SUMMER ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT: Arts & Theater

Art has a different meaning to everyone.

For some, a great piece of art is a bunch of paint spots on a canvas, to others a nicely painted landscape exemplifies art, and to others an abstract sculpture might be the best form of art.

Summer is filled with shows in which artists showcase their own definitions of art, and those shows are a great way to pass the time -- whether you think you know what art is or you don't have a clue. There are many galleries in the Muncie area that have traveling exhibits this summer as well as many theatrical productions that will be coming to the area this season.

While there is no Broadway or Metropolitan Museum of Art in east-central Indiana, the cultural activities offered nearby are high-caliber and hard to pass up. While summer may be a nice time to relax and enjoy the outdoors -- to escape from books, school and learning for a few months -- returning to school in the fall with more cultural awareness never hurt anyone.

If you find the time to take in a few of these events, perhaps you'll redefine artistic expression for yourself, as well.

Muncie Civic Theatre

Into the Woods

July 22 -- 8 p.m.

July 23 -- 8 p.m.

July 24 -- 2 p.m.

July 28 -- 8 p.m.

July 29 -- 8 p.m.

July 30 -- 8 p.m.

July 31 -- 7 p.m.

Students -- $12

Adults -- $18

Indiana Repertory Theatre

140 W. Washington Street

Indianapolis, IN 46204

July 7-31

The Male Intellect: An Oxymoron?

$28

The Indianapolis Civic Theatre

Twelve Dancing Princesses (Junior Civic main-stage musical)

June 17 -- 7 p.m.

June 18 -- 7 p.m.

June 20 --10 a.m., 1 p.m.

June 21 -- 10 a.m., 1 p.m.

June 22 --10 a.m., 1 p.m.

Tickets -- $8

The Fort Wayne Civic Theatre

Beauty and the Beast

July 22 -- 8 p.m.

July 23 -- 8 p.m.

July 24 -- 2 p.m.

July 29 --?8 p.m.

July 30 --?8 p.m.

July 31 --?2 p.m.

Aug. 5 --?8 p.m.

Aug. 6 -- 8 p.m.

Aug. 7 -- 2 p.m.

Aug. 12 -- 8 p.m.

Aug. 14 -- 2 p.m.

Students -- $18

Adults -- $26

Art Shows

Pennsy Trail Art Fair

Greenfield

June 18

Talbot Street Art Fair

The Herron-Morton Neighborhood Indianapolis

June 11-12 10 a.m. Free

Fort Wayne Museum of Art

311 E. Main Street

Fort Wayne

Hours:

Open: Tuesday through Saturday -- 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sunday -- Noon to 5 p.m.?

Open until 8 p.m. on June 9, July 14 and Aug. 11

Closed on major holidays

Admission:

Free to members

Students -- $3

Adults -- $5

Families -- $10

Views of Nature: Landscapes from the Permanent Collection

Through June 2

Showcasing selected pieces from the museum's permanent collection, this exhibition displays how a number of artists have taken various approaches to showing nature. Some of the artists showcased are Ginny Ruffner, Daniel Morper and John Hreov. This exhibit will be set up in the museum's main gallery.

Dialogue with Nature

Through July 17

With a selection of black-and-white photographs from one Hoosier's private collection, this exhibition takes a look at landscape photography by artists such as Ansel Adams, Brett Weston, Paul Caponigro and William Clift. This exhibition will be shown in the museum's upstairs gallery.

It's All About Me!!!!

Through Aug. 7

This exhibit offers a hands-on approach to art by providing tools for patrons to create self-protraits while learning about artists who have made their own self-portraits.

Bold Improvisations: 120 Years of African-American Quilts

Through Aug. 21

This exhibition focuses on the art of quiltmaking. The quilts showcased in the exhibit give each patron a sense of the aesthetics of quiltmaking value, while providing a historical context as well.

Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art

500 W. Washington St., Indianapolis

Hours:

Tuesday through Saturday -- 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sunday -- Noon to 5 p.m.

Tours begin at 1 p.m.

Open Mondays through Labor Day

Form Without Boundaries: The Art of Tammy Garcia

Through July 17

With a collection of pottery from Santa Carla Pueblo, the exhibit of Tammy Garcia's work is taken mostly from two private collections. Each work by Garcia has a story behind it, which adds to the draw of this exhibit.

The Sensuous West: Photographs by Edward Weston

Through Oct. 9

This exhibit is a collection of photographs from Edward Westen, who is known for his detailed landscapes and portraits of people of the west. Much of Weston's photography came from a trip throughout the southwestern United States in 1937, during which he logged of 1,500 frames of the scenery and people that portray his impression of that section of the country.

Indianapolis Art Center

Marilyn K. Glick School of Art

820 E. 67th St.

Indianapolis

Hours:

Monday through Friday -- 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Saturday -- 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sunday -- Noon to 6 p.m.

Stephen Litchfeild and John Benvenuto: Re-Use

June 10 through Aug. 14

Presenting a different kind of art, Stephen Litchfeild salvages old furniture items and alters them into works of art. Most of his works also make biblical references.

John Benvenuto takes fragments of destroyed buildings and combines them to create works that describe a history of destruction -- the image of a wrecking ball appears frequently in his works. His sculptures are also usually metaphorical.

Brent Oglesbee: Field of Pragmatics

June 10 through Aug. 14?

This exhibit showcases the work of Brent Oglesbee, who creates sculptures with mechanical features, including the ability to move. The sculptures equate to society's preoccupation with efficiency and work ethic.

Katherine Bennett: New Work

June 10 through Aug. 14?

Katherine Bennett's art mainly deals with light. Her room-sized installations are interactive, giving the viewer the opportunity to manipulate light in an otherwise-dark room -- either with electronic sensors that trigger with the presence of of guests or by actively handling or sliding lights along tracks.

Indianapolis Museum of Art

Museum hours:

Tuesday through Sunday,?10 a.mm to 5 p.m.

Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Students: Free

Adults $7

Giovanni Bellini and the Art of Devotion

Various times through Oct. 30 $5 to $7

Raphael's Fornarina

May 6 throughJune 26, 2005

Allen Whitehill Clowes Special Exhibitions Gallery

Wood Gallery Pavilion

Admission: Included with Museum admission