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The Exhibit is over, but you can see a photo slide shoe by clicking on South Shore Arts Preview. Knowing Joe: Works by Linda Eyermann Opens in the Atrium Gallery at the Center for Visual and Performing Arts in Munster, February 22-March 30, 2008. Opening reception: Thursday February 28, 6-8pm. South Shore Arts
1040 Ridge Road
Munster, IN 46321
An article from the Post Tribune
Joe's Journey: Art exhibit conceptualizes family's courage
February 21, 2008
By Diane Majeske Post-Tribune correspondent
This is art that tells a story -- one of courage, love and perhaps most importantly, faith.
This is art that tells the story of Joe Nimetz.
But when you view the newest South Shore Arts exhibit, "Knowing Joe," by Linda Eyermann, you might just see a little bit of yourself.
"I felt very strongly that this exhibit could be something that everyone could relate to," said Eyermann, who also serves as the director of education for the arts organization. "It addresses life-altering change. We've all had our lives turned upside down at some point -- maybe through sickness, or divorce or loss of a loved one -- the things that cause us to re-examine our lives, to step up to the plate and see the type of person we are inside."
The 12-piece exhibit, on display through March 30, was made possible through a $2,000 grant from the Indiana Arts Commission.
Through her art, Eyermann has chronicled the saga of the Nimetz family of Wheatfield, whose lives were forever changed on Christmas Eve morning in 2003. It was then that Debbie Nimetz waved goodbye to two of her sons -- Joe and Jake -- as they left to do some last-minute Christmas shopping
Jake was driving; his younger brother, Joe, was the passenger.
Soon after they left, the truck hit a patch of black ice, a remnant from the sleet storm the night before. The truck skidded out of control and struck a tree.
"Both boys were knocked unconscious," related Eyermann, a relative of the family. "Jake's injuries were not serious. Joe's were. Jake was 21; Joe was 18."
Joe was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury; his chances of survival were dicey, at best.
But his mother, who hasn't left his side since the accident, never lost her faith.
"I've been through the coma stage, where he was asleep," Nimetz recalled. "I've been through the vegetative state, where he was just staring. I had doctors who told me we should take him off the ventilator. And we did, a little at a time. But he continued to breathe. It was in God's hands. Then he was in a semi-conscious state. Now, he's in what's called a 'locked-in' syndrome, where he's cognitively aware of his surroundings. The speech is coming, finally, but it's not all there yet."
She has faith, boundless faith, that her son will continue to improve.
And that faith, the courage, and the pain faced by the family, along with the roller-coaster of emotion involved over the years, is what Eyermann has expressed through her art.
With the blessing of the family, she interviewed Joe's friends and siblings, including Jake, Joe's big brother and best friend. She observed Joe and his mother together, and she wrote her findings in a journal. Then she painted.
"I met with people who know Joe," she said. "They told me what it was like to know Joe now and before. And then I conceptually conveyed the family and the situations that they face."
The art is powerful, and thought-provoking. One piece, "Gathering Strength," shows a woman in a bathtub, in a stolen moment of repose, girding for the responsibilities of the day ahead. Another, "One Day at a Time," is actually composed of more than100 separate pieces, small 8-by-8 paintings of essentially the same landscape scene.
"I painted the 100 paintings over and over again, to show the daily routine that Debbie goes through, getting (Joe) to bed, to the bathroom, getting him dressed, doing all the things to keep his muscles flexible, all the things she does every single day. I wanted people to feel that sense of being overwhelmed and get a feeling of what it's like to feel it day after day after day."
The artwork conveys a wide variety of emotions, Eyermann believes.
"There's everything from sadness and empathy to hope, strength and courage," she said. "In talking with the family, I found the overwhelming theme is courage. They will not give up on Joe. They believe that Joe will come through this journey he is on."
If you go
What: "Knowing Joe: Works by Linda Eyermann."
Where: Atrium of the Center for Visual and Performing Arts, 1040 Ridge Road, Munster
When: Friday through March 30. A reception for the artist will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 28
Cost: Free
Details: Artwork is for sale. Proceeds from "One Day at a Time" piece will benefit the Nimetz family to defray Joe Nimetz's medical costs.
Want to help?
For more information on Joe Nimetz and his family, check out www.supportjoe.com. Also, a special fund for Joe has been set up at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Crown Point. Please put "Joe's Journey," in the memo section of the check and mail to:
Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, 250 S. Indiana Ave., Crown Point, IN 46307.
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