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MEMBER
Bloomington Watercolor Society
The Bloomington Watercolor Society is a very welcoming, busy organization dedicated to watercolor. Our mission is to promote a growing relationship with artists, to encourage one another, to increase the effectiveness of artists through education and activities about watercolor painting, and to provide opportunities for promoting and exhibiting our paintings in the community.
Activities include plein air paint outs, road trips, an annual auction to support the BWS Art Scholarship, and sharing watercolor with hundreds of school kids at the annual Peden Farm Children’s Farm Festival. And more! Visit the BWS website to learn more about what we do.
Membership includes artists of all levels, from the very beginner to the professional artist, and each is willing to share their talents and skills with others.
BWS meets the second Monday of each month (except July and August and December) at 6:00 p.m. at the First Christian Church, 205 E Kirkwood Ave, Bloomington IN 47408. If you’d like to join us, please let us know at info@bloomingtonwatercolor.org.
After a short business meeting, members enjoy an educational program or a demonstration by BWS members or professional guest artists. The demos are often interactive and provide time to paint. On occasion, the members just enjoy a time to gather and paint together.
Outreach / Arts Education
Please provide information about your outreach or arts education program(s).:
The Bloomington Watercolor Society (BWS) is pleased and proud to sponsor and support many activities in Bloomington and surrounding counties.
Through the Foundation for Monroe County Community Schools (FMCCS), a scholarship is provided annually to a graduating senior from a local high school. The $500 scholarship is intended to help the student purchase art supplies as they begin their college studies. The November auction through FMCCS provides an opportunity to bid on handpainted greeting cards, fine art, and watercolor lessons.
Every February and March, BWS creates a themed exhibit to benefit Teachers Warehouse, a service that provides free classroom supplies to teachers in nine counties. This exhibit is a cooperative project with Bloomington North Rotary Club, the Vault at Gallery Mortgage, Gabriel Colman of the Venue Fine Art and Gifts, and the many talented artists of BWS.
BWS has its gallery at the Cancer Support Community of South Central Indiana (CSCSCI), located at the corner of 3rd and Landmark in Bloomington. Artists rotate individual exhibits every two months, and sales of fine art, prints, and greeting cards provide funds to support the CSCSCI art projects for those working their way through cancer.
Each autumn, BWS creates an art activity to share with hundreds of children at the Peden Children’s Farm Festival. At Paint Bloomington, artists greet children and adults, providing demonstrations and inviting them to sample various art activities.
Past projects include a cooperative effort with the Monroe County History Center called “We Paint…Cemeteries!” Artists hiked and wandered through old and new cemeteries, looking for an interesting subject for their paintings. An exhibit was held at MCHC and they produced a calendar of the resulting paintings. MCHC then published a hardback directory of county cemeteries featuring watercolor paintings on the front and back covers.
Proudly, BWS is truly a vibrant part of the community.