Pillar Arts Dispatch | Bloomington Art Events & Gallery Shows June 28, 2025
Posted In: Newsletter Archives, News, Events | Posted by: Pillar Arts
As of Saturday, June 14, our previous Pillar Arts Alliance Center location officially closed, and we’re hard at work transforming our new space into a hub for creativity and connection. While we’re in this exciting transition, Pillar Arts By Hand in Fountain Square Mall remains open with regular hours and scheduled arts programming.
We’re also proud to present Godzilla Weekend at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater this weekend in partnership with the Japan-America Society of Indiana and IU’s East Asian Studies Center. Join us for two more nights of classic kaiju films on June 28 and 29, each screening at 7 PM. It will be a blast and we’d love to see you there!
And don’t forget that Gallery Walk is still on for next Friday, July 4, from 5–8 PM at Pillar Arts By Hand. This month, we continue the beautiful exhibition Light’s Embrace by Michal Ann Carley. Stop by, connect with the artist, and experience her talented artwork.
Pillar Arts Alliance Center Updates
Our previous Pillar Arts Alliance Center space is now officially closed, and we’re making great progress preparing our new home—still within College Mall, but with more room to create, connect, and grow. This week, we hosted multiple painting and clean-up days with board members, artists, volunteers, and friends who showed up to help bring life to blank walls and empty rooms. We’re so grateful to everyone who lent their time and creativity.
While the Alliance Center is temporarily closed during this transition, Pillar Arts By Hand in Fountain Square Mall will remain open, maintaining regular hours and arts events including Gallery Walk next Friday. We are excited to continue featuring Light’s Embrace, an incredible and unique exhibition by Michal Ann Carley.
This new space is larger and gives us the chance to continue creating meaningful opportunities for artists and organizations in our community. Here, they can connect, host workshops, share their work, and collaborate easily. We truly appreciate everyone’s patience and encouragement as we work to create a space that reflects and uplifts our mission.
We aim to reopen in early August. Follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and our newsletter for progress updates and opening details. Thank you for being part of this vibrant, creative community.
Events with Pillar Arts
Godzilla Weekend, Buskirk-Chumley Theater
Friday, June 27 – Sunday, June 29
Godzilla Weekend is stomping into Bloomington with three nights of classic kaiju films at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. Catch Godzilla (1954) on June 27, All Monsters Attack (1969) on June 28, and Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971) on June 29—all screenings begin at 7 PM.
We’re proud to sponsor this event alongside the IU East Asian Studies Center and the Japan-America Society of Indiana. Whether you’re a longtime fan or new to the genre, it’s the perfect way to dive into the world of Godzilla and celebrate the lasting impact of Japanese cinema.
Light’s Embrace / July Gallery Walk – Pillar Arts By Hand
Tuesday, June 3 – Tuesday, July 29
Pillar Arts By Hand is proud to feature Light’s Embrace, an exhibition by Michal Ann Carley, through the month of July.
Carley combines handmade and mineral papers with paint, drawing, and printmaking to create layered, nature-inspired works. After years in glass and metal, she’s returned to two-dimensional art, connecting with color and texture.
Last month’s Gallery Walk was an amazing time, and if you weren’t able to make it, now is another chance. We look forward to seeing you there!
Register in the Pillar Arts Directory
Join the Arts Directory to connect with local artists in Greater Bloomington and showcase your work.
Above: Rose Brenner uses oil paint to capture the beauty of the Metolius River in Oregon.
Pillar Arts Alliance Center Artist: Chuck Bell
Chuck Bell’s woodworking journey began with a simple birdhouse and evolved into a deep passion for woodturning. After retiring, he was introduced to the lathe, which changed everything for him. He became especially drawn to segmented turning, a meticulous process that blends math, design, and artistry. Each piece starts with a vision, followed by careful planning, measuring, cutting, and assembling before it’s shaped on the lathe and brought to life.
Chuck is a member of the American Woodturners Association, the Segmented Woodturners, and the Village Woodturners. His work ranges from decorative to functional and is available at the Alliance Center in College Mall. He also accepts commissions for custom pieces, continuing to build on his craftsmanship.
Check Out Chuck Bell’s Profile
Pillar Arts By Hand Artist: Gail Fairfield
Gail Fairfield creates vibrant, expressive work using alcohol ink on Yupo paper, wood panels, and recycled surfaces. Her style ranges from representational to abstract, often combining color with movement. Aside from creating standalone pieces, she also illustrates her own children’s stories, with many featuring Roly Poly the dog.
Gail’s work has been featured across Indiana, including solo and group shows in Bloomington, Nashville, and Terre Haute. She is an esteemed artist, even winning Best of Show at the Bloomington Watercolor Society’s February 2024 exhibition. Gail is also an active member of the arts community, serving as Treasurer of Upland Plein Air and participating in groups like the Persisterhood and Friends of T.C. Steele.
