Creative Types Drawn to Southwest Indiana Arts Scene
Published Apr 16, 2008
Artists Billy Hedel, left, and Tom Loesch, Jr., moved to Evansville from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
Southwest Indiana has long been a magnet for free spirits and creative types, with its welcoming feel and growing cultural community.
Perhaps one of the best-known centers for such pursuits is New Harmony, a utopian settlement founded in the early 1800s along the banks of the Wabash River. Set up as a spiritual sanctuary, it has long been home to scientists, scholars and educators.
While the community still has fewer than 1,000 residents, it has nonetheless grown and changed over the years and remains as relevant as ever, says Connie Weinzapfel, director of Historic New Harmony.
“Every month we’ve got some kind of big, special event going on, from Christmas in New Harmony to our wine-tasting event, Spirits in New Harmony,” Weinzapfel says.
In between major activities, Historic New Harmony works with the town’s residents on such day-to-day issues as a comprehensive plan that will ensure sustainable growth.
“What makes New Harmony incredible is the legacy of the groups that came to create a perfect town, and the people who are here now that truly care about preserving the town,” she says.
That includes expanding the town’s affiliation with the University of Southern Indiana, which includes creating programs and activities that will further involve students and faculty in New Harmony’s activities.
Over the years, New Harmony has drawn visitors from around the globe, either for a day or a longer stay at the New Harmony Inn. Some 20,000 people a year are first-time visitors, a testament to the town’s enduring appeal.
“Many come to walk one of our two labyrinths, and we sell a lot of books at our museum shop,” Weinzapfel says. “People have been writing about New Harmony since 1830. But it’s hard to say what brings people here – it’s different things for different people. Some come for the sense of peace and spiritual quiet and enrichment, but there’s something about this place that draws people back.”
A more recent transplant to the area’s creative community is artist Billy Hedel, who relocated along with partner Tom Loesch to Evansville following Hurricane Katrina. Hedel and Loesch were longtime residents of the French Quarter area and, while their home and gallery weren’t flooded, post-Katrina issues led to a change of venue.
“My partner, Tom, has family here, so we came here after being evacuated,” Hedel says. “And when we got here, the people of Evansville and Indiana were so wonderful. They got us through the system, but then I had to reinvent my whole studio.”
The two have purchased an 1890 Queen Anne Victorian home and are in the process of converting it into living and gallery space.
Hedel has only been in town a couple of years, but his profile is already rising on the local arts scene. His work was exhibited at The Chamber of Commerce of Southwest Indiana’s offices in the Old Post Office Building during summer 2007 as part of “Art With a Historic Perspective,” a show celebrating historic preservation. That has led to a discussion with chamber officials regarding a permanent exhibit in their offices.
For Hedel – whose work comes from life drawings and sketching the people, places and things around him that he finds interesting – such a reception indicates that Evansville was the right place to make a fresh start.
“I’m an advocate for preservation, and for preserving historical buildings and homes,” he says. “The way I do that is through my art. And one of the things that I’ve found here is a community that is very involved in doing that, so it’s been great.”
Story by Joe Morris
Photo by Jeff Adkins
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