On this trip Across Indiana, we're going to take a closer look at the craftsmanship of our state's handiest hoosiers Which is why I'm here in downtown Indianapolis at ArtMix, a nonprofit that provides free access to studio space, supplies, and instruction to both those with and without disabilities.

It's an inclusive place where everyone can create something unique with their own two hands.

That brings us to our first story down in Jasper, Indiana, where Father Phillip Ottavi built a piece of art stone by stone that has stood the test of time.

The Mother of God Grotto.

Welcome to Jasper, a bustling little city in southwestern Indiana.

But just one block off of the main drag, there is one place where everything seems to slow down a little bit.

just that serenity that you feel when you're on these grounds.

It's, you know, we've been watching cars drive by the street since we've been standing here, but you don't really hear them.

You don't pay attention to ‘em.

Nancy Eckerle and her sister Connie Yaggi, literally grew up across the street from these grounds.

Known to them and to the rest of the community as the Mother of God Grotto.

It's a special place for their community for a variety of different reasons, but you can see the main ones sticking out almost everywhere.

Geodes.

Thousands upon thousands of Indiana geodes.

It's the kind of stone that looks like a brain, and when you crack it open, it looks like a crystal All different colors.

Most of them are about palm size.

I'm not geologist, and I don't know how they're formed.

I think, as a kid growing up, we took it for granted.

you know, it's just a place unlike any, anywhere else.

A lot of people come here to pray and, just to sit and reflect and meditate.

Tim Bell grew up here as well.

Now he's part of the group that helps preserve and protect the grotto, the stones, and their history.

Which can be tough sometimes, considering all of this was built without any known plans.

There's a lot here that we just We don't know.

We may never know.

Its construction was described with a simple phrase No blueprints, only inspiration.

Everywhere you look in the grotto, you'll see donated material.

Geodes, seashells, old marble and tile, and even what appears to be a few unused tombstones.

He would incorporate, especially on the walking path, as much flat material as he could find, you know, and then but most of the walls and everything else are built with geodes.

He was Father Phillip Ottavi, the driving force behind the Mother of God Grotto.

Father Ottavi was the administrator of the Old Providence Home here in Jasper back in the 50s and 60s.

That home, cared for both elderly and disabled men for over 80 years.

and was managed by a Catholic order called the Sons of Divine Providence.

I think my mom kind of befriended him, and you probably don't remember that, but he would occasionally bring us, coffee cake that he had probably made in the bakery at the old Providence Home.

Father Ottavi's reason for building the grotto is a big reason why so many people, like all of the ones currently arriving on this tour bus, visit the Mother of God Grotto every year.

These shrines were built to help visitors heal and find peace, which is something Father Ottavi himself was looking for.

You see, as a young Italian boy over 100 years ago, Phillip Ottavi survived the unthinkable the loss of his entire family to a massive earthquake.

He was buried in rubble for 2 or 3 days.

and when he got out, a local orphanage took him in.

That orphanage was operated by the Sons of Divine Providence and Ottavi eventually joined their ranks as an ordained priest.

As part of his mission, the now Father Ottavi spent his adult life helping others and made his way all the way here to Jasper, Indiana.

But the tragedy from his childhood was something he brought with him.

it's just a traumatic story from his end.

But then what a beautiful thing he did to overcome that fear.

He wanted to be able to heal his past pain from being in the earthquake.

Father Ottavi decided to take those memories and build something beautiful.

With the help of some of the able men he cared for at the home, volunteers, and donations, Father Ottavi spent the next decade building not one but two religious shrines out of geodes, one on the north side of the home, the other on the south.

Wall by wall.

Rock by rock.

They were literally working their faith into the concrete.

The statues, sidewalks, lights, benches, flower pots, all were added over time to help craft this handmade place of healing for everyone in the community.

Growing up, we didn't know the story of Father Philip and the earthquake and why he built this.

And he did this to, bring serenity to himself.

Thankfully, Father Ottavi was able to see the fruits of his labors start to blossom.

He passed away just a few years after the Mother of God Grotto was opened to the public.

over the next 50 years, the shrines he built withstood the test of time and all of nature's elements.

