriotic Pops concert at Pokagon State Park in July 2020. The orchestra will play a variety of patriotic pieces to honor America’s culture and veterans in celebration of America’s Independence Day and to actively cultivate an interest in the arts.

• Fort Wayne Youtheatre - Allen County
• Theatre in the Park
• Ouabache State Park
• June 2020
• $3,000

Fort Wayne Youtheatre brings back its popular Theatre in the Park programming to Ouabache State Park. Park goers of all ages will enjoy entertaining, interactive performances and post-show theatre activities.

• Friends of McCormick’s Creek State Park - Owen County
• McCormick’s Creek Summer Music Events
• McCormick’s Creek State Park
• June 2020
• $3,000

McCormick’s Creek State Park will host two music and arts festivals during the summer of 2020. Arts in the Park highlights local music and traditional arts. BBQ & Blues Festival presents popular regional musicians. These distinct festivals are located near the park nature center.

• Friends of Potato Creek State Park - St. Joseph County
• Potato Creek Music and Arts Summer Concert Series
• Potato Creek State Park
• March 2020
• $3,000

The Friends of Potato Creek State Park will provide a summer concert series which includes interactive art activities. Culturally diverse music in this setting will allow both traditional and nontraditional visitors the opportunity to experience the state park.

• Glory-June Greiff - Marion County
• Dancing with Literature: GSP and Poetry in the Parks II
• Various Locations
• January 2020
• $3,000

Glory-June Greiff, an accomplished performer who has been presenting dramatic readings for over 30 years as well as performing as Gene Stratton-Porter for a decade, will present five interactive programs at four different sites that celebrate nature and/or the season and tie into each place. Audiences will be able to question her about material and performance techniques.

• Christina Hollering - Boone County
• Cut Paper Workshop, Hike, and Mothing
• McCormick’s Creek State Park
• July 2020
• $3,000

Cut paper artist Christina Hollering leads participants on a guided hike around McCormick’s Creek to search for caterpillars and their host plants. The hike is followed by a cut paper caterpillar workshop in which each participant will take home their own finished work of art. Activities conclude with nighttime mothing outside of the nature center using a sheet and UV light.

• Anabel Hopkins - Brown County
• Creative Participation in the Arts
• T.C. Steele State Historic Site
• June 2020
• $3,000

Anabel will serve as Artist-in-Residence at T.C. Steele State Historic Site during June, on-site at least two days/week. She will demonstrate landscape and fluid acrylic pouring painting and enable visitors to make-and-take small paintings. She will conduct workshops for children making fanciful collages from natural finds and workshops for adults with fluid acrylic painting.

• IndyBaroque - Music Marion County
• When Indiana Was Young
• Culbertson Mansion State Historic Site, T.C. Steele State Historic Site
• September 2020
• $3,000

IndyBaroque Music celebrates Indiana’s musical heritage with a program combining music and spoken commentary. What was happening in New France, later known as the Indiana Territory, when the great composers of Baroque were active in Europe? European chamber music and Hoosier history mix it up in “When Indiana Was Young.”

• Jackson County Community Theatre - Jackson County
• All the Woods a Stage 2020
• Starve Hollow State Recreation Area, Forest
• May 2020
• $3,000

The Jackson County Community Theatre will combine performance related skill development with the natural outdoor environment for participants in the children’s summer workshop.

• Jerald Jascoviak - Porter County
• Drama in the Dunes
• Indiana Dunes State Park
• March 2020
• $3,000

Theatre workshops/classes will be taught throughout the year exploring the concept that “all the world’s a stage.” In short sessions, park patrons, campers, and members of the general public will learn basic stage disciplines of body movement and control; voice and diction; teamwork, improvisation, character, and conflict; costume work; prop creation; and theatre and performance etiquette.

