Where to Go This Weekend: Bloomington, Indiana

Art Immersion

Bloomington, Indiana, now roughly halfway through Indiana University’s 113-day Summer Festival of the Arts, is brimming with events, performances, and exhibits. Among the weekend’s festival highlights:

• At the Grunwald Gallery of Art (at the Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Arts, 1201 E. 7th St., room 123, 812-855-8490, indiana.edu/~grunwald), the Kinsey Institute Juried Art Show 2012 features contemporary works in print, photography, fiber art, video, sculpture, and metal, much of it exploring the politics of sexuality, gender, romance and reproduction.

• In the Indiana University Art Museum gallery (1133 E. 7th St., 815-855-5445, iub.edu/~iuam), you’ll find a collection of Qiao Xiaoguang’s exquisitely detailed paper cut designs. Xiaoguang is a professor at the Cultural Department at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing.

• Music performances over the weekend include concerts by the Afiara and Cecilia Quartets (works by Janacek, Sibelius, and Bruch) at 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 8 in Auer Hall (200 S. Jordan Ave.; $12 general admission) and the annual IU Summer Percussion Academy Faculty Recital at 8 p.m. on Sunday, July 8 (at Auer Hall; free).

GO Summer Festival of the Arts at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. artsfest.indiana.edu.

Where to stay: The Indiana Memorial Union Biddle Hotel (900 E. 7th St., 800-209-8145, imu.indiana.edu) is offering 10 percent off normal rates this weekend and is located in the heart of campus, near galleries and performance venues; rates start at $115 a night. The Hampton Inn (2100 N. Walnut St., 812-334-2100, bloomingtonhamptoninn.com), a ten-minute drive from the university, is offering 15 percent off normal room rates for the weekend; rates start at $129 per night.

Where to eat: Bucceto’s Smiling Teeth (buccetos.com) has locations on Bloomington’s east side (115 S. SR 46 Bypass, 812-331-1234) and west side (350 S. Liberty Dr., 812-323-0123) and is known for its innovative pizzas. Esan Thai (221 E. Kirkwood Ave #D, 812-333-8424, esanthairestaurant.com) offers authentic Thai food with maximum flavor.

Photograph: Courtesy of the Indiana University Art Museum