© Stanley D. Abell, 2011

Later that day he uploaded this image, along with a few others from his time at the IMA, to his personal Facebook page. IMA staff gives a tip of the hat to this photograph and its posting online as a prime example of fair use of an image taken on the grounds and shared through social media – well done sir, well done!

In comparison to this casual moment captured and shared by Stanley D. Abell, Sara Morris details her experience as a professional photographer coming to shoot on the IMA grounds:

It was last fall, and I pulled into the Indianapolis Museum of Art on a beautiful evening.  It was a Sunday, and cars were lined up and down the long drive back into the gardens.  The Elder Greenhouse parking lot was full, and cars were circled up and around the Lilly House driveway.  I had made this drive a million times and never found it like this.  After waiting out a spot in the greenhouse lot, I finally parked and caught my breath.

Looking around, I was in amazement.  There wasn’t a wedding.  I couldn’t see any of the regular picnic goers and such.  I was just surrounded by photographers and families, children, happily engaged couples, and even a handful of dogs.   It was a photo shoot frenzy!  Being a professional in the city for over 4 years now, I have had my fair share of shoots at the IMA.  It’s an amazing and beautiful space with such a variety of backdrops.  I once thought I’d take a year off from shooting there, but it’s a heavily requested location by my clients, and I just couldn’t do it.  So, now, each time I shoot at the IMA I challenge myself to find something new.

When I heard about the new Photography Policy at the IMA, I was in full support.  That day – when I pulled in and was overwhelmed with the sea of photographers – was not much fun.  The IMA had become a photographer’s amusement park.  There were lines of people waiting to shoot in the Museum’s most coveted spots…under the arches, the low branch on the big tree, the iron bridge, the list goes on.  That day was frustrating, but it was the week that followed that hurt the most.  Early in the week following that Sunday, I had another shoot at the IMA.  This time I found my front row spot in the greenhouse lot with ease.  It was a new day, but yet the grounds seemed different.  The grass had turned brown in many spots, and there were visible paths where the ground had been trampled during the weekend, as well as parked on.  It was obvious how much traffic there had been, and the grounds were definitely in need of a break.

My hope is that the Photography Policy will help to give the IMA grounds the much needed rest it requires from time to time.  The Museum is still open to allowing photography, they are just adopting a policy that is very standard in most communities throughout the country.  There has to be some control, or it can turn into total chaos and ultimately hurt the museum most.  I was happy to hear of the new policy and applied right away.  I am thrilled to give back to a place that has brought so many of my clients lasting memories with their families and loved ones.

The IMA wants every visitor to enjoy the grounds and take advantage of the creativity that blossoms out of the natural beauty of the gardens and artworks. We simply ask that you be respectful of the grounds and help us to preserve them for the many future visitors. In the meantime, please share your favorite shots on the IMA grounds through your social media outlet of choice and don’t forget to tag the IMA!

As some of you may recall having read on the IMA’s Blog last year in Picture This by Tad Fruits, the season of “peak shutterbug activity” will quickly be upon us. We would like to take this opportunity to inform and educate those who want to bring their families, friends, or clients for their next photo shoot to the IMA grounds.

For the general visitor to the IMA very little is changing. We simply ask that you remain cognizant of your surroundings – both the artworks and other visitors. You may photograph for your private use, which includes sharing images with your family and friends through social media sites like Facebook and Flickr.

We ask that all visitors, professional photographers, and guests do not walk in any plant beds or climb upon any of the sculptures. We want the grounds to be as beautiful in October as they are in April. This request is as much for your safety as it is for the safety, longevity, and conservation of the artworks at the IMA.

Acceptable Visitor Photography

Unacceptable Visitor Photography - please remain outside the landscaping.

If you want to see our objects conservator have a coronary, then by all means continue climbing on the artworks. But really, do you want that on your conscience?

Definitely Not Kosher Photography (image from TripAdvisor)

The LOVE sculpture brings up the tricky issue of copyright, which most of the sculptures on the grounds are protected by. The IMA is required to contact the copyright holder or their representative anytime we want to reproduce an image that includes a copyrighted work of art. These uses include, but are not limited to, printed publications, marketing (both online and printed), and any commercially available products for our retail shop. While many find the concept of copyright annoying when they want to use an image, it is a necessary evil. I am sure that none of you professional photographers out there want any unauthorized uses of your images.

