one, two, 34.

Get my shoes on at the door, I'm Lapchick, 78.

Feels great.

I'm gonna shine after I do it, I'm gonna do about do it again.

Yeah, look at this guy with a beautiful collar about more than just for me, said, gonna share it with another guy to show you give that out?

I want to finish.

I'll take a look at, say, beautiful party that turns to a beautiful evening and look at the big, beautiful light.

And if you wanna see the come along with me, that's right.

Hello and welcome to experience miss.

I'm Irish Dave and I'm here in downtown South Bend and we have a really great show for you this week.

We're going to check in with the Potawatomi Zoo and get an update on their giraffes.

I'm looking forward to seeing about that.

We've also got for the love of art fair that is coming to the century center.

But I'm here at the library, I'm actually here the Community Learning Center to find out more about what's going on here.

And I think you're going to be surprised and really intrigued and impressed by the facilities that they have here.

So let's go inside and check it out.

I am here in downtown South Bend in the Community Learning Center.

It's an amazing new addition to downtown South Bend, and you're invited to come along and use it.

I'm here with Marissa, who is the communications manager.

How are you doing?

Great.

Great.

Thank you so much for coming.

You must be so proud of this.

Really is beautiful.

Yes, this is a 38,000 square feet facility that we built just for the community.

So we really want to encourage the community to stop on by.

one place is the coffee shop just right here.

It's going to open in mid-February.

We have a pastries, coffee, a bunch of different drinks all to go.

We would love for people to stop by, have meetings in here, you know, maybe meet with a friend or do do some remote work here in the coffee shop or in one of the tables.

We'll have some espresso pastries, different coffees.

So, yeah, this opens in about two weeks from now.

Yeah, it's and again, this is a good hangout spot and I know that you've got lots of other room, so who can use it?

I mean, could I, as an individual, just come in?

I know I can sit here, but is there rooms that I can use as an individual as?

Yes, yes, absolutely.

So anyone can just walk in off the street to order a coffee or some pastries sit down?

And one of the tables over there or here you can work, you know, work remotely.

And it would also like to show you some more spaces that the community can use.

Absolutely.

And I know that, for example, for non-profits, I love nonprofits.

I work with a lot of nonprofits.

Yes, this is also a great space for them.

Tell me a little bit about the arrangement for people that might be watching that are part of nonprofits.

Yes.

So this space was really built, like I said, for the community.

So we really want businesses and nonprofits to reserve these spaces so nonprofits and businesses can have conferences, meetings, special events throughout the year.

They can contact Denise to book those spaces, and the spaces for nonprofits are free.

Yeah, which is really wonderful.

They do such a great job for our community, so it's great that the Community Learning Center is open to them.

I know this is also a beautiful ballroom as well.

So is that open?

Like now?

I just got married the one and that's all I ever want to get married.

Or if somebody is open for things like that for resolutely.

Yes, yes.

We've already booked several weddings so the weddings can use the courtyard, the ballroom, a couple of different spaces.

So there's a lot of flexibility here.

I know the courtyard is covered in snow right now and with the weather that we're getting, but in the summer and in the spring, a nicer weather, there's also going to be a great outdoors as well.

Yes, it is so beautiful with pergolas and and that the plants that are there, it's lovely.

So lovely.

So what is the name of the meeting room where with a huge glass window and a phasing out into that downtown so that that is the beauty of Karnan Hall?

And so there's some board meetings in there.

The Community Foundation just had their board meeting in there.

We have the library board meeting in there.

It's available for the community to use.

Yeah, it's a beautiful space, a lot of natural light.

There's some baby showers that have book that space.

So yeah, we would encourage anyone to use that beautiful space with with such beautiful natural light.

Well, you know, it is funded by the city, which is funded by the people.

So it's great that the people get to use it because it is theirs.

Yes.

Yes, absolutely.

Yeah, there's so many spaces from classrooms to the ballroom, the auditorium.

So this Saturday, February fifth, we have special events happening in the auditorium that are free.

So while Science Alive has been canceled, the stage shows that were planned for science alive are still on.

And so from 9:15 to four this Saturday there.

Our science talks and science presentations that are free and open to the public in the auditorium so people can go to our website and see what those shows are, or they can also just drop by on Saturday.

And that's amazing for this Saturday and the people, obviously, if they want to come along to that.

But for anyone watching who does want to book a room or book a space, how do they even do that?

Like, is there a website that they can look at or call or?

Yeah, they can just go to the library's website because JSPL Paul.

And then you'll click on visit at the top and then you'll see book a room.

You'll see photos of all the different spaces, information, things like that.

