People in Muncie may be aware of the Muncie YART Sale for Art, a twice-a-year event that often is held in connection with the city-wide ArtsWalk. But, what they may not know is that YART actually was started by students from Ball State University and continues to grow as new artists from around the area participate.  Reporter Colton LeTourneau reports.

Eugene Boyd is a local pottery maker who has spent his whole life creating a wide variety of coffee mugs, pots and bowls. He specializes in teapots and plates.

Boyd, who also is an instructor at Cornerstone Center for the Arts, was one of more than 100 artists who displayed their work this fall at the Muncie YART sale.

As he greeted potential customers, he chatted about his experiences in the art business, from when he started to where he is now.

“I really enjoy doing pottery,” Boyd said. It’s just something that has become a big part of my life and it’s something that I can continue to learn and produce more and more things,” Boyd said.

Other artists displayed jewelry, photography, guitars carved from wood, candles and paintings in tents and on tables that filled the lawn of the Canan Commons, an urban green space near downtown.

Markus Huber, a soy candle maker out of Richmond, Indiana, enjoys the YART Sale because it gives artists the chance to interact with the public.

“Oh man, for the community it’s awesome,” Huber said. “It brings everyone together out here; everybody gets to meet new people and the local artists get to show everybody what they can do and put their name out there.”

YART, which combines “Yard” and “Art,” was originally started in 1999 by students and art professors at Ball State and expanded to other cities across the country. Organizers say their goal is to encourage interaction between artists and the community, and to make art accessible and affordable. All items are priced below $40, but it’s not a get-rich scheme for the artists. Boyd said the profit he makes goes back into materials.

“Selling things is basically to get money to buy more materials you know to pay for the expense of the clay,” Boyd said.

The next YART sale is scheduled for May 2018. For more information, visit its Facebook page.

Colton LeTourneau is a reporter for a Ball State immersive-learning arts journalism course.