Speaking of professional photographers, many of you will note several changes for your upcoming visits to the IMA, but it is our hope that this will lead to a reduction in the number of competing shoots in one day and in the same area(s) of the grounds. All locations of the IMA now require a permit, and no, this does not count:

Private events already scheduled will take precedence over anyone just showing up for an impromptu shoot – without your pass you will be asked to leave, so please display it prominently.

Not to be the photo bad guys, but with any luck and a lot of your cooperation, the IMA collections and grounds will endure for several future generations to enjoy and select as their photo local of choice!

Otherwise, I might only think about the current weather….

Have I grown tired of temperatures 20 degrees below normal? Oh, hell yes. It seems so ridiculous to have so many nights in the single digits and it is only mid-December. I guess it is weather like this that makes those of us living in more northern climates so appreciative when Spring returns. You are just so relieved to not have that Ole’ Blue Northern pummel you anymore. At the same time, the snow makes a very pretty landscape. Here’s the view from my office window.

I captured a few images yesterday with my phone while we were shoveling out from another snowfall. Later in the day, after we got all the luminaria built, laid out, and lit, I ran out with the camera to capture a few other areas. Unfortunately the batteries died before I got far. If you have not been here for one of our two luminaria events every December, please put it on your calendar for 2011. 800-1000 luminaria bring a whole new look to the gardens, especially on snowy nights.

The gardens are beautiful in winter but we don’t clean all the walks. Please use common sense when traveling snowy or icy paths. And remember, a stop at the Greenhouse will give you a chance to warm up on really cold days.

In the meantime, enjoy (or tolerate) the cold as best you can. It’ll be spring before you know it.

Some may have noticed a bit of a commotion going on over by Garden Terrace the last couple weeks. That’s because the IMA has received a very generous contribution allowing us to begin work on the complete rehabilitation of the Four Seasons Garden.

This is a project we have discussed doing for many years. It is the last large chunk of the Oldfields landscape awaiting restoration.  With its completion in the spring of 2011 we will have one of the most intact Country Place Era estates anywhere in the country. The first picture shows one of the four statues in the garden representing the four seasons that gives the garden its name. That and the fact it is heavy on the evergreens I suppose.

You will be amazed at how quickly this is all taking place. Most of the work is being done in-house by our own Horticulture and Grounds crews along with Horticulture volunteers.

The overgrown and misshapen yews are history. Drain lines are being installed, to be followed by a new irrigation system. The drain lines were added because many of the old yews died from excessive soil moisture. Despite a good deal of digging when removing the old plants there was no evidence as to why this wet condition existed.

The troublesome circular pool, which never drained well, was reduced to rubble.

An outside contractor is creating a new, deeper pool.

This new one will be recirculating, and will have a skimmer box to trap debris. It’ll also have four small jets along its edge as the original once had, to provide some refreshing sounds and keep the water cleaner.

The marble bench at the garden’s west end is also being refurbished and we plan to put back a small sundial which once graced the south entrance (does anyone have a photograph of the original sundial?).

Anne Bruce Haldeman of Louisville designed this garden for the Lillys back in 1939, when their Recreation Building (now Garden Terrace) was being built.  It was refurbished by the Indianapolis Garden Club as a group project back in the 1960’s. Forty years later the garden was badly overgrown once again.  While we will utilize much of Halderman’s original design, we’ll make some modifications to make it more useable and attractive for our many garden patrons.  All changes will be carefully documented, just as we did in the Rapp Family Ravine Garden some 11 years ago.

As of today many of the new yews have already been planted.

Plumbing and electrical work will continue for another month or more.  The boxwoods should arrive next week so replanting of the shrubs will be nearly complete this fall. Some deciduous shrubs and herbaceous plants will go in come spring. It should look glorious for our celebration of Oldfields’ centennial in 2012.

I mentioned last time I thought fall color would go fast. But as often happens nature is messing with me again. Our plants here have held on to their beauty pretty good. You can still come and revel in the glory of autumn. I mean it. Get yourself over here.

Trees in 100 Acres

Shortly after I wrote my first blog on the history and current stewardship practices of the Park, I found out about an award the IMA had won in regard to those very efforts, through the Indiana Urban Forest Council (IUFC).  The IUFC is a nonprofit organization committed to educating the public and addressing key issues pertaining to Indiana’s urban forests, and is a great resource for information on establishing healthy and sustainable tree communities throughout cities across the state.  Additionally, they annually recognize efforts that are made by other organizations and individuals who are also actively committed to this goal, and this year we received the Outstanding Project Award which acknowledges the positive impact 100 Acres is making to the Indianapolis urban forest.  If you’re wondering how the opening of a park that is heavily represented by its art exhibitions could qualify for such an award, check out my previous blog which explains the efforts that have been focused on the care and restoration of the site itself, as well as the IUFC press release.

