Janet Bloch Leading Art in Michigan City

“It inspires me to try new ideas and bring bold projects to fruition. As a leader, I had to learn to listen, trust my instincts, stop second-guessing myself, and stay open-minded to others' ideas and input. But in the last five years, I've gotten really clear on what needs to happen next, and have affirmed my vision. This has taken me a long time, but it has made such a difference,” Bloch.

Janet Bloch

By Donavan Barrier

A passion for a subject can lead a person down a variety of different career opportunities. For Janet Bloch, her lifelong love for all things art landed her in the role of helping creatives and their artwork as the Executive Director of Lubeznik Center for the Arts in Michigan City.

Since she stepped into the role of Executive Director of the LCA, Bloch has helped transform the center into one of the most renowned art centers and art education programs in Northwest Indiana. Bloch said, “Lubeznik Center serves over 300 students for on-site classes, and over 3000 students for field trips and off-site outreach.”

“We had the unique opportunity to make a real impact in this region because there aren’t a lot of other arts organizations,” said Bloch, “The decision is always about quality to me, not quantity. If we aren’t invested in bringing an excellent 'product' to market, so to speak, then we should go do something else.”

“Exhibitions, education, and outreach- all of these should be the very best we are capable of because who wants to say they live in a community with a second-rate art center,” Bloch continued, “Where is the pride in that?! I admit I have very high standards. I am a driver, which I’m sure makes it not so easy to work with me, but that is what I’m passionate about. I don’t care about running a marathon or making the most money.  I care about having the greatest programming and exhibits you can find anywhere -Chicago, Valpo, Indy, wherever! Our community, our region, deserves nothing less.”

Born in Chicago, Bloch first became interested in art at a young age, as her sisters, who also had an interest in art, taught her to draw.

“I always loved to draw and would copy comic book pages and draw fashion designs,” Bloch said, “My parents both appreciated art and took us to museums. So I suppose it was somewhat natural. I took art in high school, and all my friends wanted to go to art school for college. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I was good at anything else, even though I always got good grades. I didn’t appreciate how smart I was and the capacity I had to learn anything I wanted, but for some reason, I trusted that I was a good artist. Then, when I was in college, I used to fantasize about the whole identity that goes with being an artist- you know, a lonely studio in New York or Boston and me painting away until I hit it big!”

When she graduated from high school, she first went to the University of Miami in Florida to study in their art department, before transferring to the University of Champaign and then, finally, going to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) to be closer to home, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and then receiving a Master of Fine Arts in 1980. According to Bloch, when she went to SAIC, there were no professional development courses for artists. When she graduated and took a job as co-director of the non-profit art gallery Woman Made Gallery, from 1993 to 2003, she decided to address the issue.

“I devised my own workshops and demonstrated to the participants through their own eyes what was missing and needed to tell their story through their art. I eventually consulted with clients and wrote a workbook to help artists.”.

That experience working at Woman Made Gallery, she said, was one of the best professional experiences she ever had, as it helped her gain insight into being a professional artist and, in return, provided others with her own knowledge and observations.

When asked for her thoughts on art sometimes being overlooked in community development, Bloch stated that she believed such opinions are changing for the better. Both mayors of Michigan City and La Porte, she said, have been very supportive of public art, with several murals having been completed in different parts of each community.

Some examples of the LCA’s work in bringing public art to communities include painting the H.O.P.E. Center’s exterior as a tribute to Becky Williams and a mural on Michigan Boulevard in Michigan City depicting the city's industrial history. She also facilitated murals in downtown La Porte and will co-direct the mural festival there this summer.  

“My personal belief, which has been my life observation and also shown in study after study, is that art can transform individuals and communities,” she said, “I believe that, and I want the arts to help impact everything from a child’s mental health, to personal freedom, to the economic development of an area.”

“When the arts are threatened, creatives find ways to earn more support,” she continued, “But the lesson we should take away is to not take the arts or artistic freedom for granted. It’s something to be valued and stewarded.”

“My philosophy on leadership is to "run your own race." I believe in the programs that we produce, and I stick to what I believe is right for our organization.”

LCA - LUBEZNIK

LCA is a vital, region-wide hub and resource for contemporary art and ideas, providing relevant and timely exhibits. These interpretive programs challenge and delight after-school and outreach programs that reach thousands. As the only visual arts center in La Porte County, they are free and open to all, six days a week, and strive to remove barriers and provide everyone in our community with equal access to exceptional art experiences.

Summer Exhibition: “Kindred Spirits: Margaret Wharton and Betsy Odom” opens on Friday, July 3, 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. with a reception and runs through October 25, 2026. This exhibition brings together two celebrated Chicago sculptors separated by nearly forty years, yet strikingly aligned in spirit. Born in Virginia and Mississippi, respectively, both artists arrived in Chicago carrying sensibilities shaped by Southern histories of making, repair, and resourcefulness. Across generations, they share a fascination with everyday objects—chairs, sporting equipment, shoes—and with the gendered meanings attached to them. Through humor, exaggeration, and meticulous craft, Wharton and Odom render the familiar delightfully unusable, and expectations around gender, sexuality, and function are pointedly, comically, and wittingly undone.

Mural Program: LCA’s mural program focuses on adding art to Northwest Indiana and beyond. Since the program’s inception, LCA has facilitated 14 murals and will manage five more in Summer 2026. All murals directly involve community members in planning and painting to promote empowerment and neighborhood pride. Public art is an engaging way to activate the environment for people’s enjoyment, improved health, and reflection. The template they adhere to gives the community voice and power. Where art exists, so does value and power, and LCA has committed to serving residents and neighborhoods with art and art experiences.

Watch for “Paint the Town: La Porte 2026” in downtown La Porte from July 8 -12. Artists will paint four murals in five days! This program is a partnership between Lubeznik Center for the Arts and South Bend artist Alex Ann Allen of Mural Mania. The Health Foundation of La Porte and the La Porte Urban Enterprise Association support the mini mural fest.