Switzerland County Indiana

Congress Candidate To Make Announcement Fri.

(Vevay, Ind.) – An important announcement is being planned by a Rising Sun lawyer.

Lane Siekman has been considering a run for U.S. Congress in Indiana’s Sixth District. He formed an exploratory committee in May.

Siekman is one of just a handful of Democrats to show interest in running for the seat being vacated by Republican Mike Pence, who has decided to run for Indiana Governor in 2012.

Siekman’s campaign sent an e-mail Wednesday morning publicizing an announcement to be made Friday morning at 10:30 on the front steps of the Switzerland County Courthouse in Vevay.

“Lane Siekman will make an important announcement regarding his campaign for the Democratic nomination for Congress in Indiana's new Sixth District,” the e-mail said.

The Rising Sun resident is a past president of the Rising Sun-Ohio County Chamber of Commerce, secretary of the Southeastern Indiana Regional Growth Alliance, and is the Executive Director of the Ohio County Economic Development Commission. He also teaches business and law classes at Ivy Tech Community College.

A Democrat has not won Indiana’s Sixth District since Phil Sharp retired in 1994.

Matt Hicks at First Friday in Vevay, Indiana « Around Indy

Http://www.vevayin.com/

“I incorporate the history and feel of Southern Indiana into my work. I want people to be drawn to this area like I am. I’ve lived in several different states, but this feels like home.” So states Matt Hicks , an Indiana Artisan photographer from Madison, Indiana, who will be showing his work at the “Of Switzerland County” Gallery in Vevay. An opening reception on First Friday, August 5, 2011, 6-9 PM, is open to the public and all are invited to meet the artist during the reception.

Matt Hicks’ photography is as much about process as it is about the finished product.

“Photography for me is about relaxing into nature and just observing. Working in large format means you have to wait for the moment and let the photo come to you,” Matt says. “The light changes are so numerous, even in an hour. It is impressive to watch and capture.”

Matt fell in love with photography while a student at Indiana University in Bloomington. After one trip to the darkroom, he changed his major and graduated with a BSA in photography and sculpture. While he started with a 35 mm camera, Matt soon switched to the large-format camera because he enjoyed the control and patience required.

Matt finds serenity in the darkroom as well where he develops and prints his own black-and-white photos. It is here that he manipulates the images, determining where to place the dark tones and the highlights. “It may be a relic to work without Photoshop, but I think developing film is a lost art,” Matt says.

Matt’s work includes what he calls the “old type farmer feel,” although he is currently working on a series that focuses on spirituality and place. “I want my work to reflect the beauty of nature. A lot of us are missing the magic right outside the window. I’m trying to provide something that is an alternative to high tech.”

“My work is about our connection to the Earth. I create work that directly reflects our physical, mental, and spiritual connection to our environment,” states Hicks.

Through the use of large format photography and the zone system Hicks is able to manipulate reality and produce an image that has been visualized in his mind’s eye first.

The Swiss settlement of Switzerland county, Indiana

Switzerland County, Indiana, cemetery inscriptions, 1817-1985

Centennial history of Grant County, Indiana, 1812 to 1912, compiled from records of the Grant county historical society, archives of the county, data of personal interviews, and other authentic sources of local information

History of Clinton County, Indiana, Together with sketches of its cities, villages and towns, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens. Also a condensed history of Indiana, embodying accounts of prehistoric races, Indian wars, and a brief review of its civil and political history

Gold star honor roll, A record of Indiana men and women who died in the service of the United States and the allied nations in the world war. 1914-1918