Art in Focus is an exploration of the arts through film, lecture and thoughtful dialogue. Art in Focus is for adult learners of all ages who are interested in the arts and its impact on the world. Founded in 1996 by Rita M. Ray, South Shore Arts continues this series annually with a variety of topics and guest speakers. Several lectures will coincide with upcoming Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra concerts and South Shore Arts exhibits. An important aspect of the program is the thoughtful dialogue between the program facilitator, the guest speakers and the attendees to broaden views of the arts and individuals in our world. Our goal parallels that of the U.S. Department of Education, “Learning Never Ends.” Art in Focus is open to the public and, thanks to generous support from Community Healthcare System, it is always free.
Upcoming Events
Art in Focus takes place the 2nd & 4th Monday of each Month
10 –11:30am at the Center for Visual & Performing Arts
November 11, 2024
The Power of Art: J.W.M Turner, Documentary & Discussion
One of Britain’s most celebrated artists, Turner showed exceptional artistic talent from an early age and entered the Royal Academy aged fourteen. His English landscapes made his name but there was a darker side to his paintings that was difficult for the critics to swallow, both in the increasingly informal use of paint and the subject matter that was critical of the romanticized version of Britain in the late Nineteenth Century. It can be difficult to picture how an artist so, at once, universally loved could, as is all to common, come to be reviled as a monster later in life. Join South Shore Arts for a documentary screening of Simon Schama’s award winning documentary: “The Power of Art: Turner.” (Run time 55 minutes)
November 25, 2024
After Sargent: An Artist’s Legacy 100 Years On, Curators Talk & Gallery Tour
Join Curator, Brandon Johnson, as we walk through South Shore Arts Winter exhibition,
“After Sargent.” The exhibit will explore how contemporary painters, draftspersons, and sculptors have carried on, challenged, furthered, and broken away from the tradition that John Singer Sargent unknowingly left with his approach to representation during the French period of the Belle Epoque. Sargent’s methods and themes with oil painting not only struck a chord with the Edwardian elite at the turn of the century but have endured throughout the last century. Since his passing 100 years ago, artists have been inviting and creating new interpretations and perspectives to his wider legacy and methods, challenging what it means to paint, draw, or sculpt the human figure and beyond.
December 9, 2024
Leitmotif: A Foundation of Music in Film, Lecture & Discussion
It is not the size that counts, but rather how you use it. We all have heard a Leitmotif, whether we knew it by name or not, and have been guided by its foundation to reinforce dramatic action, provide psychological insight, and suggest extramusical ideas to the listener. Repeated in different contexts, a leitmotif has the ability to convey many moods and ideas without the burden of exposition. Used throughout countless operas and films, our story in understanding the Leitmotif begins, not in the sheets of a music book, but rather,in World War 2 with a Jewish Composer, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, fleeing the encroaching Nazis to find a new home in Hollywood.
December 23, 2024
NO ART IN FOCUS – HAPPY HOLIDAYS & NEW YEARS!
ART IN FOCUS will resume on January 13, 2025!
January 13, 2025
Finding Vivian Maier
Join us for a film screening of the award-winning documentary, “Finding Vivian Maier.” Who is Vivian Maier? Now considered one of the 20th century’s greatest street photographers, Vivian Maier was a mysterious nanny who secretly took over 100,000 photographs that went unseen during her lifetime.
DOCUMENTARY & DISCUSSION
Past Events
Artist Walk through with Kerri mommer
Kerri Mommer is debuting her new body of work “Trees, Land, Sky” in her first solo exhibit with South Shore Arts. Kerri is a multi-talented artist from the Midwest having had multiple shows throughout large swaths of Indiana, Iowa, and Chicago. Kerri’s work has been displayed in numerous group and juried shows over the years, including The South Shore Arts Annual Salon Show. Kerri is active in the regional art community having worked with the Diversified Art Visionaries, the South Lake Artists Co-op, and Artist in Residence-Hammond. Kerri works primarily in water-based media such as watercolor and acrylic paint.
Join artist, Kerri Mommer, in the Atrium Gallery as she gives a tour of her exhibit and talks about her artistic practice.
Nature Lovers Tour with the Curators
10am in the South Shore Arts Gallery
The Art in Focus lecture series will resume and be held in-person on Monday, June 27, at 10am in the Bachman gallery at South Shore Arts, with a guided tour of the newest exhibit, ‘Nature Lovers.’ Art in Focus is a free event for adult learners of all ages who are interested in the arts and its impact on our world, past, present, and future. Gallery curators Linda Dorman and Tom Torluemke will guide the tour, highlight featured artwork, and will lead a discussion aimed to illuminate the artist’s experience and message about climate change.
Learn more about the Nature Lover’s exhibit HERE.