Catholic masses, weddings, ceremonies, All were held here for everyone in the community.

Over time, though, the biggest threat the grotto would wind up facing turned out to be progress itself.

Ten years ago, the Sons of Divine Providence stopped operating in the area and then moved away.

The Providence home was put on the market.

There was a real fear that these would just be torn down and, you know, plowed under and maybe something else built here.

you would hate to see that completely gone.

The shrines had been Father Ottavi's gift to the community.

Now the community decided it was time to give something back.

Kind of got wind that they were going to sell the four acres up on the north side.

And so we approached the nursing home and said, hey, if we form a not for profit, Would you donate this land to us?

And they were overwhelmingly yes.

And in fall 2016, the Friends of the Grotto became the owners of this property.

The groups volunteers have been busier than ever.

Over 25 of them helped keep this grotto looking as beautiful as ever.

Some do maintenance, others mow grass and some just care for a few of the 50 or so flower pots in the Adopt a Flower pot program like Connie who takes care of four of them.

you don't think of it as work, it doesn't seem like a chore, you feel so relaxed, you know, you can be have a stressful day.

And as soon as you step out of the car onto the grounds, it all goes away.

Everyone doing their part to preserve and maintain Father Ottavi's little spot of serenity In a busy world.

And so that's our goal.

That's our goal as a board to preserve this for future generations.

It is.

It just part of my life Always has been and always will be.

I must say, The Grotto really is an incredible example of handcrafted beauty.

It's no wonder the community stepped up to support it and at ArtMix, The staff and volunteers here are stepping up too.

By supporting artists with disabilities through a new program called Enroute.

ArtMix is an Indy based nonprofit We serve over 7,200 people annually, and our mission is to transform the lives of people with disabilities through the creation of art.

Enroute is our new pilot program we're super excited to launch, so we got funding to create an accessible, open studio program for people with disabilities 18 years and older.

We provide five hours of open studio time every Friday, and we have a robust budget for supplies, which is really fun for an artist to play around with.

We're a cohort style program, so large emphasis on the program is connecting with other artists with disabilities and getting the expertise of our teaching artists Enroute gives them more time, and also gives them a little bit more of a program to set some goals and higher expectations for their artwork.

You will see a lot of people working on a lot of different stuff.

Some of the students need a little bit more encouragement than others.

Everybody is on a different level, and we meet them at whatever level that they're at.

So that, you know, we're gonna be producing their best work.

ArtMix has always been designed as a place to, like, help them kind of work on their social skills with each other.

The ultimate goal is well, we do have this end, art show where they can sell their work, but we want them to feel good about themselves and feel good about their artwork and feel proud about what they've done.

Our next story takes us just a few miles north to Carmel, Indiana, where we spoke with the curators behind one of the state's largest collections of miniature mansions.

Enjoy.

With miniature things, there's a sense of all encompassing knowledge that you can have about it.

You can see it from every angle in a way that you can't the full size of something.

And I think one of the senses is being able to have this sense of full knowledge, the sense of full control over a miniature object.

You can fully wrap yourself around it much more easily, both with your physical hands, but also your eyes and your mind.

While Carmel, Indiana is a big town.

It's also the home of a miniature museum full of teeny tiny treasures and delightfully detailed dollhouses.

But most of these dolls aren't for playing, theyre for viewing Which begs the question how do you distinguish a toy from a work of art?

It is a fine line, but it sort of has to do with the level of quality I think... We think of ourselves as art in miniature.

And you don't mess with that.

The world of miniatures is very diverse, and there are miniatures that are made for young fingers that are non breakable.

So there's the dollhouse that you play with and no one's saying, “Oh be careful, don't do that.” But then there's the dollhouse.

Like dollhouses like we have here are not playthings.

So how did this simultaneously massive and minuscule collection get its start?

A lady died in the community who had beautiful things.

Miniatures collections, gorgeous crystals and porcelain, and they all vanished.

You know, things were winding up in trash bins and goodwill boxes and all kinds of things when they were beautiful works of art.

My sister, who is Suzanne Moffet and two of her friends, Suzanne Landshof and Nancy Lesh, were miniatures back in the day.

