FEATURES
An Astounding Adaptation
In 1985, when Marsha Herman-Betzen and Keith Betzen told their daughter, Rachel, then 8, they were going to buy a ramshackle, four-story house on 10 wooded acres near Unionville, Indiana, she wept.
A Beauty Well-Preserved on 1st Street
Michelle Martin Colman doesn’t think of herself as owning the home she shares with her husband, David, on East 1st Street.
Hardware Store Modernism
Tucked away on a small side street in an east-side neighborhood, Laura Plummer and Michael Nelson’s ultra-contemporary home stands in contrast to everything that surrounds it.
Sheltering in Style
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bloomingtonians, like the rest of the world, found themselves spending significantly more time at home—working, home-schooling children, or just staying safe.
A Modern Home with a Sense of History
Their future home had been on the market for just two hours when Sharon and Brad Fugate stepped inside with real estate agent Scott Owens in April 2012.
Anti-Asian Racism: The Bloomington Experience
On July 4, 1999, Liana Zhou was driving her son home from a piano lesson when she found East Third Street blocked by police.
Photographers of Bloom: Nicole McPheeters
Nicole McPheeters is a graduate of Indiana University, where she received her B.A. in journalism with an emphasis on gender and photojournalism.
Photographers of Bloom: James Kellar
James Kellar’s photography interest began as a young teen when his father taught him to develop film and print pictures in a converted bathroom.
Photographers of Bloom: Haley Brown
Haley Brown has been a professional photographer for more than 10 years and enjoys photographing landscapes, interior and exterior commercial buildings, portraits, and more.
Photographers of Bloom: Mike Waddell
Mike Waddell has always enjoyed taking photos, but it wasn’t until about 10 years ago that he began to take it seriously.
Photographers of Bloom: Jim Krause
Jim Krause describes himself as “an accomplished adventurer, photographer, documentarian, teacher, writer, producer, musician, and composer.”
Photographers of Bloom: Jenn Hamm
Born and raised in Bloomington, Jenn Hamm has been a photographer since age 17.
Photographers of Bloom: Rodney Margison
Rodney Margison prefers a conceptual, fine art approach to his portraiture.
Photographers of Bloom: Martin Boling
The photography seed was planted in Martin Boling at a young age.
Photographers of Bloom: Kendall Reeves
Kendall Reeves says he learned early in life that in order to find his purpose, he needed only to look through the viewfinder.
Michael Koryta: The Boy Who Loved Books Is Now A Bestselling Author
Growing up, Michael Koryta had a soulful relationship with loaded bookshelves.
The Photographers of Bloom Magazine
When Bloom was founded 15 years ago, we pledged that not only would the writing be first rate, but that the design and photography would be also.
Beverly Calender-Anderson: Director, Bloomington Community and Family Resources Department
Beverly Calender-Anderson is effusive when discussing the election of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Tamara Brown: Activist
Although she is only 20 years old, Tamara Brown has been an activist for years.
Ellyn Pruitt: Finding Black History Written in Stone
Ellyn Pruitt grew up with an affection and respect for cemeteries. She remembers that whenever her extended family in Gary, Indiana, was drawn together for a funeral, it also became a pilgrimage of sorts.
Mattie White: Deputy Director of IU Athletics
Though she’s earned several degrees herself, when you visit Mattie White’s office, there’s only one credential on display—her grandmother’s 1939 high school diploma.
Nicole Browne: Monroe County Clerk
As early voters wrapped around the block in downtown Bloomington last fall, Nicole Browne, the first Black woman elected as Monroe County’s Clerk of Courts, often walked out to greet them.
Maria E. Hamilton Abegunde: Exploring the Legacy of Slavery
In 2014, Maria E. Hamilton Abegunde was the first person to earn a doctorate in African American and African Diaspora Studies at Indiana University—a distinction that was groundbreaking not only in its accomplishment, but also for the revolutionary nature of the research she continues to do.
Larissa Danielle: Visual Artist
Artist Larissa Danielle’s multimedia work has often been inspired by political and social realities. In 2020, those realities felt particularly overwhelming.
Dr. Tashera Perry: Obstetrician-Gynecologist
“Fun fact,” says Dr. Tashera Perry, an OB/GYN with Indiana University Health, adjunct clinical assistant professor for the IU School of Medicine, and the associate chief medical information officer for IU Health South Central Region. “I’m a high school dropout.”
Virginia Githiri: Entrepreneur, Singer, Lecturer
Virginia Githiri wears so many different professional hats in her daily life, it’s not hard to fathom that writing inspirational gospel songs is something she does in her sleep.
Markay Winston: MCCSC Superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction
Growing up, Markay Winston, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction for the Monroe County Community School Corporation (MCCSC) since 2017, saw educational inequity firsthand.
