Press Releases
Below is a collection of recent press releases. If you are looking for something older, please visit the Archived Releases page. For additional questions, contact media@imamuseum.org.
IMA to Receive $1 Million Grant from Eli Lilly and Company Foundation
INDIANAPOLIS, IN, May 14, 2013 – At the 129th Annual Meeting of the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Dr. Charles L. Venable, the Melvin & Bren Simon Director and CEO of the IMA, announced that the IMA has received a $1 million grant from the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation to help support a new initiative called The Visitor Centered Approach: Reimagining the IMA. Over the course of the next five years, the IMA will employ a variety of communication, engagement, and evaluation strategies to increase and strengthen local and regional participation in museum programming.
Summer Camps at the Indianapolis Museum of Art
INDIANAPOLIS, IN,March 25, 2013 – The IMA will host nearly twenty options for week-long summer camp experiences. Youth, ages 5-16, are invited to spend five full days of fun at the IMA. Camps include an exploration of the museum’s galleries and traveling special exhibitions, adventures in the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park: 100 Acres and hands-on art making experiences. The final day of camps will feature a display of all of the works of art created during the week for friends and family to enjoy.
Kim Beck to Create Witty Installation in June 2013 in The IMA’s The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres
INDIANAPOLIS, IN, March 19, 2013— The Indianapolis Museum of Art today announced that it has commissioned artist Kim Beck to create the next site-specific installation for The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres. Premiering June 22, 2013, NOTICE: A Flock of Signs will be the Park’s 11th installation since its opening in June 2010, joining site-specific works by Alfredo Jaar, Jeppe Hein, Kendall Buster and Andrea Zittel, among others.
The Indianapolis Museum of Art Welcomes Spring
INDIANAPOLIS, IN, March 11, 2013 – In preparation for spring, the IMA will host two special events that will offer experiences for both the beginning and expert gardener. These annual events include special talks, tours and exhibitions this year. Visitors will also enjoy special discounts and giveaways at these annual favorites.
Exceptional African Textiles Showcased in Special Exhibition at the Indianapolis Museum of Art
INDIANAPOLIS, IN, March 6, 2013— The Indianapolis Museum of Art today announced it will present Majestic African Textiles, an exhibition featuring a spectacular array of prestige garments, performance and ritual cloths and superbly beaded and embellished objects. The works are drawn from the IMA’s extensive collection of textiles—one of the most distinguished in the country. The exhibition will be on view from May 3, 2013, to March, 2, 2014.
Indianapolis Museum of Art Fashion Arts Society to Host Annual ‘Hats Off!’ Luncheon
INDIANAPOLIS, IN, March 6, 2013— The Indianapolis Museum of Art’s Fashion Arts Society (FAS) will celebrate its third anniversary with a fanciful luncheon at the height of the spring social season. The 'Hats Off!' luncheon will take place on Thursday, May 2 from 10 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Participants are encouraged, but not required, to wear hats to showcase their style and grace.
Indianapolis Museum of Art Works to Rebalance Its Finances
INDIANAPOLIS, IN, March 4, 2013— The Indianapolis Museum of Art announced today a strategic restructuring that includes an 11% reduction in personnel and a greater emphasis on donated and earned revenue. With a unanimous resolution of the Board of Governors, the IMA has put a plan in place to lessen the Museum’s dependence on its endowment. The total value of the IMA’s endowment was $326 million as of June 30, 2012, but the portion of the endowment that can be used for operating expenses was $203 million. Throughout the nonprofit industry, investment managers have recommended more conservative earnings projections, and the IMA’s efforts are in step with this conservative financial philosophy.