And they realized that there are beautiful things in Indianapolis and in the area that belong to the world and should be kept and taken care of.

And since then, their collection has only grown between room boxes and houses.

I'd say we probably have 100 to 200 miniatures in general is a lot harder to count because inside of each miniature house there is all of the furnishings, there's all of the accessories.

You know, a kitchen might be fully stocked with cutlery and plates and all of the glassware.

But throughout our collection, we also have individual items of all sorts of things.

And so across our collection, that number balloons from 200 to probably over 1200.

You know, we have houses like the one behind me here that is four feet by seven feet by six feet.

And then we have miniatures that are four millimeters by six millimeters by seven millimeters.

And so sometimes it's apples and oranges.

With so many mini houses, figurines and fixtures around every corner.

Maintaining a collection like this is a full time job.

Diego's full time job, to be exact!

I typically sum it up as collections, curation, conservation, making sure that pieces, once they are moved, retain all of their pieces in place.

With miniature houses, you have wood, you have plastic, you have fabric.

Typically it is the wood and plastic that I'm dealing the most with.

It's mostly just about making sure that the pieces are as put together as we can ensure them to be.

Just like a full sized house, you need to maintain it.

You need to clean it out.

You need to make sure that you change out the light bulbs.

I'll say it's very tricky.

While caring for these pocket sized pieces requires an eye for detail.

Actually creating one is on a whole other level.

Oh scale is critical.

If you've got things that are not congruent and the scales are out of whack, it just it'll destroy the piece if you're not consistent.

So scale is important.

And when you get down into the really small quarter inch, you know, half inch to an inch, sometimes it's hard to tell.

So hard to tell that you can spend a lifetime trying to figure it all out.

Which is exactly what Joann Crippen did with her magnum opus miniature house, The “Manoir Hypotheque” The manor has something for everybody.

Took 25 years for the lady that built it.

She did it over 25 years.

The lady that built this, had such a sense of humor.

There's a baker carrying a cake, and the cake is toppling over.

And just some some action things in this piece that are quite unique.

And getting a miniature manor as massive as this one into the museum wasn't easy.

I remember when Joann first called... I was like, oh my gosh, that piece is so huge!

you know, how will we be able to do that?

And I think we originally told her we wouldn't be able to house it.

And then Diego and I went to visit her and we walked in the living room, walked in the front door.

This had a room of its own.

And once we saw it and the magnificent work that she had done, we said, okay, we're gonna find room, we're going to, we're going to make room.

And I'm really glad we did.

When we first brought this in, we had to empty out completely.

And I spent about six months putting everything back in place, along with Kathy.

So the two of us have had a really intimate relationship with this piece.

I'm still not tired of looking at it, and I still find new things inside of it.

But not every large, small scale project has to take a lifetime.

Across the room from the magnificent manor is an equally entertaining house of hauntings that took just one year to create.

Depicting famous characters and scenes from The Addams Family.

This was, the artist Kelly Kuehnert.

She was commissioned by Linda LaPage.

This piece was actually inspired by this museum!

In our gift shop... There was an electric chair.

Why that's the case?

I don't know!

But she found an electric chair in the gift shop.

And that inspired her to try and make the Addams Family piece.

But then she started working on it with her daughter, and they very quickly realized that the whole Addams Family mansion is too big of a project for them.

It's full of references both to the classic show and the 90s movies.

And since then, there have been a couple of animated movies, The Wednesday Show.

But at the time that this was made, those those things hadn't come out yet.

So it's really interesting getting to see all of this intergenerational appeal.

And if you're more into history than dollhouses, you're in luck.

The featured exhibit celebrating America's semiquincentennial is currently on display.

The arrangement of the pieces for the America 250.

I went for a general geographic theme for it, and so we move from the East coast towards the West coast.

And because of the layout of the room, there actually happens to be a bit of a temporal move that way too.

And so the exhibit gets to shift along both geographically and temporally.

Another one of my favorite pieces is actually being shown in the America 250 exhibit.

And that is a flapper doll.

I often find the dolls inside of these miniatures a little in the uncanny valley.

Often they're, It's not off putting.

