Artlink Stories
Photo by Ellen Mensch | Artlink
Photo by Ellen Mensch| Artlink
Teresa Vazquez
Juror, Artist, Educator & Artlink Artist Panel Member
“Artlink is such a vital part of Fort Wayne's visual arts landscape, but its reach extends from coast to coast and all kinds of points in between. Serving as a juror for the "Sticking Together" exhibition highlighted the impact that arts and culture organizations like Artlink can have in putting small cities like ours on the national map. With over 500 entries for the show, it was a challenging task to narrow submissions down to a total of 24 pieces for the exhibition.
While our judging process is a blind one (where jurors aren't privy to the personal information associated with entries), I trusted that the selections would speak for themselves and reflect a wide geography and demographic, and indeed it did! As my first opportunity to select pieces for a whole show, I am honored that Artlink trusted me to select pieces that represent the best of contemporary US collage, assemblage, photo/video montage, and textile works.”
Photo by Ellen Mensch | Artlink
Kaylan Buteyn
Group Exhibition Artist & Co-owner of Kin House Gallery
“I had the extreme pleasure of working with Artlink last fall for an exhibition titled 'The One & the Many'. I submitted to Arlink's open call for proposals with 3 friends for a fiber-based group show. We wanted to work with Artlink because the space is absolutely gorgeous and a great spot to get good exhibition photos of our work! We received so much support from Ellen, Jen, and other Artlink staff to make our exhibition possible. From handling our work with extreme care, to helping us host an accompanying event, to taking great exhibition photos... we appreciated the opportunity to work with Artlink and share our work with the FW community so much!"
The One & the Many Exhibition Artists (left to right) - Stefanie Zito, Cassie Arnold, Kaylan Buteyn & Lisa Alberts
Photo by Ellen Mensch | Artlink
Photo by Ellen Mensch | Artlink
“Since July 2024, I have had the privilege of serving as Interim Executive Director for Artlink, where I have previously served first as an Artist Panel member, then Board Member. In this new role, my focus has been on clarifying Artlink’s strengths as well as introducing new ways to expand our contribution to the arts in Fort Wayne. With this in mind, this past year we successfully opened an additional gallery space at our location with the express purpose of introducing a larger number of call-for-entry exhibitions which allow for an even broader range of artists to exhibit their work with us.
Having worked in director roles for a contemporary non-profit gallery before, I am convinced of the value a place like Artlink has as a resource for local artists and the broader public. The impact Artlink has had and continues to have in this community is not only to provide a platform for our local artists to exhibit their work… but also to bring artists from all over to inspire, challenge, and help our local artists clarify their own work in light of what they see displayed here. In this sense, Artlink is a kind of “hub” that is able to be both a launching pad for artists nearby… and a destination point for artists from further away. With a gallery like Artlink, Fort Wayne is not an artistic ‘fly-over zone.’ Rather, we are increasingly becoming a preferred venue in the Midwest for creative expression and professional advancement for artists. Like the muscles of an arm that allow you to both push forward and pull in, Artlink does the same thing: Pushing artists further in their artistic career while at the same time, bringing some of the best work being made by artists today to our own doorstep for our community to experience firsthand.”
Photo by Ellen Mensch | Artlink
Christopher Ganz
Artist, Educator & Artlink Workshop Instructor
“I have taught both printmaking and figure drawing workshops at Artlink the last few years. What I enjoy most is the passion and talent each participant brings. Each group has different levels of experiences and backgrounds, which makes for a rich learning environment. Participants show a consistent focus and an open-mindedness to instruction that allows all to learn a lot in a short amount of time. In all, it has been a wonderful experience to be an Artlink workshop instructor, and I plan on instructing future workshops.“
Tim Parsley
Artlink Interim Executive Director, Artist, & Educator
Photo by Ellen Mensch | Artlink
Photo by Ellen Mensch | Artlink
Matt Plett
46th Members’ Solo Exhibition Award Artist & Artlink Member
“I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to show with Artlink. I was honored to be chosen for the Exhibition Award and from that moment everyone at Artlink was helpful, communicative and very collaborative while working on the show. I had plenty of questions on how to use the space and which direction to go and at every turn, there was answers, organization and ideas to help me. I’m very excited for my upcoming show and to see my work in such a beautiful gallery space. Thank you Artlink for everything!”
Photo by Ellen Mensch | Artlink