• Tammeron Jonesfrancis - Steuben County
• Understanding Pokagon Through Clay 2020
• Pokagon State Park and Trine State Recreational Area State Park
• April 2020
• $3,000

With ceramic artists Shirley Brauker, Tammeron Jonesfrancis, and Anna Popova, Understanding Pokagon Through Clay offers three ways of interpreting the park through clay: carving, drawing, and hand building. At a last meeting, artists will discuss their work and the work of attendees in relation to Pokagon State Park. Kristina Knowski Porter County Beginner Bird Drawing and Painting Workshop Indiana Dunes State Park March 2020 $3,000 Indiana Dunes State Park visitors are invited to attend a continued series of Beginner Bird Drawing and Painting workshops with local bird artist, Kristina Knowski, at the Nature Center as part of the Indiana Dunes Birding Festival. These three-to-five hour workshops will feature hands-on help working from the park’s mounted specimens to learn about Indiana’s bird life and allow visitors to create their own paintings.

• Susan Koper - Delaware County
• Becoming Mary: A Day in the Park
• Summit Lake State Park
• March 2020
• $2,920

Becoming Mary is a choreographed dance work by Susan Koper and Audra Sokol with original music by Adam Crawley. The project will consist of an outdoor performance of an original dance piece and a post-performance workshop where dancers engage audience members in movement with props and music from the piece, against the beautiful backdrop of Summit Lake State Park.

• Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library - Marion County
• Writing in Peace: A Creative Writing Workshop for Veterans
• Turkey Run State Park
• May 2020
• $3,000

Writing in Peace is a creative writing workshop for veterans. Led by writer Bonnie Maurer, the program will occur at the Richard Lieber Cabin at Turkey Run State Park. Writer Kurt Vonnegut is the cousin of Lieber, who created the Indiana parks system, and participants will learn about the parks system and write creatively in a natural setting.

• Meg Lagodzki - Monroe County
• Turkey Run Artist Residency
• Turkey Run State Park
• April 2020
• $3,000

Artist will stay at the park for two residency stays of several days each. Throughout the day, artist will interact with the public regarding process and provide materials for those who wish to join on site. Each day, artist will lead a sketchbook outing with park visitors of all ages, encouraging guests to slow down and observe the park intimately through sketching and journaling.

• Levi Coffin House Association - Wayne County
• Oh, Freedom!
• Levi and Catharine Coffin State Historic Site
• September 2020
• $1,345

Oh Freedom! is performed by award-winning folk musician/folklorist Chris Vallillo. He performs pivotal songs from the music that inspired and sustained this landmark movement. Intermixed with the music, he presents first-hand accounts of the historic struggle and discusses the impact of music to our nation’s most important social cause.

• U Tamara Loewenthal - Monroe County
• Old-Time Music and Square Dance in the Park
• McCormick’s Creek State Park
• June 2020
• $3,000

Old-Time Music and Square Dance in the Park is a celebration of the old-time roots of Hoosier culture. The program features all-ages workshops in body percussion (including hambone) and square dance, a concert of percussive dance and music, and a community square dance.

• Clare Longendyke - Marion County
• Music in Bloom Festival 2020: New Sounds in New Harmony
• Historic New Harmony State Historic Site
• August 2020
• $3,000

Music in Bloom Festival will include a free, interactive concert at Thrall’s Opera House in New Harmony that takes the audience on a musical journey through the venue’s 200-year history. The program features classical songs alongside popular tunes by Hoagy Carmichael, Cole Porter, and Bob Dylan and will explore the question, “What makes music new?” with spoken program notes by the artists.

• Cheryl Lorance - Marion County
• Celebrating Indiana Limestone: Stone Carving in a Historic Pioneer Village
• Spring Mill State Park
• May 2020
• $3,000

Cheryl Lorance will visit Spring Mill State Park on three occassions during the spring and summer of 2020 to demonstrate limestone carving in the park’s Historic Pioneer Village. Each visit will be scheduled to coincide with events at the park that draw a high attendance. Visitors will have the option to try hand tools on a piece of Indiana limestone.

