Is it magic or is it science? Have great fun exploring the surprising tricks mirrors can play on your brain! This special hands-on exhibition for people of all ages is on display at WonderLab (Tuesday – Sunday) through April 13.

MCCT’s current storage facility has sold its property — and our units must be cleared out by MAY 1!

While we are offering some of our collection to local organizations and artists, the bulk of what we have will need to be moved to our new unit at Highway 46 Mini-Warehouse. Which means we’ll need ALL THE HELP WE CAN GET getting it moved!

There are two ways you can help us tackle this logistical challenge:

~ Volunteer for one of the clean-out/move days — you can sign up for a day and time via the City of Bloomington Volunteer Network HERE*. There are are six blocks of time to choose from — signing up doesn’t commit you to the entire block, but lets us know we can expect you somewhere in that window of time!

~ If lugging costumes and boxes of fabric isn’t an option, you can also help us by making a small donation right now — storage rental is currently MCCT’s greatest operational expense, and for the next several weeks we’ll be paying for two facilities at once. Even a ten or fifteen dollar donation will go a long way towards defraying this extra cost.

Thank you so much for your continued support of community theater!

Thoughts, Things, and Theories…What Is Culture?
“Thoughts, Things, and Theories…What Is Culture?” examines the nature of culture through the exploration of cultural traditions surrounding life stages and universal needs. Runs through May 9, 2014.

Assessing Authenticity: Museum Fakes and Mistakes
This exhibit explores issues surrounding object identification and authentication within museums. Runs through May 9, 2014.

From the Big Bang to the World Wide Web: The Origins of Everything
This exhibit examines history on a large scale, through the exploration of cosmic, biological, and human origins. Runs through May 9, 2014.

Ojibwe Public Art, Ostrom Private Lives
“Ojibwe Public Art, Ostrom Private Lives” explores works by late 20th century Ojibwe artists of Manitoulin Island, Canada, collected by Elinor and Vincent Ostrom. The exhibit was curated by a team of IU graduate students through a project partially supported by the IU College of Arts and Sciences Ostrom Grants Program. Runs through May 9, 2014.

Rhythms of the World Audio Exhibit
Rhythms of the World is a free audioguide tour of musical instruments from around the globe featured in exhibits throughout the museum. The audioguide includes narration and musical clips of the highlighted instruments. Runs through May 9, 2014.

Mather Museum Hours: Tues. – Fri., 9 am – 4:30 pm; Sat. & Sun., 1 – 4:30 pm

What: Tai Chi for Wellness with Margret Kingrey

Where: Endwright Center, 631 W. Edgewood Drive, Ellettsville, IN 47429

When: Tuesdays & Thursdays, April 1 – 29
Beginning Tai Chi: 9:00 am – 10:00 am
Intermediate Tai Chi: 10:00 – 11:00 am

Cost: Nine Classes for $60 (preregister & pay-in-full), or $7 pay-per class.
(Endwright Center Members: $50)

About: Tai Chi is a program which improves flexibility, muscle strength, balance as well as increases energy and metabolism. It is also known to decrease anxiety and allow improved breathing. Being a form of movement with intention developed centuries ago in China, it has been used as a martial art as well as a meditative practice.

Margret Kingrey, MA, OTR, is a certified instructor for Tai Chi for Health from Dr. Paul Lam’s Tai Chi for Health Institute since 2009. Dr. Lam’s program is internationally recognized, as well as by the Arthritis Foundation and the American Diabetes Association.
Margret has taught Tai Chi for Health at the Endwright Center, Meadowood Retirement Community and at Ellettsville First United Methodist Church. Prior to becoming a certified Tai Chi instructor, Margret practiced occupational therapy for over 35 years in a variety of settings. She is currently a licensed occupational therapist in Indiana and Massachusetts.

For more information call 812-876-3383 ex. 515

“Art Quilts”
Contemporary works by Jasper, Indiana artist Beth Schnellenberger featuring strong geometric shapes, bold colors, and textured surfaces. Runs through April 12.

Hours: Mon-Sat 9:30 am-5 pm, Sun 1-5 pm

Hours: Tuesday – Saturday: 10:00 – 5:00 p.m. Sunday: Noon – 5:00 p.m.

