CHESTERTON DESIGNATES NEW CHESTERTON TRACKSIDE ARTS AND CULTURAL DISTRICT AND RELEASES ARTIST REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The Chesterton Branding Leadership Corporation (CBLC) is pleased to announce the designation of the new Chesterton Trackside Arts and Cultural District.

Chesterton Town Council unanimously passed a resolution on Monday September 22, 2025 to designate and name the new arts and cultural district that encompasses the creative and artistic businesses, fine dining, retail, and parks in Chesterton’s thriving historic downtown. The Chesterton Trackside Arts and Cultural District also overlaps an existing federally recognized historic district.

After a lengthy five-month community engagement process whereby Chesterton citizens and enthusiasts named approximately 140 cultural, historic, artistic, and meaningful assets throughout the community, a specific boundaried district was proposed that includes 57% of those named assets. The Chesterton Trackside Arts and Cultural District extends from Grant Street to Indiana Avenue running north and south, and from Calumet Avenue to 5th Street running east and west incorporating both sides of the boundary streets.

“The district designation champions Chesterton’s already thriving arts and cultural scene and historic charm and recognizes the unique density our many artistic and creative businesses that make our community so unique and welcoming, “ says Rebecca Riley-Vargas, owner of Three Moons Fiberworks and CBLC President. “We are grateful for the opportunity to develop our own district with grant funding via Creative Convergence.”

The Creative Convergence initiative was created by the Indiana Arts Commission, in partnership with the Indiana Communities Institute at Ball State University’s Miller College of Business, specifically to energize the intersection of the cultural and the municipal. Chesterton’s team is comprised of Chesterton Art Center Executive Director Hannah Hammond-Hagman; Jayde McAloon, owner of Pieces of Jayde; Rebecca Riley-Vargas, owner of Three Moons Fiberworks; and, representing the Town of Chesterton, Public Affairs Liaison Kevin Nevers.

All four serve on the Board of Directors of the Chesterton Branding Leadership Corporation, an independent 501c3 organization whose mission is to create and support a vibrant and thriving historic Downtown Chesterton community.

“We are grateful for the support of the community and the Town of Chesterton in the establishment of the Chesterton Trackside Arts and Cultural District,” says Hannah Hammond-Hagman, Chesterton Art Center Executive Director. “This district will ignite our sense of place and community spirit and may inspire further investment in our growing community, and we are excited to work with an artist to build visibility for the project in the coming months.”

The next steps for the district include a Request for Proposals for an artist to design and fabricate special markers or sculptures to be installed throughout the district space to visually designate and beautify the district space for an artist fee of $7,000. Those pieces will be installed in Spring 2026 followed by a community-wide celebration.

For more information and to view the Request for Proposals, visit www.visitchesterton.org.

Caption for second image:

The Chesterton Town Council with the CLBC Creative Convergence Team after the vote to formalize the Chesterton Trackside Arts & Cultural District, from left to right: Town Council Member Jim Ton, R-1st, and Vice-President Erin Collins, D-2nd; Creative Convergence Team members Rebecca Riley-Vargas, Hannah Hammond-Hagman, Kevin Nevers, and Jayde McAloon; and Town Council Member Jennifer Fisher, R-5th, President Sharon Darnell, D-4th, and Member Dane Lafata, D-3rd

Voices in the Grass: A Solo Exhibition by Laura Catherwood 

Laura Catherwood is a fine artist and illustrator working primarily in graphite and oil paint. Coaxing these materials into soft textures and delicate gestures, she creates sensitive images of plants, animals, and odd creatures.

 Her compositions place familiar nature imagery in unexpected situations, resulting in quiet scenes that explore the inner emotional landscape while simultaneously soothing the viewer. The creatures offer the audience company in handling their ambivalent feelings, challenging experiences, unanswered questions, and grief.

After earning a degree from UIUC studying molecular biology, Catherwood changed course to pursue a life in art, honing her craft at the School of Representational Art and Atelier Eftimov. She began exhibiting in group shows in and around her native Chicago in 2016, making her solo debut two years later at Chicago’s Palette and Chisel Art Academy. She has since exhibited her work nationwide and internationally, presenting an number of solo exhibitions (Vertical Gallery in Chicago, IL; Rotofugi in Chicago, IL; Antler Gallery in Portland, OR; and upcoming at Arch Enemy Arts in Philadelphia, PA) and bodies of work at international art fairs (SCOPE and AQUA Art Miami). Outside of galleries, you can find her work in murals scattered throughout Chicago.

DO YOU KNOW A TEEN WHO IS PASSIONATE IN THE ARTS?

Nominations are open for the Northwest Indiana Youth Arts
Award. This award honors the achievements and talents of high school-age students who represent artistic excellence in their school and community.

