Don’t forget to renew your membership here to continue supporting our mission and enjoy all the special benefits that come with being a member. Your support helps make everything we do possible, and we couldn’t do it without you!

Also, next month we’re thrilled to welcome Irina Shishova to the Arts Alliance Center for her stunning exhibition, Flying Leaves & Dancing Shapes. We hope to see you there to experience her unique vision and celebrate the arts in Bloomington!

Upcoming Events with the Arts Alliance

Flying Leaves & Dancing Shapes by Irina Shishova – Flex Space

Saturday, February 1 – Thursday, February 27

We are thrilled to announce the upcoming exhibition Flying Leaves & Dancing Shapes by Irina Shishova, a talented artist whose work captures the vibrant energy and beauty of the world around us. Born in Moscow and now a Bloomington resident, Irina’s artistic journey spans diverse media, from oils and watercolors to pencils and acrylics. With a passion for human figure drawing and landscapes, Irina’s art is deeply influenced by her travels across Europe, Asia, and the U.S., as well as her love for hiking and camping. This exhibition promises to be a stunning collection of dynamic, expressive pieces that will leave you inspired by the shapes and colors that flow through Irina’s work.

Flying Leaves & Dancing Shapes will be on display at the Arts Alliance Center’s Flex Space from February 1–27. We invite you to join us for the opening reception on Saturday, February 8 from 3–5 pm, where you can meet the artist, explore her captivating work, and engage with fellow arts advocates. We hope to see you there for an afternoon of art, conversation, and celebration!

Arts Alliance Center Artist: Duane Reed

Now a retired photographer, free from commercial constraints, Duane revels in the creative freedom to produce work that speaks to his own sensibilities. His focus is on the elemental aspects of photography—form, shadow, light, and texture. He creates images that resonate personally, capturing moments that evoke both emotion and reflection. For Duane, photography is not just about showing something, but about invoking a deeper emotion in both himself and the viewer.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Patron & Young Artists Exhibition 2025

Fri Jan 10th – Sat, Feb 22nd, 11:00am-4:00pm (EDT)

Brown County Art Guild

• The Brown County Art Guild announces the Annual Patron & Young Artist Exhibition 2025, an art contest & exhibit dedicated to fostering emerging talent in our community. This exhibition serves as a vital platform for artists to showcase their work, gain invaluable exposure, and receive the recognition they deserve. We believe in nurturing creativity and providing opportunities for budding artists to shine, and this event is a testament to that commitment.

The Kingston Trio

Fri Jan 10th, 7:00-9:00pm (EDT)

Buskirk-Chumley Theater

• Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to experience the magic of The Kingston Trio live on stage. Grab your friends and family, and get ready for a night filled with laughter, nostalgia, and timeless melodies. Mark your calendars and secure your tickets now! The Kingston Trio was one of the most prominent groups of the era’s pop-folk boom that started in 1958 with the release of their first album and its hit recording of “Tom Dooley”, which sold over three million copies as a single.

FLOW

Sun Jan 12th, 6:00-7:30pm (EDT)

Buskirk-Chumley Theater

• Flow is a stunning, totally dialogue free, superbly entrancing movie about a group of animals trying to survive a world that is flooding. A wondrous journey, through realms natural and mystical, Flow follows a courageous cat after his home is devastated by a great flood. Teaming up with a capybara, a lemur, a bird, and a dog to navigate a boat in search of dry land, they must rely on trust, courage, and wits to survive the perils of a newly aquatic planet. From the boundless imagination of the award-winning Gints Zilbalodis (Away) comes a thrilling animated spectacle as well as a profound meditation on the fragility of the environment and the spirit of friendship and community. Steeped in the soaring possibilities of visual storytelling, Flow is a feast for the senses and a treasure for the heart.

Sir Eltom John

Thurs Jan 16th, 7:30-9:30pm (EDT)

Buskirk-Chumley Theater

• The world’s number one Elton John tribute are coming to play All The Hits by Elton John. The spectacular show includes Bennie and the Jets, Tiny Dancer, Rocket Man, Candle In The Wind, Don’t Let TheSun Go Down On Me,I’m Still Standing, Crocodile Rock and Your Song. They will also be performing classic album tracks like Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, the multi-platinum double LP released in 1973.