RECENT EVENTS
Pillar Arts Alliance Center Volunteer Paint Day
This week, we have hosted multiple “paint parties” in our new Alliance Center, repainting the walls, and cleaning the whole space. Thank you to our members, friends, and volunteers who have shown up in support!
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Goodfellas | Critics’ Pics from AFI and Sight & Sound
Sat June 28th, 4:00-6:30pm (EDT)
IU Cinema
- Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese exposes the fascinating, mysterious, and violent underworld of New York’s Mafia families through the life of insider Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) as he rises from smalltime thug to mobster under the guidance of Jimmy Conway (Academy Award-winner Robert De Niro) in this searing, epic crime drama based on the chilling true-life bestseller Wiseguyby Nicholas Pileggi. [145 min; crime, drama; English, Italian, Hebrew, and Yiddish with English subtitles]
Sounds From the Black Hole ft. Alex Cunningham/Damon Smith/Jerome Bryerton & Lather/Xylocept/Quass
Sat June 28th, 8:00-11:00pm (EDT)
Orbit Room
- Two exciting, improvised trios featuring musicians from St. Louis, Chicago and Bloomington. ALL-AGES. $10 ADMISSION + FOOD OR DRINK PURCHASE REQUIRED.
Fiber Arts & Crafts for Creatives
Sun June 29, 1:00-3:00pm (EDT)
Juniper Art Gallery
- Join us on this Summery Sunday to work on your creative craft projects! Bring along any portable craft project and join this casual gathering creatives! You’ll enjoy making new friends while sipping a cup of coffee, tea, lemonade, or a glass of wine while exchanging ideas and tips. This group is FREE, and meets on the LAST Sundays monthly (1-3pm). Facilitated by artist Amy Dyken.
Open Mic Night
Wed July 2, 8:00-10:00pm (EDT)
The Comedy Attic
- Every Wednesday at 8PM is Comedy Attic Open Mic Night. Bloomington has one of the best local comedy scenes in the country, and it all starts with our open mic night! Each comedian is asked to do no more than five minutes of completely original material. While we do not care about foul language in your set, we do not allow racist, homophobic, transphobic or rape/female bashing jokes. If you have to ask if it’s racist, homophobic, transphobic or a rape joke, it probably is. Comedians that wish to participate are asked to e-mail comedyattic@gmail.com. Newcomers and any participants who are not paid professionals will be required to bring audience members to see them. This is non-negotiable. So if you plan on signing up, be sure to invite as many friends as you can. Good luck!
Blockhouse Jazz Night – with JonyP quintet
Sat July 5, 6:00-8:00pm (EDT)
Blockhouse Bar
- Our monthly Jazz nights continue at The Blockhouse in Bloomington, IN! Led by French-Canadian musician Jony Perron, JonyP quintet is not your typical Jazz quintet. With a modern, groovy approach to old Jazz standards, spiced with Latin flavors and sprinkled with mesmerizing solos, this musical experience will forever be engraved in your memories.
WFHB Past and Present: 50 Years of the Bloomington Community Radio Project
Thurs July 10th, 7:00-11:00pm (EDT)
The Bluebird
- Come celebrate the power of community radio with this commemorative concert for WFHB featuring (headliner) Wishy of Indianapolis, and local acts Amy O, and (opener) Leroy McQueen and The Vatos Supreme. WFHB Past and Present: 50 Years of the Bloomington Community Radio Project takes place on Thursday, July 10th at the Bluebird Nightclub in Bloomington Indiana.
A Night of Mandolin Music
Fri July 11th, 7:00-11:00pm (EDT)
Buskirk-Chumley Theater
- “A Night of Mandolin Music: Jim Richter Mandolin Camp Faculty Concert” celebrates mandolin music across its spectrum—orchestral, folk, jazz, bluegrass, rock, and blues. The Jim Richter Mandolin Camp for the Rest of Us is in its 12th year and has been a center of mandolin instruction based in Bloomington, Indiana since 2011. This concert features camp faculty: Don Julin (Billy Strings; writer of Mandolins for Dummies), Sharon Gilchrist (Tony Rice; Peter Rowan, John Reischman), Laurelyn Dossett (Rhiannon Giddens; Levon Helm), and Jim Richter (blues/rock mandolin educator; Gordon Bonham). Joining as special guests are Gordon Bonham, the Banister Bluegrass Band, the Columbus Mandolin Orchestra, and others. This free event is sponsored by the Jim Richter Mandolin Camp, WFHB radio, the Grant Street Inn, and Kimble Mandolins. More about the camp and its faculty can be found at www.richtermandolincamp.com.