Believe it or not, there is an art behind the art exhibits at Lubeznik Center for the Arts. The handcrafted exhibits are constructed in a way that satisfies the mind, appeals to the eye, and refuels the passion for art one after another.
The designs of Lubeznik’s exhibits take patience, thought, and practice according to Exhibition Director Lora Fosberg.
“I want to show world-class artwork that is really important and have this mixing of ideas that represents ‘the now.' It’s really fun and really hard to be as diverse as I can be and as poignant to the moment as I can be through other people’s artwork,” Fosberg said.
Fosberg works to bring each piece created by an artist together to form a coherent art exhibit with storytelling elements in Lubeznik's various galleries.
“It’s an adventure to walk into a space that one artist or a team of artists have totally altered,” she said.
When the artwork arrives at Lubeznik, Fosberg has a team of staff help her with deinstallation, which is taking pieces from the previous exhibit and boxing it back up to be sent to its next location. Next, the team works on the installation process of the new exhibit, including the documentation and hanging up of the pieces.
“That’s fun too. If you like rearranging furniture in your house, which I love to do. You try to find the rhythm and make it exciting to move through the space,” she said.
Moving through Lubeznik’s space is unique with a 100-foot curved wall that spans the main gallery, which takes the art center out of the traditional set-up.
“The art world is known for the ‘white box.’ You walk into the ‘white box,’ and it’s so stark, but our space is really museum-quality,” Fosberg said.
Aside from the main gallery, there is a 25 by 15-foot space that is thought of as an installation space, where art exists off of the walls.
“Installation art is art that you can almost walk into...it creates an environment for people instead of just standing and observing,” said Executive Director Janet Bloch.
Bloch continuously pushes for installation art as she has noticed a decrease in other installation art galleries in the area.
“Artists who make installation art have a very hard time showing it because no one wants to buy it,” Fosberg said. “But it’s so great that Bloch is so strict about dedicating this space only to installation art and video because you don’t get to see this crazy, all-consuming space at other galleries.”
Being an artist in addition to a curator herself, Fosberg knows the art world from multiple perspectives, including non-traditional art. Even as an exhibition director, she finds the craft within building the perfect display.
“Being a curator is an art form as well. Even with contracts, loan agreements, and condition reports, when the artwork comes in and you open the boxes, it feels like Christmas,” she said.
Fosberg is excited to bring more well-known names to the Region through Lubeznik’s galleries, displaying work from Phyllis Bramson and Robert Indiana in the upcoming months.
“It’s visually dazzling...both of their work is so fun to look at and is so accessible,” she said.
Bloch is also looking forward to the exhibits coming to Lubeznik, and she hopes that community members are, too. As the driving force of Lubeznik, Bloch wants Michigan City residents and surrounding cities to know they are always welcome to enjoy the beautiful art at any time.
“We’re dedicated to the community. It doesn’t matter what work we have at the Center if the community doesn’t want to come in,” Bloch said.
To learn more about Lubeznik Center for the Arts, visit https://www.lubeznikcenter.org.
