Herron and Borshoff Exhibit "Words of Art"

On Nov. 5, Martha Stewart tweeted that she was getting a cappuccino from the Thirsty Scholar after eating doughnuts at Long’s Bakery. And while some of us were following her every move via Twitter, students at Herron School of Art and Design at IUPUI, were busy scouring the social media app for inspiration.

Yes, art students were searching for inspiration via a medium most of them use every day. This may be an overlooked concept, finding inspiration through such a source, but for this year’s annual Borshoff Gallery + Awards art show, the PR firm selected a Twitter-inspired theme, “Words of Art.”

The Erik C.A. Johnson Best of Show winner will be selected by Borshoff staff and announced at the gallery opening tonight. The recipient of that award will receive $1,000. The People’s Choice winner will also be announced tonight, determined by way of a voting process.

“We felt the theme was particularly relevant this year with Twitter’s going public,” says Micah Sitzman, art director at Borshoff. “The artists’ ages were definitely considered when we chose the theme, since many of them engage in some form of social media.”

But this year’s theme isn’t all about what’s relevant. Sitzman explains that it’s also about how different the process of fashioning a tweet is compared to making a work of art. “We really liked the juxtaposition of artists using a tweet, fast and spontaneous, as inspiration to creating art, slow and thoughtful.”

In its fifth show now since an inaugural exhibit in 2008, Borshoff’s senior principal, Erik Johnson, first brought the idea to the agency as a way to support the arts in Indianapolis and inspire artists, says Karen Alter, another Borshoff principal.

“The impetus for the show remains the same as in the beginning, but the themes and the artwork have become more intriguing and exciting each year,” says Alter.

New this year, as mentioned above, is voting for the People’s Choice winner online before the opening of the gallery to go along with the voting at tonight’s show. Also, sneak peeks at the artists’ works and processes have been available through Twitter.

Harrison Center for the Arts, 1505 N Delaware St., 317-396-3886. For more information, and to cast your vote, visit BorshoffGalleryShow.com. You can follow the PR firm on Twitter at @Borshoff.

Photos by Michael Schrader