The exhibition, Nature Made, by Sara Steffey McQueen will be on display in the Pillar Arts Alliance Center until Thursday, May 29. Her deep love for nature has inspired this thoughtful curation of pieces. If you haven’t been by yet, you’re missing out. We’re also excited to welcome Grace Gonso to the Flex Space next month, beginning her solo show, Femina Natura. Be on the look out for more details coming soon!

We look forward to seeing you soon at Pillar Arts Alliance Center or Pillar Arts By Hand. Whether you’re stopping by to see new work, connect with local artists, or just explore the arts community, there’s something for you.

Thank You for Supporting Pillar Arts

Upcoming Events with Pillar Arts

Nature Made by Sara Steffey McQueen – Flex Space

Thursday, May 1 – Thursday, May 29

This May, Pillar Arts is proud to present Nature Made—a solo exhibition by Sara Steffey McQueen, a talented local artist whose work is deeply rooted in nature, intuitive exploration, and years of creative practice. As a Bloomington resident for over 50 years, Sara draws inspiration from the beauty of the Midwest, spiritual traditions, and her own rich life experiences as an artist, teacher, grandmother, and environmental advocate. Her work spans watercolor, acrylic, handmade papers, and natural materials, blending realism with abstract and inviting viewers into a world where creativity and nature are intertwined.

The exhibition will be on display from Thursday, May 1 through Thursday, May 29 at the Pillar Arts Alliance Center in College Mall. We can’t wait to see you in the gallery!

Femina Natura by Grace Gonso – Flex Space

Sunday, June 1 – Friday, July 18

We’re excited to welcome Femina Natura, a solo art exhibit by Grace Gonso, to the Pillar Arts Alliance Center from June 1-July 18. Grace is a Buryat-Mongol artist living in Owen County, Indiana. She is originally from the Khentii province of Mongolia, and grew up surrounded by wild landscapes and nomadic life. She now finds inspiration in the rural beauty of southern Indiana. Her oil paintings reflect her love of nature, from tiny dew-covered spiderwebs to sweeping pastoral scenes, turning her surroundings into vivid, heartfelt pieces of work.

Join us for the opening reception on Saturday, June 7 at 5 PM at the Pillar Arts Alliance Center! Come meet Grace, explore the stories behind her artwork, and enjoy some light refreshments. This is a great chance to connect with local art and celebrate the beauty of nature through a unique lens. We hope to see you there!

All About Bellydance Workshops by Donna Carlton – Flex Space

Session dates: May 15, 22, 29 and June 5, 12

Join us Thursday evenings at the Flex Space in the Pillar Arts Alliance Center in College Mall for an engaging bellydance workshop led by longtime instructor Donna Carlton. These classes offer a mix of drills, combinations, and exercises designed for beginners or dancers with some previous experience. It’s a great opportunity to get started, brush up on your technique, and reconnect with movement in a supportive and fun environment.

A new session has begun, which is the perfect time to start. An intermediate course is offered from 6:00-7:00 PM and a beginner-friendly “Intro to Bellydance” class is offered from 7:05–7:55 PM, perfect for those new to bellydance or looking for a refresher. Private lessons are also available via Zoom or in person by appointment. For details or to sign up, contact Donna Carlton at (812) 330-1831 or visit allaboutbellydance.com.

Pillar Arts Alliance Center Artist: Artistry Imagined

What sets her work apart is her love for giving new life to meaningful materials. Alexis enjoys incorporating recycled or sentimental items into her pens, turning them into keepsakes you can use every day. You can find her work locally at the Pillar Arts Alliance Center in College Mall and the Brown County Craft Gallery—or browse her collection online at www.artistry-imagined.com.

RECENT EVENTS

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Thurs May 15th – Sat May 17th

Simon Music Center/ Ford-Crawford Hall (2nd floor)

• Over 40 harpists from 19 countries compete to win the premier solo pedal harp competition, a gold medal and a Lyon & Healy gold harp. Open to the public, free.

