Editor’s note: This post is Part 5 of “Celebrating the People of Bloomington,” a special retrospective revisiting some of the stories Bloom has published since its inception in 2006. The details in these stories have not been changed since they were originally written, but we have provided updates when possible. Each story highlights an individual who contributed to making Bloomington a compassionate, diverse, and creative community. For more stories from “Celebrating the People of Bloomington,” click here.
David & Martha Moore Open Pictura Photo Gallery
In April, David and Martha Moore opened Pictura, Bloomington’s first gallery dedicated to fine art photography. The Moores renovated a former tattoo parlor at the corner of North Walnut and West 6th Street to build something they say rivals galleries in major cities.
“You can always find some photography in Bloomington,” he says. “Bookstores have been supportive, and several restaurants will display photography. But the focus on photography has been minimal.”
Martha adds, “We have been able to create something here that we feel will last a long time.”
In 2017, the Moores opened the FAR Center for Contemporary Arts at the corner of West 4th and South Rogers streets. Pictura Gallery lives on within the FAR Center.
Rosemary Miller: The Artist Who Helped Save the Courthouse and Founded the Waldron
It’s hard to imagine Bloomington without the Monroe County courthouse. Yet the historic limestone structure would have been demolished if not for the efforts of local artist and noted preservationist Rosemary Miller.
“Take the courthouse down and you tear the heart out of Bloomington,” Miller says. “I wasn’t going to let that happen.”
When she arrived in Bloomington in the early 1960s with her husband, Delbert, Miller found a town teeming with many magnificent but crumbling structures. She founded Bloomington Restorations Inc. in 1976 to begin preservation efforts.
Now, Miller’s 90th birthday has triggered a citywide celebration. Mayor Mark Kruzan has issued a proclamation recognizing Miller’s contributions to Bloomington’s architectural landscape and cultural life.
Miller died January 12, 2013. She was 94.
Arbutus Cunningham: A One-of-a-Kind Bloomington Treasure
For those who listen to her Saturday mornings on WFHB- FM, it’s easy to understand why so many people consider Arbutus Cunningham (aka Hester Hemmerling) a one-of-a-kind Bloomington treasure. She is outrageous, sensitive, boisterous, brilliant, funny, wise, childlike, and bombastic.
Born in Austin, Texas, Arbutus now enthralls audiences with her tales of growing up and with the exploits of her eccentric and colorful Bloomington neighbors.
After graduating from Indiana University’s School of Education, she taught in New York City and on Navajo and Apache reservations in the Southwest before moving to Bloomington 20 years ago.
“I have a responsibility in this community,” Arbutus explains. “I am one of a number of real good storytellers, and so I have to go on out there, and catch stories, and tell them.”
Ann Marie Thomson: Giving Back to Africa
Giving Back to Africa (GBA) has deep meaning for co-founder Ann Marie Thomson, an adjunct professor in the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs who spent the first 18 years of her life in Congo. She says Congo “provided the most wonderful childhood I could have had. Congolese children were my first friends.”
A young boy, the son of one of her old friends, provided the inspiration for GBA. “He said he wanted to be a doctor,” Thomson recalls, “and I was determined to help him.” With her partner, Bloomington cardiologist Louis J. Calli, Thomson began GBA in 2003 and a four-year Scholars program was established for the 2007– 2008 academic year.
Her dream is, in 10 years, to replicate GBA in other countries.