• Fernando Lozano - Knox County
• Save for the Future
• Vincennes State Historic Site
• January 2020
• $3,000

Save for the Future is an arts and history project for middle school students in Knox County to educate them about the history and architecture of the Indiana Territory Capital building at the Vincennes State Historic Sites known as the “Red House.” On Saturday, May 23, up to 30 children grade four through six will build and paint a replica of the Red House which will have dual purpose as a piggy bank.

• Tomas Lozano - Monroe County
• Less Common Instruments and Traditional Music in Indiana During the 18th and 19th Centuries
• Various Locations
• March 2020
• $2,974

A unique traditional music trio describes and plays less commonly known instruments and traditional dance music of the 18th and 19th centuries in the upper Midwest.

• Main Street Corydon - Harrison County
• Abraham Lincoln in Song
• Corydon Capitol State Historic Site
• January 2020
• $3,000

This project will present “Abraham Lincoln in Song” by award-winning folk musician/folklorist Chris Vallillo. Mr. Vallillo brings Lincoln’s life and legacy to the stage through the use of historic music, storytelling, and historical narrative that brings to focus not only Lincoln, but the overall history of the region.

• Charlene Marsh - Brown County
• Plein Air Painting at the Beach
• Monroe Lake; Starve Hollow State Recreational Area, Forest
• July 2020
• $3,000

Plein air oil painter Charlene Marsh will travels to Starve Hollow SRA and Monroe Lake Paynetown to demonstrate painting “en plein air,” on location at the beach, capturing the energy and spirit of the swimmers, picnickers, and the natural environment. Visitors, both children and adults, will be given the opportunity to paint using high-quality, child-safe tempera paints.

• Joanne Massey - Vanderburgh County
• Pottery Classes
• Angel Mounds State Historic Site
• January 2020
• $3,000

Artist Joanne Massey will expand fine art classes at Angel Mounds to include pottery making. Classes, demonstrations and workshops will be planned throughout the year for children and adults.

• Monroe County Civic Theatre - Monroe County
• Va Va Va Vaudeville
• McCormick’s Creek State Park
• September 2020
• $3,000

Monroe County Civic Theatre presents Va Va Va Vaudeville, a variety show featuring song, dance, and laughs! This presentation will also contain a short lecture about the history of the W.P.A. (Work Projects Administration) and the history of how the amphitheater at McCormick’s Creek came to be.

• James Moriarty - Hamilton County
• Golden Hour Smartphone Photography Workshop
• Mounds State Park
• April 2020
• $3,000

The Golden Hour Smartphone Photography Workshop will teach participants how to effectively use their smartphones to photograph digital pictures with the magical light that occurs before sunset, known as the golden hour.

• Catherine Mowry - Allen County
• Miami Corn Husk Doll Making and Painting
• Mississinewa Lake, Salamonie Lake
• April 2020
• $3,000

Catherine Nagy Mowry, Miami Indiana artist and tradition bearer, will hold a class on corn husk doll making in the Miami way. Using corn husks and gourds, she will guide the class in creating a doll in the way her ancestors made them. She will also hold a painting class from a Native American perspective.

• Darrin Murrell - Delaware County
• Historic Sounds in Historic Spaces
• Various Locations
• April 2020
• $3,000

Indiana-based family band Hot Jazz Preservation Society will travel to parks and sites to share historic Americana music sung by families for generations. Whens sites lack a performance venue, the band travels in the “Fringe on Wheels” mobile stage van from IndyFringe. Songs will be tied to stories catered to the parks’ and sites’ histories with music from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

• New Harmony Artist’s Guild - Posey County
• Abraham Lincoln in Song
• Historic New Harmony State Historic Site
• November 2020
• $1,105

New Harmony Artist’s Guild presents the musical performance “Abraham Lincoln in Song” by award-winning folk musician/ folklorist Chris Vallillo. Vallillo brings Lincoln’s life and legacy to the stage through the use of historic music, storytelling, and historical narrative that brings to focus not only Lincoln, but the overall history of the region.