Everything's available on the website.

So we're here now in the ballroom where people, of course, can get married or all different things going on.

But there is actually a community service that is very appropriate for this time of the year.

That's going to be happening.

Tell us about that.

Yes.

So our free tax assistance happens out of this space the ball room so people can sign up for free tax assistance from now until when taxes are due in mid-April, so they can actually meet with professionals here that will help them through the process.

Yes, there are volunteer staff and volunteers from Notre Dame, St Mary's and Goodwill that help people one on one with their taxes.

I love that because I know for some people, tax season is exciting.

I find it.

I dread it every year.

I don't know why.

I just find it a little bit overwhelming, even myself, to have to do it.

So for the community to have this service, it's a really good thing for them to.

Yes.

Yes, they can just go to our website to sign up and register for a session and bring their paperwork and and a certified tax volunteer will file their taxes for them.

I can not recommend this place enough, whether it's the library or whether it's here in the Community Learning Center.

I think it's an amazing addition to downtown South Bend and I think people need to use it and need to get rid of any barriers that might be in their way to be able to succeed and achieve all the things they want to achieve.

So thanks for what you're doing, and I really hope that you do use this because it is your facility.

So come use it.

It is time for the love of art and for the love of art fair.

It is finally coming back and I am so excited here with Shereen, who is a producer for this art event.

This is one of my favorites in the Michigan, a community.

I just love coming to it.

Well, I'm glad that we're back.

It's bit of a break for two years.

Yes, it's so exciting to be back.

How many years have you been doing this?

This will be our eighth year for the love art fair.

That's amazing.

And this year's event is a two day event.

Yes, two days.

Like always, we have 43 artists and from a variety of traditional art to contemporary art and, you know, different price ranges, different arrays of art.

So you'll find things that you could hang on your wall.

Wearable art jewelry, of course.

Of course.

And even there'll be functional art as well.

OK. OK. And I know one of my artists.

I have a couple of pieces in our home from things I've picked up over the years to I think her name is Margaret, who does the rock paintings.

Yes.

Martha, Martha.

I think she will be returning soon.

Yeah, we love her stuff, too.

So talk about some of the different artists that are going to be there.

I know you have some that are going to be featured that you want to talk about too.

Well, we have one of my favorites is Ed Brattan.

He comes from Arkansas.

And do you know the large trees that were done in copper?

Yeah.

So he's back.

Oh, good.

Great.

Awesome.

We also have some new artists.

We have this wood turner that takes turns wood down to as thin as you can.

I mean, just to a. Mm.

And then he's sandblast through it.

So you see this beautiful glow of light?

Oh, you just have to come.

See, it is amazing.

I've never seen anything like it.

That's awesome.

I'm so glad that you have some of the regulars who everybody loves in the community, but also you have a lot of new artists coming in too.

Yeah, like I said, representing a regional area.

So we have Kentucky and Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, all of Indiana, local artists and local artists.

Also, your favorite local artists will be there as well.

And I think what's so unique about this particular event is that, you know, the the background of each of these artists, it really varies.

It's a wide range.

That's correct.

So there are artists that have obviously worked to prestigious art schools.

We have artists that have traveled and studied abroad, and then artists have turned a hobby into a profession.

Absolutely.

And this is one of the ones that I want you to show to.

This is a really cool thing and this is really an honor or in memory.

Yeah, our so our honoree artist is Robert Lanting, John Lanting, and he passed away December 26 of cancer, but his work will still be honored here at full of art fair.

And so every day he would get up at 4:45 in the morning and he would do a flash painting, and the flash painting was usually on an art magazine.

So this is art in America, and he would flash paint.

That's beautiful.

And then he would scan.

It actually when it was wet and it was scary and it he'd put it out there to Facebook to let everyone know, here's my flash painting.

So when he's not getting ill, everyone really missed out on seeing those everyone look forward to seeing those flash paintings.

But these will be available and some as large pieces will be available at the show as well.

That's fantastic.

And now how can people get tickets for the show?

Well, it is either cash or you come in credit card Venmo, so we don't have tickets online.

OK, so they just buy them there.

Buy them right there.

Yeah.

OK, so we're accepting you credit card and Venmo and cash.

OK, and when is the event taking place in March, right?

March fifth and sixth?

And we have music both days.

Oh, tell us about the music because that's, you know, that's another art form, too.

Well, you know, it's that music to get up and dance is like relaxing.

You might not get up and dance I like.

It's really cool to see little girls just dancing in the crowd there.

But so we start out with Jake Michael, which original song songwriter from South Bend, and we have Marco Valero, who plays a Spanish guitar.

