After a look at The Awakening sculpture, recently moved to the site from Hains Point, and a stroll around the rather deserted shops and convention center, I came upon Art Whino. Brimming with interested faces, this art gallery seemed to have all the attention of the harbor’s visitors. The current exhibition, Inked Souls, is an artist collaborative of canvas pieces on the wall each paired with customized Tagur sneakers by the same artist. (Tagur in and of itself is a blog post.) In this case, the footware company and Art Whino teamed up to give artists the opportunity to paint the Tagur AKA Blank model shoes. Then Tagur responds to the crowds’ reactions by producing a line of shoes with the most popular design. You can even buy your own pair to paint and send a photo to the company for consideration. According to the Tagur brand motto, the customer becomes the producer.

Art Whino knows how to take chances in marketing, moving from its location in popular Old Town (Alexandria, Va.) to its new National Harbor location, just outside of Oxon Hill, MD. Collaborating with companies that give their visitors a chance to interact with the art is a smart move. I even spotted local Indiana artist Emma Overman’s works near the front of the gallery.

Maybe it was the painted kicks that drew a crowd or the shared experience of witnessing and being a part of something creative and “soulful.” Regardless, locating an art gallery or museum in a developing area can not only prove commercially sucessful but also serves as a welcoming place of community and excitement.

In the years since Star Studio opened, countless visitors have declined the invitation to make something in the drop-in studio by saying “Oh no, I’m not creative.” Huh. I’ve never had a child say that, though. Something happens between childhood and adulthood that prompts many of us to draw a line between who we are and who we think we aren’t. Maybe children are just braver, less worried about making a mistake. In the end, kids are just more open to the concept that making art is fun. I think many adults (and I’m including many adults who identify themselves as artists, myself included) sometimes forget that simple idea: it is fun to make things. It is satisfying to create, even if the thing you are creating is seemingly trivial, or unaccomplished, or ugly, or merely pretty.

I have the good fortune to see children making art often – in Star Studio, in the studio classes offered here at the museum, and at home, where my own children put markers, crayons, and Play-Doh to nearly daily use. Looking up from a work in progress, my son, who is not quite four years old, will say to me “Y’know, Dad, sometimes you’ve got to just check the theory at the door to the studio and just let the paint fly. Let someone else decide if that mark is genuinely felt or merely a self-conscious echo of a mythologized time and place you never knew. It’s just paint, man. Lose the paralyzing introspection and just make the work. Now grab me a chocolate milk.” I’m summarizing, but you get the idea. The point I’m trying to make is that we were all creative as kids, and we all still are…it’s a basic element of being human. Making art is one way to affirm that. We made stuff when we were kids because it was fun to do, and it still is, if we let it be. So, grab your Play-Doh, your sippy cup, and get to work.

Location: Surround yourself and your guests with art by choosing a museum as your wedding venue. Tie the knot at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the State Museum, the Eiteljorg or as our development events manager Jane will do on May 25, at the Columbus Museum of Art. Feel too formal? Try a smaller, local art gallery for a more intimate setting.

Invitations: Have your invitations custom made by a graphic designer rather than a stationary representative or company. You’ll find that most graphic designers are happy to take a break from their daily grind to help you out.

Dress: Find inspiration for your wedding attire at Breaking the Mode or other museum fashion exhibitions. You’ll have a better understanding of construction, materials, form and concept, so when you get to the store, you’ll be the expert.

Wedding Gift: Have your portrait painted for your spouse rather than buying the typical gift that most would want to hurl into the ocean on the honeymoon. If you are especially pleased with the piece, display it in on an easel to share with your guests at the reception.

Cake: Let your cake be inspired by your favorite work of art, painting or artist. Ceramics and other decorative art translate well to a wedding cake. I’m partial to this cake inspired by Wedgwood blue china with icing-like trim on jasperware, developed in England in 1775.

Decor: Vanessa, the IMA’s cooridinator of external events, offers several reception decor ideas. She suggests bright or subtle table linens arranged in ROYGBIV (color wheel) throughout the room. For table numbers and name cards, use postcards of your favorite works of art (from a museum gift shop) or designate tables after artists for guest seating. And you can always use Robert Indiana’s LOVE sculpture for table centerpieces or a cake topper.

Children: Have a table designated with an art teacher or artistic friend to keep the little ones occupied.

Photography: There are so many talented photographers out there. Just inform them of your style — modern, artistic or journalistic. After the wedding, be sure and blow up your favorite black & white closeup as the perfect piece to put in your home.

Favors: Send your guests home with notecard-sized canvas papers with water colors or jointed wooden mannequin forms that hold each guest’s place card as favors.

Anniversary: Whether your wedding day was so long ago it’s been deaccessioned from your mind or only a fews short brush strokes away, make plans to visit a favorite art gallery or museum. Commission a local artist to create a custom piece of art for your home — to commemorate the past year of marriage. I suggest the historic, yet romantic style of local artist Kyle Ragsdale.

Art has the potential to inspire so much, some aspects of which we may not at first even be aware. Its full influence on your wedding may only be evident in retrospect!