Heartland Highways Program 809

Heartland Highways is made possible in part by Consolidated Communications, offering customers
high speed internet, phone service and digital TV service packages that include high definition
channels, DVR and hundreds of sports, movies and music channels. More information on these
services available at consolidated dot com. This week on Heartland Highways weíre indulging
in art. First weíll head to Carmel Indiana to see what this community has done to bring
back their downtown by turning it into an Arts and Design District. Then weíll revisit some adventures from a
few years ago. Weíll stop at the Swope Art Museum in Downtown Terre Haute Indiana then
meet landscape photographer Larry Kanfer. That all coming up next so donít go away.
[music] Thanks for joining us again this week for
Heartland Highways. Iím Lori and Iím Kate. Weíre standing in the heart of Eastern Illinois
Universityís Doudna Fine Arts building, where youíll find dedicated performers and creative
minds walking these halls every day. And speaking of creative minds, thatís exactly what it
took to bring together what our next story is about. Just outside Indianapolis, The Carmel
Arts and Design District has attracted over 100 businesses including art galleries, antique
dealers and much more. Carmel had been a little town of about 2,000
people until 1950 and the downtown that we had in that area worked fine for that small
population. But, now that we are approaching 100,000 we knew it just wasnít big enough.
So, through public private partnerships to get private capital we moved our downtown
in essence um about three blocks south. But, the same time wanted that older little village
of that downtown to do well and so we turned it into the arts and design district. We started
by redoing all the residential streets and putting in new curbs and sidewalks and putting
street lamps in. Uh we developed a logo. We did archways to help to find that district.
Um we were able to take an old railroad corridor and turn it into whatís called the Monon
trail for the old Monon railway that runs in the middle of the arts and design district
and continues to downtown Indianapolis and north of us as well.
>>Narrator Inspiration for this unique district came from looking at other similar places
in New York, Virginia, Europe and Los Angeles. Eventually, Mayor Brainard met Evan Lurie,
an L.A. gallery owner who now owns the Evan Lurie Gallery in Carmel and who he eventually
partnered with to get the arts and design district project underway.
And when we say arts and design itís kind of a broad statement. You know, itís art,
itís fashion, itís food, itís everything that relates to art and design. So, it seemed
uh like Carmel was a really cool place to do it, because it just had everything going
for it. And they ended up meeting Mayor Brainard and when I met him and we started talking.
He said to me, ìGod, Iíve been wanting to do something with that area that was very
much in line with the arts and design industry and I should come out to LA and see what it
is you guys were doing out there.î So, uh he came out to Las Angeles and he had this
idea of putting this art design district kind of concept together, but I guess he just didnít
have the right person to implement it. And then I kinda came a long and [Laughing] it
seemed like timing was perfect for both of us.
>>Narrator The vision for the district was to make it a place where people could come
together, meet their neighbors and have a cultural experience. But it needed to have
a certain look too. We wanted the architecture to be interesting.
So many times in the United States we take the easy route and let developers and builders
build buildings that they know are going to be torn down in twenty years without interest,
without decoration, buildings that no one really can be proud of. And we also wanted
this to be a friendly walk able pedestrian area and we wanted to get the stores up on
the streets the way we used to designer our cities prior to the automobile taking over.
You can see the Mayors efforts to really keep everything into a certain visual concept.
You know, he wants it if the buildings are new he still wants them to have them to not
look out of place. You know, he wants to make it quaint. He wants to make it warm. Um at
first he didnít really want anything contemporary around here, but I think now that heís got
achieved the look heís looking for I think heís maybe open now to a little bit more
impressive architecture so and that youíll start seeing that come as well.
>>Narrator And speaking of progressive, Carmel has introduced a very interesting traffic
control system throughout the district, one not seen very often in America.
We looked at England and Europe and decided that we ought to build roundabouts and found
out that thereís an 80% reduction injury accidents at roundabouts, a 40% reduction
of all accidents at roundabouts. We now have more roundabouts than any city in the United
States. Weíve lowered our overall injury accident rate just in the last four years
in the city of Carmel by 30% even though we still have some stop lights. But, what we
can do is then build beautiful boulevards with trees that form a nice tree canopy. Uh
we donít have to widen the roads. Traffic moves uh constantly through the roundabouts.
