December 2015/January 2016

Lara Lynn Weaver: Activist and Musician

Apr 6, 2016 | Our Town |

BY CAIRRIL MILLS Lara Lynn Weaver faced a life crisis as she approached her 45th birthday. She felt obsessed with the material world. “It was that shameful materialistic mindset of, ‘I’m 45, shouldn’t I be able to afford a new car?’” she says. Then she saw a documentary on food insecurity and was inspired to organize Love the Hub, a fundraiser for Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard. Instead of agonizing about what she lacked in her own life, Weaver focused on raising $4,500 for the food distribution charity. She did better than that; drawing on her web of connections, she raised...

Mary Sue Hosey: Teaching Kids to Dance for Nearly 50 Years

Apr 1, 2016 | Arts & Entertainment |

BY ROSIE PIGA PIZZO In 1966, at age 15, Mary Sue Hosey started teaching dance at the Dixon Dance Studio in Cambridge City, Indiana. Nearly 50 years later, she is still teaching. “I hope to teach children in the community for as long as I can,” says Hosey, who opened her own Dixon Dance Studio in 1970 in the basement of Graham Plaza in downtown Bloomington. She changed the name to The Dance Center in 1980, and now teaches dancers from preschool to high school at her studio at 223 S. Pete Ellis Dr. “My philosophy is to teach...

Women Writing for (a) Change: Promoting Writing as a Positive Tool

Mar 30, 2016 | Community |

BY SOPHIE BIRD As a workshop leader for Women Writing for (a) Change Bloomington, a memorable moment for Amy Cornell occurred when an inmate at the Monroe County Correctional Center stood and shared through her writing that she would never again allow herself to be a victim of domestic violence. “There’s a great power in being listened to if you’ve never been listened to in your life,” says Cornell, who has worked with Women Writing for (a) Change for nine years. The organization offers workshops at the correctional center as part of its outreach program. Beth Lodge-Rigal opened the...

Wyatt LeGrand: A ‘Blue-Collar’ Bloomfield Artist (Photo Gallery)

Mar 25, 2016 | Arts & Entertainment |

BY PAMELA KEECH “I like to paint everything,” says 28-year-old Wyatt LeGrand, who has been storming Indiana plein air paint outs (open-air painting events), galleries, and collectors with his energetic oil canvases. He says he prefers painting “weird, funky things rather than pretty things,” and that his purpose is to “make a picture of that place at that moment.” He estimates that he makes more than 1,000 paintings a year. “I have kind of a blue-collar approach to producing artwork,” he says. “Just make a whole bunch of it, know where to steer yourself, then step back and look...

If You Are Discriminated Against, Contact The Bloomington Human Rights Commission

Mar 21, 2016 | Community |

BY CARMEN SIERING For 50 years, the Bloomington Human Rights Commission (BHRC) has been advising individuals and groups on matters of discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodation. Still, many people are unaware of the commission’s powers, some even of its existence. “That’s understandable,” says Barbara McKinney, assistant city attorney and BHRC director. “You might not need us until you’ve been discriminated against.” According to city records, the commission was created in 1965 by the Bloomington Common Council. Originally called the Bloomington Human Relations Commission, the group was tasked with advising “persons and groups in such ways as may...

Issue: December 2015/January 2016

Lara Lynn Weaver: Activist and Musician

Mary Sue Hosey: Teaching Kids to Dance for Nearly 50 Years

Women Writing for (a) Change: Promoting Writing as a Positive Tool

Wyatt LeGrand: A ‘Blue-Collar’ Bloomfield Artist (Photo Gallery)

If You Are Discriminated Against, Contact The Bloomington Human Rights Commission

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