• The New Harmony Project - Marion County
• New Play Presentation and Reception
• Historic New Harmony State Historic Site
• May 2020
• $3,000

The New Harmony Project in association with the New Harmony State Historic Site will present a reading and reception at Community House #2 in as part of the 34th annual spring conference. Nationally recognized artists will join together with the community to celebrate and enjoy the historic building through the reading of a new play, followed by a reception and discussion about the work.

• Northwest Indiana Excellence in Theatre Foundation - Lake County
• Park Plays
• Indiana Dunes State Park
• March 2020
• $3,000

Park Plays is a series of outdoor theatrical performances at Indiana Dunes State Park. Held on select Thursday evenings throughout the summer, the series features a variety of performances by local theatres including classic Shakespeare, contemporary comedies, profound dramas, improv, and Broadway selections.

• Partnerships for Lawrence - Marion County
• Plein Air in the Park
• Fort Harrison State Park
• January 2020
• $3,000

Arts for Lawrence offers Plein Air in the Park for all ages and abilities with painting instruction on site. Finished paintings will be on display at the Theater at the Fort with an opening reception that is free to the public.

• Prairie Arts Council - Jasper County
• Art in Tippecanoe River State Park
• Tippecanoe River State Park
• June 2020
• $3,000

Artists from the Prairie Arts Council and Jasper Co. Art League will share their talents with the public at Tippecanoe River State Park. Artists will demonstrate many art mediums and teach hands-on classes in and around the Nature Center and River Shelter beside the river.

• Leighann Regusa - Monroe County
• Sounds They Left Behind: Music From the Old World in Indiana’s New France
• Vincennes State Historic Site
• April 2020
• $3,000

In conjunction with a French Colonial reenactment event at Vincennes SHS, the presenter will perform and discuss music from the era of the founding of Vincennes using research of the Old World music in New France as well as folk songs from Old Vincennes. Visitors will hear period music sung and played on period instruments including baroque flute, baroque cello, and baroque violin.

• Reimagining Opera for Kids - Monroe County
• Mooch the Magnificent
• McCormick’s Creek State Park, T.C. Steele State Historic Site
• January 2020
• $1,500

Reimagining Opera for Kids offers “Mooch the Magnificent” by Lauren Bernofsky and Scott Russell Sanders. Exploring themes of taking care of animals and each other and boldly going out into nature, the family-friendly half-hour performance will be offered at no cost to park patrons in outdoor/semi-outdoor venues.

• Patricia Rhoden Bartels - Brown County
• A Painted Interpretation of Spring’s Foray of Colors
• Brown County State Park, T.C. Steele State Historic Site
• January 2020
• $3,000

Award winning painter Patricia Rhoden Bartels’ demonstrations focus on the beauty of spring’s palette visible at the Brown County State Park and T.C. Steele Historic Site. Her paintings connect Brown County’s art history to the Steele site and State Park’s Spring Foray and Earth Day celebrations. Children and adults paint on two occasions interpreting Spring as she emphasizes environmental issues.

• Ripley County Tourism Bureau - Ripley County
• Art in Nature V
• Versailles State Park
• April 2020
• $3,000

The Ripley County Tourism Bureau will be presenting Art in Nature V for local residents and park visitors to learn different types of art. Local and regional artists will be hired to teach an evening class, and items created will be on display for a community art show on the last day.

• Ronen Chamber Ensemble - Marion County
• The House of the Singing Winds
• T.C. Steele State Historic Site
• January 2020
• $3,000

The Ronen Chamber Ensemble from Indianapolis will be Artists in Residence at T.C. Steele State Historic Site in May, 2020. Two chamber concerts and three educational workshops will take place on May 17, 23, and 24 in The Large Studio at the T.C. Steele site. The concerts will include Steele’s favorite composers; interactive workshops will explore the depiction of emotions in visual art and music.