Jenn Cristy: Musician
Jenn Cristy has a credo for these challenging times: “Be kind and have conversations with people.”
Maqubè Reese: Assistant Director of Diversity Initiatives for the IU Kelley School of Business
Maqubè Reese’s first name was created by her mother—a combination of the names of her four aunts. “I feel like I embody all of them,” she says. “I absolutely love my name. I feel like I live it every day.”
Gladys DeVane: Storyteller
Gladys DeVane, 81, is a storyteller, scriptwriter, and actor. She first learned stagecraft competing in oratorical contests as a child and acting in plays in high school and college.
Jacinda Townsend: Novelist & MCCSC Board Member
Jacinda Townsend is a novelist, a software trainer, and a Monroe County Community School Corporation board member.
Priscilla Barnes: “Pracademic”
As a master’s student at Indiana University, Priscilla Barnes researched public health disparities and the connection between faith communities and public health.
Vanessa McClary: Kiwanis Leader
Whether it’s ensuring that local elementary school children have winter coats or cheering up the Bloomington skyline with hot air balloons, Vanessa McClary cares that the work she does in the community has tangible results.
Elizabeth Mitchell: Historian
For more than 40 years, Elizabeth Mitchell has been documenting African American history and correcting the white version of that history.
Selena Drake: Social Justice Advocate
Selena Drake, who was raised in Gary, Indiana, says she never truly experienced racism prior to attending Indiana University. A racially charged incident that occurred as she started her freshman year in 2016 changed that.
Nicole Bolden: Bloomington City Clerk
Nicole Bolden comes from a lineage of women with a legacy of firsts.
Black Women of Bloomington: Recognizing Their Accomplishments & Contributions
The achievements of Black women are being recognized nationally as never before, thanks to the ascent of Kamala Harris to the vice presidency, the impact of Black women on the presidential election, and the several Black women appointed to cabinet and other key government positions. Finally, and long overdue.
15th Annual Wedding Guide
There is an existential expression that pretty much sums up the year 2020: “Man plans, God laughs.”
Jeannine Bell: Scholar of Policing & Hate Crimes
Professor Jeannine Bell, a nationally recognized scholar in the area of policing and hate crimes, has written extensively on criminal justice issues.
Doris Sims: 40 Years in Public Service
Doris Sims has seen the country “go through hills and valleys” when it comes to race. “A lot—especially within this past year—has happened within our country with dealing with racial inequality, and dealing with issues of equity and diversity,” she says.
Jerry Smith: En Plein Air Painter
Initially finding it easier to paint in a realist style, Jerry Smith says his work has adapted with time.
Dixie Ferrer: Texture Artist
Brown County resident Dixie Ferrer considers herself an artist of texture, exploring the combined mediums of oil paint and cold wax.
Joel Washington: Music Is His Inspiration
A self-taught artist, Joel Washington’s work can be found in Bloomington galleries and restaurants, in departments across Indiana University, and at the Indiana State Museum.
Jennifer Mujezinovic: Portrait Painter
For four years, Bloomington’s Jennifer Mujezinovic painted the whimsical portrait covers for the All About children’s book series. After 12 total book covers, Mujezinovic has decided to begin taking a new creative direction.
Meg Lagodzki: Painting an Unnatural Landscape
After Meg Lagodzki had a serious illness that resulted in the removal of her thyroid, she was entirely unable to speak for two months, and then only in a whisper for a year. Depressed, she coped by returning to oil painting, something she had given up for 10 years to focus on her family.
Mark Blaney: Versatile Artist
Even before painter and ceramicist Mark Blaney moved to Bloomington in 2010, he had contributed artwork to various local arts endeavors, including albums and publications by local composer Malcolm Dalglish.
Kevin Pope: Artwork That Tells Stories
Cartoonist Kevin Pope has illustrated for Playboy magazine, the Chicago Tribune, Mad Magazine, the NBC animated show Sammy, Pepsi TV commercials, and the comics Inside Out and The Far Side.
Jerome Harste: Multi-Genre Artist
Upon retiring from Indiana University as a distinguished professor of literacy, culture, and language in 2006, Jerome Harste began studying with renowned artists in several states.
Patricia Rhoden: Prolific Artist
After 37 years as an art teacher, Patricia Rhoden retired in 2013 and now spends most days creating oil and acrylic paintings in her Nashville, Indiana, studio. Much of her work is impressionistic, and she’s known for her silver and gold leaf floral landscapes.
Dawn Adams: Water Artist
Dawn Adams specializes in water imagery: fresh, salt, still, rippling, melting, frozen.
Joe and Bess Lee: Art with a Cause
In 2019, husband-and-wife team Joe and Bess Lee exhibited more than a dozen 2 1/2-by-3-foot acrylic paintings on paper in the style of mid-20th-century circus sideshow banners in a show called Professor Animalia’s Menagerie of Struggling Species in Bloomington and Indianapolis.
