Want to work on your field identification skills? Practice with a naturalist! The naturalist staff at Monroe Lake invites you to join them for a 2-hour Flora Field Day on Sunday, August 31 at 9:30 a.m.

The focus will be on identifying late-summer flowering plants. No registration is required. Participants should meet in the Overflow Parking Area at Paynetown SRA, which is on the right after passing the Entrance Gatehouse.

Jill Vance, Monroe Lake’s Interpretive Naturalist, recommends that participants bring the following items, if they have them: wildflower field guide, bug spray, notebook and pencil, hat, sunglasses, and a camera (if you’re the picture-taking type).

The Fourth Street Festival of the Arts and Fine Crafts strives to create an atmosphere of appreciation for art as well as an opportunity for artists to showcase their work by presenting a high quality event. It provides an educational environment to create connections with art and artists. Events will include live music, a children’s art booth, community booths and a spoken word stage, among several other attractions. Admission is free.

Showcasing photographs taken by local residents, the ‘This is How I Live United’ gallery captures how our friends, family, and neighbors Live United by giving, advocating, and volunteering to create a better tomorrow for our community.

United Way of Monroe County and our partners work every day to ensure everyone in our community has the building blocks for a better life — Education, Earnings, and the Essentials. And you are part of this work — whether through donations, volunteering, or lending a helping hand to those in need.

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

New in the Galleries:

Spanish Painting in the 1960s: Works from the Collection of Doris Steinmetz Kellett
Continuing through September 7, 2014
Gallery of the Art of the Western World
Doris Steinmetz Kellett Endowed Gallery of Twentieth-Century Art, first floor Works by members of the Catalan-based group Dau al Set and artists associated with the avant-garde Galeria Juana Mordo in Madrid are featured.

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry: Partying in Ancient Greece and Rome
Continuing through December 28, 2014
Gallery of the Arts of Asia and the Ancient Western World, second floor

Pop Food
Continuing through December 28, 2014
Gallery of the Art of the Western World, Doris Steinmetz Kellett Endowed Gallery of Twentieth-Century Art, first floor
Food provided a perfect subject for Pop artists. This installation includes a sweet treat by Wayne Thiebaud, an out-of-this-world still-life by Andy Warhol, and an artwork created with food as its medium by Edward Ruscha.

The Politics of Food
Continuing through December 28, 2014
Gallery of the Art of the Western World, first floor
This installation focuses on several contemporary artists who use food as a reflection on consumerism and cultural identity (Chuck Ramirez), a social commentary on excess and gluttony (Tom Huck), and a platform for political activism on animal rights (Sue Coe).

Oil & Watercolor Paintings by Jeanne McLeish & Dan Woodson
On display in the Upper Loft Gallery August 1- 31. Reception: Second Saturday, August, 9, 5-8 pm (during the Village Art Walk).

About Jeanne McLeish:
Jeanne McLeish was born in Clinton, Indiana in 1951. Jeanne began painting in 1970. Working in both watercolor and oil, she creates images that reflect her deep love of nature as well as her fascination with color and light.

Her paintings have been included in numerous annual exhibitions including the Hoosier Salon, Indiana Heritage Arts, Watercolor Society of Indiana, Indiana Artists Club, Wabash Valley Exhibition, Realism Today, and the transparent Watercolor Society of America. Awards include Best of Show in both the Watercolor Society of Indiana 2004 and the Indiana Artists Club Annual 2009.

Jeanne began teaching watercolor classes in 1977. She was an instructor at the Indianapolis Art Center between 1985 and 1990 and currently teaches ongoing watercolor classes at MAP in Mooresville, Indiana. She often teaches outdoor workshops that focus on the challenges of plein air painting. During the summer of 2011, Jeanne served as the National Park Service’s artist in residence at the Indiana Dunes National Lake Shore Park (along with Mark Burkett).

She is a Signature Member of the Transparent Watercolor Society of America, a Cardinal Fellow of the Watercolor Society of America, and Jeanne is also a member of the Indiana Artists Club, the Hoosier Salon Patron’s Association, the Indiana Heritage Arts, and the Indiana Plein Air Painters Association.

Her artwork can be found in many private and public collections, including the Tippecanoe Courthouse permanent collection (Lafayette, IN), the Rose Hulman Institute of Technology (Terre Haute, IN), the Swope Museum of Art (Terre Haute, IN), St. Francis Hospital (Mooresville, IN) and in the Indiana Govenor’s Residence Collection and the Indiana State Museum’s permanent collection (Indpls, IN). Jeanne McLeish has been an artist member of the Brown County Art Guild since 1979.

About Dan Woodson:
Dan Woodson conceived and started the Indiana Plein Air Painters Association in 1998. Also that year, he conceived and was a part of the Painting Indiana Project. Since that time, he has worked with three other states to do similar projects. He founded the new Richmond Art Group in 2011.

