From Their Indiana Home: Artists of the Hoosier Salon from the Permanent Collection

In mid-1924, a handful of forward-thinking Indiana women residing in Chicago proposed an art exhibition that would reverberate across their home state for a century. Their goal was to recognize and reward the very best Indiana artists with an elegant and expansive juried show designed to increase exposure to their work and encourage sales. The Hoosier Salon was a resounding success, realized in March of 1925 with 253 works by 132 artists. In 1942, it was moved to Indianapolis where it continues to celebrate the talented artists of the Hoosier State.

For the 100th anniversary of The Hoosier Salon, the Fort Wayne Museum of Art will spotlight Hoosier Salon artists from the Museum’s Permanent Collection. Among them are our earliest founders, John Ottis Adams and William Forsyth; second generation Hoosier Group artists Dorothy Morlan and Robert Hardrick; and noted Fort Wayne area artists, Peggy Brown, Jim McBride, John Hrehov, Joel Fremion and John Kelty. Their works are among the dozens by Hoosier Salon artists the Fort Wayne Museum of Art has collected in its equally long history.

This exhibition is supported by the Edward D. and Ione Auer Foundation.