Amy Brier: Stone Carver
In the age of digital modeling and 3-D laser printers, working with a hammer and chisel may seem “kind of archaic,” admits stone carver Amy Brier. But it’s precisely this connection to human origins that makes her craft compelling.
Wyatt LeGrand: The Pride of Bloomfield
Wyatt LeGrand says he prefers painting “weird, funky things rather than pretty things.” He estimates that he makes more than 1,000 paintings a year.
Martina Celerin: Tapestries That Tell a Story
Martina Celerin’s fiber art combines traditional weaving techniques with felting and reclaimed materials like shells, rocks, and old jewelry to create tapestries that tell a visual story.
Help Our Local Stores! Come Shop the Square
’Tis the season of holiday shopping—please do some of it downtown.
Celebrating Our Local Artists (COVER STORY)
Bloomington is blessed with a myriad of artists working in a wide variety of mediums. Here, we present the works of 17.
Larissa Danielle: Mixed Media Artist
It’s hard for mixed media artist Larissa Danielle to name her favorite medium.
Tamar Kander: Renowned Abstract Painter
Tamar Kander’s abstract paintings start with a textural layer that might include shopping lists, insulation, or the sweepings from her studio floor.
Steve Dawson: An Unlikely Artist
Primarily a landscape painter, Steve Dawson frequently works alla prima (spontaneously) and en plein air (outdoors).
VOTE—What’s At Stake: The Economy
Remember that we all share many more values than we have differences. When we vote, we won’t be doing it for our candidate, we will be doing it in no small part for our beloved Bloomington.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: LGBTQ+ Rights
Discrimination against LGBTQ Americans, particularly those who identify as transgender, is still very much a reality, and this is all the more true for LGBTQ Hoosiers, since Indiana offers fewer protections than many other states. Your vote in this election will help determine our future.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: The Media
Choked. Smashed. Tear-gassed. Pushed. Assaulted. Hit. Grabbed. Shoved. Targeted. Shot with projectile. Caught in crossfire. Struck. Pepper sprayed. Arrested. Threatened. Slammed. Chased. Attacked. Robbed. Held at gunpoint.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Law Enforcement
These are unprecedented times. Unless you have been living on the high seas, devoid of all interaction with the world, you have witnessed as I have the unrest, distrust, and uncertainty plaguing this country.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Education
In higher education, state support for our universities has declined precipitously. Our universities are no longer “state-supported.” At best they’re “state-assisted,” with funding falling to approximately 20% of need.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Partisanship vs. Polarization
The challenge Americans face these days is, in the words of conservative fundraiser Greg Munford, “to engage in passionate disagreement while not damaging the political freedom which allows for that constructive disagreement.”
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Immigration & Refugees
Helping refugees is, of course, a humanitarian act.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: The Pandemic
The current administration, ideologically, wants to do nothing. It wants to let the virus liquidate the old and unwell; to purge the “rotten” out of society. It wants to take a long run on wishful-thinking vice action, the long run to fanciful herd immunity.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: The Courts
The courts are squarely in view now, along with the 2020 pandemic and so much else at stake November 3. The death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg reminds us: For our country’s long-term health, few election issues outrank the power of the president to appoint and the Senate to confirm federal judges.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: The Arts
The arts are having a moment. Called on to serve as both a witness to tragedy and an inspiration to act, artists have channeled the grief of a nation into eloquent works of art centered on Black lives, social justice, and economic equality.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Trust in Government
Americans’ trust in the political system has reached historic lows.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Race Relations
We must utilize our constitutional right and civic duty of voting to mobilize that “people power” while we remove those who are intolerant and foster distrust.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Women’s Rights
Sleep-deprived women worry about housing, un(der)employment, home schooling, stalled career prospects, child care, elder care, birth control, medical care, welfare benefits, violence, addiction, divorce, and safety.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Global Standing
Our beautiful city is an island of globalism. We are both a beneficiary and a contributor to the global commons.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Foreign Policy
Anyone born after 1945 has lived their entire life in a global political and economic order whose rules were written by the United States.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Guns
Like many other social, cultural, and public health issues, firearm safety doesn’t and can’t exist in isolation from other developments, such as civil rights, ideological extremism, redistricting, national and household economic health and inequality, and health care accessibility.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: The Environment
The two major presidential candidates, President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, have both said they are trying to find a balance between economic prosperity and clean air, water, and land for all—but their approaches are vastly different.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Freedom of Speech
The First Amendment was first for a reason. It exists to keep our government and its agents from destroying the conditions necessary for democratic self-government. A government that does not lead its people toward tolerance and open debate leads them away from democracy.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Safety Net
Prior to COVID-19, 37% of all Hoosiers (nearly 1 million households) were already struggling, either living in poverty or hovering right above it in a category United Way refers to as ALICE—Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Climate Change
Nature, like the coronavirus, will not respond to bluster and obfuscation, to denial of scientific evidence, nor to slapdash policies constructed in haste
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Economic Equality
We have a crisis of care in this country—child care, elder care, care for those with disabilities.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Health Care
What I am describing is a medical caste system. The uninsured are our ‘Untouchables.’ A medical caste system, not a medical care system.
