1. Artist Profiles for IUSB Center for a Sustainable
The St. Joseph County Soil & Water Conservation
District is a proud sponsor of this project, which is
being conducted by Kathleen Petitjean, a Fellow with
Future’s Spring 2011 Original Art Rain Barrel Project
IU South Bend’s Center for a Sustainable Future

2. Introduction to this Project
Twelve area artist and artist groups in the Michiana area have been busily painting
55-gallon plastic containers converted for use as rain barrels.

3. The decorated Rain Barrels will be on display
at local businesses from March-April 2011.
They then go to the South Bend Museum of Art for two weeks
where they will be sold at public auction on Friday, May 6, 2011
starting at 7p.m.

4. This Rain Barrel Project is being conducted by Kathleen Petitjean, Occupational
Therapist with Students & Buddies from the Special Needs and Abilities Preschool
(SNAP) of the South Bend Community School Corporation and a Fellow with IU
South Bend Center for a Sustainable Future.
The goal of this Project is to raise awareness of water as a natural resource and
demonstrate how homeowners can save money while protecting the St. Joe River
and watershed by capturing water in a rain barrel.

5. 1. Artist: Kathleen Petitjean
2. Artist Group: Special Needs and Abilities
Preschool (SNAP)
3. Artist: Mike Depositar
4. Artist Group: Washington High School /
Adrianna Galacia
5. Artist Group: St. Joseph’s High School /
Eleanor Harding
6. Artist: Michele Klota

6. 7. Artist: Betty McKinney
8. Artist: Nicole Brinkmann Reeves
9. Artist: David Murray
10. Artist: Mitzi B. Sabato
11. Artist: Jill Wygant-La Fountain
12. Artist: William Tourtillotte

7. Now…
Onward to the Artist Statement for each of the 12 Artists and
Artist Groups who have participated in this Project….

8. Written by Kathleen Petitjean, who is coordinating this
IUSB Center for a Sustainable Future’s Spring 2011
Original Art Rain Barrel Project
Although most of my professional artwork is pen and ink, I
love an opportunity to pick up a paintbrush and play with
colors. In addition to being an artist, I work as an
Occupational Therapist with schoolchildren with special
needs. My “green” activism also keeps me busy with
projects with the city of South Bend, Oxfam America and
the League of Women Voters.
The Fellowship for this Rain Barrel project was granted to
me last summer by IUSB’s Center for a Sustainable Future
just as I was leaving for my first visit to Ireland. Knowing I
would be painting one of the barrels, I carried my
sketchbook on my trip and allowed the art and natural
beauty of Ireland to infuse my work. My artistic goal was
to create an image depicting the dependence on water for
Photo: Kathleen all life on Earth.
Petitjean, SNAP OT and a “Interlace”, the national signature style of Ireland in which
bands of motif are intertwined, seemed a natural fit for
Fellow with IUSB Center my design. In Dublin, I was intrigued by the illuminations
for a Sustainable Future, in the 1200-year–old Book of Kells, and the weaving of
poses with her finished ancient Celtic designs with the relatively new stories of
Christianity.
Rain Barrel.
From these beginnings, I added our
scientific understandings of the development of life on
Earth to a work of art I hope serves as a gentle reminder
for us to respect the resource we all need for survival;
water.

9. Written by Kathleen Petitjean, who is coordinating this IUSB
Center for a Sustainable Future’s Spring 2011 Original Art Rain
Barrel Project and who is an OT with the SNAP Program.
Underwritten by the teachers and therapists of the SNAP Program,
several classes of preschoolers are participating in a “progressive”
design on their Original Art Rain Barrel. The SNAP rain barrel project
is being directed by Occupational Therapist and IUSB Fellow
Kathleen Petitjean. Kathleen is taking the barrel between the
SNAP/Buddy classrooms at Hamilton, Madison and Darden Primary
Centers. The children are using non-toxic tempera paints and began
by freely painting the entire barrel lovely shades of sky blue using
paintbrushes, kid-sized paint rollers, sponges as well as their hands!
The children enjoyed climbing a small stepladder to reach the top of
the barrel, looking inside the various holes cut for the rain barrel’s
Photo: Helping a little artist hardware and experimenting with the force of gravity as some
brushes were dropped into the holes at the top of the barrel. They
apply his handprint to the Rain then added handprint “branches” to a tree painted on one side of
Barrel by Buddies and Students the barrel and are currently working on adding a “rising sun” with
their handprints.
from the Special Needs and The teachers and staff enjoy having the barrel as a special activity
Abilities Preschool of the South for their students. SNAP teacher Kate Sullivan, noted, “this project
is great as it elicits academic and social skills such as turn-taking,
Bend Community School following directions and even doing the number concept of ‘just
one’. We also love that the kids get a chance to get their hands
Corporation messy; what a wonderful sensory experience this has been so far!”
Kathleen and her colleagues look forward to helping the children
complete their rain barrel and seeing the children’s faces when the
barrel is finished and ready for display. Upon learning the barrel he
was painting would be sold to generate money for his school, 4-
year-old Joe asked his teacher if she would use the money to buy
grapes for snacks for him and his friends.

