On the whitewashed walls of a basement level space on Washington Street just off of Greencastle's town square, hang entrancing pieces of modern art: something not every town of 10,331 can boast about.
Three Peeler Center fifth-year interns, Alex Chamberlain '13, Brittany Sievers '13 and Emily Wilson '13, have taken it upon themselves to make sure this space, the Low Road art gallery, remains up and running through its present financial predicament.
Currently in its fifth exhibition season, the Low Road began with two previous 5th year interns, Lukas Schooler '09 and Julie Rooney '09.
"They started this space because they wanted a place where contemporary art could be showcased to the Greencastle community, as well as the DePauw community," Chamberlain, the Arthur E. Klauser Collection and Community Outreach Intern, said.
Unfortunately, the Low Road has fallen upon hard times.
Two years ago, the students in charge of the gallery at the time received a grant from the Vice President of Academic Affairs' Office (VPAA). This grant would supply the Low Road with funding to last them two years.
"Last year's manager told us, 'Oh you've got another year of funding.' [...] Well, on the second day of the job, we found out that wasn't true," Chamberlain said.
The funding from the VPAA's office ended last semester, leaving Sievers, Wilson and Chamberlain in a "lurch," according to Sievers, the Efroymson Arts Intern.
"I think we had one month's rent total, to our name. And that was it," Chamberlain said.
Sievers added that "It was a rude awakening at the very beginning of our internships."
As fifth-year interns, all three women had other jobs to do. In fact, running the Low Road is usually a small part of the internships.
"The Low Road gallery is completely voluntary, and really a side thing," Sievers said. "It's turned into a bigger project than any of us thought it would be."
Sievers went on to say that in a regular year, she would expect the time put in at the Low Road to be only around six hours any given week. With this year's difficulties, that number has gone up significantly.
"It's at least 10 to 20 hours a week, which doesn't sound like a lot but when you're thinking I'm doing 40 hours a week with my internship, it starts to build up," Sievers said.
Wilson, Sievers and Chamberlain have had to put substantial amounts of their time towards fundraising events. A recent t-shirt sale raised $750, and they are currently seeking grants and donations from the DePauw and Greencastle communities. They have even invested in the "Square"-a credit card reader for iPhone and iPads.
"People are always like, 'Well, I would donate but I don't have any cash.' That's when we can say, 'Hey, I've got you taken care of," Chamberlain said.
Costs for running the gallery add up quickly. Chamberlain estimated that rent costs a little over $300 a month while utilities run up to $100 every month.
"That's just the basics," Chamberlain added. "That's just getting us through having a space."
The odds may have been stacked against them, but the three women feel they are making progress.
"Right now we can get through December," Chamberlain said.
Plans for a pumpkin painting fundraiser, as well as a Speakeasy party and a silent auction to raise further money are currently in the works.
Chamberlain remains hopeful.
"It's going to happen somehow, we just don't know how yet," she said.