New Orleans artist Mark Bercier saw something strange one day. While driving to a family member’s home, Bercier turned a corner and saw a wooden telephone pole with a picture of a watermelon on it. The strange thing about the image was that the sign said “fresh peaches.” The juxtaposition of the two intrigued Bercier, and he has created a living off art based on that occurrence.
Bercier couldn’t stop thinking about that sign, and 25 years later he has what he calls “The Healin’ Symbols.” These are 26 different images …

“Angels in America Part 1: Millennium Approaches” is one of the plays being performed next year and will feature faculty members such as Wendy Mortimer, Drew Vidal and Rodger Smith. The play will be directed by Jennifer Blackmer.

Minnetrista will end its 20th annual Juried Art Show & Sale on Sunday after nearly three months. The art show began on Feb. 22, allowing artists from all over East Central Indiana to submit their work.

Downtown Muncie is going back to high school. Last weekend, the Muncie Civic Theatre premiered its adaptation of the popular Disney Channel movie “High School Musical” to “awesome” attendance, said director Marty Grubbs.

The stage is set for the Ball State University Opera Theatre as they present a show that utilizes the best of the arts to bring a classic show to the campus. Tomorrow and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. the BSU Opera will be presenting L’Amico Fritz by Pietro Mascagni at Sursa Performance Hall.

“Spectacular” will be different from the group’s other shows. Not only is it longer, but it is also a variety show. Along with the large group numbers, it contains band features, a tap number, a cappella numbers and solos.

The Manhattan Project was the creation of the atomic bomb during World War II. The play “Daughters of Trinity: The Women of the Manhattan Project” will be performed this week after months of collaboration between the faculty and students of the Ball State University theater department.

Two new shows will be featured this month at the Center Gallery ­— Ball State University’s first student-run art gallery located at the L.A. Pittenger Student Center. The first show, “Out of the Abyss,” features the work of Terry Huber, a Ball State graduate student. The second show will feature “New Works” by Andrew McCauley, Bill McQuail and Joshua McGarvey.

“Sometimes an art scene is hard to maintain in a city the size of Muncie,” he said. “There needs to be a critical mass of people interested in art. Muncie’s not quite big enough to sustain these types of things.”

Tonight, downtown Muncie will celebrate the local art scene with this month’s First Thursday Gallery Walk.On the first Thursday of every month, the city’s art galleries host opening receptions for new featured artists. April’s First Thursday event will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Phoebe Wantz, owner of Art & Soul by Phoebe, said there is a need for events like this in Muncie. “Even if people don’t have work to display, they can come and listen and experience art,” she said.