Oh my gosh, that instrumental.

And it plays a little bit of jazz as well.

And then we finish off Saturday with some people's favorite in the area.

Dennis Snider South Side Danny will be returning to South Bend for a live art fair.

Then on Sunday, we have Mike Hayes, who plays the electric cello.

I love the cello.

I mean, he turns.

He turns like the beat.

He'll play the Beatles on the cello or the cool on the cello and turns it into an amazing music.

And then we finish off with Fred Stories B and C and rabbits.

So they play a mix of sixties and Seventies folk music.

OK, so you have the the visual entertainment and the sounds and everything that goes along with it.

So it really is, you know, a very unique event to our community.

What would you say is really makes it so unique?

We're indoors, first of all.

So you don't have to worry about the wind or the rain.

And that's a big plus for these artists because they struggle with the summer shows fearing that, oh gosh, am I going to lose my tent or lose my work?

So you're inside where you're protected?

And it just also the sun set is a really nice place.

It gives an ambiance to have like the carpet and the chandelier.

Yeah, it's just a beautiful experience.

It is, and I think we're actually going to get to meet one of the artists now too, right?

Right.

You get to meet Diane Reeder Dawn and she participate two years ago in our show.

And so we're looking at her work right now.

Is this beautiful?

And so, yeah, so you're going to get a chance to meet her real soon.

Awesome.

Well, hey, let's go see if we can find her.

OK, well, I'm excited to be down here in the studio with one of the artists that is going to be a showcase for the love of art fair Diane Reeder, Jawn.

Thank you so much for having us.

This is amazing art pieces and I love how you've kind of brought them together.

Tell us about what you have here on display for us today.

This grouping is named Tam.

Achoo and Tam.

Aku is simply the name of the glaze that I used on this stoneware.

OK?

And I created this.

My paintings of often time have sort of a language that they interpret as being Yes.

And for instance.

And so I wanted to take this even further by doing a watercolor with the same name as beautiful.

And so my attempt here is kind of to give a 3D effect.

So I have a dark background that matches the TAM a coup and then I have a light grid and then my language is free flowing water.

OK, that suggests in my series of chaos and order.

OK, I like a structured life.

I like everything to be in order.

What is interesting for an artist and to go very smoothly?

Yes.

And then things happen.

And sometimes it's very good, joyous and sometimes it's not.

But it's a surprise.

And so my work reflects that idea of order and then flowing work with surprise in this, that kind of how, you know, you start a project or a piece.

Yes, I I usually when I'm working on my watercolors or my acrylics, is that.

I will start off with a grid of some sort of vertical horizontal lines.

Most generally and then I pick a slot and just go see where it goes with my brush.

Uh-Huh.

Choosing the colors.

Many times my paintings are fairly monochromatic.

OK, I may have two different colors, but mixing them creates new views and venues.

And so it just flows.

And do you use a variety of mediums?

Yes, acrylics.

I use in Caustic, which is painting with beeswax, which I saw some of those.

Those are amazing.

Thank you.

What is that like?

I mean, how is that different from some of the other art?

Well, I do it on a wood substrate.

OK, because it needs to be porous.

And so I layer wax beeswax.

It's molten, it's melted and apply it with a brush.

And then I have to heat set every layer so that it attaches to the layer below it.

OK, now you're going to have some of this on display for the love of art fair that people can purchase.

What kinds of things are you planning to have there?

I will have some of everything, OK?

one thing unique about my work is other than my watercolors, and I use a full sheet of paper and I don't put them underneath a mat.

I have it.

I can see that on the etching I paint to the edge because I like the deco edge to show I feel like that's always a question.

When you come down to painting, do you paint over the edge or do you not?

I take it to the edge and I teach my students to do the very same thing.

All of my acrylics and all of my and caustic work is square, OK?

Twelve by twelve, 36 by 36 inches.

That's just soothing to me.

It goes along with the grids.

It's more or water or just a little wonderful.

Thank you so much for showing a little bit of the pieces.

And if you want to check out more of her items, be sure that you step on into the for the love of our if you're coming up by March.

But I think Dave is actually going to take us over to another artist that's going to be showcasing their art as well.

Check it out.

Hey, Courtney, thanks so much.

I am here in Goshen and I'm here with sculptor Sun Mahajan.

How are you doing?

I'm doing great.

So that name is a Nigerian name.

Is that right?

Yes, it is.

So that's where you're from.

How did you end up in Goshen, though?

Because as an Irish guy, people always say, How did you end up living here?

So now I get to ask you, Well, I got a scholarship to play basketball and study at Goshen College, and that's how I got here.

