Library’s 45th Annual Art Show “Metamorphosis” Opens Friday Nov. 13
FRANKFORT — For the first time, everyone is invited to the opening night of the Frankfort Community Public Library’s annual art show — and this year, shoppers can take their purchases straight home.
The library’s 45th annual Fine Art Exhibition and Sale, themed “Metamorphosis,” runs Friday, Nov. 13, and Saturday, Nov. 14, in the galleries on the library’s second level, 208 W. Clinton Street.
The show is the largest annual fundraiser for the Friends of the Frankfort Public Library, bankrolling arts and children’s programming throughout the year. This year’s edition marks a deliberate transformation of its own: a public-first opening night, direct-from-artist sales and instant take-home purchases replace the private patron reception and weeklong waits of years past — changes Brubaker said were made with visitors in mind.
A Show Transformed
“For starters, we do have between the 80 and 90 artists involved with this year, between the 2D and 3D, and about 29 of those are brand new to the show, so there’ll be definitely new things for the public to see this year,” said Lori Brubaker, arts and education coordinator at the library, during an appearance on WILO’s “Party Line.” Music from local artists will also be featured at the event.
The show opens Friday, Nov. 13, from 5 to 8 p.m. — entirely open to the public, with food and refreshments still served — and continues Saturday, Nov. 14, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be no Sunday show this year. Artists come from across Indiana, working in jewelry, printmaking, pottery, sculpture, woodworking and glass, and every piece in the show must be offered for sale.
Artists who wished could submit an additional piece tied to the “Metamorphosis” theme; those 2D works will be marked on their gallery cards so the public can spot them.
New Rules for Buyers
The biggest changes are on the sales floor. Patrons will buy 3D work directly from artists at their tables rather than through a central sales line, and can take purchases home immediately. The same applies to the browse bins. The library still handles sales of 2D wall-hanging pieces, but buyers no longer wait a week — purchased 2D work goes home right away, and the 2D display and browse bins stay up through Nov. 20 for second-chance shoppers.
“They don’t have to wait. There’s no bidding …in a way first come, first serve in terms of purchasing something before somebody else beats them to it,” Brubaker said. She advised patrons to bring cash and multiple forms of payment, since not every artist accepts cards. The 3D table work is available only Nov. 13 and 14.
Beyond the Art Show
The art show is the biggest item on the library’s fall calendar, but not the only one. Muffins with the Mayor returns to Harry’s Coffee Bar on the library’s lower level Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 9 a.m., where residents can join Mayor Judy Sheets and her team for updates on the projects and initiatives shaping Frankfort’s future.
Youth Services will also hold its Reading All-Stars Celebration, honoring the community’s youngest readers — birth through first grade — who took part in the 1,000 Books Program, Family Literacy 101 tutoring and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Families can RSVP with Rachel Milburn to help staff plan for the event.
The free annual Holiday Craft-a-thon follows on Wednesday, Dec. 9, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in Room 219 on the second level. Open to ages 3 to 18, with all supplies provided and no registration required, it lets young people make handmade gifts at a variety of craft stations.
Looking Ahead
Brubaker, who also leads the library’s needle felting classes, said the quieter holiday program season gives staff time to build next year’s schedule. Planning for each art show begins almost immediately after the last one ends, with artist invitations going out in spring.
A full listing of library events is available at myfcpl.org/calendar. Brubaker can be reached at 765-654-8746, extension 1141.