• Tom Roznowski - Monroe County
• Original Songs and Stories by Tom Roznowski
• March 2020
• Various Locations
• $2,950

Original Songs and Stories will be a performance of material composed and written by the applicant.

• Danny Russel - Hamilton County
• Abraham Lincoln: Hoosier Hero
• Lincoln State Park, Spring Mill State Park
• February 2020
• $3,000

Danny Russel will stage his Abraham Lincoln portrayal at Lincoln and Spring Mill State Parks during summertime. In the very state where Abe lived from age 7 -21, campers will be entertained and enlightened by Lincoln’s hilarity, heartbreak, humanity, and brilliant speeches.

• Stacy Samm - Greene County
• Samm I Am Painting in the Park
• Shakamak State Park
• July 2020
• $3,000

Painting in the Park will occur a total of six times through the month of July. Each day will persist of two classes, one for children and one for adults with up to 15 painters in each class. Painters will be able to take their paintings home.

• John Sherman - Marion County
• Poetry for the People and by the People
• Mounds State Park
• January 2020
• $3,000

John Sherman will conduct “Poetry for the People and by the People” workshops for youth and adults at Mounds State Park. He will guide audiences to reflect on various aspects of the ancient site. They will share words and phrases related to the park that will be used to write poems that will be shared with the group.

• Debra Silvert - Porter County
• “Journey Beyond the Notes!” Duo Sequenza’s Audience-Interactive Concert Event
• Levi and Catharine Coffin State Historic Site, T.C. Steele State Historic Site
• January 2020
• $3,000

Duo Sequenza, internationally-acclaimed flute and classical guitar ensemble, will present two free, audience-interactive concert events, “Journey Beyond the Notes,” featuring music from “South Shore Suite” by Indiana composer Jorge Muniz.

• Ingrid Skoog - Monroe County
• Echoing in the Winter Woods: Explorations in Sound, Movement, and Textile Arts
• Brown County State Park
• February 2020 \
• $2,815

Set in the quiet woodlands of Brown County State Park, this mini-retreat in two parts gives participants the chance to experience nature more deeply through creative explorations in sound, movement, and textile arts. After spending contemplative time on park grounds, guests can enjoy an evening concert and/or partake in daytime movement meditation/yoga, the making of a prayer pouch, and a songcircle.

• Janelle Slone - Steuben County
• Cans for a Cause
• Chain O’Lakes State Park
• June 2020
• $3,000

Janelle Slone will host two sculpting sessions at Chain O’ Lakes State Park. Participants will receive instruction related to working with clay to create reliefs of the native aquatic species. These depictions will then be applied to a recycling receptacle and located near the boat launch. This “can with a cause” will help to keep the waters clean, while spreading the message of water conservation.

• Kevin Stonerock - Henry County
• Billy Yank: Common Soldier for the Union
• Chain O’Lakes State Park
• February 2020
• $2,970.59

Kevin Stonerock will present a first person portrayal of an Indiana Civil War soldier home on leave from the Union Army. The performances will take place on five separate Saturdays in the summer and fall of 2020 at Chain O’Lakes State Park.

• Storytelling Arts of Indiana - Marion County
• Two Truths and a Lie
• Cecil M Harden Lake (Raccoon State Recreation Area), Whitewater Memorial State Park
• January 2020
• $3,000

Three storytellers each share a story about a state park adventure. Two of the stories are true and one is a lie. The liar tricks the audience by telling a true-sounding story. The audience is invited to ask “yes” or “no” questions to help them determine the liar. Votes are tallied and the liar is revealed. The audience then divides into small groups to share their own state park adventures.

