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THE TM 911 Franklin Street Weekly Newspaper Michigan City, IN 46360 Volume 34, Number 5 Thursday, February 8, 2018 by Andrew Tallackson As a young girl, Laura Panozzo’s mother took her and her fraternal twin sister Marie to La Porte’s St. Joseph Catholic Church, both for school and Mass. No doubt the sib- lings were consumed by the magnifi cent sanctuary, the walls adorned with breath- taking stained-glass windows, the symbol of the Crucifi xion front and center. However, it was the church vestibule’s replica of the sculpture known as the Pietà, Italian for “The Pity,” by Renaissance art- ist Michelangelo that enraptured her. The famous work conveys the body of Christ, draped over his mother’s lap after the Cru- cifi xion. Panozzo was only a fi rst-grader, but, she recalls, “I was mesmerized. It touched my life. I kept thinking about a mother holding her child, and my mom holding me. “I would think of her life as a mother, and His as the living Son of God. It changed the way I looked at things. I studied the curves of his face. The shape of his hands. The vol- ume of his feet. To know the story of it, and to see this life-size statue, it stopped me in my tracks.” As the memory of that day intensifi es, the more animated Panozzo becomes. Her voice ebbs and fl ows, her hands rising and falling for emphasis. There is a fi re in her Laura Panozzo is photographed by The Beacher’s James S. Conlin amid her own artwork displayed in her Long Beach home. eyes, a passion. Indeed, passionate is an apt way to describe Pan- many opportunities abound for her these days, it is ozzo. She has a way of sweeping you into her world, diffi cult to keep track of them all: her enthusiasm so contagious, she persuades you • “Colossal,” the magnifi cent white swan she un- that, yes, anything is possible. veiled during the new Lubeznik Center for the Panozzo has emerged as a vital presence in the Arts exhibit, “Birds and Bees.” area’s art scene. Her forte is fashioning reclaimed • The grand opening of her new Uptown Arts Dis- items into works of beauty, specifi cally wood. So Continued on Page 2 THE Page 2 February 8, 2018 THE 911 Franklin Street • Michigan City, IN 46360 219/879-0088 • FAX 219/879-8070 In Case Of Emergency, Dial e-mail: News/Articles - [email protected] email: Classifieds - [email protected] http://www.thebeacher.com/ PRINTED WITH Published and Printed by TM Trademark of American Soybean Association THE BEACHER BUSINESS PRINTERS Delivered weekly, free of charge to Birch Tree Farms, Duneland Beach, Grand Beach, Hidden 911 Shores, Long Beach, Michiana Shores, Michiana MI and Shoreland Hills. The Beacher is also delivered to public places in Michigan City, New Buffalo, LaPorte and Sheridan Beach. hand,” she said. “I was mesmerized by everything Continued from Page 1 in nature, in natural development.” At LaPorte High School, though, art was not trict studio on March 31. the focus. Dance, from choreography to pompoms, • Becoming an advocate for Indiana Dunes Nation- proved a creative outlet, so much so that when she al Lakeshore. graduated from LPH in 1993, she headed to Colum- • Cultivating enormous installation projects, fea- bia College Chicago to study theater. turing fl ocks of birds, for airports and transporta- However, one day, 19 years of age and staring tion hubs. out the window of a CTA bus, she caught sight of a And on the home front, a 16-month-old son, Leo, beautiful portrait in the window of Utrech Art Sup- with her husband, State Rep. Scott Pelath. Leo joins plies on Chicago’s South Michigan Avenue. She got the young man Panozzo refers to as “my rock, and off the bus for a closer look. my strength,” her son, Enzo, now a sixth-grader at “It stopped my whole world,” she said. “All I could Notre Dame Catholic School. do was look at the portrait.” Panozzo spoke with The Beacher on a bright, sun- And, it turns out, subsequently purchase a set of ny Saturday morning, in the comforts of the Long paints and canvas. Self-taught, Panozzo accepted Beach home she and Scott purchased last year. the fact that drama was out of the picture. The 100-year-old house, which Panozzo likened to “I was going to be an artist,” she said. an old Swedish chalet, is now adorned with gusts In 1995, she earned a full ride to The Art Institute of her creative inspiration. Like the mantel piece of Chicago, fi rst studying painting before switching that inspires reactions on literal and fi gurative lev- to sculpture. els. Some might notice the