10. Photo: Mike Depositar’s Rain Barrel
Written by Mike Depositar
When Kathleen Petitjean, IUSB Center for a Sustainable Future Fellow, asked Mike Depositar, manager at
Lochmandy Collision Center, if his shop would be willing to donate the automotive clear coat finish for this
Original Art Rain Barrel project, Mike readily agreed.
An accomplished artist himself, Mike offered his artistic talent for one of the barrels.
Mike, an avid fan of Coca Cola, decided to convert the plain barrels, in which Coca Cola's secret ingredients
are shipped, into a giant Coke can.

11. Photo: WHS Artist, Adrianna Galacia, poses
with her finished Rain Barrel
Statement Provided by Washington High School / Mrs. Sherry Sprouls and Adrianna Galacia
Mrs. Sprouls' Art students and Ms. Garcia's Language Arts students submitted design ideas for the WHS rain
barrel. A panel of teachers then chose the winning design, which was by Adrianna Galicia, a WHS senior.
Adrianna spent 2-3 hours a day for more than two weeks completing the painting of the WHS rain barrel.
WHS is proud of this contribution to the auction and can't wait to see the show! WHS also would like to
thank Barnaby's of South Bend for being our underwriter.

12. Photo: St. Joseph’s High School Artist,
Eleanor Harding, poses with her finished
Rain Barrel
Written by Eleanor Harding, St. Joseph’s High School
I am currently a senior at Saint Joseph’s High School. I participate in Independent Art Studio and Advanced
Drawing under Paul Kuharic and Cynthia MacWhorter. Next year I plan on attending the University of Notre
Dame to study Industrial Design.
After being asked to design and paint a rain barrel on behalf of the Saint Joe Art Department, I considered
what exactly is meant by a “sustainable future.” I hoped that my rain barrel would not only be useful for
water conservation but also meaningful and creative. The circles are meant to represent a bright hope for
sustaining a cleaner and eco-friendly future. They are set against a monochromatic background representing
the industrial, threatening path we could be heading down.
These rain barrels can bring awareness to the importance of both water and soil conservation while taking a
step toward a more sustainable future.

13. Written by Michele Klota
Since childhood, I have always had a strong love for art,
animals, and nature.
Participating in the rain barrel project has allowed me to
share and express my interests in all three areas. I have
chosen for my theme the age old saying, “It's Raining Cats
and Dogs”. I believe that as stewards of our environment,
we need to be mindful not only of the environment itself,
but of the many creatures that live in our environment with
us. Whether wild or domestic, these creatures need our
love, care and respect, so that they too may enjoy a safe,
healthy, and happy life on this planet that we all share.
In creating my design, I have included caricature
representations of my pets as well as the pets of friends
and family members. These fun and humorous
representations hopefully reflect the fact that all living
Photo: Michele Klota creatures have a distinct and unique spirit and personality.
poses with her Rain Barrel
In addition to benefiting IUSB's “Center for a Sustainable
Future”, proceeds from the sale of my rain barrel will also
benefit the “Saint Joseph County Humane Society”. I will
be donating the artist portion of the proceeds to them for
the support of all the furry creatures in our environment
they care for, who are in need of our love, care and respect.

14. Written by Betty McKinney
I was born in Lafayette, IN and moved to South Bend when I
was 13 years old. I graduated from John Adams High School
and received my bachelors in Interior Design from Purdue
University.
I began to draw and paint while I was in college but put
down my paint brush for 18 years until my last child moved
away.
I just recently set up a studio in an empty bedroom.
Ah, the luxury of an empty nest! My inspiration for my
Photo: Betty McKinney poses design for the barrel was the barrel itself. I expanded on
the idea that the barrel would be holding water and
with her Rain Barrel thought how fascinating it would be to paint an aquarium.

15. Photo: Nicole Brinkmann Reeves poses as
she paints her Rain Barrel
Written by Nicole Brinkmann Reeves
Some of the things that defined my childhood were spending summers camping around the country, helping
my parents in the family vegetable garden, and taking art lessons at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
As an adult, I still love the outdoors, gardening, and visual arts, and my rain barrel is a celebration of these
things. I was inspired by a photograph I remember seeing once a long time ago. The photographer (of whom I
unfortunately do not know the name) took his camera to the same spot in the same field in each of the four
seasons and then he merged these four photos into one so that the seasons blurred into one another from
left to right across the panoramic photo.
With the focal point of a tree, my rain barrel shows the changes of the seasons as seen around the landscape
of farmland.

