Miller’s vibrant arts community in Gary attracted muralists for the weekend’s Lake Effekt Art Fest, further enhancing the public art on display there.
Miller Beach Arts & Creative District, based at the Marshall J. Gardner Center for the Arts, hosted the festival.
James “East” Allen was collaborating with two other artists for a large mural on the side of a building. He was born in Hammond, raised in Chicago, and now lives in Denver, having worked his way west through a series of towns.
He has 42 years of experience as a mural painter.
“You just grew up in the city, and it’s one of the things you constantly saw,” he said. For a young person, it’s a choice between sports or some other subculture. Graffiti was his choice.
“I didn’t have a lot of parental guidance, and I spent a lot of time roaming the streets,” Allen said.
Now, with decades of experience, painting is easier. “I’m not running around in the dark in the alleyways and the rooftops,” plus he’s getting paid for his work.
“This is like a homecoming for me,” Allen said, both because it’s near where he was born and because he spent a lot of time at the beach as a kid.
Megan Kind, of Chicago, was on a tall ladder putting her imprint on the wall.
“I’ve been spray painting for six years and creating art for 20,” she said.
“It’s just exciting to see your stuff on a bigger scale,” Kind said.
Mural artists use professional-grade paint, not something people painting outdoor furniture would be likely to buy. “There are artist brands, and then there’s stuff a little cheaper,” she said. The artists use special tips on the cans, like paintbrushes, to control the spray the way they want.
Spray paint isn’t sold in Chicago stores, forbidden by city ordinance, but there are ways to get it. “Everybody’s got a guy in Chicago,” she said, plus it’s available online.
Her vision for the mural included a bold woman’s face. “Her hair is kind of flowing, and her hair is kind of like electricity coming out of it,” Kind said.
Danny Gamble, of Cincinnati, Ohio, has 34 years of experience. “I’ve always been artistically inclined,” he said. His mural contribution included “a further evolution, a refining of aesthetics based on the six letters that I’ve studied too many times,” he said.
Grace Krupchak, one of Miller Beach’s own, was working on a mural that highlighted native plants in Gary, including the lily pads that are in bloom. “This is kind of my lotus lady,” she said. The plants were designed to be within easy reach without a ladder, for the most part.
“This is one of my first big murals,” Krupchak said.
“Honestly, it’s kind of freeing because I can expand more and do more,” she said. “I can really show what I’m capable of.”
Growing up and seeing the proliferation of murals inspired Krupchak. “I love how creative and free-spirited everyone is,” she said.
“I grew up watching the trains go by in my backyard,” a sort of art show on wheels, Kind said.
“It’s so much more interesting when you’re waiting 10 minutes for the train” to enjoy the graffiti, she said.
Gabriel Barajas, of Hammond, is also inspired. He’s working on a documentary with the working title “Still Crazy,” about the East Chicago-based Crazy Indiana Style Artists collective, some of whose members were at work this weekend.
“There’s been a lot of change throughout the ages,” he said. He’s tracking the CISA work from the 1980s to modern day, hoping to have something ready for a 40th anniversary gallery show this fall before releasing his documentary next year.
The documentary will look at how the artists are navigating life in their 50s and still contributing to the graffiti scene.
Dylan Parker, of Gary, was also watching the graffiti artists at work and photographing them. “It’s great. They’re revitalizing Gary here and there,” he said.
Parker moved to Gary in 2006. “Everything’s gotten better since then,” he said.
Photography is his creative outlet of choice. “It’s a good way to capture expressions,” he said, using his telephoto lens to zoom in on the artists.
Maria Burud, vice president of operations for the Miller Beach Arts & Creative District, led a tour of murals in the community, both those already completed and the ones underway over the weekend.
Murals have their roots in cave paintings and subsequent art by later cultures, including Aztec and Roman. “It was a way to create a narrative. It’s a way to tell a story,” Burud said.
“Today it bridges the gap between grassroots rebellion and institutional celebration, using urban spaces to tell vital community stories,” she said.
Building owners agree to have the murals painted, then the Miller Beach Arts & Creative District preps the walls a few days before the commissioned artwork is painted. “You can’t tell the artists what to paint. They use their creative license,” Burud said.
Her organization has held Lake Effekt Art Fests in the past. Now, Burud hopes to make it an annual or biennial event.
The mural tours emphasized not only the public art but also local businesses on Lake Street to visit. One of the stops along the tour was at Miller Bean Ice Cream to take the edge off the heat.
After the mural work was done for the day, Kind had a plan for her group. “Maybe we’ll go to the beach after this and cool off,” she said.
There’s a reason the Lake Street arts district in Gary is called Miller Beach, after all.
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
