Latest news with #Baranowski
Indianapolis Star
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indianapolis Star
Tamika Catchings mural on Mass Ave shows 'she's not just a basketball star' but 'force in the community as well'
INDIANAPOLIS – When Nate Baranowski started researching Tamika Catchings, he saw her impact on Indianapolis as more than just what she did on the court. Catchings, Indiana's No. 3 pick in the 2001 WNBA draft, was the one to bring the Fever to prominence. She spent her entire 15-year career in a Fever uniform, leading Indiana to 13 playoff appearances and its only WNBA championship in 2012. She was a 10-time All-Star, five-time Defensive Player of the Year and is the only player in franchise history to win MVP. Her No. 24 hangs in the rafters of Gainbridge Fieldhouse. She's one of the most accomplished players in WNBA history. But she also means so much more to Indianapolis. More: IndyStar is your year-round source for exclusive Fever, Caitlin Clark news More: Ranking the 25 best Fever players since 2000 In 2004, Catchings founded the Catch the Stars Foundation, which helps local kids with literacy, fitness and development. She also owns the Tea's Me Cafe, which has three locations around Indianapolis. She still stays involved with Indiana Sports Corp, helping to host events like NBA and WNBA All-Star games in Indianapolis. That's what Baranowski, the South Bend-based artist selected to do a mural of Catchings on Massachusetts Avenue, wanted to show in his painting. 'When looking more at all the different facets of her, from her time at Tennessee, to the championship with the Fever, to her entrepreneurial stuff with Tea's Me Cafe, to her foundation Catch the Stars, and she's also a broadcaster, also a motivational speaker,' Baranowski said, '... I thought, man, if I could show it in these little, tiny snapshots that she's not just a basketball star; she's this great person and force in the community as well. That's what I was hoping to capture in this.' Baranowski was one of four artists commissioned to make concept art for this mural. All four mural concepts were released in April, along with a public survey to help the review committee make the final decision That detail, that care that Baranowski put into researching and highlighting all aspects of Catchings' life is what gave him the final edge. 'As we went through the process of figuring out which artists to be able to have do the mural, Nate stood out,' Catchings said in a video announcing Baranowski as the mural winner in May. 'Just being able to hit on so many parts of my career, upon my Tennessee days, to the Fever days, to the Olympic days, and encompassing the Catch a Star Foundation, Tea's Me Cafe, and everything that literally I've been able to do since I've been here and got drafted in 2001. So it's cool to see, just from portraits and the backdrop, snapshots of each phase of life.' Baranowski has always been an artist, dating back to his chalk art designs in his driveway when he was a kid. He turned that into a business at the University of Illinois as a college student in 2010, taking commission to write chalk announcements on the quad. He originally went to school for industrial design, then got a job as a theme park and entertainment designer down in Orlando. But he knew his heart wasn't in that type of art. He eventually left his job in 2015 to do art full-time, working on murals, chalk art and other commissioned pieces. He's done thousands of pieces and when he saw the international call for concepts for a Tamika Catchings mural, he saw a new challenge in creating something centered around a star. 'I loved the opportunity to highlight someone extraordinary,' Baranowski said. 'It's actually a very huge weight and responsibility to think, all right. This is, like, a real person. This is somebody's life, and you want to try to honor them as best you can as an artist. It was definitely a challenge that has been pretty stressful at times, but exciting. It's all right, it's not just creating art for a Disney movie where it's just like actors. It's for, you know, a real person.' Baranowski's mural has a center focus of a smiling Catchings. To the left, there are portraits of her in a Tennessee uniform, holding an Olympic gold medal and a teacup, representing her cafe. The bottom has a portrait of her doing a backpack drive with her foundation, and at the top is a portrait of her proudly holding the 2012 WNBA championship and Finals MVP trophy. Baranowski and his apprentice, Brooke McGee, spent two weeks in the summer heat, using cranes and stencils to make the project come to life. Now, it stands proudly on Mass Ave.
Chicago Tribune
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Marie Baranowski keeps coming up with big hits as Lockport takes fourth in Class 4A. ‘A really cool experience.'
PEORIA — Before the weekend, senior second baseman Marie Baranowski had played many games during summer tournaments on the fields at Louisville Slugger Sports Complex. But she never played here in a Lockport uniform. And she never played on the main stadium field. Check that one off her wish list. 'It was a really cool experience walking in there on Friday,' Baranowski said. 'Seeing all of the people there to support you was very exciting. The energy was awesome.' The Wisconsin-Parkside commit came up big Saturday afternoon for the Porters in a 6-5 loss to Oak Park-River Forest in the Class 4A third-place game. Taylor Lane and Sophia Hutera each had two hits apiece for Lockport (31-11), which brought home the program's first trophy since winning the Class AA state title in 2004. Baranowski reached base twice and drove in two runs and Addison Way reached twice as well. Colgate recruit Kelcie McGraw struck out seven, while Bridget Faut struck out five in relief. Baranowski's RBI single in the bottom of the fifth inning put the Porters in front 5-2. But then Oak Park-River Forest (30-9) rallied for four runs in the top of the sixth. The Huskies denied Lockport a win, but it was a small blemish on a great season. 'This season has meant so much to me, especially the girls,' Baranowski said. 'I've never been on a team with this much energy, with this much bond. We all love each other. And the most important part to me was that it has been fun. Every game was fun. 'I'm proud of each and every one of us. We were the underdogs this season and we worked so hard to get here. We battled through some really hard games.' Among them was a marathon sectional championship game against Lincoln-Way Central and Florida State recruit Lisabella Dimitrijevic. The Porters scored twice in the 10th to win 2-0. Baranowski started the winning rally with a single. Talk about a good feeling. 'I've always wanted to beat Central,' Baranowski said, laughing. 'And we did it. And then we got here. I was so happy to have had this opportunity. 'I've worked hard for all of this, and I'm really grateful for all the opportunities that coach (Marissa) Chovanec has given me.' Baranowski has finished her second full season on the varsity. She started her first one as a reserve. 'I wasn't disappointed,' Baranowski said. 'I knew I had to work for a spot. But every day at practice, I worked as hard as I possibly could.' The situation changed early and dramatically when an injury resulted in classmate Mikayla Cvitanovich being moved to shortstop. Chovanec put Baranowski in at second base. She responded by hitting .309. Over the past two seasons, Baranowski made just four errors. 'Marie has really handled that side of the field for us last season and all of this one,' Chovanec said. 'She just is a great, bubbly kid. Her energy is infectious.' And the jokes … 'She has a really funny personality,' Way said. 'Her jokes make everybody on our team laugh. She's probably the most upbeat person on our team in general. And her laugh is contagious.' But it wasn't just fun and laughs that impressed Way. 'When I was on JV my freshman year with Marie, she was always super nice to me,' Way said. 'And you could tell last year she really wanted to work really hard to get that time to play. 'The difference between her sophomore year to now is crazy. I give her a lot of credit. She deserves every bit of it.'