Director of Horticulture, Chad Franer, accepts the Outstanding Project Award for the IMA

2008 aerial photo of 100 Acres and IMA campus

Thank you, Indiana Urban Forest Council, for your support and recognition.  We are grateful for the opportunity to spread the word about the Park for the benefit it brings to the Indianapolis community, and for the continuation of our responsibility to better the Park in species diversity and environmental management.

Mulberry along 100 Acre’s meadow in fall

In 1972, when the IMA received the piece of land now known as 100 Acres, the area had already been affected by human use and abuse. Original disruption occurred when the site was used for farmland, until at least the 1940s. In the 1960s, the land was a staging area for highway equipment used for the  construction of the 38th street bridge, which spans the White River. The lovely, tranquil lake that so inspires viewers and artists alike began as a gravel quarry for highway construction, that later filled with flood water from the river.

1937 aerial photo of land in agricultural use

Late 1960s aerial photo of land post 38th St. construction

1971 photo of museum prior to construction digging

Although it did not occur naturally, the lake still provides a unique habitat for our resident blue heron, who remains content in his home despite the past year’s construction activity.

Blue heron, post 100 Acres opening, Sept 2010

Visual representation of ecological succession over time (many thanks to physicalgeography.net)

Path entrenched in invasive honeysuckle; beautiful, but ecologically detrimental

Native wildflowers in 100 Acres, July 2010

Despite its history, there are numerous insects, a thriving assemblage of birds, turtles, raccoons, beaver, opossums, coyote, and deer in the Park. These wildlife populations tend to remain intact because of their common adaptability to urban areas. A survey  performed by Butler University, completed in 2006, took inventory of the flora and fauna found on 100 Acres. In the four years since then, we have seen increased diversity in many of the observed plant, wildlife and bird populations. Yet there is room for improvement.  Our hope is that we can fulfill the habitat needs for less common species to move into the area, as encouraged by the studies and ongoing research from Butler, Marian University’s EcoLab, US Geological Survey and the Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District. Such collaborations are aiding the IMA in evaluating and practicing a logical land management plan.

Shy turtle residing in 100 Acres

What comes next, since 100 Acres resides in an urban environment and will have sustained human activity influencing it forever?  The IMA has taken the first steps for responsibility to the stewardship of renewal and care for the health of an important green space that allows an urban population a bit of respite from the concrete and asphalt jungle. It is time to understand that all green space is not created equal; the simple existence of green leaves and fallow land does not define the health of a landscape. Therefore, the museum’s horticulture and grounds staff is striving to restore the land to something resembling its former glory; a flood plain rich in species and beauty for the enjoyment and education of all.

Horticulture volunteers planting natives around Jaar's Park of the Laments

Native shrub planting

It was one of those rare days when the fog got worse as the morning went on. I think it was heaviest about 8:30am. Two volunteers and I were working on the South Parking Lot Hill doing spring clean-up, raking out leaves and twigs then cutting back the plants. The leaves of the Carex muskinguminsis and Diarrhena americana were frozen!

I had to beat the rake through them to get out the tree leaves and twigs!

The temperature at 9am was only around 32 degrees. Not sure how cold it had gotten overnight. But a landscape can be very pretty in the fog. I captured these photos after it had started to lift really.

Look how these yellow flowered plants glow in the low light of a gray morning. Yellow is so welcome in spring.

Here’s the Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Arnold Promise’ (witchhazel)

Here’s the Cornus mas (cornelian cherry dogwood).

There are so many plants in bloom right now it is amazing. With 70+ degrees coming for several days this week by the week-end it will be an explosion of color. You need to visit and visit often.

Crocus seiberi ‘Tricolor’ around Sutphin Fountain.

The three colors in ‘Tricolor’.

Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) still make me happy no matter how many years I’ve seen their spring show.

Winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) are very happy little bulbs.

Even on a gray day their bright yellow color absolutely glows.

The honey bees love them. Look at all the pollen on the bees leg.

The bees tended to take flight just as I was ready to snap the photograph.

Bee butt.

Now get your butt to the IMA and enjoy this glorious weather.

The snow came down this weekend, and the grounds of the museum made perfect conditions for doing such a panoramic.   So I grabbed my tripod and headed out to the grounds to finally work on my shot.  I wanted to do something slightly different, so instead of using a single 360 degree shot, I took 2 and put one inside the other.  And this is the tutorial on how I did that so that you can make your own panoramic as well.

