Exhibits

Alan Bruner to speak at the Indiana Wildlife Artists Annual Meeting Saturday, August 24th at Minnetrista

Our guest speaker will be Alan Bruner, who is a well-known Indiana birder. He is both knowledgeable about birds and very personable.  Alan leads birding hikes across the state and he also is the main bird expert at the Eagles in Flight event at Turkey Run State Park each January.

Alan recently went on a birding safari in Africa and has put together an excellent program about his bird sightings while there.  His talk about this trip is both factual and interesting.  There will be time for questions both during and after the presentation.

2024 Judge – Ann Johnson

Ann Johnson/F.B. Fogg is an award-winning artist and entrepreneur that made a business of art and art a business. Working in handmade paper sculpture, the Fogg whimsical sculptures sold in some 1600 galleries across the world, and were collected by such notables including Steven Spielberg, David Letterman, Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford. Two of her torchieres grace the East Wing of the White House.

In 1964 Ann took lint from her dryer and began making a sculptural line of clocks DBA as F.B. Fogg.  Always a supporter of arts in her Muncie community, she started Artworks, a ten-year cooperative gallery of 27 artists in downtown Muncie.  She is a member of several community boards and organizations, chaired the first Renaissance Fair in Muncie and established the Arts and Culture Organization.  At present, in semi-retirement, she feels it is time to give back to a community that was so good to her. One often finds Ann helping young artists establish businesses in art, not unlike when she traveled to many third world countries helping women to establish art co-ops. Between teachings workshops for Ball State University, leading art tours, and establishing new art venues for Muncie, Ann is in her studio on the banks of the White River, painting. Ann is a Sagamore of the Wabash, the Presidential Art Teacher of 1976, and awardee of the prestigious Philadelphia Museum Art Show.   A long-time fashion designer, Ann does an occasional show for Indiana Artisans, where her unique combination of painting and one-of-a-kind art wearables and jewelry are available to the public. Always with a tongue in cheek, Ann sees humor in the unexpected and brings it forth in everything she touches.

DBA F.B. Fogg/Ann Johnson’s sculptures and watercolors have found their way into numerous collections and museums; however, it is the much sought after instructional classes that painters, collectors and friends enjoy.  47 years of teaching blend into the love of sharing, as F. B./A.J. delights both novice and professional with ideas that make “brushes dance”.

2024 Naturalist Judge – Britt Husman

My name is Britt Husman and I am the Director of Creative Design and Lead Designer for Wasson Nursery. In this role, I have overseen the conceptualization and transformation of a diverse collection of outdoor spaces, earning awards from INLA and publications in a variety of magazines. Originally from Dayton, Ohio, I attended Indiana Wesleyan University, for both my undergraduate and graduate education. During this time, I had the opportunity to study the architecture, landscape, and fine art in Northern France, which continually impacts my approach to design and use of plant material. Prior to my role at Wasson Nursery, I taught Design and Visual Arts at the AP level in Muncie Community Schools for 15 years, holding a Department Chairperson position for 12 years. In this role, I developed future designers and artisans, wrote and implemented high level curriculum, built community relationships, and mentored new instructors.

Since childhood I have always had an appreciation for both natural and manmade. As I design, I look for the impact both play in how an aesthetic is captured and communicated and the visible areas where both collide. Whether an English garden or a modern oasis, the understanding of how these two elements are presented greatly impacts the overall sense of the space and I use this to guide my transformations.