Published February 22, 2025
Seeing Through the Eyes of an Artist
From the natural beauty and hidden depths in his landscapes to the subtle, understanding glances in his portraits, John Wesley Hardrick’s paintings captured the essence of life in Indianapolis.
But beyond the brushstrokes, there is another reason Hardrick is so beloved by people throughout the community.
“When I think of an Indianapolis artist, I think of John Hardrick because he stayed here, and that is so significant,” said Kisha Tandy, curator of social history and co-curator of our new exhibit, Through the Eyes of an Artist: John Wesley Hardrick. “His work helps to chronicle Black life in so many ways because he was painting the people of Indianapolis.”
A lifelong Indianapolis resident, Hardrick (1891-1968) was an academically trained artist and trailblazer. A graduate of Manual High School, he studied under impressionists from the Hoosier Group and became one of the first Black students to attend the John Herron Art Institute, which is now the Herron School of Art + Design. Hardrick earned national recognition for his portraits and was celebrated for his ability to highlight beauty in the extraordinary and the mundane.
In his portraits, Hardrick featured a cross-section of local figures. Through the Eyes of an Artist gives an up-close look at works featuring everyone from celebrities of the day, as with his work of a famous jazz vocalist, “Portrait of Maxine Sullivan,” to anonymous, everyday community members, like “Little Brown Girl,” which earned Hardrick the second-place medal for fine arts from the Harmon Foundation in 1927. Visitors can get an up-close look at these and other Hardrick works plus hear the stories behind them during special curator-led tours.
Throughout his life, Hardrick had to balance his creative passion with responsibility. He supported his education and family by working various jobs, including driving a taxi and a delivery truck. Still, he found inspiration in ordinary places, and pieces like “Bus in a Snowstorm” and “Indianapolis Street Scenes” offer a deeply personal glimpse of Hardrick’s everyday life.
Alongside Hardrick’s story, the exhibit highlights three other painters whose paths ran parallel to Hardrick’s but diverged in different ways. Hale Woodruff and William Edouard Scott were peers of Hardrick who lived briefly in Indianapolis — but ultimately left to establish their art careers elsewhere. Mason Archie is a contemporary artist from the Midwest who, like Hardrick, discovered his passion for painting at an early age. Living in a city but inspired by nature, he left a career in advertising to pursue art full time.
“This exhibition really shows people there are multiple pathways to pursuing your creative drive,” said Paula Katz, senior curator of art and co-curator of the exhibit. “It doesn’t even have to be artistic. Hopefully people who have hobbies or a passion of any sort will be inspired to dive back into them or find a new place for them in their life.”
Through the Eyes of an Artist also underscores the vital role artists play in recording visual narratives of daily life for future generations to appreciate. The story of the Norwood neighborhood where Hardrick lived is shared through a photo flipbook that illustrates how things have changed in one of Indianapolis’ oldest Black neighborhoods and how residents are currently working there to preserve Hardrick’s legacy.
“This is a great time to celebrate him because of the renewal that is taking place in Norwood, with the community’s efforts to save the history of that neighborhood — a neighborhood where he lived,” said Tandy. “It is always great to share the work of such an important artist from this city.”
