Art on Display

From Trash to Treasure

We are excited to feature artists who create using found objects for our summer 2025 exhibit. Found object art uses objects not traditionally considered art supplies, changing them, but usually while keeping their original form recognizable.

This exhibit coordinates with themes from the world premiere of the play Micah Meets a Mami Wata. We hope the play and this art will continue discussions about the environment, recycling, and how we define art.

Meet the Artists

Warren Beal

Hello, my name is Warren Beal; I am a published author and found object assemblage artist from Indianapolis. I grew up on the northwest side and attended Pike High School. As I considered what I wanted to do in life, I just knew I wanted to build upon my artistic talent and lean into my creative side. This is what led me to the Herron School of Art.

During my time at Herron I served as class president, also representing the institution as a member of the Undergraduate Student Council of IUPUI. I graduated, and in 2010, began my career in education. I taught at both Ben Davis Jr. High, as well as The Indianapolis Art Center as an Outreach Instructor. Over the next five years, I developed a nurturing disposition and a deep feeling of love and respect for students, peers and faculty alike. I began working toward a master’s in 2013, which concluded at the Art Academy of Cincinnati and was proudly honored as Valedictorian.

Upon my return, I continued to teach K-12 at various public schools in the city, while also coaching baseball, track and cross country. In 2023, I pivoted to take on a new role as General Manager of Prism Specialties of Indiana & Greater Kentucky, where I lead a team of artists to recover fine art and irreplaceable objects for customers whose homes or businesses have been affected by disaster. We sometimes also do restoration work for museums, such as the Camp Breckinridge Museum and the new Larry Bird Museum.

Throughout my career, I have maintained my visual art practice known as Ah Sum Blah. I derive inspiration from the urban environment I see all around me. I have honed my passion for hunting and collecting objects to reveal the complexities and layers of meaning that I see contained within them. I have participated in numerous group shows, and have had solo showings at Indy Convergence, OPEN Community Art Center in Louisville and The Hawthorne Art Center in Los Angeles. Thank you to Paul Hansen and all the good people associated with the Fonseca Theatre Company for having me!

Gina Lee Robbins

Gina Lee Robbins is an Indianapolis-based visual and teaching artist. She’s been working in clay for 30 years, stitching for 45, and picking up artifacts along waterways, wooded paths, city alleys and thrift shops for as long as she can remember.

She was awarded a 2024 Power Plant Grant by Big Car Collaborative with funding from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts to support her project On the Count, which will be exhibited at the Indy Art Center in Fall 2025. In 2023 she received a third space/Fresh StART grant by Arts for Learning Indiana to disrupt a public school environment with museum quality artwork and installations.

She has exhibited or curated in locales across the US, including: the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, Harold Washington Library, Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, Bradley University Galleries, Jack Olson Gallery at Northern Illinois University, Rockford Museum of Art, St. Xavier University Gallery, University of Wisconsin Union South Gallery, and SOFA Chicago. As a teaching artist, she has shared her process-oriented approach with groups of veterans and active service people, K-12 public school students and educators, individuals affected by gun violence, those living with or supporting someone with terminal illness, and several other community groups.

She is an active artist member of Woman Made Gallery, National Women’s Caucus for the Arts, Chicago Sculpture International, and Mid-South Sculpture Alliance. Her sculptures can be found in private and corporate collections, including Hyatt and Eskenazi Health. Further info on her work can be found on Instagram: @ginaleerobbins, or on her website: ginaleerobbins,com.

And Featuring

Gabrielle Simone Jones