His numerous awards and recognition include: Best Landscape, Best Impressionistic Landscape, Best Traditional Oil, and others from the Hoosier Salon; two Best of Shows, Award of Excellence, Memorial and Merit Awards, in addition to Purchase and Popular Awards from Indiana Heritage Arts; Best of Show, First Place, Memorial and Purchase Awards from the Richmond Arts Museum; two paintings placed in top 200 out of 1,760 entries from the National Art for the Parks; eight First Place Awards, two Second Place Awards, three Popular Awards from the T.C. Steele Competition; and First Place from the James River National Competition.

Dan’s artwork has been in galleries all over the United States in past years; he is still with Sigman’s Gallery of Fine Arts (Indianapolis, IN), and has been a member artist of the Brown County Art Guild since spring of 2013.

Artist’s Statement: I have never been interested in recording my awards. I have over one hundred ribbons and unless it is marked on the ribbon, I have no idea where I won most of them. I’m self-trained but have learned my craft from all Indiana artists and have juried shows in Indiana and Ohio.

The Bloomington Battle Games Club, a chapter of the national foam-fighting organization Belegarth, meets every Sunday at Bryan Park (weather permitting) to fight. Medieval and fantasy – inspired combat is re-enacted using foam weapons of several varieties. Multiple styles of gameplay are practiced, including team-based and free-for-all. Visit the Facebook page for further information.

Nano: Small Science, Big Fun
Explore the science of the very, very small! The interactive science exhibition brings to life nanoscale phenomena in nature, as well as nano technology and products. Some of the exhibition experiences are part of a national touring collection, which is making its first appearance in Indiana at WonderLab.

Nano Art
An exhibition of fourteen images that show the compelling beauty of biological and physical structures on the nano- and micro-size scale. WonderLab visitors will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite image for the People’s Choice Award.

The Mathers Museum exhibition hall and Museum Store are open Tuesdays through Fridays, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays, from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and closed all major holidays.

Free visitor parking is available by the Indiana Avenue lobby entrance. Metered parking is available at the McCalla School parking lot on the corner of Ninth Street and Indiana Avenue. The parking lot also has spaces designated for Indiana University C and E permits. During the weekends free parking is available on the surrounding streets.

“Açaí From Local to Global”
“Açaí From Local to Global” examines the transition of the açaí berry from a local Brazilian commodity to a global superfood. The exhibition is curated by Eduardo Brondizio and Andrea Siqueria, and sponsored by Themester 2014’s “Eat, Drink, Think: Food from Art to Science,” an initiative of the IU College of Arts and Sciences.
This exhibit runs until December 21.

“Food is Work: Tools and Traditions”
“Food is Work: Tools and Traditions” explores the tools and traditions used in the production of food. The exhibition is also sponsored by Themester 2014’s “Eat, Drink, Think: Food from Art to Science,” an initiative of the IU College of Arts and Sciences.
This exhibit runs until December 21.

“Instruments of Culture”
“Instruments of Culture” provides an overview of how musical instruments around the globe are classified and studied, and why.
This exhibit runs until December 21.

“In Their Own Words: Native Americans in World War I”
“In Their Own Words: Native Americans in World War I” illustrates WWI experiences using photographs and veterans’ stories.
This exhibit runs until December 21.

“The People of the Coffee Highlands of Nicaragua”
“The People of the Coffee Highlands of Nicaragua” traces coffee’s journey from the fields to our cups in a photo essay by Claudia Gordillo, funded by IU’s Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, the Office of Global Educational Programs, and the US Department of State.
This exhibit runs until December 21.

“Thoughts, Things, and Theories…What Is Culture?”
“Thoughts, Things, and Theories…What Is Culture?” explores the nature of culture.
This exhibit runs until December 21.

“State of an Art: Women’s Wall Painting in Ghana”
“State of an Art: Women’s Wall Painting in Ghana” will show tradition and innovation in wall paintings by women in Ghana’s Upper East Region, as documented by photographer and curator Brittany Sheldon.
This exhibit runs until December 21.

Find your way through an indoor maze with carpets, colorful tunnels, pop-up lookouts, a maze-within-a-maze, and more! Choose your own adventure, as each pathway has a unique atmosphere, with different pop culture references and associated fascinating facts. Great fun for all ages! WonderLab is open Saturday, Sunday and Monday of the Labor Day Weekend with this special activity available on Saturday and Monday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Sunday from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Performing Arts Series offers the Bloomington community numerous opportunities to experience the talent of its local artists. Enjoy free, outdoor performances in venue throughout the city. Bring a lawn chair, a blanket and a picnic basket and become immersed in the sights and sounds of the Performing Arts Series
Performance Groups:

07/13-BSO
07/20-Bottom Road Blues Band
07/27-Andy Cobine Trio
08/03-Star Dusters Big Band
08/10-Nate Johnson & the Keepers
08/17-Kaia
08/24-Hoosier Darling
08/31-Krista Detor

*Note: Event occurs 6:30pm – 8pm each week