And how do you find it living in Goshen now?

Well, he's been great because I've been here for eleven years now.

This is home for me right now.

So how did you get into sculpting?

Like, how is that even a talent that you figure out that you have?

Well, I went to Goshen College art major.

Obviously, my sculptor of mentor who happens to be my professor at the time, John Mesela, he's famous in the area, did metal sculpture .

So when I came into college, I had the idea of wanting to be a painter.

But towards my graduating year, I realized there was a lot of painters and at the time I couldn't ask myself, What is something new I'm bringing to the market?

And I grab hold of a world in touch with the help of John Mesela.

And that was it.

I realized this was something I was doing that was coming for me naturally.

So that's how I got into metal sculpture.

We've actually interviewed John on this show and we've seen his work too.

And what I love about your is, and I'd love for you to show me some of this work, is that you get to bring a whole unique and different culture to your sculpture that you probably don't see that much around here, right?

Yeah.

Like over here is the ballerina, but has a little of all, a little of more of African style to it.

Like you see the braided hair and some of the fluidity with the style of the skirt and all that.

You know, when you look at it, ballerina is mostly something that's big here, not so much in Africa.

But you know, when you also look at it, you could see that the African culture, African culture, you know, yeah, it's kind of mixing both cultures together, which is part of who you are now because, you know, you probably spent 18 years in Africa and eleven years here, so you've spent a lot of your life here.

Yeah.

So I'm really interested in this one as well.

Tell me a little bit about this.

So this is a sculpture that will be going.

To the middle, Middlebury Parks is for the city of Middlebury.

They wanted a tree trunk and my inspiration for this is bring in something where the name is called gathering place.

So like a tree is where we as people go for shade and covering and the birds will house on it and animals and all that stuff.

And so over here, I came up with this idea of this part, and some of it is some of these are recognizable.

Someone figured out not like, if you see here, butterfly deer indigenous to this area and all around, you see dragonflies and snap in Daudu and all that stuff on some of the patterns.

Here is a Native American pattern because they were the people who occupy this area long before we got here.

So I try to put all that inspiration all together to make this piece.

No, I think it's really wonderful.

So people come to see you at the love of the art event that's happening at the Century Center.

What else are they going to be able to experience?

Oh, there's going to be a whole wide range of all kinds of sculptures that have produced over the years and the ones that I'm working on now, like some of the scroll here squirrels indigenous to this area.

Tell us a little bit more about these and your inspiration behind this, because it looks like there's a lot going on.

I went to Goshen College, so the school is one of them once in while over there.

And as you can see, this is all schools here that are put together and these are points out from the RV industry in this area.

We have a lot of them, so that's where we get all our recycled material.

The squirrel is the symbol of the town here.

Basically, everywhere you look, you find a squirrel like you could tell.

I work primarily with recycled material to try to give a new life to old discarded metal.

And yet it is going to be a lot to see.

So I think that's one of the most beautiful things about sculpture is that so much of it is reinventing like pieces of cars or, you know, metal that you probably find on the side of the road driving around and then you get to give it a new life, which is kind of amazing.

Yeah, I love that.

Well, I think it's really great that you're doing that.

If people can come to that event at the Century Center.

How can they actually find you online?

Because I'm sure you're on social media and things.

Yes, I have maihaja.

The name is maihaja.

Art is that make a book and art.

I'm on Instagram and Facebook.

I also have a website that could be easily found reached as well.

All right.

Well, Sunday, thank you so much.

I hope lots of people come along again.

There's not a lot of sculptors in the area, and I bet there's definitely not a lot from Nigeria.

So I think the flare and the difference that you're bringing to it and your skill is really wonderful.

So I hope people go and see it.

Yeah, I'm very grateful.

You asked, Make it out here to see my studio.

We're here at the Potawatomi Zoo, one place that you will be able to visit once the spring opening happens.

And Josh is with us, the executive director here at Potawatomi Zoo.

This is the giraffe.

I know they're here.

I was so excited for this.

I mean, we are standing in this 10,000 square foot facility and it is just it's unbelievable that we have this here at Potawatomi Zoo in South Bend.

I mean, we got this communal style where the public, we're on the backside, we're the keepers are probably going to be able to come in here and feed the giraffes.

But yeah, we've got four boys here.

We've got Seymour Wyatt and Max and then little.

Kellen is only two years old.

He's in there standing over there with them, and we've just been acclimating them this winter.

This is exactly what we wanted to do was get them in before the winter.

Yeah, they have them start getting used to and keep the same process, right?

I mean, there's a time window where they really just need to adjust to their new surroundings.

