At The Crossroads: Artists of Indiana

Although the many art journals and magazines published in the past several decades seem to often focus on the artists of the East and West coasts, a more honest and insightful perspective would reflect the truth that terrific American artists worked, and continue to work, in virtually every state of the nation.

Indiana is an excellent example of this truth. Both historically, and today, Indiana has raised, nurtured, and attracted a significant number of artists who worked in a wide variety of styles in a range of media that was as diverse as could be found anywhere else in the country. Indiana has long had much to offer artists of any generation, starting with the natural beauty of our countryside. Granted, like any state, we have our bright lights and big cities, our blighted areas here and there around the state, and the rusty footprints of past industrialism that seem not to draw the eye of most artists. Still, on occasion, artists will see into the “soul” of even those subjects. But Indiana, more than a great many other parts of the country, is truly filled with timeless, natural beauty.

Not surprisingly, the Fort Wayne Museum of Art has an extensive collection of work by artists who were either born here, trained here, or traveled here at some point in their career. It’s certainly no secret that in addition to the state’s natural beauty, the ability to get a world class education in art at any one of the top universities or colleges in the state, has attracted wave after wave of future artists for over a century. This exhibition, featuring just a selection of some of the Indiana artists in our collection, is a celebration of those artists who have, over time, chosen to live, work, and build their careers in Indiana.

This exhibition is supported by a grant from the Edna Foundation Fund.