Friday, October 4, 2019

5:30 - 9:00 pm

Monroe Convention Center

302 S College Ave, Bloomington, IN

Tickets: SOLD OUT $85 per person, $600 per table of 8

tickets are now sold out, and we have started a waiting list. In past years, we have been able to accommodate many people on this list due to guest cancellations. If you wish to be added to the waiting list please contact Susan Haislip Daleke at 812-336-5382 ext. 100 or susan@sycamorelandtrust.org.

Our Annual Celebration raises critical support for our work to preserve land, restore habitat, and provide environmental education across southern Indiana. Join us for an inspiring evening!

Schedule

A reception with a silent auction, hors d'oeuvres, and local drinks will take place from 5:30 to 7:00 pm. The gourmet dinner buffet will open at 6:45, and the program will begin at 7:15. Drinks are donated by Oliver Winery, Upland Brewing Co., and Cardinal Spirits.

Keynote speaker

Heath Hamilton, Wildlife Refuge Specialist, Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge & Management Area

Musical performance

Jazz pianist Alex Weiss Hills will serenade us during the reception

Children's choir from Unionville Elementary School, where Sycamore is an EARTH partner (Environment, Arts, Reading, Technology, and History), will perform during the program

Honorees

John Bacone and Michael Homoya: Barbara J. Restle Lifetime Conservation Award
Visit Bloomington: Conservation Business of the Year
Greg Meyer: Friend of Sycamore
Kevin and Charlotte Reitz: Volunteers of the Year

Art auction

In addition to diverse works of art featured in our silent auction, we will host a brief live auction of a new painting of Beanblossom Bottoms Nature Preserve by Dawn Adams. Dawn is an acclaimed artist based in Bloomington, whose work has been shown in galleries across the country. Scroll to see an image of the painting and read the artist's statement. You'll love participating in this exciting, reverse-style live auction to raise important funds for our conservation work!

Hotel accommodations

Coming from out of town? The Courtyard by Marriott, which is connected to the Monroe Convention Center, is offering our guests a reduced hotel rate of just $155 on October 4. You must book the room by September 3 to take advantage of this rate. Book your room online using this special link, or make a reservation over the phone (812-335-8000) and mention that you are part of the Sycamore Land Trust event. 

Heath Hamilton is the Wildlife Refuge Specialist at Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge and has worked for the Fish and Wildlife Service since 2009 in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Indiana. At Patoka, Heath’s primary focus is the restoration and management of the forests, wetlands, and prairies both on the Refuge and through the private lands program in Southwest Indiana. He gets especially excited about shorebirds and sparrows! Heath is passionate about “re-wilding” his home state and enjoys working with the community and various conservation partners, and mentoring those interested in natural resource conservation. In addition, Heath is a regular member of the Indiana interagency fire crew and especially enjoys working on both prescribed fires and wildfires. Away from work, Heath loves cross-training, hiking, backpacking, native plant gardening, wildlife watching, and being an active member of his church community with his wife Emily and three children, Leopold (7), Phoebe (3), and Bennett (1).

About the Artist

Dawn Adams, an artist based in Bloomington, earned her BA from DePauw University and an MFA in painting from IU, Bloomington. Collaborating with her husband, Dale, they developed a unique body of fused-glass artworks for the wall. In their 30 years as professional artists, they have created pieces that hang internationally, across the US, and in public venues including seven hospitals. Dawn returned to painting exclusively in 2010.

About the Painting

This new painting entitled "Along Beanblossom Bottoms" depicts a scene from Beanblossom Bottoms Nature Preserve, a 700-acre wetland forest in Monroe County. Sycamore Land Trust has been acquiring and restoring land along Beanblossom Creek since 1993, when Barbara Restle donated the first parcel of land that would become Beanblossom Bottoms. 

The painting is 36" x 36" x 1.5".

Artist's Statement

"I was invited by Ann Connors, Development Director at Sycamore Land Trust, to walk the newly engineered trail at Beanblossom Bottoms with her. Always looking for unusual water imagery to paint, I found the water there and its environment fascinating. It was like a transparent reflective skin that lets the viewer see through to the bottoms while the surrounding light and ecology create patterns across the surface. Magical!

"All of these components -- the light on the water, the elevated walkway, the water rich vegetation, and the reflections it makes -- are present in this painting, Along Beanblossom Bottoms. It is my hope that my painting can transport the viewer back to the Bottoms, and be a vehicle for reliving the experience of this wondrous place.

"I believe Art has many functions. It can engage our thinking process, assault our view of the status quo, provide a sense of community, and have countless other purposes. The desired function for the art I make is to heal. I know it is healing to make. After the death of my son, it was a salvation for me. To create is life-affirming, and I want those who view my work to get a sense of rejuvenation and peace.

"For this task I have chosen the subject of water. What a limitless subject. It can be pushed to the abstract. It can be monochromatic or full of color. It can change the look of the world we see around it. It can be soothing, or invigorating. I believe the look and sound of water are healing.

"To make the water the main focus, I have chosen to depict more cropped views of water landscapes. Lakes, oceans, streambeds, marshes, quarries, and the reflections in them are represented in my images. I like to have a strong, simplified composition that focuses on the textures and big shapes in painting. I am experimenting with unconventional painting techniques like resist, combing, and sponging, as well as the use of translucent glazes to give me a bigger vocabulary to describe water and its surrounds. What I really enjoy is when a technique creates a texture, and that texture is lush and dense and an interesting aspect to the painting in its own right. But when that texture accurately describes a subject -- reflected sunlight, ripples, wet tree trunks, a true sense of the place -- that is the most rewarding.

"Let me express my thanks to you for sharing my work. The communication starts with me, but is only completed by you. I send you, the viewer, my best and most hopeful wishes."

- Dawn