December's First Thursday Downtown is Holiday Kickoff

Celebrate the arts in Downtown Muncie this First Thursday from 5 to 9pm. Our many art galleries launch their monthly exhibits on the first Thursday evenings of every month, with meet-the-artist receptions. December's First Thursday is Downtown's official kickoff celebration, with carolers and storefront window decorating contest, and free trolley service all evening long.

Santa arrives at "Toys Forever Hobby and Models" at 5pm. Jacks Camera will provide a photo opportunity for your little ones with ole St. Nick. Christmas caroler and refreshments will abound!

Shop "locally" this holiday season. Downtown's diverse neighborhood of independent store owners invites you to find something for everyone on your list in the heart of the city. Specialty experiences, gourmet and organic food items, fine kitchenware, toys, models, hobbies, bikes, glassware, art work, electronics, fine and faux jewelry, framing, skateboards, one of a kind clothing items and so much more can all be found in your Downtown!

Need the gift of a fabulous experience? Downtown businesses offer theater tickets, art, photo, dance and exercise classes, paint your own pottery, museum memberships, tickets for national musical acts...so many ways to give the gift of fun!

The following galleries will be opening new exhibits (in alphabetical order by gallery) during First Thursday:


111 Arts Gallery & Tattoo Studio ~ 111 East Main Street ~ 765-282-8342

December's Exhibit at 111 Arts Gallery is "Collection - Found Outsider Art." There will be an opening reception during First Thursday, December 4th, from 5 to 8pm at 111 E. Main Street.

For more information visit www.tattooindiana.com or http://www.myspace.com/tattooindiana.


The Artist Within ~ 313 S Walnut Street ~ 765-289-7895

The Artist Within will feature an exhibit by Suzanne Marie Lambert titled "De la France et de l'Espagne" during December. There will be an opening reception during First Thursday, Dec.4th from 5-9pm. There will also be live music by Bryce Taylor. The reception is free and the public is invited.

Suzanne Marie Lambert splits her time between Europe and the US. She works from her 2 studios, one located in Cincinnati where she resides with her son Watts Dietrich, the other in Southwestern France. She works with mixedmedia on canvas and paper. Her work is abstract and contemporary.

In the 1970's she studied ceramics and sculpture, metal crafting and welding. She is self taught in painting, drawing and photography. Lambert studied classical ballet at Jordan College of Music at Butler University 1972-1975. She attended Indiana University 1981-1984, studying modern dance, psychology, specializing in sports psychology. In 2001 she was invited by Miami University of Oxford, Ohio to teach abstract painting as a guest session artist. In 2002 she worked in the Motion Picture Film Industry on the Jim Amatulli film, "Artworks." Lambert worked on location during the filming of the movie; along with some art consulting, her paintings were used as those of the lead character,Emma, played by Virginia Madsen.

Although her formal education is other than painting, sculpture, and photography, it is in these fields of art where her passion resides. With her love of photography, she built her own dark room when she was 18 years old. She began drawing and painting at the age of 3 and has continued to become a working artist.Lambert exhibits nationally and internationally. Her work is collected privately and corporately. She is available for commission work and for design consultation.


Artworks ~ 301 South Walnut Street ~ 765-288-2221

Cartoonist and illustrator Dan Wright will be the featured artist during December at Artworks. An opening reception will be held during First Thursday, Dec. 4, from 5 to 8pm.

Dan Wright has been a working cartoonist and illustrator for over 400 years and attributes his great longevity to obscurity and a propensity for stretching the truth.

Dan was raised in Muncie and barely graduated from Muncie Southside High School where he was repeatedly sent to the dean for artistic differences. After serving three years in the U.S. Army, Dan attended the Herron School of Art and went on to become an award-winning graphic designer, illustrator and one of Muncie's three nationally syndicated cartoonists.

His strip "Wildwood", which he co-wrote with childhood friend and fellow Muncie native, Tom Spurgeon, ran in about 80 papers from 1998 through 2003.

For the past few years, in addition to co-writing and producing "Rustle the Leaf", an online, environmentally themed newspaper-style comic strip, Dan has studied storytelling and has finished the manuscript for his first children's picture book "Jaboo"

After a 23 year absence, Dan has moved back to Muncie because he likes how lived-in the place looks.

At his Opening Reception on December 4, 2008 at ArtWorks Dan will read "Jaboo" in its entirety. Dan will also have many of his comic strips on exhibition in the gallery.

