[JHeath]

Michiana Resources is raising funds to build a 1,900-square-foot studio and gallery for its Creative Concepts art program for people with disabilities.

Officials hope to pay the estimated $30,000 cost entirely through donations.

“We've already had a number of people show their support through donations of time, labor and materials,” said Michael Horton, Michiana Resources chief executive officer.

Students in the Purdue University Architectural Construction II class developed blueprints for a bright modern studio, storage and work area. There also will be a public gallery where artwork will be exhibited and available for purchase.

Tonn & Blank Construction is donating professional services and will coordinate the project. Local carpentry and electrical crafts, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Joint Apprenticeship Training Program, and students in the Michigan City Area Schools Facility Maintenance Program, are donating their time and labor to help build the studio.

And, Horton said, the Lubeznik Center for the Arts will provide expertise to help develop the studio and gallery.

Additional labor and materials are needed, however. Members of Michiana Resources' board have pledged monetary support and will begin visiting local businesses and organizations seeking donations.

In particular, Horton said, donations of building supplies, flooring, ceiling and lighting fixtures and furnishings are sought, as well as cash. VonTobel Lumber & Hardware already has made a monetary donation.

The Creative Concepts art program provides therapeutic services for Michiana Resources consumers and helps clients expand their imaginations, enhance their artistic abilities and provide a means of expression.

It is a four-year-old program that has grown in popularity among consumers, Horton said, that now has clients producing watercolor portraits, murals, ceramic figurines, collages, painted benches and oil paintings.

The program, initially housed within the Michiana Resources Industrial Services area, has outgrown the space. Horton said the artists have little room to work, and there is limited storage and no room to exhibit artworks.