They've come from other places across United States, just like you would your cat or dog.

I mean, they're not they're not a domesticated animal, but they are.

Even though they're very large, they're very much like a gazelle.

So they're very that they have that flight instinct.

So, you know, all new things new lights, new barn.

And it's it's taken on a little bit, but they're already eaten out of the keeper's hands there.

So they're they're they're really getting acclimated really well.

So that's awesome.

And when will they be able to see by the public or wake in the public coming back?

Well, so we're hoping we're kind of playing it by ear.

Like I said, there's still a little bit we're going to hopefully see them in some of the winter days before we open.

But definitely when we open the zoo in April down, that's going to be our goal is that everyone's going to start to be able to see the giraffe.

So I can't promise that we are going to have a feeding experience.

But like I said, they are getting used to the public, so it may take time.

But we'll actually probably never use in the public as some help to actually start kind of conditioning them to come over and start eating.

So you are the zoo trainer now to help you do that?

Absolutely.

There's so many animals here throughout the zoo.

What is so specific?

You know what draws people to the giraffe specifically?

You know what, at the zoos under this revitalization period?

I mean, if it's not the zoo that you remember as a kid and I think that every time we hear about people wanting to go to like what they call a zoo, they want to feed.

Giraffes, they want to see giraffes, we hear it all the time.

I think now having giraffes at this zoo is truly going to make us a regional destination.

We've got the giraffes, we've got rhino.

We're working out a bear exhibit.

So a lot of people don't know that.

So we're pretty much going to have anything that you want to see at the zoo.

So we're really excited I'm going to.

We've already seen a huge increase in attendance and it's just going to it's just going to take the zoo to another level.

Absolutely.

There's so much to experience here at the zoo and now for this season, is there any other new changes that you're planning that you can maybe give us a sneak peek of?

Well, so we're working on a new lion habitat, so unfortunately we did.

We lost our last lion has been so quiet around the zoo lately, so we want to get lions back at the zoo.

But being a modern city, we've got to get away from the square cages.

So we're building a brand new modern lion habitat.

So we're hoping to have that down by summer.

We're building a new howler monkey exhibit, so there's howler monkeys and we haven't had them on exhibit for a couple of years now and people have been missing them.

So we're going to get them out.

And then there's going to be some small upgrades around the zoo, but really is going to be focused on just getting these giraffes out and getting them acclimated and getting people over here to start feeding them.

And there's so much experience, too, and I love how you're including, you know, kind of the the experience for the individual people to actually, you know, actually helping feed the animals.

So like even some of the rhinoceros experience that you have those individual VIP experiences, you guys are going to do that again this year.

We are.

Yeah, yeah, we thought, you know, zoos are getting it.

It's harder and harder for zoos to legitimize what we're doing as a true conservation.

And we find that when people can come behind the scenes and they can meet the animals and actually learn what keepers are doing and how the zoos are caring for them.

It really changes people for perspective on what zoos are.

So it's really important to us that we do that experience so that people can see the way as you really does.

Absolutely.

Any other tricks you want to tell us about the giraffes.

I'm sorry.

You know, I've been I've been trying to come in here every night.

There's, like I said, they're eating out of the keepers hands.

When I come in here, they get a little nervous around me.

I know as soon as we walked in, they were like, No, I take it personally, but you know, it's they're getting better and better every night, so.

So yeah, they're they definitely have different personalities.

You can tell you can really see that in their lives, that killing the young ones, he's the most friendly as come up to you.

You can definitely see the personality changes.

Oh, that's awesome.

Thanks for showing us.

And of course, people can come to the winter days.

We're still have plenty of opportunities for that or a few opportunities left for that.

You can get all the information on your website.

Yep, absolutely.

And all that, like I said, just play each winter day by ear.

If we can get you inside this draft form, I don't have a Saturday yet.

All right.

Check all that out.

Sounds good.

Thanks, Josh.

You know my favorite thing about this show?

You cannot say there's nothing going on in South Bend or around Michigan.

There's always something going on and we highlight them here every week.

If you know about something and you think we don't know better or we need to know about it, then you can always go to experience Michigan at dot org.

You can use the hashtag Experience Michigan on your post as well, and we'll find them and we'll come and highlight your community events.

That's what we're all about.

So thank you so much for watching experience in Indiana.

Until the next time we'll see you then experience.

Miss Gianna is made possible in part by the Community Foundation of Saint Joseph County and the Indiana Arts Commission, which received support from the State of Indiana and the National Endowment for the Arts.

This wnit local production has been made possible in part by viewers like you.

Thank you.