>>Narrator In addition to the unique traffic system, art galleries, restaurants, fashion
houses, boutiques and even a local butcher shop, Carmelís new downtown will feature
a City Center, which was nearing completion during our visit in the fall of 2009 and was
slated to open in 2010. Well, the city center project is our new downtown
in uh Carmel uh about three blocks south of the arts and design district. And thatís
where the cities bought about 80 acres. We knew the arts and design district wasnít
big enough to be a downtown for our eventual population. So, just south of that area we
bought this 80 acres and then we worked with a development community plan, a pedestrian
friendly walk that includes everything includes offices, shops, uh rental housing, owner occupying
housing, town homes, um veterans plaza, green open spaces, small piazzas, eating outdoor
eating areas, side walk cafes, but a lot of underground parking in it to get the density
that we needed and beautiful architecture. >>Narrator While thereís plenty to see in
Carmel and its arts and design district, thereís also plenty to do there too!
We have some amazing things going on down here from classic cars shows, antique I mean
art events, you know the international arts festival, art walks, jazz on the Monon on
the weekends. I mean we have another event that is kind of taking off crazy is um Rock
the District, which is when we build these different stages and have these bands come
in. And that is just itís just wall to wall people out there. So, theyíre starting to
really appreciate the district as a venue for events and fun things to go see.
>>Narrator The district is also building one of the largest Seward Johnson sculpture collections
in the country. The Seward Johnson is I guess you call him
like the new the modern day Norman Rockwell. Um he is the heir to the Johnson & Johnson
Foundation. He is one of the best known sculptors of that Americana type of work in the country
right now. That has been something the Mayor has been very good about. Now, he wants to
branch off a little bit and get into more contemporary art. So, he kind of broaden the
perspective a little bit. So, his plan is to in the next few years really build a large
not just within the art and design district, but even Carmel itself a large art collection.
Some in which the city will own and some which the city will work on the rotation schedule
on loan program um from artists from all over the world.
>>Narrator Now, eventually there will be a map for walking or driving tours of the districtís
art collection. But whether itís art, architecture or just curiosity that may bring you to Carmel,
one thing is for sure. Thereís something here for everyone.
Thereís a lot of things that draw people there. Itís an ambiance. Itís a special
place. Little touches from the flower baskets to the public art weíve installed uh to the
fountains uh things that make it a fun interesting place to be a people place.
In Terre Haute Indiana is the Sheldon Swope Art Museum. Housed in a restored 1940ís art
deco building, the museum has a wonderful collection of American art, from the 19th
and 20th century. Well Shelton Swope was a transplant to Terre
Haute. He was a jeweler here um in the early 1900s. He uh decided that the city of Terre
Haute, which was an up and coming city at the time, uh he thought it was worthy of having
an Art Museum. Uh he was never an art collector himself, but thought that was an important
part to any part of the cultural life of a city.
>>Narrator With a bequest from his will, the art museum was founded in 1929 and eventually
opened to the public in 1942 to national acclaim. The Museum was housed in the 1901 Italian
Renaissance Swope block considered one of the grandest commercial buildings in downtown
Terre Haute. The ground level was all retail. It had at
one point a bank in it. It had menís clothing store, book stores, lawyerís offices a variety
of things. Uh when the museum opened in 1942, it only existed on the second floor um and
the third floor at that time had a business school on it. Over time, the museum has uh
retail businesses has moved out and the museum acquired more of it.
>>Narrator The museums original gallery is on the second floor were designed with an
art deco theme. Over time, the art deco look changed, but a recent multi-year renovation
has brought it back to the 1942 look. The Swope Art Museum can be described as a show
case of American art with work ranging from pre Civil War to contemporary works. The original
collection reads like a whoís who of American art.