Then I'm neutral on them.

It's hard to make a really good doll.

The flapper doll has such subtlety of emotion, has such a elegance of pose.

And I think the the, dress that she's wearing is just absolutely fantastic.

While the Museum of Miniature Houses and Other Collections is hosted, more than 110,000 visitors from all over the United States, it feels like they are STILL one of Indiana's best kept secrets, and one that they hope gets out.

I think a museum like this is so important because it is trying to inform people about an art form whose existence largely has been sidelined because it's been hobbyist and because it is primarily done by women.

And the sense of hobbyist art, and being able to elevate that to the sense of fine art is something that's important, not just for the viewers who are coming in and learning about this as an art form, but also important for the miniaturist themselves, who so often don't see their work with the same value that we see it as here.

There are castles, there's the modern house, there's a log cabin, there are gardens.

There's everything that you want, and you can just merge into it.

There's nothing you can't do.

There's no place you can't go.

Nobody's ever come to the museum and said, “UGH, that was a waste of time!” “I, I don't care for that art form!” >:( People just get enthralled here.

It will capture you.

It will.

And you'll be back.

Wow.

The variety of miniature masterpieces in that museum is truly astounding.

But you know what's even more amazing?

The sheer variety of skills and experience levels of the artists here at ArtMix.

Whether you're young or more experienced, a painter or sculptor, it truly seems like there's something here for everyone.

I'm Kim Watanabe, I'm a found object artist, which means that I do a lot of pieces that have wood, old toys, things like that that I integrate into the piece I've been working with ArtMix for about four years in another program.

Then I got introduced to the Enroute program.

They sent me an email, and when I read about it, I thought it would be great to have five hours of concentrated time.

“Oh that is crazy!” You know... what I love about the instructors here?

Is they're all great people.

They tend to help each person where you are.

So I need help with some very technical things that have to do wire and possibly sewing.

And so they'll help me with that if I need something.

They're just so available, and if they don't know it, they'll figure it out.

If we need a tool, they're like online searching.

So it's a really, just a supportive situation.

Like I've never experienced anything like it, you know?

Hello my name is DaReese I do digital art and make comics.

DaReese started his journey with ArtMix in 2024, and since then, his drawing skills have only improved.

and because I asked nicely.

He's allowed us to peek inside of his sketchbook FULL of amazing artwork.

This might be from Kirby And then this is the final piece of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and this is for Kingdom Seven.

And whether it's fan art or one of his original characters, DaReese wants to make art that helps people.

Making a world at peace, all the good times, with all the friends and friendship.

I'm just making my own life story and bringing all of the world together.

And when i asked How ArtMix helped he didnt mention anything about honing his drawing skills but, something much deeper than that.

Making me feel happy and joy.

and just... giving me lots of dreams.

While art is typically created to be shared, good craftsmanship can be almost invisible and our mission to find it brought Across Indiana to the Latinas Welding Guild in Indianapolis The guild is a nonprofit somewhat like ArtMix, in that it provides a safe space and thoughtful instruction to anyone who wants to learn welding.

Let's take a look!

It's an early morning on the west side of Indianapolis, And class is already in session.

Hisses and crackles echo off the walls like sparks shooting off the table.

Industrial fans fight a losing battle, trying to keep the late summer heat off of heavy, flame resistant jackets.

as the helmets go down we'll start right here in the beginning.

And the fiery flecks of molten metal go up.

One Two.

One Two.

One Two.

This is an introductory class for students who want to learn how to weld.

Welding is everywhere.

I know people don't realize it, but it's like the car you drove in today.

That had parts that needed to be welded together.

The building we're standing in that also had some welding and fabrication.

Born with a creative mind in Guatemala.

adopted and raised in Michigan.

Consuelo is the driving force powering this nonprofit.

She stumbled upon welding while she was in college, And that's when she noticed something.

From personal experience trying to get into the wedding industry, I didn't necessarily have an easy, easy way in.

I wish I could have been in a space where I felt like it was more for me and women who look like me or had similar backgrounds.

the demographics did not improve after she moved to Indiana.

So Consuelo decided to create the space that she never had.