Focalpoint: Personal Objects: Art from Eastern and Southern Africa
January 14–May 11, 2014 Raymond and Laura Wielgus Gallery of the Arts of Africa, the South Pacific, and the Americas, Focalpoint, third floor From jewelry and headdresses to household objects such as containers, headrests, and spoons, the art of eastern and southern Africa for the most part is intimately connected with the individual. Though these regions of Africa do not have the large numbers of masks and figural sculpture for which western and central Africa are known, the personal objects found there frequently reflect the deep cultural significances and attention to form and detail seen elsewhere on the continent. This installation has been organized to coincide with the A352/A552, Art of Eastern and Southern Africa, a course being taught during the spring 2014 semester in the Department of the History of Art.

New in the Galleries: ‘Max Beckmann’s Woodcuts’
Gallery of the Art of the Western World, Doris Steinmetz Kellett Endowed Gallery of Twentieth-Century Art, first floor
February 4–June 22, 2014
Although the German Expressionist artist Max Beckmann was a prolific graphic artist (producing 374 prints during his lifetime), he created fewer than 20 woodcuts. Most were produced during the 1920s, when Germany was experiencing a revival of interest in the medium. Seven prints from this period will be featured in this installation.

Special Exhibitions: Giving Back to Africa: Beta Histoire
April 1–30, 2014
Thomas T. Solley Atrium, second floor
Children in the Democratic Republic of Congo tell stories to each other every night. These stories often have a moral lesson or try to explain something in the world. The storytelling always begins with a child raising his/her hand and saying, “Beta Histoire,” or “I want to tell a story.” Experience the stories told in this exhibition of photographs by students in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“Giants in Cornfield, Civil War Sesquicentennial”
“Giants in Cornfield, Civil War Sesquicentennial” exhibit open now through April 12, 2014, gives an incredible look at the soldiers from Monroe County and their role in the battles of the Civil War. Please note, museum hours are Tues-Sat, 10am-4pm.

“The Life and Times of Local Author, Ross Lockridge”
Ross Lockridge, Jr was born in Bloomington, IN 1914 where he attended Bloomington High School and Indiana University and aspired to write the next great American Novel. He began writing Raintree County in the mid-1940s. The 1,060 page novel was published in 1948. The novel explored nineteenth-century Midwestern history, folklore, and landscape all set in a single day, July 4, 1892. The exhibit explores his life before writing Raintree County and after, including the Midwestern iconography that inspired his book. Runs through May 31.

“Cracking the Code: Quilt Pattern Meanings”
In the past many thought that Quilts made during the mid-to late part of the 19th century were created to aid travelers on the Underground Railroad. Now, research shows that there is no documentation regarding quilt patterns as a form of communication for Underground Railroad Travelers. This exhibit will examine different patterns and their purported meanings. Convention Center Quilt Show is March 6-8, 2014. The show and exhibit are on the bus route and FREE with IHQS wristband or hand stamp,during quilt show only. Runs through August 1.

“Living in Color”
Local artist, Avi Katz, has taken historic photos of Bloomington and turned them into colorized, painted, masterpieces. Runs through September 6.

Is it magic or is it science? Have great fun exploring the surprising tricks mirrors can play on your brain! This special hands-on exhibition for people of all ages is on display at WonderLab (Tuesday – Sunday) through April 13.

Museum hours:
Tuesday-Saturday: 9:30 am – 5:00 pm
Sunday: 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Pick up a flier at the Monroe County Public Library in Bloomington or Ellettsville or download a copy from www.mcpl.info/friends and present it when you pay your bill. The Uptown Cafe will donate 10% of your check to Friends of the Library. All proceeds go to help fund the numerous and much used programs at the library. Make plans with friends and family to enjoy the Uptown Cafe’s delicious food and ensure a donation to the Friends of the Library at the same time! This off is valid for Din in or Carry out.

Now on display in the Upper Loft Gallery through April 30: A selection of spring paintings from the Marie Goth Estate Collection. Also on display: Brown County Art Guild’s Member Artists Spring Exhibit; two floors of all new artwork by 45 of the Midwest’s finest artists! Reception: Second Saturday, April, 12, 5-8 pm during the Village Art Walk. Hours: Tuesday– Sat: 11:00 am – 5:00 pm, Sunday: 12:00 – 5:00 pm (Closed Mondays).