Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites

INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 10, 2020) – Nearly 150 pieces of award-winning art by Indiana artists will be showcased during the Hoosier Salon 96th Annual Exhibition when it returns to the Indiana State Museum beginning Aug. 29.

This competition is Indiana’s longest-running annual art exhibition and considered to be the preeminent juried exhibition of art created by Indiana artists. The 96th annual exhibition will feature 147 pieces of art – including both two-dimensional and three-dimensional works – from 124 artists, including 25 new artists to the show.

This year, 241 artists submitted 643 pieces of artwork for the competition. The exhibition was judged by Willis “Bing” Davis of Dayton, Ohio. Davis – a 1955 graduate of DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana – is a mixed-media contemporary artist and owner of the Davis Art Studio and EbonNia Gallery. Davis also taught art education for 40 years at schools and universities, including DePauw University, Miami University, Dayton Public Schools and Central State University.

“This time of social distancing has given Indiana artists time and space to do some of their best work,” said Donna Hovey, Hoosier Art Salon board president. “At the same time, it’s been difficult for artists to sell their work in public venues. Hoosier Art Salon has been exposing the work of Indiana artists to a wider audience since its first annual exhibition in 1925. That goal is more important than ever in 2020.”

The Hoosier Salon Annual Exhibition will be on display and open to the public at the Indiana State Museum from Aug. 29 through Oct. 25. Works in the exhibition will be available for purchase by the public throughout the show.

“We are delighted to partner again with the Hoosier Art Salon and provide artists the opportunity to showcase their incredible talents at the Indiana State Museum,” said Cathy Ferree, president and CEO of the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites. “This show also allows visitors to experience an amazing array of the best Indiana art created by Indiana artists.”

Award-winning student artwork also will be on display at the museum during the Hoosier Salon Annual Exhibition. The Indiana Electric Cooperatives’ Calendar of Student Art Contest – which also opens Aug. 29 – features work from students in grades K-12, with the first-place winners from each grade featured in the cooperative’s annual wall calendar. The student artwork will be on display through Oct. 4.

The cost of the Hoosier Salon Annual Exhibition and the Indiana Electric Cooperatives’ Calendar of Student Art Contest is included with the purchase of general museum admission, which is free for Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites members.

Photos from the 2019 Hoosier Salon Annual Exhibition can be downloaded for media use here: https://bit.ly/3fBdgG7

# # #

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.