VOTE: 23 Experts Tell What’s At Stake for Bloomington & The Country (COVER STORY)
In this preelection issue, we are looking at 23 areas of great concern which will be impacted positively or negatively depending on which candidates prevail. Here, you will find essays on each of these important areas, everything from health care to guns to climate change.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Democracy
Democracies are not Energizer bunnies, running forever like perpetual motion machines. Democracies wind down. They get sloppy . . . And they can die.
The Illustrations of Mike Cagle: A Retrospective of His Work in Bloom
Artist Mike Cagle has been a Bloom contributor since 2007.
Dr. William Schmalz, Monroe Hospital: Humbled by Challenge of the Unknown
“The challenge of COVID-19—even today, when we know much more about it than we did in the beginning—is still the unknown,” says Dr. William Schmalz of Monroe Hospital.
Nicole Johnson: Giving Back to Communities in Need
Nicole Johnson has seen the coronavirus pandemic from the perspective of residents in subsidized housing. She lives in Crestmont, a mixed-generation, densely populated, low-income area of Bloomington’s West Side. “I come from a background where I’ve used social services,” she says. “Why wouldn’t I want to give back?”
Ranji Abraham: Ensuring IU Has ‘An App for That’
When Ranji Abraham and his teams of Indiana University programmers face a new challenge, the response is likely to be “there’s an app for that.”
Chris Morron: Nurse Helped Build Hospital Response
Registered Nurse Chris Morron has eyes on everything from pre-admission testing to post-anesthesia care. A manager in surgery administration, Morron has been with Indiana University Health Bloomington Hospital for 26 years. So when go-time came to prepare for an influx of coronavirus cases, she was a natural.
Savannah Powell: Helping Immigrant Families
Diane Legomsky, former executive director of the Bloomington Refugee Support Network (BRSN), recalls how BRSN coordinator Savannah Powell arrived at a public event for the volunteer- run nonprofit organization. Powell greeted Legomsky with a question: “What can I do?”
Katy Howe: Leading Hospital’s Emergency Department
Katy Howe has gotten good at watching for storm clouds. She’s even better at finding their silver linings. Formerly with Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital’s emergency trauma center, Howe joined IU Health Bloomington Hospital as director of emergency services shortly before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jeff Mease, One World Enterprises: Free Meals for Servers & Hospital Workers
It’s been nearly six months since Americans first learned about the novel coronavirus. At the time, it seemed hard to fathom it could shut down our restaurants.
Leah Steele, Middle Way House: Patience and Positivity in a Time of Crisis
Middle Way House, a nonprofit organization that provides services to survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault and their children, has helped people work through periods of crisis for nearly 50 years. It should come as no surprise that its commitment to advocacy didn’t falter with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic.
John Hamilton: Mayor Carries On As Family Is Hit by COVID-19
When Mayor John Hamilton gave his State of the City address in mid-February, the coronavirus wasn’t part of it. “But when March began, we became aware of the challenges,” he says.
Khalil Stewart, LPN: A Rallying Force at Stone Belt
Safely providing services for people with disabilities is a daily challenge during normal times. Doing so during a pandemic, however, requires an outside-the-box approach.
Abby Ang: Finding Resources for Marginalized People
COVID-19 is frightening enough for people with prominence and a voice in the community. For marginalized people—the unemployed, minorities, and the poor—it can be terrifying. With a new organization called Monroe County Mutual Aid, their voices can now be heard.
Fire Chief Jason Moore: Professional Risk Manager
If any profession is equipped to adapt to the unpredictable and ever-shifting risks presented by the pandemic, firefighters are at the front of the line, says Jason Moore, chief of the Bloomington Fire Department.
Anastasia Morrone: Leading Online Learning at IU
Technology leader Anastasia “Stacy” Morrone has been preparing for a pandemic for more than a decade.
Kelly Clark & Nola Hartman: Bloomington Fabric Mask Drive
When Kelly Clark closed her physical therapy practice as the pandemic escalated, she decided to spend her time making fabric masks for friends and family.
JaQuita Joy Roberts & Family: Helping to Feed Kids at the Food Train
When the stay-at-home order was given and most folks settled in their homes to ride out the pandemic, JaQuita Joy Roberts knew that wasn’t going to work for her. Roberts is a doer by nature.
Dr. Brad Erickson: First on the Front Line of Care
Caring for COVID-19 patients requires real mindfulness. Every footstep, every touch—and certainly every breath—matters.