16. Photo: Artist, David Murray
Written by David Murray
Gardening has always been a big part of my family’s summer heritage, mostly because it’s one of the most
enjoyable, productive things to do when hockey is not in season. It’s one of those activities where there is
always something to do.
By day, I’m a graphic designer and by night, I’m still a graphic designer, so let’s hope that some of my skills
can transcend media.
One of the most enjoyable things to do in the summer time (besides gardening) is to sit back and crack open
a cold one. And in terms of drinking while it’s hot out, I’m sure that plant’s aren’t that different from us, so
my rain barrel will be designed as the plants’ drink of choice, sort of a play on corporate art.
I am sure the plants will all be dying for a drink of “Rain Water Lite.”

17. Written by Mitzi B. Sabato
Daughter of a prominent psychoanalyst, my work has
always maintained an interest in the human psyche,
personal narrative, subjects of science, religion, astronomy,
literature and photography.
I am interested in how the identifiable object can draw the
viewer into a piece of sculpture for a meaningful
interaction and journey. My areas of study and
investigation are ceramics, and fiber, mixed media
sculpture – assemblage utilizing many techniques. I’ve
spent the last few years in returning to my roots in
ceramics, which I always pursued while acquiring my other
degree. The current work is in porcelain. The bodies of
work are studies of closed forms referencing wind erosion
shapes, gulch walls of Montana river canyons, cone shaped
vessels and pod forms.
Photo: Mitzi Sabato poses The images I have chosen for the rain barrel are two
as she paints her Rain dragons, opening their mouths to receive a drop of
Barrel water. Dragons are powerful images throughout many
cultures, often reflective of wisdom and the primal forces
of nature, religion and the universe…
I thought that all these qualities made a good match with
collecting rain water – besides, my daughter has always
loved the dragon image.
I hope that the patrons will find the dragon rain barrel
engaging, and will bid fiercely to own it!

18. Written by Jill Wygant-La Fountain
Ever since I was a young child I have loved creating things with
my hands and expressing myself through art. Having worked in
several mediums, I find I have a certain knack for photography
but do enjoy painting with acrylics.
Up until now, all of my paintings have been for my
pleasure. This is the first time I have been tasked with trying to
convey an important message with my artwork.
For months this barrel sat, primed and ready to receive its
colors. As I searched for inspiration, I started to think about
what the barrel would hold; this life source we, as a country,
Photo: Jill Wygant-La Fountain tend to take for granted. I thought of those who thirst and the
feeling of having that thirst quenched. I imagined diving into an
and her dog, Zippo, pose with ocean of water to escape the heat. I thought of the water that
her Rain Barrel drenches my husband's garden, helping the plants to stand a
little taller; refreshed, revived and healthy!
Keeping those feelings in mind I began to paint without any
plan or picture, I just let the paint swirl and move until the
barrel was covered with my vision of water.
I am humbled to have been asked to paint a rain barrel for this
important project and to be among this group of amazingly
talented local artists. With my rain barrel, I hope for these
things; that you gain a greater appreciation of our natural
resource of water, you will work to conserve and protect it and
that you will share your knowledge with others.
In addition to these things, I hope my rain barrel brings you
pleasure when you look at it!

19. Photos: William
Tourtillotte
provides his
photo source for
his Rain Barrel
design (far left)
and poses as he
paints his Rain
Barrel (left)
Written by William Tourtillotte
I am an artist, educator and subsistence farmer and have been a member of the South Bend community for
twenty-five years. As Chief Curator/Program Director at the South Bend Museum of Art, I invented, organized
and engineered exhibitions about water and sustainable design.
My artistic activities have ranged from public murals to comic book workshops and have for the last decade, in
my paintings and installations, utilized materials that I grow and produce on my small farm. I believe that the
visual arts need to use earth-friendly, non-toxic materials and methods. I imagine the art of the future fabricated
from water, recycled waste and solar power grown plants and vegetables.
My rain barrel image is an 8-bit pixel rendering of Dianthus flowers in my garden. Individual squares ordered in a
grid combine to make the larger image - one drop at a time. Rain falling on a roof, running into a gutter and
flowing down a spout to collect in a rain barrel reflects the convergence of media and information occurring
today in our culture and worldwide. It is my hope that awareness about conservation, sustainable design and
eco-activities build in the same way until we experience a watershed of significant change. If you need additional
information, please go to my website www.artbert.com

20. This project would not be possible…
Without the support of the following Underwriters…

21. Barnaby’s of
South Bend
South Bend
Museum of (website)
Art
St Joseph
County Soil (website)
and Water
Conservation
IU at South District
Bend Center (website)
for a
Sustainable
Future
(website)

22. Gary Mester,
Foegley Master
Landscape Photographer
Company (website)
Coca Cola
Bottling (website)
Company of
Indiana
The Beehive (website)
Salon
(website)

23. Lawson-Fisher
Associates
Martin’s
Supermarkets (website)
Just Goods (website)
(website)
Goodrich
Auction
Company
(website)

24. Teachers and
Therapists of the
Red Hen Turf
Farm Special Needs and
Abilities
Purple Porch (website) Preschool (SNAP)
Co-op of the South Bend
(website) Community
School
Lochmandy
Corporation
Collision
Center (website)
(website)

25. The Troyer Group
NOT least… (website)
Last BUT …
And…