And in 2017, the Latinas Welding Guild was founded.

recognizing that there's a demand for workers with trade skills.

The Guild offers a variety of bilingual courses in welding and forklift essentials.

we want to be the person that we wish we would have had in our lives when we were trying to, get a career.

Or even getting into welding.

a space to open more doors for more people.

you don't have to be Latina Latino to participate.

we're open to everybody.

And so anybody who's interested in welding can apply.

Helmets down.

Three second tack right there.

Jomar Molina is one of the instructors here at the Guild.

What I really love about teaching is at first a lot of people start off obviously not knowing a lot of things.

Some people come in never knowing how to weld but When they finally see their First beautiful weld, their face just lights up, like it's beautiful.

They just they get so happy He loves teaching and he's a really good instructor.

Jomar's style of teaching involves a lot of show and tell.

Letting the students learn and grow from their own mistakes.

So I want you guys to do your first welds.

Theyre obviously not going to be perfect.

All right?

I don't expect to be perfect.

I just want to see how they are looking like right now.

It's an approach that two of his students appreciate.

He's very helpful.

And he also it's like, oh, no, that actually looks really good.

Keep doing that, keep doing what you were doing.

I'm proud of you.

You should be happy.

I love it because it's a dirty job.

Like, you get sweaty, you know?

And then at the end of it, you feel, like, productive.

Mystique and her sister Maggie are three days into their course.

Both were quick to say how they'd rather spend time around more metal and fewer people I feel like with welding, you do see people.

Obviously you work with them, but you're not client facing I also worked at a restaurant, only lasted three months I'm not a people person.

Hi!

What can I get you?

I just could not do it.

I could not do it.

I'm like, I can't.

The Latinas Welding Guild isn't just teaching these sisters new trade skills.

The Guild actively invests time and money into their students.

the funds that we do raise helps support students tuition.

funding can look like, gift cards for groceries.

It could look like we're helping pay someone's bills so they can come to class, or they can land a job.

Helping students get to and from their classes, or helping people that may not have a high school diploma or even speak English.

The goal for the guild is to find whatever barrier that's holding a person back from learning how to weld, and then remove it, I have had a lot of personal changes in my life at this moment, I'm kind of just, like, starting over.

if it weren't for that, like the scholarship that that money, I probably wouldn't have been able to take the class.

I don't have anything to my name.

I, I haven't been working for, like, three months.

So that's where.

I told them.

I was like, you guys told me.

Pay what I can, but I really don't have anything and they were like, that's fine.

We'll figure something out.

And like, an hour later, Consuelo had gotten me a scholarship, and I thought that was pretty cool.

Having access to all that support, all that help doesn't stop when a student graduates.

they're a part of this community now.

there are times where staff will follow up with them even after a year.

It just meant a lot, you know, I knew from day one from the first class I took I knew what I wanted to do after this Willadeene Wilkins is a recent success story for the Guild.

her first welding class was three months ago.

She earned her certification soon after.

And now she's part of a local union on her way in their apprenticeship program, They continue to reach out and get a hold of me, ask how Im doing.

appreciate it a lot.

Honestly, I mean, all the support and they give me kind words to keep going with the job Im in.

You know it gets hard.

From their first day on.

Students feel empowered by the guild.

The people here will push you to do your best.

They don't want you walking out feeling negative about yourself.

And so I like that this place is small and everybodys very welcoming, and very nice.

And they're also very willing to help.

And I want my kids to be proud of me.

I want my boys to, you know, be happy that their mom is a welder.

You can add Willadeene, Mystique, and Maggie to the growing list of over 700 people.

The Guild has helped introduce to new trade skills, Removing barriers and sparking change For anyone that wants to learn, We're trying to make a positive impact in the community through welding.

like, everyone belongs and everyone has the opportunity to have have financial stability.

And there's a ton of work out there.

So if you come here and we're just going to help open doors for you and with you.

Well, that's all the time we have for this episode of Across Indiana, from myself and the folks here at ArtMix thanks for watching.

In the words of Indiana's own, Kurt Vonnegut.

“To practice any art, no matter how well, it's a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake.” So go out and make something!

Well see you next time.