Color in clay, on clay…and why Workshop with Deborah Bedwell

Sat May 17th, 9:00am-4:00pm (EDT)

Sycamore Ridge Ceramics Studio

• Local Clay Potters’ Guild welcomes Deborah Bedwell to Bloomington, Indiana for a one day workshop called “COLOR IN CLAY , ON CLAY …AND WHY” with Deborah Bedwell Saturday May 17, 2025, from 9am-4pm at Sycamore Ridge Ceramics Studio 2695 South Smith Road, Bloomington, Indiana. This workshop is all about ceramic color, supposedly, but it is really about emotion. It is all about why we use color, and how we want to use color – to make us feel good, satisfied, and happy with our creative endeavors. The class as I have envisioned it is about your being in control and maybe losing control to get new ideas for your work. It might seem like it is 50% high school chemistry, 25% ceramic application techniques, 20% aesthetic and critical awareness and 5 % inspiration. Limited spaces. $65 fee. Registration athttp://www.localclay.net/events.html

All Gender Writing Circle

Sun May 18th, 4:00-5:30pm (EDT)

Juniper Art Gallery

• Please join Women Writing for (a) Change in the creative space of Juniper Art Gallery for our third Sunday All Gender Writing Circle (after-hours, 4-5:30pm). Drawing inspiration from poetry and painters, we will spend time writing and sharing our writing with one another. People of all genders and writers of all genres and experience are welcome in this pop-up community of writers. Reserve your spot: art@juniperartgallery.com

Claudia Lamanna – Israel Laureate Concert at the 13th USA International Harp Competition

Sun May 18th, 2:00-3:30pm (EDT)

Simon Music Center, Auer Hall

• Isreal Laureate Concert: Claudia Lamanna. First Prize Winner at The International Harp Contest in Israel 2022 comes to Bloomington to play a special concert. Donation At Will tickets. The public is invited to attend a reception following the performance.

BSO Past, Present, and Future

Sun May 18th, 5:00-7:00pm (EDT)

Buskirk-Chumley Theater

• The capstone of our 55th anniversary season begins with a trip down memory lane, as we recreate the opening of the BSO’s very first concert with Nicolai’s Merry Wives of Windsor Overture. Our Youth Concerto Competition Winner, Catelijne Hunt, shows us the talent of future musical generations with Saint-Saëns’s Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and we will revel in the artistry of our musicians of today with Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2. We’ve been making music with our community for 55 seasons; we hope that our audience at this concert will continue to celebrate with us the many reasons we love calling Bloomington our home. More details at bloomingtonsymphony.com/pastandfuture.

Rock, Paper, Destiny | Additional Films and Guests

Tues May 20th, 6:00-7:00pm (EDT)

IU Cinema

• In the high-stakes Rock Paper Scissors league, Westside High School’s ill-fated team of misfits is facing Eastern High School’s cocky, undefeated champion. But if Westside loses again, they’ll lose funding for all their after-school programs. Inspired by an unlikely mentor, the team’s timid watergirl Zelda steps up to the challenge. But she’s haunted by her own sordid family history, as well as self-doubt, on her way to mastering the key RPS moves that could give her pitiful team a fighting chance. Can Zelda overcome her dark family legacy to prove to the world she’s more than just a watergirl? [20 mins; comedy; English]

Open Mic Night at The Comedy Attic

Wed May 21st, 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!

Memento | Indie Auteurs

Thurs May 22nd, 7:00-9:00pm (EDT)

IU Cinema

• Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) has one goal in life: vengeance for the assault and murder of his wife. There’s just one problem: Leonard can’t remember who he is, what he’s doing, who to trust, or what he knows thanks to a rare disorder that regularly wipes his short-term memory. Nolan’s twisty, head-scratching three-hander co-stars indie darlings Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano, was nominated for two Oscars, and has been entered into the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry. [113 min; thriller, mystery; English]

The Legacy of Sembène & Vieyra

Thurs May 22nd, 7:00-9:30pm (EDT)

Buskirk-Chumley Theater

• The Legacy of Ousmane Sembène & Paulin S. Vieyra is a film series which celebrates the crucial role these two pioneers played in the formation of early African cinemas. In collaboration with Bloomington’s Buskirk-Chumley Theater, every Thursday in May, the public will be invited to view African films at the BCT and to participate in discussions with film critics, some of the filmmakers’ collaborators, witnesses from the period, and African Film specialists. This public-facing event series will bring together both the Indiana University and Bloomington communities to engage in discussions of film, African cultures, the French-speaking world, and postcolonial history. It will also act as a kick-off event for the Collections of Sembène and Vieyra Archival Workshop which will bring an international cohort of scholars to the Indiana University campus in Summer 2025. This series is organized by the Early African Cinemas Lab and sponsored by the Public Arts and Humanities Project, IU Department of French and Italian & the African Studies Program. The films themselves are appropriate for those 12 and older. There will be a short Q&A after the film.

