Amy Brier of Bloomington, Indiana is truly making art out of Indiana.
This Indiana Artisan is a sculptor who works a lot with limestone — the foundation on which this state was built — although she is not just limited to just that one medium. She will also work in glass, paper, metal, and sand.
Amy likes to focus — at least on the local level — on limestone, and works on direct carving, with a strong focus on historic carving techniques (i.e. hammers and chisels, not pneumatic hammers). And her art can be found in many different places
She has work at the Ivy Tech – Bloomington campus, White River Gardens and Joy’s House in Indianapolis, and the Simon Building at Indiana University. Translation: her work is good enough to be a permanent fixture on a building, outside where everyone will see it. To me, there’s no greater testimonial to an artist’s greatness than letting it be the signature item on something as massive and permanent as a building.
Amy is also the co-founder and director of the Indiana Limestone Symposium (no, I didn’t know there was such a thing either), as well as the first woman to serve on the board of directors of the Stone Carvers Guild, an organization of architectural carvers.
If you get a chance, please check out her website (my favorite piece is Labyrinth, a round column of limestone that, when it’s rolled, creates a labyrinthian pattern in the sand). Better yet, check out any of her displays and shows, if you ever get a chance to see her.
Amy Brier is doing some great work in — and with — the state of Indiana, making her the quintessential Indiana Artisan.
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