Indiana Statehouse Public Art Collection

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The Indiana Statehouse Public Art Collection, located in Indianapolis, Indiana, consists of more than 40 public artworks that are on display inside and around the grounds of Indiana Statehouse and the Indiana Government Center North and Indiana Government Center South.

Contents

The Statehouse was built in 1888 and remains one of the most important Neo-Classical Revival buildings in the state of Indiana. [1] The building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has an interior that is decorated in the Italian Renaissance style.

The artworks at the Indiana Statehouse illustrate more than 130 years of artistic activity in a variety of mediums.

Grounds

The sculptures on the east and south lawn of the Statehouse are the most visible of all. Notable artworks include the Oliver P. Morton Monument, which was installed in 1907. [2] Also on the grounds are sculptures of Christopher Columbus, a youthful Abraham Lincoln, Thomas A. Hendricks, and the pedestal remaining from the Robert Dale Owen Memorial, an artwork which was stolen in 1970. [3]

Inside the Statehouse and Government Centers

Two of the eight sculptures depicting the Values of Civilization IndianaStateHouseRotundaSculpture.jpg
Two of the eight sculptures depicting the Values of Civilization

Alexander Doyle's set of eight sculptures depicting the Values of Civilization (Agriculture, Art, Commerce, History, Justice, Law, Liberty, and Oratory) were commissioned for the Statehouse in the late 1880s and remain among the most prominent interior sculptures. [4] Other notable works include many portrait busts and bronze plaques of Indiana governors and notable citizens. There is a 21 x 41.5 foot mural depicting the Spirit of Indiana on the east wall of the Indiana House of Representatives and a figural representation of state of Indiana which was commissioned for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.

Documentation

The Indiana State Museum maintains a computerized database of many of the artworks at and around the Statehouse. In addition, a Fall 2010 Museum Studies course at IUPUI undertook the project of researching, photo documenting, and reporting on the condition of artworks. [5]

This effort was influenced by the successful Save Outdoor Sculpture! 1989 campaign organized by Heritage Preservation: The National Institute of Conservation partnered with the Smithsonian Institution, specifically the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Throughout the 1990s, over 7,000 volunteers nationwide cataloged and assessed the condition of over 30,000 publicly accessible statues, monuments, and sculptures installed as outdoor public art across the United States. [6]

The project of documenting this collection was based on the work that was done to document the IUPUI Public Art Collection, which was completed in the fall of 2009 and received national recognition. [7]

Recognition of project

Representative Saunders presents the Concurrent Resolution to instructor Richard McCoy and students of the IUPUI Museums Studies Program CCMResolution.jpg
Representative Saunders presents the Concurrent Resolution to instructor Richard McCoy and students of the IUPUI Museums Studies Program

The work to assemble documentation of these artworks was recognized by the Indiana Senate and House of Representatives, who each issued a Concurrent Resolution (sponsored by Senator Jim Merritt and Representative Tom Saunders) to recognize the "valuable work being done by Richard McCoy and the students enrolled in the IUPUI Museum Studies Collections Care and Management course." [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Zephyr</i> (sculpture) Stainless steel artwork in Indianapolis

Zephyr is a public sculpture created by artist Steve Wooldridge in 1998. It is located southeast of the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) University Library and north of New York Street on IUPUI's campus. The overall dimensions of this stainless steel sculpture are 13 feet (4.0 m) tall, 2 feet (0.61 m) long, and 10 feet (3.0 m) wide.

<i>Eve</i> (Davidson)

Eve is an outdoor sculpture of the biblical Eve created by Robert William Davidson in 1931. It is currently located in the HITS Building at 410 West 10th Street on the campus of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). The overall dimensions of this bronze sculpture are 5’ tall, 2’ long, and 1’ wide.

<i>Spirit Keeper</i>

Spirit Keeper, a public sculpture by American artist Steve Wooldridge, is located on the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis campus, which is near downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The sculpture is located in front of IUPUI's HITS building near the Creation Café at 337 West 11th Street. Spirit Keeper is a steel sculpture installed here in 2007. It is 78 inches tall and sits on a metal base 40 inches square, which is bolted to a cement slab.

Portrait of History, a public sculpture by Chinese American artists Zhou Brothers, is located on the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis campus, which is near downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The sculpture is located at the Blackford Street entrance to the Herron School of Art and Design. This piece is one of four public artworks on loan from the Indianapolis Museum of Art to IUPUI. The artworks were moved to the campus on March 22, 2009. Portrait of History is a bronze sculpture measuring 100 x 24 x 30 in and is mounted on an oval cement base.

<i>East Gate/West Gate</i>

East Gate/West Gate, a public sculpture by Sasson Soffer, is located on the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis campus, which is near downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. This sculpture is on loan from the Indianapolis Museum of Art and was installed on campus on March 22, 2009. It was transported from the Indianapolis Museum of Art to its current location, in front of University Library, from the Indianapolis Museum of Art via helicopter. East Gate/West Gate was constructed in 1973 and consists of stainless steel pipe. Its dimensions are 24'x 40'x 30' and weighs 840 lbs.

<i>Give and Take</i> (Smith)

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Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis Public Art Collection


The IUPUI Public Art Collection, located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, consists of more than 30 works of sculpture located outdoors on the campus of Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis. IUPUI is a public shared campus of Indiana University and Purdue University that was created in 1969. More than 30,000 students attend IUPUI today and view the sculptures as they walk, bicycle and drive around the campus.

<i>Christopher Columbus</i> (Vittori)

Christopher Columbus is a public artwork by Italian artist Enrico Vittori and located on the grounds of the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The sculpture was installed on the southwest corner of the Indiana Statehouse lawn in 1920 as a gift from Italian immigrant communities in Indiana.

<i>Tulip to Life</i>

Tulip to Life is a public artwork located on the grounds of the Indiana Government Center South in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The functional sculpture is a drinking fountain made of stainless steel in the shape of a tulip tree leaf. Designed by Eric Ernstberger of Muncie, Indiana, and fabricated by Tarpenning-LaFollette of Indianapolis, Indiana, the sculpture was installed in 1991.

References

  1. ↑ "Indiana Statehouse". National Park Services. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
  2. ↑ Save Outdoor Sculptures! (1993). "Oliver P. Morton (sculpture)". SOS!. Smithsonian. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
  3. ↑ "The Indiana Statehouse: A Self-Guided Tour" (PDF). Retrieved October 27, 2010.
  4. ↑ Indiana State House Building Commission Minutes, August 17, 1887.
  5. ↑ "IUPUI Museum Studies students document artwork at Indiana State House". IU News Room. November 29, 2010. Archived from the original on March 11, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
  6. ↑ "About SOS!". heritagepreservation.org. 2009. Archived from the original on January 8, 2009. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
  7. ↑ Miller, Mary Helen (April 4, 2010). "Scholars Use Wikipedia to Save Public Art From the Dustbin of History". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
  8. ↑ "Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2011-01-31/News and notes", The Signpost, Wikimedia Foundation, January 31, 2011
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