By Justin Flagel
A new fine art gallery, with the mission to support local artists and open the world of art to all people, has opened in downtown South Bend.
Bunbury Gallery opened just before the new year in the historic St. Joseph Station building, showcasing a mixture of pieces from local, regional, national, and international artists working in various media. Visitors are greeted with a variety of creations in a space meant to encourage relaxing, learning, and observing. Prints and originals are available for purchase, along with a variety of artisan homewares.
Owner Guy Hall, who brings 30 years of experience in art dealing to the space, holds two goals, hoping first to emphasize emerging local artists and to remove the roadblocks that might keep some viewers from experiencing the world of art.
The gallery is intentionally designed to be a welcoming, friendly space, dispensing with the pretension often associated with fine art. Chairs are arranged to encourage sitting, relaxing, and conversation. Visitors are welcome to enjoy the work and to ask questions or share their thoughts while enjoying a cup of coffee or tea.
“I don’t want people to be intimidated,” said Hall.
He recounted days working in other galleries, being told to assess the shoes or watches of gallery visitors to estimate how much they could afford to buy. In Bunbury Gallery, Hall is building an environment to appreciate art, without any pressure to make a purchase. For those seeking to buy, he offers a variety of price points. At its roots, the philosophy is that art is for everyone.
The attitude reflects much of the creative scene in Michiana, a region of music and art that offers artists the freedom to fail, grow, and experiment, with collaborative efforts and encouragement normally outshining gatekeeping and competition.
Hall moved here from Arizona with his wife around three years ago and sensed the difference in attitude from that of larger cities while working in framing and connecting with local artists. He built relationships through that work and attending events at venues like LangLab in South Bend.
“I love it here. In the larger cities, you’re there on your own,” he said, comparing it to the close knit, supportive art community of Michiana. “The interconnectedness here is unique.”
Supporting that community and elevating those artists came together when Bunbury was conceptualized early last year, fulfilling a long held dream of Hall’s to open a gallery. After looking at several locations in the area, he settled on the St. Joseph Station space.
He sees the gallery as a way to fill a need, providing the vibrant, growing art scene with a much-needed space to showcase two-dimensional art, complementing other art-related entities such as The Rocki Button, three-dimensional art spaces like Fire Arts, and galleries further out in Granger, St. Joseph, and Three Oaks.
“I want to be a South Bend gallery, not a Chicago gallery,” said Hall. “I want to feature local art, to be a part of that local vibe.”
He hopes to be an incubator for local artists ready to take the next step into the larger world of fine art. The gallery also features the works of established artists, such as David Hockney and Jim Dine. He will continue to collaborate with other galleries and friends in the industry around the country, bringing a taste of the larger world of two-dimensional art to viewers in South Bend.
Bunbury Gallery will feature three to four solo exhibits each year, with the first in May, featuring local artist Anthony “Terrible Tony” Hilliard. The gallery is open six days a week, offering those interested plenty of options to make a visit.
Information, including hours and featured artists, can be found at bunburygallery.com or by following Bunbury Galleries on Instagram.
Pastel artist Emma Marsh grew up in a farm community near La Porte, Indiana. Though her grandma was artistically inclined, she found herself at a distance from much of the culture around her. She described her earliest art as “edgy”, a contrast to much of her environment.
Though she initially studied psychology at a college closer to her hometown, a few failed tests helped her realize the field was not her passion.
“I’m not a touchy-feely person, so I’d probably be a terrible therapist,” she joked.
She eventually found her way to Michiana, studying art education and art history at Indiana University South Bend. Through that work, she began to connect to the local artist community.
“There’s an art scene, there’s an art culture, I’m not alone here,” Emma described.
Seeing the opportunity in South Bend, she dove in, meeting fellow artists and involving herself in local art institutions, such as LangLab, where she leads Life Drawing Classes and an Artist Critique Night.
The latter functions as something of an artist support group, with over fifty people attending over the course of its existence. The creators discuss their work, encourage and help each other in bettering their craft, and share opportunities to enhance their careers.
Though Marsh has largely moved away from education, both LangLab events serve her desire to guide others. The venue has become a source of community, guiding artists and bringing them together.
“There are so many artists that just want the best for each other,” she said. “I’ve had so many people come in and support each other.”
Emma’s art is born from a balance of the practical and the surreal, referencing a chaos she sees in the world and also feels within. She draws inspiration from the land, an aspect of nature she refers to as a “spiritual thing”. The art often references the disconnect between people and the natural world and the way in which we often destroy what was naturally beautiful.
“I try to make up for that lack of beauty in my drawings,” she said.
Emma currently has art on display at Bunbury Gallery. In addition to her art, including commissions, she works at the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art. The LangLab Artist Critique Night takes place monthly on the first Thursday and the Live Figure Drawing is on the second Wednesday. Information on her work can be found on Instagram at @Pastel_dust_.
Isabella Di Bono’s journey in the world of art started in the earliest days of her childhood in Honduras.
She was making art before she could even write, in spite of growing up with a family with no other visual artists.
She grew up in a bicultural home in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, with her father originally from the United States. He met Isa’s future mother in college, eventually moving to Honduras with her. Isa always knew she would attend college back in the US, though.
In spite of her attraction to art, she initially studied economics when coming to the University of Notre Dame. Her parents are both business people and she expected to follow a similar path, but her lack of connection to the work led to academic struggles and, finally, to an advisor who saw her art portfolio and pushed her toward the field of visual art.
“It was always going to come out,” Di Bono said, referencing her creative side.
After graduation, she decided to dedicate herself to South Bend and to professional visual art. Her work is largely abstract, a path she has experimented with since grade school. She recalls discovering the work of Jackson Pollock and Basquiat, inspired to move away from the realistic work she was painting in her after school art class. Seeing promise, her art teacher encouraged the experimentation.
“My art is a way to break free, feel free. I think for me it was a way to let loose,” she said about abstract work, referencing it as an escape from life, particularly in a strict religious society. “It’s like a visual form of jazz.”
Her method is often from the hip, starting a new project with only a basic idea, letting the canvas and the moment guide her. Isa prefers to work on several paintings at one time, letting them “breathe” as she works on others. In her artist statement, she describes her style as “rooted in a desire to create mental landscapes that immerse the viewer in a state of presence.”
The freedom to breathe is one of the attractions to the local art scene for Di Bono. She’s found value in both the welcoming nature of the art community and in the financial freedom allowed by the lower cost of living versus that of a large city. The support and lifestyle have allowed her to experiment, without worry of rejection and proving herself “worthy” to be among other artists.
“South Bend is a really good place to take big risks,” said Isa.
Isa and Guy Hall of Bunbury Gallery worked with each other a few years ago and had stayed in contact. Now her art hangs in Hall’s gallery. Her art has also been collected by those throughout the United States, as well as internationally.
Isabella creates and sells originals and prints of her own work. She also accepts commissions and works in photography and as a studio artist assistant. Information can be found at isabelladibono.com.