FEATURES
An Astounding Adaptation
In 1985, when Marsha Herman-Betzen and Keith Betzen told their daughter, Rachel, then 8, they were going to buy a ramshackle, four-story house on 10 wooded acres near Unionville, Indiana, she wept.
A Beauty Well-Preserved on 1st Street
Michelle Martin Colman doesn’t think of herself as owning the home she shares with her husband, David, on East 1st Street.
Hardware Store Modernism
Tucked away on a small side street in an east-side neighborhood, Laura Plummer and Michael Nelson’s ultra-contemporary home stands in contrast to everything that surrounds it.
Sheltering in Style
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bloomingtonians, like the rest of the world, found themselves spending significantly more time at home—working, home-schooling children, or just staying safe.
A Modern Home with a Sense of History
Their future home had been on the market for just two hours when Sharon and Brad Fugate stepped inside with real estate agent Scott Owens in April 2012.
Anti-Asian Racism: The Bloomington Experience
On July 4, 1999, Liana Zhou was driving her son home from a piano lesson when she found East Third Street blocked by police.
Photographers of Bloom: Nicole McPheeters
Nicole McPheeters is a graduate of Indiana University, where she received her B.A. in journalism with an emphasis on gender and photojournalism.
Photographers of Bloom: James Kellar
James Kellar’s photography interest began as a young teen when his father taught him to develop film and print pictures in a converted bathroom.
Photographers of Bloom: Haley Brown
Haley Brown has been a professional photographer for more than 10 years and enjoys photographing landscapes, interior and exterior commercial buildings, portraits, and more.
Photographers of Bloom: Mike Waddell
Mike Waddell has always enjoyed taking photos, but it wasn’t until about 10 years ago that he began to take it seriously.
Photographers of Bloom: Jim Krause
Jim Krause describes himself as “an accomplished adventurer, photographer, documentarian, teacher, writer, producer, musician, and composer.”
Photographers of Bloom: Jenn Hamm
Born and raised in Bloomington, Jenn Hamm has been a photographer since age 17.
Photographers of Bloom: Rodney Margison
Rodney Margison prefers a conceptual, fine art approach to his portraiture.
Photographers of Bloom: Martin Boling
The photography seed was planted in Martin Boling at a young age.
Photographers of Bloom: Kendall Reeves
Kendall Reeves says he learned early in life that in order to find his purpose, he needed only to look through the viewfinder.
Michael Koryta: The Boy Who Loved Books Is Now A Bestselling Author
Growing up, Michael Koryta had a soulful relationship with loaded bookshelves.
The Photographers of Bloom Magazine
When Bloom was founded 15 years ago, we pledged that not only would the writing be first rate, but that the design and photography would be also.
Beverly Calender-Anderson: Director, Bloomington Community and Family Resources Department
Beverly Calender-Anderson is effusive when discussing the election of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Tamara Brown: Activist
Although she is only 20 years old, Tamara Brown has been an activist for years.
Ellyn Pruitt: Finding Black History Written in Stone
Ellyn Pruitt grew up with an affection and respect for cemeteries. She remembers that whenever her extended family in Gary, Indiana, was drawn together for a funeral, it also became a pilgrimage of sorts.
Mattie White: Deputy Director of IU Athletics
Though she’s earned several degrees herself, when you visit Mattie White’s office, there’s only one credential on display—her grandmother’s 1939 high school diploma.
Nicole Browne: Monroe County Clerk
As early voters wrapped around the block in downtown Bloomington last fall, Nicole Browne, the first Black woman elected as Monroe County’s Clerk of Courts, often walked out to greet them.
Maria E. Hamilton Abegunde: Exploring the Legacy of Slavery
In 2014, Maria E. Hamilton Abegunde was the first person to earn a doctorate in African American and African Diaspora Studies at Indiana University—a distinction that was groundbreaking not only in its accomplishment, but also for the revolutionary nature of the research she continues to do.
Larissa Danielle: Visual Artist
Artist Larissa Danielle’s multimedia work has often been inspired by political and social realities. In 2020, those realities felt particularly overwhelming.
Dr. Tashera Perry: Obstetrician-Gynecologist
“Fun fact,” says Dr. Tashera Perry, an OB/GYN with Indiana University Health, adjunct clinical assistant professor for the IU School of Medicine, and the associate chief medical information officer for IU Health South Central Region. “I’m a high school dropout.”
Virginia Githiri: Entrepreneur, Singer, Lecturer
Virginia Githiri wears so many different professional hats in her daily life, it’s not hard to fathom that writing inspirational gospel songs is something she does in her sleep.
Markay Winston: MCCSC Superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction
Growing up, Markay Winston, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction for the Monroe County Community School Corporation (MCCSC) since 2017, saw educational inequity firsthand.
Jenn Cristy: Musician
Jenn Cristy has a credo for these challenging times: “Be kind and have conversations with people.”