• Dani Tippman - Allen County
• Myaamia Plant Traditions
• Chain O’Lakes State Park
• April 2020
• $3,000

Myaamia Plant Traditions allows park visitors to work with native plants, alongside of Myaamia people, learning about how plants are used as food, medicine, and technology. Participants will use the gifts from grandmother earth along with Myaamia cultural knowledge to create and learn with Dani Tippmann.

• Jerrod Tobias - Allen County
• Mural Painting Workshop
• Chain O’Lakes State Park
• April 2020
• $3,000

Jerrod Tobias will be painting a mural at Chain O’Lakes State Park from April 22 through April 26. This mural will be on the brick pump house across from the Glacier Ridge Shelter, and will depict a natural setting based on the history of the park. The public is invited to participate in a painting workshop on Saturday, April 25th from 12-4.

• Vicki Vardaman - Randolph County
• Freedom Quilt
• Levi and Catharine Coffin State Historic Site
• February 2020
• $3,000

The project shows the amount for work and craftmanship that was required to make quilts during Levi Coffin’s era. It will be a chance for museum visitors to create a quilt block design with paper and to watch an actual quilter work on an individual block that will be made by hand. The paper designs will be saved and displayed. The actual quilt will be assembled and donated to the museum.

• Erik Vosteen - Noble County
• Dugout Canoe
• Chain O’Lakes State Park
• January 2020
• $3,000

Historic watercraft artist Erik Vosteen will build an accurate replica of a traditional ancient style dugout canoe from a huge tulip tree. Park visitors will have hands-on canoe building opportunities and be able to paddle the finished canoe on the beautiful waters of Chain O’Lakes State Park.

• Shari Wagner - Hamilton County
• Exploring Mounds State Park Through Poetry
• Mounds State Park
• January 2020
• $3,000

Former Indiana Poet Laureate Shari Wagner will lead three poetry workshops at Mounds State Park with guided tours and writing activities designed to help children and adults explore the beauty, history, and ecological importance of Mounds State Park. A public reading at the Nature Center will celebrate the individual and collaborative poems inspired by these workshops.

• Lisa Walsh - Tippecanoe County
• Sands and Glass at the Funes: Making a Treasure Ornament
• Indiana Dunes State Park
• January 2020
• $3,000

Four workshops will give participants the opportunity to learn about the connection between sand and the art of flameworked glass while creating their own Treasure Ornament with glass artist, Lisa Walsh.

• Anita Westhues - St. Joseph County
• Listening to Our Watershed
• Mississinewa Lake, Salamonie Lake
• January 2020
• $3,000

Artist Kay Westhues will record a seasonal soundscape at Mississinewa and Salamonie Lakes and lead three soundscape workshops. The artist and participants will listen to and record seasonal sounds of the parks, and these recordings will be played for residents at a local assisted living facility. The sounds will also be mapped online and shared with the public through a soundscape webpage.

• Amy Westphal - Montgomery County
• Crinoids in Clay: Art Inspired by Indiana Fossils
• Shades State Park
• April 2020
• $3,000

Discovering ancient crinoid fossils in the creek beds of Montgomery County inspires the designs on Amy Westphal’s pottery. Visitors will learn about crinoids and how to find the fossils along the trails at Shades State Park. They will also create a fossil-themed clay tile that will be a lasting keepsake.

• Nicole Williams - St. Joseph County
• I’m the Drum, You’re the Drum, We’re the Drum
• Potato Creek State Park
• August 2020
• $3,000

I’m the Drum, You’re the Drum, We’re the Drum will serve as a musical and cultural experience for youth 10-17 years old. The drum circle will serve to expose them to the natural treasure of Potato Creek Park, while breaking down barriers of race, gender, and stereotypes.

• Windfall Dancers - Monroe County
• Dance in the Park
• Various Locations
• January 2020
• $3,000

Windfall Dancers’ Dance in the Park Workshop series will include elements of their previous programs which assist participants of all ages and abilities with developing movement with inspiration drawn from the natural beauty of each park.

Total Projects: 72

Total Dollars Granted: $208,071.59