Downtown Farm Stand ~ 125 East Main Street ~ 765-288-3775

Downtown Farm Stand organic market at the corner of Main and Mulberry streets now carries Sue Beach's functional pottery. The Downtown Farm Stand is open during First Thursday, and offers a seasonal selection of meat, dairy, eggs, produce, bulk foods and canned goods from Indiana's finest farms and regional producers. Visit www.downtownfarmstand.com for info.



Gallery 308 ~ 308 E. Main Street ~ 765-289-8575

Looking for something truly unique to get you in the holiday spirit? How about taking a stroll down East Main Street in Muncie on First Thursday (December 4)? Stop in at Gallery 308 at 308 East Main at 7 p.m. for the opening of a new exhibition, "The Art & Craft of Christmas."

Thanks to the generosity of ornament collectors Hal Caldwell, Dale Potts, Martin George and Joshua Burton, an amazing display of holiday ornaments will amaze you. "It is our Christmas card to the community," says Gallery Board president Martin George, whose contribution to the exhibit is a large tree covered by numerous blown-glass ornaments, mostly of German and Eastern European origin.

See 200 nutcrackers from Hal Caldwell's collection, along with a vintage silver tree from the Sixties, complete with a rotating color wheel, donated for the exhibit by another collector, Josh Burton. Dale Potts' collection of bubble lights dating from the Second World War is also on display.

At 7 p.m. in the Gallery's Founders Room, Potts will give a short talk on the history of bubble lights.

The exhibit continues through December 12. The public is welcome; admission is free.

Gallery 308 is a non-profit art gallery located at 308 East Main, Muncie. Donations to the Gallery are tax deductible. For information about volunteer opportunities and Gallery hours, call 765-289-8575.




Gordy Fine Art & Framing ~ 224 E Main Street ~ 765-284-8422

Watercolorist Brian Gordy has been painting local turtles for several years. What began as a curiosity about the health of Delaware County rivers and wetlands turned into a large body of work documenting the various terrapin communities and their habits, interactions and even estimated ages. From the riverbanks, Gordy was able to determine that not only were the turtle populations healthy, but many of them had survived more turbulent times, as evidenced by their huge sizes. As an artist, he admired the flat and domed shells, the subtle skin colorations and the way light played off the various planes of the prehistoric-looking creatures' backs.

Recently recognized as an "Indiana Artisan," Gordy continues to paint the wet world of the turtle and has a new website in the works to share his paintings and giclees with patrons from outside his Muncie studio and combination gallery/frame shop. For local art and turtle appreciators, he will exhibit thirty five different scenes and groupings at Gordy Fine Art and Framing for the holiday season. An opening reception will be held during the monthly First Thursday event, from 5 to 9 PM. Refreshments will be served and public is invited to attend.

Gordy Fine Art and Framing Company is located at 224 East Main Street in downtown Muncie. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5:30 PM and Saturday, 9 to 3. The Turtle Exhibit will be held through January 31, 2009. For more information call 765-284-8422 or visit www.gordyframing.com.


Mitchell Place Studio ~ 301 S Walnut

Institute for Digital Intermedia Arts & Animation Student Art & Research Showcase
Thursday April 3rd, 5 p.m.

See monthly showcase of recent, supported student art and research projects in association with First Thursdays downtown. For more information on this and other IDIAA programs visit www.bsu.edu/cmd/mps.


Toys Forever Models & Hobbies ~ 311 South Walnut Street ~ 765-288-6505

On First Thursdays, Toys Forever Models & Hobbies hosts a meeting of modelers who build and detail plastic models of cars, trucks, aircraft, ships, sci-fi and other subjects. The meeting is held from 6:00PM to 8:00PM. Come see finished models on display, models in the process of being built and talk to the modelers about tips and techniques. Any person interested is welcome to join and participate in the display and discussion. For more information, contact Brandon Mundell at Toys Forever Models & Hobbies (765) 288-6505.

In addition, Toys Forever Models & Hobbies will be open to the public extended hours until 8:00 PM First Thursday. Come meet our knowledgeable and friendly staff while exploring East Central Indiana's premier selection of model and hobby supplies.

Other downtown Muncie businesses may have extended hours or special events during First Thursdays including:

~ Cassella's Kitchen, 401 S. Walnut Street - 765-289-8980
~ FB Fogg, 418 E Main Street - 765-289-7464
~ Minnetrista, 1200 N. Minnetrista Parkway - 765-282-4848

Additionally, all of Downtown's independently owned bars and restaurants will be open and ready to serve you. For more information, visit www.munciedowntown.com.