Craig McDaniel

visual artist craig mcdaniel

When the airline canceled his flight to Scotland early in the pandemic, Craig looked for closer-to-home ways to immerse himself in culture and nature. He took two fall hiking trips to West Virginia. In summer 2021, he visited the Shelburne Museum near Burlington, Vermont, to see its well-known folk and American art collections, and took the ferry across Lake Champlain to New York.

But his greatest creative breakthroughs came from sessions with an art therapist. Together, they explored topics that included sorrow and loss, aging and death, and joy and creativity. These sessions gave me fresh insights into what makes me who I am, and what I need to seek for fulfillment, personally and artistically.

Craig took classes at the Indiana Writers Center, and also began reading plays by Shakespeare. He’s reading more books than he did when he was in college, and began getting excited again about reading for pleasure. As I enter a new chapter—retired from my faculty position at Herron School of Art + Design—I look forward to reading to broaden my perspective on so many subjects. One unexpected outcome of his Creative Renewal experience? Craig’s work was the focus of a solo exhibition last winter at the Indianapolis Art Center, where he had begun taking observational painting classes. I was surprised at how energized I felt. I feel more committed than I’ve felt in decades to following my journey as a creative artist.

PHOTO CREDIT: INDIANAPOLIS ART CENTER

"My renewal experience gave me a heightened sense of purpose and a huge boost in momentum."

Craig McDaniel

CRAIG-MCDANIEL-ART.COM