Axios
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Meet the Maker: Nate Baranowski
Meet the South Bend artist chosen to create a mural of one of Indy's most beloved hoops icons on one of the city's most popular streets. Why it matters: Nate Baranowski's 24-foot piece will debut this summer in time to welcome scores of fans to the Circle City for the sellout 2025 WNBA All-Star Game in July. What he's saying:"Tamika Catchings is a magnetic personality and an amazing force for good to those around her and in her community," Baranowski said in a statement. "She is not just a legendary basketball player, but also an entrepreneur, activist, broadcaster, volunteer, mentor and motivational speaker. I wanted my design to reflect this high-energy force surrounding her." Zoom in: Baranowski was one of 98 artists who responded to an international call from the Indy Arts Council and WNBA All-Star 2025 Host Committee. Baranowski — a University of Illinois grad with a degree in fine arts and a passion for street painting — has experience with large chalk murals, painted murals, acrylic on canvas and various forms of digital painting. He was the only Indiana creator to make the final four. The inspo: The selection committee said Baranowski best captured Catchings' bright personality, basketball legacy and impact on Indy.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
EU Wants More In U.S. Trade Deal Than U.K. Or China Got
The European Union wants a trade deal with the U.S. that sees a larger reduction in tariffs than negotiations with the U.K. and China have so far yielded, officials from the bloc said Thursday. President Trump has imposed a series of tariffs that affect Europe's makers of automobiles, steel and aluminum. On April 2, he announced a sharp rise in tariffs on all imports from Europe, but a week later reduced the increase to 10% for 90 days to allow for negotiations. Bags of Cash From Drug Cartels Flood Teller Windows at U.S. Banks Warren Buffett Reveals He Stepped Down After Finally Feeling His Age Dick's Sporting Goods to Buy Foot Locker for $2.4 Billion Boeing, GE Aerospace Get Qatar Airways Order After Saudi AI Tech Deals 401(k) Giant to Allow Private Markets Investments in Its Retirement Portfolios Last week, the U.S. and the U.K. announced an agreement that left 10% 'baseline' tariffs in place on a wide range of British exports to the world's largest economy. In an agreement announced Monday, the U.S. and China agreed to dial back some recent tariff hikes for 90 days, but left duties above the levels that prevailed before Trump took office. 'I don't think that's the level of ambition Europe would be happy with,' said Michal Baranowski, Poland's deputy economy minister, who is chairing a meeting of EU trade officials in Brussels. Sweden's trade minister said the EU should retaliate with higher tariffs on imports from the U.S. if a 10% baseline tariff were to be the final offer from the Trump administration. 'It's far away from good for trade,' said Benjamin Dousa. 'If that's what's waiting for Europe, the U.S. can expect countermeasures from our side.' The Polish official noted that the EU is on day 37 of the 90-day pause, and 'has time' to secure the broad deal that it seeks. 'We don't need a quick deal, we need a good deal,' Baranowski said. 'So does America. We have time.' Officials said negotiations between the European Union and the U.S. are making progress. 'We are seeing some elements of optimism because we are seeing elements of de-escalation on the U.S. side,' said Baranowski. 'That's a good sign that negotiations with the EU are speeding up.' Also speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting, EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said he had a 'constructive call' with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Wednesday. 'Our aim is to resolve the immediate challenges but also to lay the groundwork for deeper cooperation,' Sefcovic said. But there is the potential for fresh tension. The U.S. has initiated an investigation of the trade in pharmaceuticals under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which allows the president to impose tariffs on goods deemed essential for national security. Simon Harris, deputy prime minister of Ireland, said higher tariffs would harm both the U.S. and the EU. A number of large U.S. pharmaceutical companies have big factories in Ireland that make drugs which are shipped back home. 'The idea that Ireland or the EU poses any sort of security threat to the U.S. is absurd,' Harris said. Write to Paul Hannon at The Paramount Executive Caught Between Trump, His Boss and Angry CBS Staffers Why UnitedHealth's Blowup May Be More Isolated Than Investors Think Cassie Ventura Says Sean 'Diddy' Combs Used Blackmail Threats, Violence to Control Her Warner's Streaming Service Has New Name: Its Old One. Meet 'HBO Max.' CoreWeave CEO Says Increased Spending to Meet Demand Will Squeeze Earnings
