Meet the Camp BUTTER students behind BUTTER 6

BUTTER: A Fine Art Fair made a promise to bolster its youth programming, access and impact this year, and Camp BUTTER is proof.

The inaugural program, announced on Aug. 3, relies on three pillars, including BUTTER Education Day — which gives hundreds of public school students K-12 exclusive access to the fair before opening — BUTTER BFA: New Voices in Contemporary Art and Camp BUTTER Cohort, a summer-long professional development internship, was created to “bridge the gap between the classroom and a sustainable career in the arts,” according to a press release. 

“Camp BUTTER was created because students deserve meaningful opportunities before they’re asked to build a career. Students need mentorship, professional experiences, meaningful connections, and access to opportunities that can transform potential into sustainable careers,” Deonna Craig, director of BUTTER Fine Art Fair, said in a statement. “Camp BUTTER is our investment in that future, ensuring that emerging creatives don’t just imagine a place in the arts, they have the tools, community, and confidence to claim it. When we invest in artists at the very beginning of their journey, we strengthen the future of our entire creative ecosystem.”

The program, which kicked off in April, provides hands-on experiences, mentorships and professional networking opportunities to 15 Herron School of Art & Design students. Lauren McDonald, who’s part of the Camp BUTTER Cohort curatorial team, said they not only participated in workshops to gain knowledge, relationships and confidence needed to navigate the contemporary art world post-college but also actively helped put this year’s art fair together. 

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McDonald is studying furniture design, and has always had an interest in building community through the arts. She spent the last few months hosting one-on-one interviews with BUTTER 6 artists, curating artist statements and learning how to package and ship art, check for damages, and display it properly in a gallery. 

Camp BUTTER Cohort also got plenty of networking opportunities, including curated lunches with other students and field trips to the Indiana Statehouse and Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. McDonald said it allowed her and the other interns to build a community before they are “shot out into the world” and left to navigate the industry on her own. 

“In the future, if any of my peers or I myself want to get more into a medium that a certain artist is working with, or wants to explore a theme that another artist has touched on, we now have these connections to reach out to them and help them with our brainstorming,” McDonald said. “I feel like this also allows students to build up the courage and the engagement necessary to be an independent artist because you can’t just exist in a bubble. You need the people around you to boost you up, and it’s very important to stay motivated, which can be difficult by yourself.”

BUTTER BFA: New Voices in Contemporary Art exhibit allows Bachelor of Fine Arts students to showcase and sell their work alongside professionals at BUTTER. Exhibiting students were selected by the BUTTER leadership team and include Kennedy Dowdell, Lauryn Smith, Lael Bickham, Naala Alexis James Beavers, Naomi Turnipseed, Kheyarra, Nari Kelley, Breezy, Charlecia Tillman, Jaedin Evans, Luke Johnson and Dariel Edwards.

Edwards, an incoming senior at IU and team lead for the Camp BUTTER Cohort, said the program helped her find direction. Before joining the cohort, Edwards wanted to be an independent artist and work for herself. She got into the arts at a young age, thanks to her grandmother and brother, who taught her fiber arts and how to sketch, respectively. 

“I have been looking for a place where I feel like I belong, especially going to a PWI — Herron School of Art + Design — it is very difficult to find somewhere where I feel uplifted,” Edwards said. So, when I saw that BUTTER was wanting some interns, I jumped at that idea, and ever since I’ve been a part of BUTTER, I have felt such a strong connection to the people here, and I feel like I fit right along.”

Having her work displayed in BUTTER 6 after having a hand in putting the show together is “like a dream come true,” Edwards said. As Team Lead, Edwards coordinated artwork drop off, photo sessions and building professional portfolios as well as streamlining communications between Craig, the exhibition manager and featured artists.

Now that she’s gotten insight into the arts industry in Indianapolis, and what it means to not only be a front-facing character in a show but also work behind the scenes, Edwards said she “wants to be part of something bigger.” 

Johnson, who has a series of works featured in BUTTER BFA, worked in sales as part of the cohort, and said this kind of environment is “exactly where he wanted to be” as a working artist.

“I feel like it’s a good starting point because I enjoy making art,” Johnson said. “I want to continue making art and to be a part of exhibitions like this, so when I got this opportunity, I knew that it was for me, and I think that will help boost me as a working artist going forward.”

The cohort has given Johnson new perspectives on art, especially when it comes to pricing art. As a college student, Johnson sold a few of his pieces on a smaller scale, but BUTTER has taught him the importance of making connections to garner interest with buyers and collectors.

“I think these programs are really important because it shows you the possibilities; it shows you what options you have going forward,” Johnson said. “People aren’t shown what they could do with their passions … I think that BUTTER working with the youth more this year is awesome because it really helps instill that you can do what you want to do in the future.”

BUTTER 6 is Sept.4-6 at the Stutz, 1060 N. Capital Ave. Tickets are $40 per day and
$75 for the weekend. Preview night tickets are $150. For more information about ticketing, BUTTER Education Day or BUTTER BFA, visit butterartfair.com. 

Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.