The Brandee Younger Trio

Fri May 23rd, 8:00-9:30pm (EDT)

Buskirk-Chumley Theater

• The Brandee Younger Trio, brought to you by USAIHC & Smithville, with Rashaan Carter on bass, Allan Medford on drums and the award-winning Brandee Younger on electric harp will be performing the hottest pop/jazz concert brought to Bloomington and it will make you move! Brandee Younger is revolutionizing the harps’ role in modern music. In 2022, she made history by becoming the first Black woman to be nominated for a Grammy® Award for Best Instrumental Composition. That same year, she was also nominated for an NAACP Image Award and later, the winner of the 2024 NAACP Image Award in the category of Outstanding Jazz Album for her latest albumBrand New Life. Ever-expanding as an artist, she has worked with cultural icons including Common, Lauryn Hill, John Legend, Pharoah Sanders and Christian McBride. Her original composition “Hortense” was featured in the Netflix Concert-Documentary,Beyoncé: Homecoming and in 2019, Brandee was selected to perform her original music as a featured performer for Quincy Jonesand Steve McQueens’ “Soundtrack of America”. Brandee is often noted for standing on the shoulders of the very women who ushered in the harp as a clear and distinct voice in jazz & popular styles.

Improv Bloomington: Live Comedy Show

Sat May 24th, 7:30-9:00pm (EDT)

Constellation Studios

• Improv Bloomington presents a night of fast-paced, unscripted comedy on Saturday, May 24 at 7:30 PM at Constellation Studios (411 E 7th St). Like the TV show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”, everything is made up on the spot based on audience suggestions. Doors open at 7:00 PM (general admission — come early for a good seat). The show is free, but space is limited — reserve your spot now at https://improvbloomington.com/may-24-2025-show/

Sounds From the Black Hole: Dylan Ryan / Drekka / Taylor K. Sullivan-Peters

Sat May 24th, 8:00-11:00pm (EDT)

The Orbit Room

• Join us for ambient psychedelia, hypnotic sound collage, and synthesized worlds with Dylan Ryan, Drekka, and Taylor K. Sullivan-Peters. 8PM DOORS /// 830PM SHOW /// ALL-AGES
  $10 ADMISSION + FOOD OR DRINK PURCHASE REQUIRED. Chicago-based Dylan Ryan makes a return to Orbit Room, this time performing material from his new solo album, In The Same Room With A Cactus,” on eyes&ears Records. Dylan’s band Bronze performed at Sounds From the Black Hole in January 2025. This solo album is the result of 3 years of work, written primarily on synthesizer and drum machine. The results are reminiscent of komische, new age, and the softer facets of jazz. For this live presentation, Dylan will be joined by Nate Lepine on soprano saxophone. Working under the name DREKKA since 1996, American composer Michael Anderson has toured, traveled, and collaborated extensively; collecting memories and building a personalized archive of sound that dates back to the mid-1980’s. Taylor K. Sullivan-Peters is a musician, electrical engineer and instrument builder based out of Indianapolis. Using homemade synthesizers and electronic circuitry, Taylor creates dynamic fields of sound–power ambient that can contain gentle, enveloping baths to swarming pricks and stabs. This is exciting, adventurous ambient that takes you on a journey through your own mind.

Fiber Arts & Crafts for Creatives

Sun May 25th, 1:00-3:00pm (EDT)

Juniper Art Gallery

• Join us on this Spring Sunday to work on your creative craft projects! We have expanded our Fiber Arts Sundays to include any and all portable craft projects! So join this casual gathering and enjoy making new friends over 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 fiber artist Amy Dyken.

Ceddo w/Q&A | The Legacy of Ousmane Sembène & Paulin S. Vieyra

Tues May 27th, 7:00-9:00pm (EDT)

IU Cinema

• Banned in Senegal upon its release, Ousmane Sembène’s explosive epic explores the tensions among tradition, religion, and politics in precolonial Senegal. In protest of forced conversion to Islam, the Ceddo (or “outsiders”) kidnap King Demba War’s daughter, Princess Dior Yacine, and hold her hostage. [112 min; drama; French and Wolof with English subtitles] A Q&A with Alain Sembène and Saiba Bayo (Pompeu Fabra University) will follow the screening.

Limestone Comedy Festival

Thurs May 29th – Sat May 31

Various Venues

• Over 25 stand-up comedy shows, events and parties throughout downtown Bloomington, IN. Featuring: Rory Scovel, Laura Peek, Daniel van Kirk, River Butcher, Ali Colbert, Brittany Carney, Curtis Cook, Chris Fleming, Got the Light podcast, and more!