We’re also excited to share that our very own Gallery Manager, Sarah Asher, was featured in an article about the Arts Alliance Center and its success through the pandemic. It’s a great read that highlights our growth from then to now, and the benefits of displaying in our gallery. Check it out below.

We’ve got a lot in store as we head into the new year and we hope you’ll follow along as we grow together as an arts community.

Upcoming Events with the Arts Alliance

Holiday Arts & Crafts Festival – Flex Space

Last weekend marked the official start of the holidays at the Arts Alliance Center as we hosted our first Arts Fair of the season! We had a wonderful time, and we want to thank everyone who came out to celebrate with us. If you missed it, don’t worry—there’s still plenty of time to join us! We’ll be hosting more Arts Fairs every weekend leading up to Christmas. Be sure to mark your calendars and come experience the creativity and holiday spirit at our upcoming events:

• December 7 – December 8
• December 14 – December 15
• December 21 – December 22

Come for the perfect gift, stay for the holiday magic. The Holiday Arts & Craft Fair offers a memorable experience filled with creativity, community, and festivity.

For more information, email Sarah Asher at aac@bloomingtonarts.org or click here. Join us in celebrating the season and supporting local arts in our community!

In it, Sarah discusses her work in the gallery and what else the Arts Alliance Center has to offer, including benefits for our artists on display and events in the Flex Space.

She also mentions her part in helping the Arts Alliance Center grow from nearly 20 artists to over 50 while business in the mall recovered from the effects of the pandemic.

With so many artists displaying in our gallery, we can guarantee there’s a medium for everyone who comes through our doors. Whether you’re looking to buy a masterpiece or just admiring the beautiful artworks, we encourage you to pay us a visit! We’re located inside College Mall, beside Foot Locker.

Check out the article here to read more about the Arts Alliance Center and our comeback in a post-pandemic world!

Arts Alliance Center Artist: Tom Duffy

After a career as a cognitive psychologist, Tom transitioned to photography driven by a passion for storytelling and the emotional power of images. Though not formally trained, he has refined his craft through workshops and advanced courses around the country, earning recognition through awards such as Best of Show at Gallery Seven’s juried show and a Merit Award at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Tom’s work is featured in local galleries, including the Hoosier Artist Gallery in Nashville and the Arts Alliance Center in Bloomington, and can be explored online at TomDuffyPhotography.com.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Arts Mile

Fri Dec 6th, 5:00-8:00pm (EDT)

Various Local Galleries

• Experience downtown Bloomington’s vibrant Arts Mile as select galleries showcase evolving live and virtual exhibits. EVERY. FIRST. FRIDAY. Experience an exciting night of the arts as fourteen distinct galleries stay open late to host special exhibits and serve refreshments from 5-8pm. Stroll the vibrant arts scene along the sensational art mile and experience amazing art by renowned local, regional, and international artists. Discover delightful surprises, inspiration, festivities, and original works of art for purchase. Explore each distinctive gallery in-person or online all year long at your own pace.

Oriana’s World of Fantasy: Lordt of the Rings

Sat Dec 7th, 2:00-10:00pm (EDT)

Waldron Arts Center

• Join us on a whimsical journey to Middle Earth like you’ve never seen before at our upcoming Lordt of the Rings drag show!!
  Two Magical Shows:
  – **2pm – ‘E’ for Everyone**: A family-friendly extravaganza suitable for all ages!
  – **8pm – 18+**: A night of enchantment and allure for our adult audience!

Raqs Party

Sat Dec 7th, 7:00-8:30pm (EDT)

Windfall Dance

• Raqs means dance and we’re celebrating a beautiful dance form with Donna Carlton and Indy Raqs Band. This instructor extraordinaire and her students will host and welcome special guest performers. Traditional music and instruments with Indy Raqs is the icing on the cake! Join us at Windfall, 1101 N. Dunn. Dancers, bring a hip scarf for an All About Bellydance tradition — open floor. Find out more on Facebook: All About Bellydance. Donations welcome; no admission charge. Parking: off street lot or Zone 6 permit parking.

