INDIANAPOLIS — Rusting metal.
It’s an art form.
“The scraps that I have from one project to another. I try to come up with what I can use those for so I use every bit of steel that I can," Joan Drizin said.
She and her son Josh make what they describe as jewelry for your lawn.
Their Noblesville-based studio and workshop Girly Steel specializes in steel sculpture.
Bugs, flowers, seaweed — even a banana you can sit on — all made of metal.
“My biggest strength is in the refining. Figuring out how to make it more easily or getting the same feel just a a little less work," Josh Drizin said.
The mother-son duo are some of the 350 artists participating in this year’s Penrod Arts Fair.
It's the largest single-day arts fair in the country.
There'll be hundreds of performers across five stages of entertainment, more than 50 arts-related nonprofit organizations, and an extensive children’s area.
The fair is Saturday, Sept. 7 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Newfields.
The night before, at Evening with Penrod, attendees get an exclusive preview and first opportunity to purchase art from more than 100 artists who will be featured at the fair.
The gala-style event will also feature a wide assortment of local food and beverages, unique live art experiences, a designated VIP area, fireworks, and a series of musical performances on the grounds of Newfields.
“Arts and cultural activities bring a lot to a city. It really makes a city worth living in. The penrod society was founded around that objective," Penrod Arts Fair Chair John Roach said.
The nonprofit the Penrod Society donates every single dollar it makes to supporting local art.
Last year they raised $150,000 for 78 Indiana-based organizations.
More than half of the grants awarded to organizations in 2023 went to those that serve diverse populations or individuals at or below the poverty line.
“We wanna ensure we serve individuals who wouldn’t otherwise have that exposure. About 70 percent of the organizations we serve just serve underprivileged communities," Roach said.
For Josh and Joan, it’s an opportunity to share their life’s work with a larger audience.
“It took a lifetime. It’s just an ongoing that we have. We do things in steps. I might work on something. And then pass it on to Josh and vice versa," Drizin said.