Maqubè Reese: Assistant Director of Diversity Initiatives for the IU Kelley School of Business
Maqubè Reese’s first name was created by her mother—a combination of the names of her four aunts. “I feel like I embody all of them,” she says. “I absolutely love my name. I feel like I live it every day.”
Gladys DeVane: Storyteller
Gladys DeVane, 81, is a storyteller, scriptwriter, and actor. She first learned stagecraft competing in oratorical contests as a child and acting in plays in high school and college.
Jacinda Townsend: Novelist & MCCSC Board Member
Jacinda Townsend is a novelist, a software trainer, and a Monroe County Community School Corporation board member.
Priscilla Barnes: “Pracademic”
As a master’s student at Indiana University, Priscilla Barnes researched public health disparities and the connection between faith communities and public health.
Vanessa McClary: Kiwanis Leader
Whether it’s ensuring that local elementary school children have winter coats or cheering up the Bloomington skyline with hot air balloons, Vanessa McClary cares that the work she does in the community has tangible results.
Elizabeth Mitchell: Historian
For more than 40 years, Elizabeth Mitchell has been documenting African American history and correcting the white version of that history.
Selena Drake: Social Justice Advocate
Selena Drake, who was raised in Gary, Indiana, says she never truly experienced racism prior to attending Indiana University. A racially charged incident that occurred as she started her freshman year in 2016 changed that.
Nicole Bolden: Bloomington City Clerk
Nicole Bolden comes from a lineage of women with a legacy of firsts.
Black Women of Bloomington: Recognizing Their Accomplishments & Contributions
The achievements of Black women are being recognized nationally as never before, thanks to the ascent of Kamala Harris to the vice presidency, the impact of Black women on the presidential election, and the several Black women appointed to cabinet and other key government positions. Finally, and long overdue.
15th Annual Wedding Guide
There is an existential expression that pretty much sums up the year 2020: “Man plans, God laughs.”
Jeannine Bell: Scholar of Policing & Hate Crimes
Professor Jeannine Bell, a nationally recognized scholar in the area of policing and hate crimes, has written extensively on criminal justice issues.
Doris Sims: 40 Years in Public Service
Doris Sims has seen the country “go through hills and valleys” when it comes to race. “A lot—especially within this past year—has happened within our country with dealing with racial inequality, and dealing with issues of equity and diversity,” she says.
Jerry Smith: En Plein Air Painter
Initially finding it easier to paint in a realist style, Jerry Smith says his work has adapted with time.
Dixie Ferrer: Texture Artist
Brown County resident Dixie Ferrer considers herself an artist of texture, exploring the combined mediums of oil paint and cold wax.
Joel Washington: Music Is His Inspiration
A self-taught artist, Joel Washington’s work can be found in Bloomington galleries and restaurants, in departments across Indiana University, and at the Indiana State Museum.
Jennifer Mujezinovic: Portrait Painter
For four years, Bloomington’s Jennifer Mujezinovic painted the whimsical portrait covers for the All About children’s book series. After 12 total book covers, Mujezinovic has decided to begin taking a new creative direction.
Meg Lagodzki: Painting an Unnatural Landscape
After Meg Lagodzki had a serious illness that resulted in the removal of her thyroid, she was entirely unable to speak for two months, and then only in a whisper for a year. Depressed, she coped by returning to oil painting, something she had given up for 10 years to focus on her family.
Mark Blaney: Versatile Artist
Even before painter and ceramicist Mark Blaney moved to Bloomington in 2010, he had contributed artwork to various local arts endeavors, including albums and publications by local composer Malcolm Dalglish.
Kevin Pope: Artwork That Tells Stories
Cartoonist Kevin Pope has illustrated for Playboy magazine, the Chicago Tribune, Mad Magazine, the NBC animated show Sammy, Pepsi TV commercials, and the comics Inside Out and The Far Side.
Jerome Harste: Multi-Genre Artist
Upon retiring from Indiana University as a distinguished professor of literacy, culture, and language in 2006, Jerome Harste began studying with renowned artists in several states.
Patricia Rhoden: Prolific Artist
After 37 years as an art teacher, Patricia Rhoden retired in 2013 and now spends most days creating oil and acrylic paintings in her Nashville, Indiana, studio. Much of her work is impressionistic, and she’s known for her silver and gold leaf floral landscapes.
Dawn Adams: Water Artist
Dawn Adams specializes in water imagery: fresh, salt, still, rippling, melting, frozen.
Joe and Bess Lee: Art with a Cause
In 2019, husband-and-wife team Joe and Bess Lee exhibited more than a dozen 2 1/2-by-3-foot acrylic paintings on paper in the style of mid-20th-century circus sideshow banners in a show called Professor Animalia’s Menagerie of Struggling Species in Bloomington and Indianapolis.