We have the last work that Grant Wood ever did. Most people are familiar with his work,
American gothic with the farmerís wife and the pitch fork man. This work that we have
is called ìSpring in Townî it shows that Iowa kind of landscape with the rolling hills
and everybody working out in their yard. Uh so it has that Midwest feel to it, so it has
a nice piece. Itís been featured on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post as quite one
of our big favorites. >>Narrator Other well known works include
Edward Hopper best known for his painting ìNight Hawksî as well as Andy Warhol and
Ansell Adams. One of the things weíre also very proud of
is uh we have work by the Hoosier impressionist in our collection. We have very nice representation
of some of the major movers in that movement. Itís kind of a complementary movement to
the Huston River School that was going on in New York. In Indiana, we had the Hoosier
Impressionist. One of the things that we have within our collection is we like to focus
on art within our region and we have a number of artists in our collection that were Terre
Haute based or Terre Haute artists that grew up here and got some national reputation or
regional reputation including Janet Scutter, James Farret Gukans, Kellen Petalball who
were sculptors and painters and had some national representation as well.
>>Narrator Now, Iím a person who enjoys art, but Iíll admit to not being an art expert,
historian or critic. Throughout the museum, the works are categorized with accompanying
text panels and helpful brochures. This makes your experience at the Swope so much more
enjoyable and educational. And the art work behind me in the small gallery
thatís artwork of the gilded age of the late 1800s. When uh you know the Rockefellers and
the Carnegies were the power houses in the country and they were uh spending lots of
money on lots of things and this art work reflects that same kind of concept. You know
these were kinds of art works that they would have had in their homes. So, we uh throughout
the museum we have uh information that is separating the art work in the different categories,
the different time periods, different thematic reasoning that goes on uh with the labels
that describe the art work are color coded to those text panels. So, it makes it easier
and friendlier for the visitor to come in and understand this is what I read about.
Now, this is the art work thatís that example. >>Narrator The first floor gallery includes
works from the early 19th and 20th Century, the gilded age, and the Hoosier impressionist.
The second floor contains art of the 30s and 40s, art of the American west, as well as
contemporary works. The Swope is also home to the annual Wabash Valley juried art exhibition
featuring a range of regional artists and mediums.
>>Narrator The Museum collection consists not only of paintings, but also includes sculpture,
works on paper, and pottery. One of the most striking pieces though can be found just as
you enter the museums front doors. Itís the Diana. It is by Paul Manship and
most people are familiar with the work that he has at the Rockefeller Plaza. The Prometheus
that when you see all the skaters out at the Rockefeller Plaza thatís the work by him.
Uh the Diana that we have is one that the sculptor gave to us, uh while he was still
alive and uh this is the plaster version of what became a bronze some bronzes were made
from that. But, its stunning work. We had it restored for the museum as part of this
uh renovation process. When people come here uh one thing that I think they can really
enjoy is this is a small museum uh and youíre not fighting the crowds that you do at a large
museum. We have works here that are comparable to any museum in the country. We have works
that any museum would kill for and they and we make requests of loans of any of our art
work all the time. But, they can enjoy them in an intimate setting and that is something
I think they can really experience here that they canít experience anywhere else. To be
close in a setting that you donít feel rushed, you donítí have to fight the crowds uh,
and you get to enjoy the artwork by yourself. >>Narrator Throughout the year the museum
offers classes lectures and special exhibition. You can tour the museum free of charge Tuesday
through Friday from ten to five and Saturday and Sunday from Noon to five.
To some, the Midwestern landscape may look flat and uninteresting, but for landscape
photographer Larry Kanfer, capturing the beauty of the Midwest is what he does best.
Here in the Midwest, one of the things that really struck me when I first moved here,
it was a lot of the farmers would tell me how beautiful it was. And I of course could
not see it. It looked flat. Everything looked flat and empty. There was nothing here. And
they really understood that there were moments during foggy mornings that were just spectacular.
And so it was kind of neat to see how excited they were about what I thought, as an outsider,
was barren. So that to me is the thrill, to try and understand that other perspective.
