Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites

INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 28, 2020) – 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+) are $16, youth (ages 3-17) 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. The full list of artists, works and locations is below.

“This exhibit combines the very best of Hoosier art and the accomplishments of statewide historic preservation,” says 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,” says 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-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:

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 here: https://bit.ly/3641Z00

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The Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites is a statewide museum system with 12 locations, offering visitors a chance to engage with Indiana’s past and present and see how their actions help shape the future. At each location, visitors are invited to explore big questions and create lasting experiences that will resonate long after each visit ends. Whether interested in art or architecture, history or science, there’s something for everyone and every interest. The Indianapolis museum is located in White River State Park in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. The historic sites are located statewide, stretching from Rome City in northeastern Indiana to Evansville in the southwest.