Amy Brier: Stone Carver
In the age of digital modeling and 3-D laser printers, working with a hammer and chisel may seem “kind of archaic,” admits stone carver Amy Brier. But it’s precisely this connection to human origins that makes her craft compelling.
Wyatt LeGrand: The Pride of Bloomfield
Wyatt LeGrand says he prefers painting “weird, funky things rather than pretty things.” He estimates that he makes more than 1,000 paintings a year.
Martina Celerin: Tapestries That Tell a Story
Martina Celerin’s fiber art combines traditional weaving techniques with felting and reclaimed materials like shells, rocks, and old jewelry to create tapestries that tell a visual story.
Help Our Local Stores! Come Shop the Square
’Tis the season of holiday shopping—please do some of it downtown.
Celebrating Our Local Artists (COVER STORY)
Bloomington is blessed with a myriad of artists working in a wide variety of mediums. Here, we present the works of 17.
Larissa Danielle: Mixed Media Artist
It’s hard for mixed media artist Larissa Danielle to name her favorite medium.
Tamar Kander: Renowned Abstract Painter
Tamar Kander’s abstract paintings start with a textural layer that might include shopping lists, insulation, or the sweepings from her studio floor.
Steve Dawson: An Unlikely Artist
Primarily a landscape painter, Steve Dawson frequently works alla prima (spontaneously) and en plein air (outdoors).
VOTE—What’s At Stake: The Economy
Remember that we all share many more values than we have differences. When we vote, we won’t be doing it for our candidate, we will be doing it in no small part for our beloved Bloomington.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: LGBTQ+ Rights
Discrimination against LGBTQ Americans, particularly those who identify as transgender, is still very much a reality, and this is all the more true for LGBTQ Hoosiers, since Indiana offers fewer protections than many other states. Your vote in this election will help determine our future.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: The Media
Choked. Smashed. Tear-gassed. Pushed. Assaulted. Hit. Grabbed. Shoved. Targeted. Shot with projectile. Caught in crossfire. Struck. Pepper sprayed. Arrested. Threatened. Slammed. Chased. Attacked. Robbed. Held at gunpoint.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Law Enforcement
These are unprecedented times. Unless you have been living on the high seas, devoid of all interaction with the world, you have witnessed as I have the unrest, distrust, and uncertainty plaguing this country.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Education
In higher education, state support for our universities has declined precipitously. Our universities are no longer “state-supported.” At best they’re “state-assisted,” with funding falling to approximately 20% of need.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Partisanship vs. Polarization
The challenge Americans face these days is, in the words of conservative fundraiser Greg Munford, “to engage in passionate disagreement while not damaging the political freedom which allows for that constructive disagreement.”
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Immigration & Refugees
Helping refugees is, of course, a humanitarian act.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: The Pandemic
The current administration, ideologically, wants to do nothing. It wants to let the virus liquidate the old and unwell; to purge the “rotten” out of society. It wants to take a long run on wishful-thinking vice action, the long run to fanciful herd immunity.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: The Courts
The courts are squarely in view now, along with the 2020 pandemic and so much else at stake November 3. The death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg reminds us: For our country’s long-term health, few election issues outrank the power of the president to appoint and the Senate to confirm federal judges.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: The Arts
The arts are having a moment. Called on to serve as both a witness to tragedy and an inspiration to act, artists have channeled the grief of a nation into eloquent works of art centered on Black lives, social justice, and economic equality.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Trust in Government
Americans’ trust in the political system has reached historic lows.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Race Relations
We must utilize our constitutional right and civic duty of voting to mobilize that “people power” while we remove those who are intolerant and foster distrust.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Women’s Rights
Sleep-deprived women worry about housing, un(der)employment, home schooling, stalled career prospects, child care, elder care, birth control, medical care, welfare benefits, violence, addiction, divorce, and safety.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Global Standing
Our beautiful city is an island of globalism. We are both a beneficiary and a contributor to the global commons.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Foreign Policy
Anyone born after 1945 has lived their entire life in a global political and economic order whose rules were written by the United States.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Guns
Like many other social, cultural, and public health issues, firearm safety doesn’t and can’t exist in isolation from other developments, such as civil rights, ideological extremism, redistricting, national and household economic health and inequality, and health care accessibility.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: The Environment
The two major presidential candidates, President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, have both said they are trying to find a balance between economic prosperity and clean air, water, and land for all—but their approaches are vastly different.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Freedom of Speech
The First Amendment was first for a reason. It exists to keep our government and its agents from destroying the conditions necessary for democratic self-government. A government that does not lead its people toward tolerance and open debate leads them away from democracy.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Safety Net
Prior to COVID-19, 37% of all Hoosiers (nearly 1 million households) were already struggling, either living in poverty or hovering right above it in a category United Way refers to as ALICE—Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Climate Change
Nature, like the coronavirus, will not respond to bluster and obfuscation, to denial of scientific evidence, nor to slapdash policies constructed in haste
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Economic Equality
We have a crisis of care in this country—child care, elder care, care for those with disabilities.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Health Care
What I am describing is a medical caste system. The uninsured are our ‘Untouchables.’ A medical caste system, not a medical care system.