The closing date for nominations is March 30, 2026. Performance/portfolio reviews will take place on April 25th. Nominees must be able to attend the performance/portfolio review, if they are shortlisted. There is no alternative date.

South Shore Arts is proud to announce its 52nd Annual Tri-County Jr/Sr High School Exhibition!

Participation Confirmation Deadline: Friday, March 27, 2026 by 5:00pm  

For any questions please reach out to Exhibition Manager, Brandon Johnson at Brandon@southshoreartsonline.org

Awards

South Shore Arts provides numerous cash and scholarship awards totaling in excess of $15,000. We hope that you will help your students to take advantage of this remarkable opportunity! We would also like to thank the many individuals and businesses who sponsor or contribute to these awards each year. Their generosity directly supports young artists like your students!

Donald H. Berwanger Scholarship Award - $2,000

Tracy & Marc Schwimmer in Memory of Leslie Denmark - $1,000

School of the Arts at Indiana University Northwest Dean’s Award - $2,000

School of the Arts Awards - $500

Over $3,000 in $100 and up awards

Over $6,000 in additional awards

About the Exhibition

The Tri-County Junior/Senior High School Art Exhibition, a perennial favorite, is a time for students, family members, friends, and teachers to crowd into the gallery in celebration of students’ artistry and achievement. Last year, South Shore Arts presented the show’s 51st edition, showcasing students in grades, six through twelve, from schools in Lake, Porter, LaPorte counties in Indiana and south suburban Cook County in Illinois, April 11–May 11, 2025 with an awards ceremony held on Sunday, May 4. Twenty-four high schools and six middle schools participated in last year’s exhibit which filled the gallery with over 900 individual pieces of artwork. 

Over $15,000 in prizes and scholarships were awarded, including the $2,000 Berwanger Scholarship, two $1,000 scholarships provided by and to attend Indiana University Northwest School of the Fine Arts, the $1,000 Leslie Denmark Memorial Award donated by Tracy & Marc Schwimmer, and several first-time $500 awards. South Shore Arts thanks the many donors who have sponsored the awards for years, as well as those who gave this year for the very first time.

From a Bailly Point of View

Though Joseph Bailly looms large in the memory of Porter County as its first nonnative settler, the lives and work of three generations of Bailly women—Marie, Rose, and Frances—truly shaped the Bailly homestead and public perception of the family legacy.

The PoCo Muse believes objects tell stories, and our new featured exhibit, From a Bailly Point of View (expanded from a 2018 exhibit of the same name), looks closely at artifacts from our Bailly Family Collection to shed new light on their legacy in Porter County.

DID YOU KNOW? The first priest to say Mass at the Bailly Homestead, Fr. Stephen Badin, was also the first priest ordained in the United States.

Hillstrom Organ Works

Open through April 26, 2026

From 1880 to 1896, Swedish immigrant Charles Oscar Hillstrom ran one of Porter County’s most successful businesses: Hillstrom Organ Works. The company’s Chesterton factory produced an estimated 40,000 reed organs over its years of operation. During peak production, half of the workers crafting those organs were Swedish immigrants, drawn to the area by employment at the factory. Hillstrom Organ Works quickly established itself as the economic pride of Chesterton as it shipped its instruments across the United States and around the world.

The menu of benefits and programs for Indiana Artisan members expands every year. Each artisan can choose from an a la carte menu to get the help most applicable to build their business. This is your chance to leverage the impact of becoming an Indiana Artisan and market your handcrafted items as among the best in the state.

Business-Building Opportunities

• Indiana Artisan Marketplace

• Two brick-and-mortar stores

• Listing of artisan online sales page

• Invitations to highly respected trade shows statewide and in neighboring states

• Complimentary professional photograph of your work

• Personalized events listing on the Indiana Artisan website

• Friends of Indiana Artisan visits to studios, kitchens, wineries and galleries

Professional Achievement

• Designation as Indiana Artisan means your work is the best in the state

• Use of the Indiana Artisan logo builds branding for Indiana Artisan-designated work

• Professionally written profile published on IndianaArtisan.org can be used as artist chooses

Exposure of Your Work

• Each member’s work and website showcased in the annual Viewbook

• Gallery of images on the Indiana Artisan website

• Posts on social media

• Opportunities for coverage in broadcast and print media

• Invitations to exhibit in galleries and museums

Entrepreneurial Development Opportunities

• Networking with peers

• Access to entrepreneurial support and technical assistance

• Business practices and professional development workshops

• Informal group conversations with artists and business experts

• Staff services

Communications

• Member newsletter

• Members-only Facebook group for exchanging ideas and seeking advice from peers

• Annual membership meeting