Major Exhibition of Paintings and Other Works by Henri Matisse Opening This Fall at the Indianapolis Museum of Art
INDIANAPOLIS, IN, January 24, 2013—The Indianapolis Museum of Art today announced that it will host a major exhibition of paintings, sculptures and works on paper by the great French artist, Henri Matisse (1869–1954), from October 11, 2013, to January 12, 2014. The exhibition is drawn almost entirely from The Baltimore Museum of Art’s (BMA) Cone Collection, which is one of the most comprehensive collections of Matisse's art in the world. Matisse, Life in Color: Masterworks from The Baltimore Museum of Art is expected to draw large crowds from throughout the region like past exhibitions Gifts to the Tsars (2001) and Roman Art from the Louvre (2007).
Preston Bautista appointed Deputy Director for Public Programs and Audience Engagement at the IMA; other changes to senior management team
INDIANAPOLIS, IN, January 10, 2013— Dr. Charles L. Venable, The Melvin & Bren Simon Director and CEO of the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA), announced today that he has restructured the Museum’s senior management team. The most significant changes are the creation of the Division of Public Programs and Audience Engagement and the Division of Business Development and Marketing. Venable has appointed IMA staff member, Dr. Preston Bautista, to the new position of Deputy Director for Public Programs and Audience Engagement. A search will begin shortly for a Deputy Director for Business Development and Marketing. In all, five senior managers will report directly to Venable. The additional three are Jennifer Bartenbach, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary; Kathryn Haigh, Deputy Director for Collections, Research and Exhibitions; and Cynthia Rallis, Chief Development Officer.
IMA Commissions Spencer Finch for Efroymson Family Entrance Pavilion Series
Installation will feature suspended glass panels inspired by Monet’s Giverny water garden
INDIANAPOLIS, IN, December 13, 2012— The Indianapolis Museum of Art today announced that Brooklyn-based artist Spencer Finch will create a new installation as part of the IMA’s Efroymson Family Entrance Pavilion series. Finch’s expansive new installation, Following Nature, will be composed of an array of nearly 200 panels of glass suspended from the Pavilion’s ceiling, as a reinterpretation of Claude Monet’s iconic water garden in Giverny, France. Following Nature will be on display from February 1 to August 25, 2013.
IMA to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with Community Day activities for all ages
Day will explore common threads through community art-making, tours, a film and hands-on activities
INDIANAPOLIS, IN, November 8, 2012— The Indianapolis Museum of Art will host a day of free programs and activities to discover common threads while celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, January 21, 2013.
Holidays at the Indianapolis Museum of Art
The community is invited to participate in events for all ages and interests
INDIANAPOLIS, IN, October 23, 2012 – The Indianapolis Museum of Art will host festive holiday events that range from family friendly to stylish and swanky. New traditions include IMA Community Day the Saturday after Thanksgiving for families and 6 x 13: New Year’s Eve at the IMA for adults.
IMA Names Next Scholar for Mellon Curators-at-Large Program
Amy Poster will study the IMA’s holdings of Indian, Southeast Asian and Himalayan art
Renowned scholar of Chinese art, James Watt, making discoveries in IMA collection as he finishes his appointment
INDIANAPOLIS, IN, October 3, 2012— The Indianapolis Museum of Art announced today the appointment of Amy Poster as the next Mellon Curator-at-Large Program scholar. In 2011, the IMA received a $1.025 million grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to fund a three-year pilot program that allows leading scholars to conduct groundbreaking research on the IMA’s collections while developing a global model for future scholarly appointments at museums. Poster, whose work at the IMA will focus on the museum’s Indian, Southeast Asian, and Himalayan art collections, is Curator Emerita of Asian Art at the Brooklyn Museum as well as an independent curator and consultant specializing in South and East Asian art.
First Major Retrospective of Ai Weiwei’s Work in North America to be Shown at the IMA
Chinese artist pushes limits of art, politics and human rights
INDIANAPOLIS, IN, September 25, 2012 – The Indianapolis Museum of Art will present the first major survey of the art of Ai Weiwei in North America. Featuring more than 20 years of works that explore such universal topics as culture, history, politics and tradition, Ai Weiwei: According to What? will be on display in the Allen Whitehill Clowes Special Exhibition Gallery from April 5, 2013, to July 28, 2013.