Contemporary art gallery Atelier will transform into a surf shack featuring student work from July 12 to Aug. 31.
“Next Wave: Surf the Saw” is a group exhibition of surf-related art created by student artists from Warsaw Community High School. Works include handcrafted and painted stand-up paddle boards, longboards, wakeboards and skate decks, as well as film, sculpture, painting and installation art, according to a news release from Atelier.
For this summer show, Atelier Director Sea Grandon collaborated with WCHS artist and instructor Andrea Miller to exhibit student work from the high school and transform the gallery into a surf shack for the duration of the summer.
The bulk of the work in the show comes from WCHS’s Gone Boarding program in the Engineering & Technology Department of the Warsaw Area Career Center. Students in the Warsaw Gone Boarding program design and construct all types of boards including: surfboards, stand-up paddle boards, wakeboards and skateboards. Gone Boarding is part of the Design Graphics Pathway at WCHS, which allows students to design, prototype and build a variety of different products and artwork. The opportunity presented by this “surf shack” gallery show has given students a theme to focus on, resulting in a variety of boards and other surf-related artworks, including a sculptural mobile of beach cottages, a freestanding oversized fishing lure sculpture and a projected surf film, the release states.
The show’s title, “Next Wave,” references the next wave of up-and-coming artists that are contributing to this show as well as the innovation and economic potential of the northern Indiana region. The show’s subtitle, “Surf the Saw,” has multiple meanings: wake surfing in Warsaw, the use of saws in the Gone Boarding curriculum, and orthopedic saws used in our area’s main industry.
According to Grandon, “Group shows are extremely fun to curate because you work within a theme and try to really push the meanings and boundaries of that theme. I love celebrating what already exists and imagining what is possible through a presentation of artworks.
“I wanted to give student artists a professional platform for showing their creative work, but also involve them in the business of art and the various stages and challenges of preparing for a gallery show,” said Grandon.
Planning began over a year ago, and students worked on the pieces for Next Wave during the 2023-24 school year.
Miller said, “Most of the projects in the show involve processes that are new to the students. They have a vision for what they want to make, but are not very familiar with the grit it takes to finish things up with excellent craftsmanship and design. The finished works required several months of thoughtful planning, practice, and dedication by the artists. Many of the works were completed as an artist-team."
“Next Wave is a very exciting group show for the summer that highlights so many important aspects of our community,” Grandon said. “Two of the greatest assets are our wonderful public school system and the natural beauty and recreational opportunities provided by our abundant lakes. Next Wave showcases both of these amenities.”
To offset the cost of raw materials for crafting the boards, several key community businesses and organizations stepped up to sponsor the show. The Bailey R. Moore Foundation, The Lake House, Noa Noa Wood Grill & Sushi Bar, OrthoWorx, Plug and Play Indiana, Pro Wake Watersports, The Watershed Foundation and the Warsaw Public Arts Commission are all sponsors of Next Wave. Sponsorship monies go entirely to the Gone Boarding program in order to offset the cost of materials used to create the works in the show, as well as materials to be used in the upcoming 2024-25 school year.
Grandon said the ATELIER Surf Shack will be a prime destination this July and August. She said, “Next Wave will be an immersive art experience. The vibe will be fun, colorful and relaxed. It is a fabulous show to bring children to as well.”
The public is invited to opening night on Friday, July 12 from 6 to 9 p.m., which will include live music, a Kona Ice truck, an exhibition merch shop and the opportunity to meet the student artists.
“Sunscreen is optional,” joked Grandon, “but gallery guests should feel free to dress up or down in their favorite surf and swim attire for this show.”
“Next Wave: Surf the Saw” opens July 12 and runs through Aug. 31. Atelier’s hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Atelier is a contemporary art gallery in Warsaw, owned and directed by Grandon. Grandon is a contemporary art advisor and attorney. She opened Atelier in March 2023.