“Rest Ye Merry” QMC’s 23rd Season Winter Concert

Sat Dec 7th, 7:30pm – Sun Dec 8th, 3:00pm (EDT)

First United Church Bloomington

• Find your way to our home for the cozy vibes of warm flannel and crisp pine, with music to set your holiday season ablaze in song. QMC will treat you with familiar melodies and new favorites to ignite your spirit!

Annual Messiah Sing-Along

Sun Dec 8th, 3:00-5:00pm (EDT)

St. Mark’s United Methodist Church

• Bloomington Chamber Singers is excited to continue their tradition of the community Messiah Sing-Along. This much-anticipated event is free and open to the public. Bring your copy of Handel’s Messiah (a limited number of loaner copies will be available) and sing side-by-side with The Bloomington Chamber Singers. The performance will be accompanied by a chamber orchestra. For more information, please visit the BCS website: www.chambersingers.info

All Static & Noise w/ Q&A | Additional Films and Guests

Tues Dec 10th, 7:00-9:00pm (EDT)

IU Cinema

• All Static & Noise is an award-winning documentary on the Uyghur crisis by American director David Novack. The film, which exposes both the enormity of state-sponsored oppression and the individual struggles under horrific conditions, is the result of a five-year collaboration with Uyghur diaspora communities and 21 partner organizations across seven countries. An original score, animation, and the use of illustrations from the Uyghur Transitional Justice Database’s virtual reality camp project offer a chilling and emotional complement to the first-hand testimony from camp survivors and family members enduring this tragedy, including Jewher Ilham and Abduweli Ayup, among others. Filmed partially at IU. [102 min; documentary; English, Uyghur, Kazakh, and Mandarin with English subtitles]

Krista Detor’s Holiday Show

Thurs Dec 12th, 7:30pm – Fri Dec 13th, 9:30pm (EDT)

Constellation Playhouse

• Krista Detor is bringing back her beloved Holiday Show to Constellation Playhouse as a benefit for Artist Residencies at The Hundredth Hill! Special guests include Sam Bartlett, Dena El Saffar, Steve Mascari, Pat Otto, Eric Schedler, and David Weber – PLUS Surprise guests!

Carol | Additional Films and Guests

Fri Dec 13th 7:00-9:00pm (EDT)

IU Cinema

• Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara), a young woman in her 20s, is a clerk working in a Manhattan department store and dreaming of a more fulfilling life when she meets Carol (Cate Blanchett), an alluring woman trapped in a loveless, convenient marriage; an immediate connection sparks between them. While Carol breaks free from the confines of marriage, her husband (Kyle Chandler) begins to question her competence as a mother as her involvement with Therese and close relationship with her best friend Abby (Sarah Paulson) come to light. [118 min; drama, romance; English]

Yoga of the Voice Workshop & Song-bath

Sat Dec 14th, 7:00-8:30pm (EDT)

Nourishing Heart Yoga

• Authentic Voicework®: Yoga of the Voice – an expressive arts therapy modality that explores vocal play with a somatic approach; instilling a deeper connection between body, breath, and voice, stimulating the psycho-somatic benefits of singing. As an extension of your body and breath, singing can move your essence to flow and your authentic self to be shared with the world.

Sip & Sing

Tues Dec 17th, 7:30-8:30pm (EDT)

Davis Academy of Music

• Join us weekly on Tuesdays from 7:30 – 8:30 pm for a group adult music class focusing on singing, “Sip & Sing.” Taught by Emily Davis and other Davis Academy voice teachers, “Sip & Sing” is for students 21 and over, as one complimentary glass of wine will be provided for every participant.

Open Mic Night

Tues Dec 18th, 7:30-8:30pm (EDT)

Davis Academy of Music

• Join us at the Davis Event Center for Open Mic Nights every Wednesday from 7:30-8:30pm. Whether you’re trying out a new song or just want to have a fun night out, our Open Mic Nights are fun and kid friendly.