varying shades of color “I really loved it there,” she recalled. “I felt privi- among the wood pieces used. Others might consider leged to be there. I was at the best possible school I it an aerial view of a new location: a new journey. could be at.” Nearby, a bare white wall is home to roses from Sculptures, in fact, produced a rapturous sensa- Scott and Laura’s wedding, interspersed among tion in Panozzo. surviving reclaimed branches from her former stu- “I felt like the creator of Frankenstein,” she said, dio, Earth Angel Eco Art, which was destroyed in a laughing. “It was like creating another being. I fi re in 2013. could move my hands and make another being.” It is here, among images of rebirth amid setback, And, it inspired her to continue her studies that Panozzo relaxes to share her story with The abroad, fi rst through a scholarship at the Studio Beacher. Born and raised in La- Porte, she recalls how exposure to Pietà ignited the creative spark in her. “I had a real gift for color,” she said. “I would draw and color odd com- binations. Purple, yellow, bright green. Somehow, they were beautiful in the way they were arranged.” Close attention to de- tail, even the minutiae of life, became an obsession. “My mom would be in the garden, and I would squeeze the dirt in my Laura’s mantle piece she created with reclaimed wood. Photos by James S. Conlin THE February 8, 2018 Page 3 Arts College International College of Art & Design in Florence, Italy. She only intended to stay for three Authentic Greek Pastries months. It turned into a fi ve-year experience, open- ing her fi rst international studio — Studio Panozzo — with a well-received exhibit that yielded the fi - nances she needed to thrive. EASTER It was in Florence that she bloomed under the tutelage of a mentor who would become a lifelong friend. Lorenzo Pezzatini instilled in Panozzo three BAKE missions in life: 1. Embrace her Italian culture. 2. Stay on her own path, regardless of who she SALE might fi nd herself in competition with. Friday, March 23 • Noon-6 p.m. EST 3. Love herself with the gifts she’d been given. From there, Panozzo headed to Puerto Rico for Saturday, March 24 • 10 a.m.-6 p.m. EST four years, studying the art of Santos sculpture and GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH wood carving while also teaching at Museo de Arte 18000 Behner Road • New Buffalo, Michigan de Puerto Rico. U.S. 12, just off I-94, Exit 4B She returned to the United States in 2005. Call for a pre-order form 269-469-0081 Your order will be ready for pickup during our Bake Sale Exciting EASTER EGG Batik Decorating Class Saturday, March 24 • 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Cost: $20.00 Call for more info 239-247-0516 This is a non-profi t event sponsored by Berrien County Orthodox Women (BCOW) P.O. Box 93, New Buffalo, MI 49117 Laura creates stunning birds fashioned from pieces of reclaimed wood. Photo by James S. Conlin In a way, her evolution as an eco-based artist, one inspired by sustainable objects found in the earth, brings her full circle, back to the love of nature that bloomed in her youth. For reclaimed wood, she often turns to rescue/restoration groups and beach clean- up crews that grant permission to unblock fallen woods causing jams in rivers and streams. Partners in these efforts range from NiSource to Northwest Best Barber Indiana Paddling Association. Hiking, by the way, was the impetus for exploring in Town!!! the creative possibilities of wood as art. Review “The basic element of hiking, it’s a spiritual jour- ney in a way, to enjoy the beauty of Mother Nature,” Conner L. she said. “It’s a journey of fi nding gifts. Five years ago, I started looking down instead of looking up. I found beautiful pieces in the sand that were like a gift. Amy Shinn “Any walk I take these days, there is something Owner/Barber fantastic that blows me away.” Many of Panozzo’s creations take the shape of birds: spectacular, ethereal phoenixes rising from 219-210-9385 the proverbial ashes. The project that had the most profound effect on BeachGlassBarberShop.com her involved a majestic bird — handpainted, with 2501 Oriole Trail, Long Beach Community Center Continued on Page 4 THE Page 4 February 8, 2018 mother in terms of writing prayers, positive state- Continued from Page 3 ments and quotes on the feathers of the birds she creates. messages of hope inscribed on it — that benefi tted Enzo has nothing but awe, admiration and love the Lindsey O’Brien Kesling Wishing Tree Founda- for his mother.