“ART AT THE MILL” FEATURES WORK BY CREATIVE YOUNG DUO

Two creative young artists will display their diverse work at historic Bear's Mill from Friday, June 24 through Sunday, July 24; the upcoming “Art At the Mill” exhibit features limited edition photographs, original sculpture, and videos created by Darke County native Natalie Wetzel and Michigan resident Jan Kruszewski. The exhibit opens with a Friday night reception from 6 till 9 p.m. where patrons will have the opportunity to meet with Natalie and Jan while partaking of hors d'oeuvres and drinks.

“This innovative mixed multi-media collection is thoughtful, yet fun and very, very interesting,” said Mill spokesperson Julie Clark. “We've enjoyed Natalie's work ever since she was a student at Greenville High School, and her current artistic partnership with Jan, an outstanding artist in his own right, has unleashed even greater creativity positively affecting the work of both. We invite all residents of our community to support and encourage these exciting artists,” Julie concluded. 

Entitled “Morph As An Ism,” the exhibit explores relationships among humans, animals, and machines. “Humans are complex creatures,” Jan states. “Birthed from nature yet nourished by technology, every day is a balancing act between the artificial and the natural,” he explains. His work focuses primarily on the relationship between the expansion of technology and the preservation of nature and the effect they have on each other.

Natalie, who says that she creates from the wilds of her overbearing imagination, is quite excited about moving into new and different art forms. “Through my art, I travel uncharted territories, becoming whatever I can imagine myself to be and doing unaccountably exciting, impossible things.” Natalie said. “Our Neosurreal works span the gamut of the human spirit, from euphoric silliness to the fear of our demise. My art allows me to feel fully integrated into the world while at the same time feeling absolutely isolated from it,” she concluded.

“Emerging from the Darke,” featuring the work of three young local artists, potters Andrew Holman and Gabriel Cottrell and painter Vincent Saulnier - all recent graduates of Franklin-Monroe High School, remains on display through Sunday, May 22. A few ceramic and wood sculpture pieces created by their high school art teacher Scott Thayer are also on display. “Art at the Mill” is on view during regular Mill store hours: 11 a.m. till 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and Sundays, and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Bear's Mill is operated by the Friends of Bear's Mill, a non-profit organization, and is located at 6450 Arcanum-Bear's Mill Road about 5 miles east of Greenville. For more information, contact Bear's Mill at 937-548-5112 or www.bearsmill.com.