Seven Bloomington maiolica artists are showing work at the Farmer House Museum from Oct. 5 to Dec. 6, 2012. They are leExposition Universelle. Susan Snyder, who learned the tradition and art of maiolica in Faenza, Italy from traditional artisans, and began to share her knowledge with ceramic artists in Bloomington upon her return, by way of England, in the 1990s. “Majolica”, spelled with a “j”, is the word for a 19 century English and French style, that has little to do with the Italian style, except for the use of metal-based glazes. Snyder practices and teaches the original craft of maiolica, which began in Italy in the 1400s. It is a folk style, in which linear designs are painted in bright colors on plates, bowls and other vessels.

Hours are 10 am -1 pm Wednesday-Friday, 10 am – 4 pm Saturday, 10 am – 2 pm Sunday

This installation, running from September 11 to December 31, will focus on three photographers Julia Margaret Cameron, Edward Weston, and Harry Callahan, who used their romantic partners as their subjects. Whether portraits or nude studies, these images reveal a sensitivity that comes from the artists and sitters’ close personal relationships.

This installation is presented in conjunction it the special exhibition “A Place Aside: Artists and their Partners,” on view at the Kinsey Institute Gallery, September 28–December 20.

Artists working in Paris and Lorraine during the Baroque period developed distinctive styles—which focused on the vibrancy of the line—that differed markedly from their Italian and Dutch contemporaries. The two print kiosks in the early part of the gallery feature French works by Jacques Bellange, Claude Lorrain, Jacques Callot, and Claude Mellan, whose engraving is a tour de force of printmaking that creates the face of Christ using a single line.

Gallery of the Art of the Western World, Doris Steinmetz Kellett Gallery of Twentieth-Century Art, first floor. The British Pop artist Joe Tilson used tabloid journalism and news photography as the basis for many of his prints and multiples of the late 1960s. Becoming increasingly political, he saw the pictures of revolutionary leaders and current events as a means for social commentary. This installation will include several of his works from this turbulent period.

Runs until December 30. Open during regular museum hours (Tuesday – Saturday, 10 am – 5 pm, Sunday 12 pm – 5 pm.)

Santa Claus will be appearing at the Macy’s Court area of the College Mall from November 17 through December 24. Kids are invited to come meet and greet Santa and pose for photos. Many holiday specials will also be available from retailers. Visit website to see all mall hours, including special holiday hours.

This exhibit at the Mathers Museum of World Cultures is a companion piece to the book by Eric Sandweiss, and presents a survey of Cushman’s extraordinary work, an archive of photographs that is the largest known body of early color photographs by a single photographer—14,500 in all, most shot on vivid, color-saturated Kodachrome stock. It will run until December 21.

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

Adapted from Hitchcock’s celebrated 1935 film, Alfred Hitchcock’s “The 39 Steps” is the story of the dashing Richard Hannay and his heroic efforts to solve the riddle of the 39 Steps while staying a step ahead of desperate Nazi spies.

Equally inspired by Hitchcock and Monty Python, this entertaining thriller is a tongue-in-cheek homage to the spy thriller genre and all things Hitchcock (you’ll have fun spotting the sly references to Hitchcock’s many films throughout the show). With four actors playing 100 + roles, train chases, missing fingers, and onstage plane crashes (yes!), Alfred Hitchcock’s “The 39 Steps” is, in the end, a joyous celebration of the power of theatrical imagination!

Playing October 8,9,10,11,15,16,17, and 18. Visit website for ticket information.

Garden of Joy will perform at Max’s Place, an all ages venue with a wide variety of food and drinks available.