‘Tis the season of giving! Dedicated volunteers light up Newfields this time of year, and all the seasons in between. Volunteers spend hundreds of hours testing and prepping strands of lights, delicately making decorations that adorn Lilly House, and greeting and guiding guests when they arrive at Winterlights presented by Bank of America from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. Their generosity of spirit is evident in tangible ways, as mentioned above, but what keeps them returning is their profound connections with their fellow volunteers, and their desire to share their love for Newfields with everyone who visits. 

Sharon Gamble, a Patron Society level donor and volunteer at Newfields, has been tending The Garden since 2017 when an eighteen-year passion project, hosting and producing “The Art of the Matter”, an hourly arts talk program for WFYI, ended. She was in search of a new community of people whose values overlapped with hers, and she found them in the Saturday morning horticulture volunteers in The Garden. In the hours she spent sowing in the beds throughout Oldfields, she found it wasn’t just about The Garden, it wasn’t just about the art, but a delicate balance of both—with a little bit of discovery and play mixed in that made her experience at Newfields more than gifted time.   

She recalled a moment at Winterlights when the magic of Newfields came alive for her. During the first year in 2017, Gamble sparked up a conversation with a man snapping photos of all the enchanting lights. From this conversation, she learned that even though he had visited Newfields many times as a child and teen, this was his first time discovering The Garden, and he was awed.  

Play, a concept Gamble views as regal and world changing, is the commonality we share when engaging with art and nature no matter where we’ve come from or where we’re going.  

Winterlights is designed to invite moments of discovery through play and wonder. It's in these moments that art and nature don’t have to be mysterious and feel out of touch. Gamble explained that Newfields demystifies both, making art and nature the common language we all speak regardless of our backgrounds.  

Gamble has spent much of her professional life working in the Indianapolis arts world. She is currently Vice President for Development at Indiana Landmarks where she has been for over a decade. Prior, she worked at the Phoenix Theatre and International Violin Competition of Indianapolis. A life-long patron of the arts, Gamble has seen her fair share of art institutions and recognizes Newfields as special for mastering this delicate balance.  

To Gamble, it’s about more than art. Yes, there’s the IMA Galleries, but there is also The Garden, two historic homes, and a community of people passionate about art, nature, history, and education. It’s the warmth, humanity, and opportunity to meet new people that make Gamble feel proud to be part of several Newfields communities. Her tending The Garden has also fulfilled her personally.  “I’ve made friends that I wouldn’t have encountered any place else. They’re from different backgrounds, different age groups than my own, I’ve found the intergenerational component to be the most profound. I’ve been able to soak up their wisdom. It’s like a big family that stretches both back and forward in time and throughout the community.” 

With the amount of warmth, humility, and comfort Gamble gave me from our conversation I know our guests are in great hands, surrounded by art, nature, and endless possibilities to play.   

While you wander Winterlights this season, don’t be shy, be sure to say thank you to our wonderful volunteers who are smiling under their winter-wear, and keeping spirits bright even on the darkest days of the year.  

Exhibition Credits: 
Winterlights is presented by Bank of America. Lead support is generously provided by Hagerman Group, Marian Inc., RJE Business Interiors, Sun King Brewing, and Sunbelt Rentals. Additional support is provided by Barnes & Thornburg, Color Story Studio, Engledow Group, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath, Mays Chemical Company, and RCR Technology. 

Image Credits: 
Photo courtesy of Sharon Gamble. Pictured from left to right: Volunteers at Winterlights Steve Hubert, Sharon Gamble, Lynn Miller, and Dave Yurek. 

Photo courtesy of Sharon Gamble. Installation view of Summer Wonderland: Spectacular Creatures in the Efroymson Family Entrance Pavilion, June 1–August 26, 2018. © Cracking Art.