One hundred years of 16mm film, paintings of Indiana water landscapes and the beauty of Maine are part of a number of upcoming exhibits taking place at the newly renovated University Collections at McCalla on the Indiana University Bloomington campus.
Currently hosting a number of exhibits, the school includes eight galleries, an events space and a collections lab that can be used both for teaching and as a place to prep pieces for exhibition.
"McCalla has been a center for education in Bloomington for over a hundred years and part of the local arts and culture scene for decades," said Brian Woodman, associate director of University Collections and director of McCalla. "We are thrilled that its recent renovation allows us to continue this tradition of exhibition and education for IU and the Bloomington community."
McCalla is currently showcasing the geometric sculptures of Morton Bradley, Jr., from the Campus Art collection, a historical exhibit on beloved IU president Herman B Wells, seashells from the Stotter collection (part of Indiana University's paleontology collection), a graduate student-curated show of IU printmaking and a room dedicated to Megajeff, a 3D-printed giant ground sloth created by the Indiana Geological and Water Survey.
Upcoming exhibits include:
"A Century of 16mm" (opens February 17), which highlights the technology of 16mm, which made film accessible to educational, industrial, and home markets for the first time. Items in the exhibit include 16mm projectors, cameras, publications and advertising, and 16mm media content. It is co-sponsored by IU Libraries Moving Image Archive and the Media School.
"Ebb and Flow" (opens April 7), a two-person exhibition by painter/photographer Betsy Stirratt and printmaker Tracy Templeton. The artists have explored sites in Indiana for the last several years, searching for and documenting little known places where water is central to the landscape and culture. The exhibit consists of framed photographs, painting/photo collages and chine collé prints that create an atmospheric and experiential encounter for the viewer.
"Experiencing and Remembering: The Poetry and Spirit of Nature" (opens April 21), which spotlights the works of IU Professor Emeritus Barry Gealt. This exhibition includes works inspired by the country home he and his wife, Heidi, have shared for nearly fifty years, as well as paintings and glasswork that feature scenes from Maine. The exhibit is being curated by IU Curatorship program student Sonja Rogers, who is planning the exhibit with Gealt as part of her training toward completing her master's degree. University Collections at McCalla plans for this exhibit to be the first of many ongoing opportunities for curatorship program students to receive real world curatorial and exhibition design experiences.
Named after Margaret Hemphill McCalla (1836-1912), a pioneering teacher in Bloomington and Evansville, Indiana, the red brick building at Indiana Avenue and 10th Street spent its first 66 years as an elementary school. Retired by the city in 1973, the McCalla School was acquired by Indiana University and used by the IU School of Art + Design, serving as home to the school’s rotating exhibits of the Fuller Projects for 17 years and most recently as production spaces for IU students and faculty.
In 2018, IU launched University Collections, part of a sustained effort to ensure that all of IU's collections, regardless of size, location or resource level, are properly preserved, housed and made accessible to all members of the IU community, the general public and scholars everywhere.
McCalla's public galleries feature rotating content curated by University Collections staff and by collections professionals, faculty and students from across IU. Media kiosks enhance visitor experience and feature audiovisual content. Classrooms, the collections lab and the multipurpose room are available via reservation to faculty, staff and students who wish to have the opportunity to more deeply engage in collections content.
Gallery hours and visitor information is available online.
