The Ivy Tech John Waldron Arts Center features a new exhibit for the month of July: the works of Claire Swallow, Dale Gardner, Sarah Wain, Jessica Lucas and Alex Straiker. British painter Claire Swallow is inspired by everything from childhood trips to the seashore to small household appliances. Photographer Dale Gardner saves turn-of-the-previous-century portraits and gives them new lives in new settings. Art teacher and baker Sarah Wain whips up candy for the eyes that may create cravings in the stomach. IU researchers Alex Straiker and Jessica Lucas present color-enhanced stills and videos taken of digital microscopy. Who knew mouse tissue could be this beautiful?

The exhibit, running until July 28, is free and open to the public during regular gallery hours: Monday through Saturday, 9 am to 7 pm. Closed Sundays.

Painter John Thom’s exhibit “From Warhol to Rothko we shared, but I disagreed” will be on exhibit at The Gallery Group, during weekday business hours, through July 26th. A friend of Mark Rothko and Andy Warhol, Thom’s works have been described as “Dali-cartoons”. John now resides in Bloomington, Indiana, living next to his brother and best-selling author, James Alexander Thom.

This exhibit at the Mathers Museum of World Cultures examines the nature of culture through the exploration of cultural traditions surrounding life stages and universal needs. It is free and open to the public during regular museum hours, and will run until August 27.

Mathers Museum hours are:
Tuesday-Friday: 9 am-4:30 pm
Saturday-Sunday: 1-4:30 pm

This exhibit at the Mathers Museum of World Cultures examines history on a large scale, through exploration of cosmic, biological, and human origins. It is open weekly on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from May 8 to August 26, 2012, and is free.

Mathers Museum hours are:
Tuesday-Friday: 9 am-4:30 pm
Saturday-Sunday: 1-4:30 pm

When your toddler or preschool child hits the turf field at the Twin Lakes Recreation Center, they will be ready to run and play! An indoor turf field provides you and your young child with ample space to run, play on an obstacle course, and practice ball throwing and kicking skills. This free-time play is parent supervised while the TLRC provides all the equipment for an hour of healthy physical play. Check the monthly calendar for special Turf Time days with the bounce house and specially scheduled games. For children ages 1 – 6 yrs. w/parent. Every Monday and Wednesday.

Sara is a signature member of the Bloomington Watercolor Society and the Watercolor Society of Indiana. A graduate of the Indiana University Printmaking Department of the School of Fine Arts, and a Monroe County Middle School Art teacher for almost 30 years, Ms. McQueen enjoys working in collage and printing as well as being a plein air painter. For this exhibit, she shows some leaf stamps in her compositions and abstract explorations with hand made and international papers.

Exhibit runs until July 29. Open Monday through Saturday, 10 am – 5:30 pm (8 pm on First Fridays.)

Storybooks come to life at the Banneker Community Center the second Wednesday of the month. Crafts, games and making new friends enhance the richness of children’s literature. Each Story Hour has a theme and planned activities. This one’s theme is “Summer Nights”.

Every Wednesday morning at 10:30 is Discovery Time at the WonderLab science museum for kids. Enjoy a hands-on activity, book, or both with a different science topic each week. Siblings are welcome. Ideal for kindergarten age and younger children. Visit the website for information on other WonderLab programs and events.

The Brown County Art Guild exhibit for July features Gerrie Govert (pastels) and Hattie Stanton (oils). Exhibit will run through July 30th. An artists’ reception will be held on Saturday, July 14, from 5-8 pm, during the Village Art Walk.

Gallery hours:
Tu-Sat: 11 am-5 pm
Sunday: 12 pm-5 pm
Closed Monday

The Bloomington Community Orchard is holding workdays every Wednesday in July and would love your help!! Each workday contributes to the growth of the Orchard by focusing volunteers on various tasks such as weeding, mulching, pruning, and general maintenance of the nearly 100 diverse fruit trees and plants. Without the generosity of community volunteers, the Orchard wouldn’t be where it is today. Please come on out and enjoy some delicious food, meet new friends, and contribute to the growth of your Orchard!