June 1 , 2017 The SEGway News Page 3
June 1 , 2017 The SEGway News Page 3
Personality
Vanessa Gramling — Houses and homes
by Mikayla Marazzi
Vanessa Gramling , a recent Art Education graduate from Taylor University , advocates for the importance of knowing and cherishing where you come from .
This spring Vanessa completed her student teaching in Indianapolis , moving temporarily away from her home in Upland . Whenever she had free time , she found herself wandering around the neighbourhoods of Indianapolis . The more time she spent wandering , the more she began to wonder about the lives that were lived in these spaces . She thought about the students inhabiting the homes she drove or walked past . What were they studying ? Did they enjoy their lives ? Were any of them artists like herself ?
Eventually , Vanessa ’ s mind wandered to the life she left behind in Upland , the town that has been her home for the last two decades . She pictured the houses of her hometown — spread across farms and fields , surrounded by white fences or grassy areas , colored in shades of yellow and brown , sporting brick and panelling and stucco . She thought about all the full , complex , and wonderful lives that were lived in these houses . She saw all the familiar faces — her fellow students , family members , friends , and neighbours — laughing on their front porch or cooking soup in the kitchen or mowing their expansive lawns .
In Indianapolis , Vanessa could only observe the neighbourhoods from a distant perspective ; she noted the red brick walls or the cobbled pathways but knew nothing of the lives that were lived inside each house . However , in Upland , she knew many of the lives that were lived inside each house , the elderly gentlemen who mowed his lawn every morning or the screaming children that ran wild in the evening , but she had given little thought to the houses themselves .
Vanessa ’ s time in Indianapolis inspired her to pay closer attention to the houses of her hometown . She began sketching many of Upland houses , attending closely to their shapes , sizes , and colors — the way each of them represented a unique space where life was being lived by members of her community .
Vanessa thought often about the difference between seeing a house and seeing the people who live there . In Indianapolis , Vanessa saw houses , but in Upland , she saw homes . Both the house and the people seemed necessary in the composition of home .
While working on these sketches , Vanessa could perpetually be found carrying an abundance of plastic sandwich bags stuffed with tiny papers — carrying them to class , chapel , the library , through the street , in the car , or at dinner with friends . These tiny papers held all her sketches of the houses , the zigzagging and parallel and darting lines that represented the spaces where her community lived . She consulted google maps , while also spending countless hours observing each house from her car or the street .
Vanessa began learning the importance of knowing where you come from . “ I was going all over town to draw [ the houses ],” she recounts , “ and there were so many memories … a lot of remembering .”
Vanessa ’ s collection of drawings , which she decided to title “ Houses and Homes ,” seeks to establish the difference between these two words : a house is a material structure , the physical space you inhabit , while a home is something you identify with , the space where your life happens , where memories are made alongside the people you love .
In the fall , Vanessa aspires to be teaching art somewhere , anywhere in Indiana , as she is passionate about sharing , creating , and experimenting art with others . She also hopes to commemorate other spaces where live is lived , whether that be restaurants , cafes , or
stores , by collaborating with other business owners or realestate agents .
The Bridge Cafe is excited to be hosting Vanessa ’ s “ Houses and Homes ” for the month of June , featuring 400 + drawings of local houses in the Upland Community . Be sure to stop by The Bridge this month to see Vanessa ’ s work , and don ’ t miss the opportunity to hear Vanessa speak on her gallery opening , which will be happening Friday , June 10th !
Additionally , Vanessa is offering commission drawings upon request . Whether you have lived in your house for many years or are soon moving away , Vanessa would love to commemorate your home into drawing or watercolor . Once again , stop by The Bridge this month for more information .