KOKOMO, Ind. —Creating art is not merely a want — for many artists, it is a deeply-ingrained need.
Mary Ade is one of those artists, noting that she often uses her talent as a way to work through issues she faces. As an intern in the Indiana University Kokomo Art Gallery, she used that idea in planning Raw: The Exhibition, opening Thursday, February 8.
“It’s a testament to how powerful art is in the process of dealing with life,” said Ade, a junior in the New Media, Art, and Technology program. “Art is the way I work through everything, and I think a lot of other artists are like that. We make art because we have to. It’s a need, a compulsion, to take what’s inside and get it out somehow. A lot of these pieces are very evident of that need.”
The exhibition opens with a reception from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, February 8, and continues through Saturday, March 3, in the Gallery, in the IU Kokomo Library Building, 2300 S. Washington St. Admission and parking are free.
Each of the 25 works featured include an artist statement, explaining how it is a personal expression of whatever event inspired it.
“You have a direct look into the thoughts of the artists behind those works,” Ade said. “It’s raw, its deep, it’s emotional, and it’s going to make you feel something. You have a direct look into the thoughts of the artists behind those works.”
As gallery intern, she curated the exhibition from conception of the idea, to advertising for entries, choosing pieces from more than 300 submissions. She designed a plan to display each work, and placed them as they arrived. She also planned promotion for the exhibition itself, gaining valuable insights into how galleries work along the way.
“A lot of artists don’t know when they submit entries to galleries how the process works from the inside,” the Kokomo resident said. “Having inside knowledge I’m going to be more prepared to submit my own work in the future. It also gives me experience to work in a gallery in the future, if I choose that option.”
She likes to draw and write, and often includes text in her artistic creations. Her goal is to make people think, as well as to process whatever is happening in her life at the time.
“I have to make art, otherwise I get a little weird,” Ade said. “I want to make art that affects people, and connects people to each other. The healing that can be found in art is something that has been vital to me.”
The IU Kokomo Art Gallery is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays, and noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays. It is closed Sundays and Fridays.
For more information, visit iuk.edu/gallery.
Indiana University Kokomo serves north central Indiana.