2007  Limestone  Symposium

The Indiana Limestone Sculpture Symposium was the brainchild of sculptor Amy Brier, who, after seeing similar trade workshops and artistic conferences while traveling in Italy, wondered why there weren’t places for American artists to gather, share and learn from one another, particularly stone sculptors.

Understanding the impact and importance of limestone in the Bloomington community from her time as a graduate student at Indiana University, Amy pitched the idea for an artists workshop and conference to then Bloomington Area Arts Council director Frank Young. Young loved the idea and decided for the symposium to really take off, they would need the support of Bybee Stone Company, a national limestone supplier and carving facility located in Ellettsville. Will Bybee, owner of Bybee Stone Co., eagerly agreed to host the first Symposium and has generously continued to do so for the last decade, fostering a relationship between the BAAC and Bybee Stone Co. that has proved to be incredibly important for the community. 

When asked how the Symposium has changed over the past 10 years, Amy notes that it has grown from a 5-person, week-long session to a three week, multi-session program with lots of time for independent carving and a record enrollment of over 35 people in 2000. However, she maintains that the spirit of the Symposium has remained unchanged and that it is still just a group of artists who “get some stones in a field and make a lot of dust and gravel” while having a good time with one another each summer.

Considering the many people who return to Bloomington for the symposium year after year, and the wide range of limestone companies clamoring to be involved, it is fair to say that her dream of a place where sculptors can come and learn from one another, experiment and create together has been achieved.

                                                   

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