Wisdom of Play

Our Infinite Canvas is a local art and storytelling project to engage the creative minds of the Bloomington community. The public collaboration will be exhibited at various area locations, inviting anyone to contribute to a living visual narrative.

A traveling display will be appear in a business, organization, or public space each day. Selected starter panels will be accompanied by many blank ones and the drawing tools you need to add a panel or two of your own. The new additions to the story are placed on a board and can go in any direction from any panel you see. The final work will be available online to read and continue.

The infinite canvas is Scott McCloud’s re-invention of modern comics to account for the shift from print to virtual media. Printed pages have a practical constraint that led to the four-panel and left-to-right, top-to-bottom consumption. That limitation isn’t implicit in cartooning, however, and can be ignored in favor of panels that attempt to go all directions at once. Multiple storylines allow both the artist and the reader to follow their preferred path.

Ben Serrette, a local human-computer interaction designer and School of Informatics and Computing grad, made this the subject of his capstone thesis in 2010. Ben is creating an online destination for the panels that are created at locations around Bloomington.

Exhibition Schedule

The following locations will host the canvas kiosk, inviting the public to participate in this community art project by adding panels to the physical display.

Waldron Arts Center—Wednesday through Friday, May 4-6. Hours of operation are 9a to 7p, including the Gallery Walk on Friday evening.

Bloomington Farmer’s Market—Saturday May 7. The exhibit will be in a booth in the Information area from 7a until 1p.

Vintage Phoenix—Sunday and Monday, May 8-9. Business hours are Noon through 5p on Sunday and 11a until 7p on Monday.

Bloomingfoods West—Tuesday and Wednesday, May 10-11. The exhibit will be located outdoors in front of the store, which is open from 7a until 10p.

Fountain Square Mall—Friday, May 13. The exhibit will be located in the lobby, between 7:30a and 10p.

NOTE: This schedule is subject to change.