Calligraphy is no lost art.
Handwriting may not have the emphasis that it once did. Letters and cards have mostly been replaced by emails and text. Reports and documents are all created on a computer.
But there’s an innate beauty in the looping curls, strokes and dips of handwritten words — one that local calligraphy artist Patty Coulter cannot wait to share.
“It’s something I practice every day myself. It’s something I love,” she said. “It’s relaxing, it’s therapy. When you start doing it, you get into a rhythm. Each line you do, each word you do, each sentence you do, you see yourself getting better.”
Coulter will be the next Maker in Residence at the Greenwood Public Library, helping showcase and teach the basics of calligraphy. Inside The Studio on the library’s second floor, people can come to a demonstration day on Saturday, then register for one of five introductory courses.
More advanced students can take advantage of an intermediate class, as well.
“We love that Patty is a Greenwood resident who has displayed her artwork at GPL many times through the Southside Art League. She brings years of experience teaching calligraphy classes, and we’re excited to be able to host her as our September Maker in Residence,” said Valerie Holbrook, marketing specialist for Greenwood Public Library.
For Coulter, being able to pass on the art she’s been practicing since the 1980s is a special opportunity.
“Any time you talk to an art teacher or anybody who teaches, you love to see your students doing well,” she said. “I get very excited when my students are doing well, and I love seeing their excitement. When they’re getting it and it clicks in their head, it’s like a ‘ya-hoo!’ moment.”
The Maker in Residence program was created in 2023 as a way to take advantage of The Studio at the Greenwood Public Library.
The Studio opened in 2019 as the library’s designated maker space. The renovated room houses a wide variety of equipment available to the community, such as a Glowforge and Cricut. Nearly 30 art and STEAM-based kits are also available to use within the studio space.
Library staff have envisioned The Studio as a place where the public could interact with local artists — the idea behind the Maker in Residence program. Library officials started the program in early 2023 to take advantage of The Studio on the library’s second floor.
In April 2023, they welcomed their first artist as Maker in Residence, Dianna Porter, an award-winning fine artist, illustrator and teacher from Greenwood. September featured Sonja Lehman, a whimsical paper artist, while fabric artist Carole Ricketts Corey was in residence earlier this year.
Coulter, who is well known in the local art scene, was a natural choice to be the fourth Maker in Residence.
“We’ve tried to offer different art forms each time we host a Maker in Residence. We’ve had a watercolor artist, a paper artist, and a fiber artist, so we’re excited to be able to explore yet another medium with calligraphy,” Holbrook said.
She’s a trained interior designer and specializes in award-winning watercolor paintings. Her work has been on display at the Southside Art League, where she is a member, and in shows at the Greenwood Public Library, among other galleries and exhibitions throughout Indiana.
Her connection to the library led her toward the Maker in Residence program. She had a calligraphy business in the past and has taught the art form for many years. Recently, she has been teaching calligraphy at Crafts & Creations in Greenwood.
When library officials approached her earlier in 2024 about a residency, she readily accepted.
“People do want it; I think it’s coming back. I’ve tried to teach people letter-writing and addressing your Christmas cards. People love getting something pretty in the mail,” she said. “I love to share calligraphy, and I love to see people’s excitement about that.”
Coulter will kick off her residency with a Demo Day from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, where she’ll be showing some of the foundational aspects of calligraphy, such as learning italic script and using a nib and cartridge pen to start writing. She’ll teach a few words and have people practice writing their names.
Five different options for her introductory class on calligraphy are scheduled, with classes set for 4 or 6 p.m. Monday, another on Sept. 17, and the last two at 4 or 6 p.m. Sept. 23. Finally, two intermediate classes are available at 4 or 6 p.m. Sept. 30.
Coulter hopes that as people learn the basics of the art, they carry on with it even after her time as Maker in Residence is done.
“It’s such a discipline. People can learn it, but you have to practice it a lot; it’s like playing the piano,” she said.
AT A GLANCE
Greenwood Public Library Maker in Residence
Who: Patty Coulter, a Greenwood-based artist who specializes in watercolor paintings as well as teaching calligraphy.
What: Coulter will be offering classes and demonstrations in calligraphy throughout September as part of the Maker in Residence program at the library.
Where: 310 S. Meridian St., Greenwood
Classes
Saturday: Demo Day, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Monday: Introduction to calligraphy, 4 or 6 p.m.
Sept. 17: Introduction to calligraphy, 3 p.m.
Sept. 23: Introduction to calligraphy, 4 or 6 p.m.
Sept. 30: Intermediate calligraphy class, 4 or 6 p.m.
Information and registration: greenwoodlibrary.us/makerinresidence
