Staff Reports
INDIANAPOLIS — Take a creative 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 at the Indiana State Museum, 650 W. Washington St.
The artwork by members of the Indiana Plein Air Painters Association (IPAPA), including Hancock County’s Robert Hunt, showcases views of the state from Lake County to Jefferson County, Steuben County to Posey County and many places in between.
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. Hunt submitted a painting of Hancock County’s most recognizable structure, the Hancock County Courthouse.
The exhibit was the brainchild of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources — Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology (DHPA) and IPAPA.
The exhibit and catalog mark the 50th anniversary of Indiana’s historic preservation program.
Plein air painting — the practice of painting outdoors — has a long history in Indiana, inspired by the work of T.C. Steele and the Hoosier Group, Frank Dudley and so many others.
The exhibit of oil, pastel and watercolor paintings is included with admission to the Indiana State Museum. Visit indianamuseum.org for open hours and admission prices.
When 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.
