By Danielle Barnes | Echo
This weekend, the walls of the Blackford County Arts Center will be filled with the work of animators from Disney and Warner Brothers that many have grown to love.
The center is a part of Arts Place, an organization that focuses on making art experiences, education and services accessible to everyone. With two locations in Indiana and one in Ohio, it exhibits artists noted throughout the region and across the nation.
The Blackford County Arts Center in Hartford City has hosted two anniversary celebrations in the past. Each year they showcased a different theme: the first highlighted the artwork of an Indiana artist and the second displayed the art of John Lennon. This year's theme is "The Art of Imagination."
During the event, the Blackford County Arts Center will showcase a collection of Disney and Warner Bros. production cels and serigraphs. Production cels are transparent sheets on which objects are drawn or painted for traditional, hand-made animations and serigraphs are limited-edition prints based on original paintings.
These art pieces were donated by Blackford County resident David Hodges, who wanted to find a new home for the pieces where they could be displayed and appreciated locally.
"Being able to have an exhibition such as the Disney and Warner Bros., as well as the Lennon last year, here in our center is pretty special," said Tisha Trice, board member and secretary of Arts Place. "Those two shows especially are ones that are generally found in larger cities and much larger facilities, so we are fortunate to be able to exhibit them here in our community."
Trice believes that these celebrations are a way to say "thank you" to members who have supported them over the years.
"The anniversary celebrates our center being open here in Blackford County," Trice said. "We have been open to the public at that location for three years now. It is always nice to have a well-put-together show and invite all of our members to come in for the afternoon for some art, and to see our beautiful center, as a 'thank you.'"
The exhibition opened to the public on March 28 and will continue until April 29. The anniversary event is being held at the Blackford County Arts Center in Hartford City tomorrow from 2-4 p.m. The raffle drawing for a "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" serigraph will take place that day at 3:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the center.