Clue w/ Q&A | Additional Films and Guests

Fri Jan 17th, 7:00-9:00pm (EDT)

IU Cinema

• The much-loved board game comes to life with a star-studded cast, a creepy house, multiple murder weapons, and one question on everyone’s mind: who killed Mr. Boddy?! [94 min; comedy, mystery; English] A Q&A with Clue: On Stage playwright Sandy Rustin will follow the screening.

Spirited Away

Fri Jan 17th, 7:00-9:30pm (EDT)

Buskirk-Chumley Theater

• Celebrate the wondrous films of Hayao Miyazaki in a 4-film series at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater! 10-year-old Chihiro moves with her parents to a new home in the Japanese countryside. After taking a wrong turn down a wooded path, Chihiro and her parents discover an amusement park with a stall containing an assortment of food. To her surprise, Chihiro’s parents begin eating and then transform into pigs. In this supernatural realm, Chihiro encounters a host of characters and endures labor in a bathhouse for spirits, awaiting a reunion with her parents.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration

Mon Jan 20th, 6:00-8:30pm (EDT)

Buskirk-Chumley Theater

• This event is a free, general admission event. No tickets are required. The City of Bloomington invites the community to attend the 2025 City of Bloomington Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration, Monday, Jan. 20 at 6pm. The celebration begins at 6 p.m. This year’s theme is “A Necessary Renaissance in Social Justice: Telling the Stories to Ignite Change.” featuring keynote speaker Keith A. Beauchamp. The Birthday Celebration will also feature inspirational messages from local government and community leaders, musical performances, the Legacy Award presentation, and more. Learn more at Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration. (https://bloomington.in.gov/mlk-day/birthday-celebration)

Pacific Rim in 3D | Additional Films and Guests

Tues Jan 21st, 7:00-9:30pm (EDT)

IU Cinema

• When monstrous creatures began rising from the sea, they jumpstarted a never-ending war for humanity’s survival. To combat the Kaiju monsters, massive robots called Jaegers were developed for global defense. But as the Jaegers become less able to beat back the Kaiju threat, and with humanity on the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes—a washed-up former pilot and an untested trainee—who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past as our last hope. [131 min; action, sci-fi; English]

The Shitthropocene

Thurs Jan 23rd, 7:00-8:00pm (EDT)

Buskirk-Chumley Theater

• FREE FILM ALERT! Patagonia Films takes its shot at fast fashion in “The Shitthropocene.” The Shitthropocene is a 45 minute journey from the cellular-level origins of our lack of impulse control to the ways our central nervous systems have been hacked in the name of capitalism. It’s also about how we might begin to save ourselves from ourselves. Plus, there are dancing cave people. You might have noticed that a lot of things seem to suck right now. This film isn’t about all the things that suck—that would be a really, really long film. But it is about consumption, which is both a cause and a symptom of the suckiness. For a bunch of reasons, pretty much everyone is making and buying too much stuff, and we’re evolutionarily programmed to want it. What was once an advantage (more! = better!) is now contributing to the destruction of the planet.

Green Border | International Art House Series

Thurs Jan 23rd, 7:00-9:30pm (EDT)

IU Cinema

• In the treacherous and swampy forests that make up the so-called “green border” between Belarus and Poland, refugees from the Middle East and Africa are lured by government propaganda promising easy passage to the European Union. Unable to cross into Europe and unable to turn back, they find themselves trapped in a rapidly escalating geopolitical stand-off. Thirty years after Europa Europa, three-time Academy Award-nominee Agnieszka Holland brings a masterful eye for realism and deep compassion to this blistering critique of a humanitarian calamity that continues to unfold. [152 min; drama; Polish, Arabic, and French with English subtitles]

Nosferatu (2024)| New Americas Cinema

Fri Jan 24th, 7:00-9:15pm (EDT)

IU Cinema

• From the brilliant mind of Robert Eggers (The VVITCH, The Lighthouse, The Northman) comes a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman (Lily-Rose Depp) and the terrifying vampire (Bill Skarsgård) infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake. Also starring Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Willem Dafoe. [133 min; horror; English]