VOTE: 23 Experts Tell What’s At Stake for Bloomington & The Country (COVER STORY)
In this preelection issue, we are looking at 23 areas of great concern which will be impacted positively or negatively depending on which candidates prevail. Here, you will find essays on each of these important areas, everything from health care to guns to climate change.
VOTE—What’s At Stake: Democracy
Democracies are not Energizer bunnies, running forever like perpetual motion machines. Democracies wind down. They get sloppy . . . And they can die.
The Illustrations of Mike Cagle: A Retrospective of His Work in Bloom
Artist Mike Cagle has been a Bloom contributor since 2007.
Dr. William Schmalz, Monroe Hospital: Humbled by Challenge of the Unknown
“The challenge of COVID-19—even today, when we know much more about it than we did in the beginning—is still the unknown,” says Dr. William Schmalz of Monroe Hospital.
Nicole Johnson: Giving Back to Communities in Need
Nicole Johnson has seen the coronavirus pandemic from the perspective of residents in subsidized housing. She lives in Crestmont, a mixed-generation, densely populated, low-income area of Bloomington’s West Side. “I come from a background where I’ve used social services,” she says. “Why wouldn’t I want to give back?”
Ranji Abraham: Ensuring IU Has ‘An App for That’
When Ranji Abraham and his teams of Indiana University programmers face a new challenge, the response is likely to be “there’s an app for that.”
Chris Morron: Nurse Helped Build Hospital Response
Registered Nurse Chris Morron has eyes on everything from pre-admission testing to post-anesthesia care. A manager in surgery administration, Morron has been with Indiana University Health Bloomington Hospital for 26 years. So when go-time came to prepare for an influx of coronavirus cases, she was a natural.
Savannah Powell: Helping Immigrant Families
Diane Legomsky, former executive director of the Bloomington Refugee Support Network (BRSN), recalls how BRSN coordinator Savannah Powell arrived at a public event for the volunteer- run nonprofit organization. Powell greeted Legomsky with a question: “What can I do?”
Katy Howe: Leading Hospital’s Emergency Department
Katy Howe has gotten good at watching for storm clouds. She’s even better at finding their silver linings. Formerly with Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital’s emergency trauma center, Howe joined IU Health Bloomington Hospital as director of emergency services shortly before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jeff Mease, One World Enterprises: Free Meals for Servers & Hospital Workers
It’s been nearly six months since Americans first learned about the novel coronavirus. At the time, it seemed hard to fathom it could shut down our restaurants.
Leah Steele, Middle Way House: Patience and Positivity in a Time of Crisis
Middle Way House, a nonprofit organization that provides services to survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault and their children, has helped people work through periods of crisis for nearly 50 years. It should come as no surprise that its commitment to advocacy didn’t falter with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic.
John Hamilton: Mayor Carries On As Family Is Hit by COVID-19
When Mayor John Hamilton gave his State of the City address in mid-February, the coronavirus wasn’t part of it. “But when March began, we became aware of the challenges,” he says.
Khalil Stewart, LPN: A Rallying Force at Stone Belt
Safely providing services for people with disabilities is a daily challenge during normal times. Doing so during a pandemic, however, requires an outside-the-box approach.
Abby Ang: Finding Resources for Marginalized People
COVID-19 is frightening enough for people with prominence and a voice in the community. For marginalized people—the unemployed, minorities, and the poor—it can be terrifying. With a new organization called Monroe County Mutual Aid, their voices can now be heard.
Fire Chief Jason Moore: Professional Risk Manager
If any profession is equipped to adapt to the unpredictable and ever-shifting risks presented by the pandemic, firefighters are at the front of the line, says Jason Moore, chief of the Bloomington Fire Department.
Anastasia Morrone: Leading Online Learning at IU
Technology leader Anastasia “Stacy” Morrone has been preparing for a pandemic for more than a decade.
Kelly Clark & Nola Hartman: Bloomington Fabric Mask Drive
When Kelly Clark closed her physical therapy practice as the pandemic escalated, she decided to spend her time making fabric masks for friends and family.
JaQuita Joy Roberts & Family: Helping to Feed Kids at the Food Train
When the stay-at-home order was given and most folks settled in their homes to ride out the pandemic, JaQuita Joy Roberts knew that wasn’t going to work for her. Roberts is a doer by nature.
Dr. Brad Erickson: First on the Front Line of Care
Caring for COVID-19 patients requires real mindfulness. Every footstep, every touch—and certainly every breath—matters.
