Take a glorious tour of Indiana through the eyes of 42 talented Hoosier artists at the Historic Indiana En Plein Air Art Show, Oct. 10 through Nov. 27 in the Indiana State Museum’s King Bridge Gallery.
The exhibit of 60 oil, pastel and watercolor paintings is included with admission to the Indiana State Museum. Adult tickets are $17, seniors (ages 60 and up) are $16, youth (ages 3 to 17) are $12 and children younger than age 3 are free. Save $1 by purchasing tickets online at indianamuseum.org. The museum, located at 650 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
The artwork by members of the Indiana Plein Air Painters Association (IPAPA) showcase views of the state from Lake County to Jefferson County, Steuben County to Posey County and many places in between.
“This exhibit combines the very best of Hoosier art and the accomplishments of statewide historic preservation,” said Mark Ruschman, senior curator of art and culture at the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites. “We’re honored to host the inaugural exhibition for this unique artistic partnership between IPAPA and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.”
All the paintings in the show, mostly executed on-site, depict one of Indiana’s 2,000 listings on the National Register of Historic Places. They depict a full range of the state’s listed sites, from county seat towns to ethnic heritage sites, historic houses, farmsteads, grand civic buildings and tranquil parks.
The Indiana DNR – Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology (DHPA) and IPAPA developed the exhibit and catalog to mark the 50th anniversary of Indiana’s historic preservation program. DHPA has just nominated the 2,000th property to the National Register, St. Ferdinand Parish Historic District in Dubois County.
“Plein air painting – the practice of painting outdoors – has a long and storied history in Indiana, inspired by the work of T.C. Steele and the Hoosier Group, Frank Dudley and so many others,” said Cathy Ferree, president and CEO of the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites. “What we see in the Historic Indiana En Plein Air show is that the beauty of the Indiana landscape continues to excite and motivate artists around the state to do their best work.”
After the exhibit closes at the Indiana State Museum, it will travel to Fort Wayne Museum of Art, where it will be on display from December 2020 to January 2021. Other venues for the show include Historic Brown County Art Gallery, April-May 2021; Richmond Art Museum, June-July 2021; and Midwest Museum of American Art (Elkhart), August-September 2021. Consult each institution’s guidance for visits regarding COVID-19 safeguards.
The exhibit catalog will be for sale at each venue.
The artists, their paintings, the settings and the prices include:
- Anne-Karine Bley, Sunny Day at the Wylie House, Monroe County, $225
- Anne-Karine Bley, Maple and 6th, Monroe County, $350
- Beverly Bruntz, Pepin Mansion New Albany, Floyd County, $950
- Beverly Bruntz, House of the Singing Winds, Brown County, $1,100
- Mark Burkett, After the Storm, Morgan County, $750
- Mark Burkett, Lake Ditch Bridge, Morgan County, $1,200
- Kevin Carlson, Madison, Jefferson County, $640
- Mary Ann Davis, Circle View, Marion County, $1,150
- Mary Ann Davis, Franklin County Courthouse, Franklin County, $1,150
- Steve Dawson, The Old Hinkle Garton Farmstead, Monroe County, $750
- Debi Black Edwards, Ford Bridge, Jennings County, $525
- Vivian Gladden, Franklin Square, Johnson County, $300
- Karen Graeser, Early Tribal Sacred Burial Site, Marion County, $950
- Gwendolyn Gutwein, Martin Blume Jr Farm, Allen County, $1,050
- Margaret Peters Hanke, Woodruff Place Neighborhood Fountain #1, Marion County, $375
- Alice Harpel, Henry S. Lane House II, Montgomery County, $375
- Thomas Himsel, Twin Bridges, Hendricks County, $1,200
- Thomas Himsel, Turkey Run State Park – Sunset Point, Parke County, $900
- Sally Hughes, Readmore Book Store Richmond IN, Wayne County, $350
- Robert Hunt, Hancock County Courthouse, Hancock County, $1,500
- Michael Janosky, Losing Ground at the Dunes, Porter County, $975
- Jeffrey Klinker, Linden Depot, Montgomery County, $1,800
- Jeffrey Klinker, Snow Covered Bridge, Montgomery County, $1,800
- Patrick Kluesner, The Old Carnegie, Madison County, $1,000
- Barbara Knuckles, Marquette Park Aquatorium, Lake County, $385
- Virginia Kramer, USS LST 325 Morning Docking, Vanderburgh County, $575
- Virginia Kramer, Tugboat Elizabeth Lea, Dearborn County, $500
- Alan Larkin, Allen County Courthouse – Detail Joy and Peace Mural, Allen County, $1,200
- Alan Larkin, Railroad Bridge on the St Marys River, Allen County, $1,800
- Abby Laux, Evening Prayers, Dubois County, $300
- Abby Laux, Sturm’s Hardware, Dubois County, $675
- Ron Mack, Morris Butler House, Marion County, $1,600
- Ron Mack, Granary Street Looking East, Posey County, $1,400
- Mark Millis, Tarlton House in Historic Martin Place, Johnson County, $550
- Pamela Newell, Roberts Chapel, Hamilton County, $1,650
- Chris Newlund, Huddleston Farmhouse, Wayne County, $1,200
- Chris Newlund, Noblitt Mansion, Bartholomew County, $1,200
- Patricia Rhoden, First Frost, Brown County, $995
- Susan Ring, Welcome to Thomas Marshall, Wabash County, $295
- Douglas Runyan, Pokagon Spring, Steuben County, $750
- David Seward, Barn on the Hill, Boone County, $850
- David Seward, Traders Point Creamery, Boone and Marion Counties, $1,600
- Donna Shortt, Gaar Farm Valley View, Wayne County, $540
- Donna Shortt, Bates-Hendricks House, Marion County, $540
- Jerry Smith, Henry S. Lane House, Montgomery County, $750
- Jerry Smith, Yountsville Mill, Montgomery County, $1,200
- Sallie Spencer, McCord Candies, Tippecanoe County, $800
- Sallie Spencer, Trinity Church, Tippecanoe County, $800
- Curt Stanfield, Zacke Cox Bridge, Parke County, $1,250
- Justin Vining, The Cannon Blast on Race Morning, Marion County, $1,500
- Steve Warner, Illinois Central Railroad Depot, Monroe County, $850
- Carol Strock Wasson, Looking East, Randolph County, $1,000
- Carol Strock Wasson, I Love a Rainy Night, Randolph County, $1,000
- Avon Waters, Red Soffits, Wabash County, $400
- Rick Wilson, Gem of South Walnut Street, Johnson County, $1,200
- Rick Wilson, Mid Day Shadows, Johnson County, $950
- Melanie Wissel, The Lure of Lithia Water, Orange County, $500
- Dan Woodson, Morning on Washington Street, Delaware County, $2,500
- Dan Woodson, Betty’s Cabin, Delaware County, $2,500
- Megan Wright, Harrison House, Marion County, $500
Images of select paintings in the show can be downloaded at this link.