>>Narrator Since 1989, Larry has been traveling the back roads of the Midwest, capturing on
film its subtle beauty. After graduating from the University of Illinois
with a degree in architecture, Larry instead decided to pursue a career as a photographer.
When I graduated, I took about a week to decide, am I going to do my architecture portfolio
and get a job doing that, or is this photography really, you know, is it something I want to
pursue? So I went ice fishing up north and thought about it, and thought I would give
it a year. And here I am. >>Narrator With two galleries, one in Champaign and another
in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Larry is one of very few photographers whose primary work
is in landscapes. While some images may be the result of being
in the right place at the right time, most often the best photographs come at a particular
intersection. I go out when the weather seems to be exciting, that it is going to be exciting.
It is sort of when things.., there is an intersection of both, I would call it, the cycles, the
ebb and flow of what people do and the weather and the natural environment. At that intersection,
that is when I will go out. For example, if it is harvest time and I know people are going
to be going out harvesting, and a front might be coming through, that is when I will go
out. Because at that intersection, there is bound to be something that I would like to
show. >>Narrator The photograph, "Full Circle," encompasses the perfect intersection of elements
the moment in time where weather, season and people come together. I had a good sense of
sort of the people and the harvest and what it takes to get to that point where you can
reap the benefits of all that work, and the moment where the sun comes up and the fog
was there. And compositionally, there was that serendipitous kind of element in there
where you can visually walk to the back and kind of wonder what is back there. >>Narrator
While Larry's work reflects the presence of people, he rarely if ever includes them in
the photograph. If you show everything, then there is nothing for the audience to really
work at. And you know if it strikes a cord emotionally, then let people use their imagination
a little bit. If you have a person in there, it pretty much completes the equation, whereas
I would rather have something dangling. And it can be compositionally or it could be in
tone, color or black and white, or it could be just not having all the elements in there,
like people. >>Narrator Larry rarely travels without a camera, and makes a point to shoot
at least one day every week or two. His travel between the galleries in Champaign and Minneapolis
bring him new subject materials. But he also finds photo opportunities close to home. In
addition to framed images, Larry's collection of work has been published in five books,
beginning with "Prairiescapes," now in its seventh printing. And every year for over
a decade Larry has produced his "Prairiescapes" calendar that celebrates the changing seasons.
Fall colors are wonderful and the first greenery coming out in spring. So doing a calendar
really helps me to kind of organize my thoughts and look at my work over the past year†
and of course I use all new images and to look at it and kind of put in sequential order.
And then I can sort of relive these seasons, once again, from this embossed white on white
to the first little green color in the black soil coming out, to the tall corn in the stillness
of summer, and then the beauty of fall and the cooling off, and back to the embossed
landscape. >>Narrator In addition to Midwestern landscapes, Larry's portfolio also includes
images of the Pacific Northwest, Long Island, New York, Europe, and the his alma matter,
the University of Illinois. Seen through the lens of Larry Kanfer, the Midwest landscape,
often thought of as ordinary, becomes extraordinary. His award winning photographs have captured
attention and accolades from around the country. His work has been described as breathtaking,
deceptively simple, a celebration that distinguishes the prairie from any other place. The exciting
thing is I get to be in all these places. And, you know, it is sort of like a secondary
thing that I have this on record and in two dimensions. But to me, the fun in this whole
thing is exploring and finding things and having the serendipity, where I can turn on
this back road and see this beautiful picture perfect little town or a church out in the
country, you know, that is just pristine and perfect. That is the exciting part. And then
secondarily there is the challenge to try and show that in two dimensions, and try and
show it and have the audience be as excited by it as I was being there in person. Want
more information on the story youíve just seen? Head to our website at weiu.net/hh.
Weíre out of time for this week. From the Dounda Fine Arts Center, thanks for coming
along with us. Heartland Highways is made possible in part
by Consolidated Communications, offering customers high speed internet, phone service and digital
TV service packages that include high definition channels, DVR and hundreds of sports, movies
and music channels. More information on these services available at consolidated dot com.