Step 1.  Take a series of shots for your panoramic

Grab your trusty tripod and find a good spot.  Pan across the scene taking a shot every 15 degrees or so.   Make sure your photos will merge together well on the left and right sides.  And you also want to pick something with a neutral top and bottom portion of the scene.  This will make cleaning up areas later on much easier.

Step 2. Stitch your photos together

In Photoshop goto “File” > “Automate” > “Photomerge”.  This will present you with a dialog to select all of the individual photos that you want to make up your panoramic image.  The defaults should work just fine for what we want.

Step 3. Merge and Cleanup

Each image will be an individual layer in your newly merged shot.  Hit Ctrl + E (windows) or Apple + E to merge your layers into 1 single layer.  This will make working with your image more manageable.

You will most likely have some blank space in the corners and around the edges of your photo.  Select the Rectangle Marquee tool, right click on your image and select “Free Transform”.  Now right click again and select “Warp”  Use this tool to pull out the corners and fill the entire canvas with the image.

Step 4. Stretch and invert

In order to polarize your panoramic, your image needs to be a perfect square.  Goto “Image” > “Imagesize”.  Uncheck “Constrain Proportions” and set the “Height” to the same value as your width.  You should end up with something like this:

Step 5: Invert

If you are only using a single image and not merging 2 images, you would always complete this step.  In my case I am only going to invert the number sculpture as I want to put one image inside of the other.

Click on “Image” > “Image Rotation” > “Flip Canvas Vertical”  and you will get:

Step 6: Polarize

Yup, this is where you start to see your panoramic take shape.  Click on “Filter” > “Distort” > “Polar Coordinates” and make sure you select “Rectangular to Polar”.  Now your images will look like this:

Step 7: Merge the 2 panoramics

Now we need to put one image inside of  the other.  Copy the first image to your clip board.  Then open up your second image and hit paste.  Drag the new layer so that its below the larger image.  Use the Rectangle Marquee Tool to re-size and rotate your image so that it fits nicely in the middle of the larger image.

Step 8: Cleanup

Chances are you will have some empty space where the circle meets itself.  In my photo this happened at points with trees which tend to be really easy to fix.  I just used the lasso tool, Selected part of the trees and pasted those into the blank areas to fill in the space.  You could also use the clone tool to touch up these areas as well

Step 9: Fill in the blanks

Our final step is to fill in the rest of the whitespace.  In my photo the background is solid white so this one is pretty easy.  We’ll just add a white background to fill out the area along the edges.  If you have a textured background you could utilize the clone tool to fill in these areas as well.

And thats it!  Now you have created your first Polar Panoramic Image.  Make sure to share your panoramics at the IMA Flickr Group.

So how do we go about making the gardens more accessible? How about curb cuts and crosswalks to start? All the new construction when the museum expanded five years ago is compliant with ADA standards. This includes around the Sutphin Fountain and all the way down the Sutphin Mall. The ramps and steps also have handrails to aid in moving about.

When you get near the end of the mall you reach the Garden for Everyone (GFE). A garden designed to be especially accessible to those with physical disabilities. It is made possible by a gift from the late Irving Moxley Springer who was inspired by her son Michael. This garden unlike the others is specifically geared to people that may have mobility, sight, or hearing issues. The beds are raised to make it easier for a person in a wheelchair to enjoy the fragrance and texture of the plants. In the middle is a sculpture (La Hermana del Hombre Boveda) and a fountain.

Not only can a visitor enjoy the sounds of trickling water but this is the one piece of art in the gardens we want you to touch. Feel free to play in the water. Explore the sculpture with dry hands and wet. Circle through GFE and head back toward the Deer-Zink Pavillion and you will see the newly installed emergency egress from the Toby just before you reach the bridge leading to Oldfields. The exit is fully ADA compliant but integrated into the landscape as much as possible.

The gardens in the historic section of the IMA campus admittedly require a bit more work to enjoy when a person is using any sort of mobility aid. Please remember when on the road you share it with motor vehicles. Paths in this section can be fine gravel, limestone slabs, bluestone pavers, or turf.

In the Rapp Family Ravine Garden you will find some of our most challenging terrain. Steps and sloping paths abound, many without handrails. For those not interested in or unable to make the trek down into the ravine, a view of this garden from above offers many glorious/breathtaking/stunning vistas to be appreciated.

Throughout the gardens you will find signage to aid in understanding the history, design and plants involved. The labels tell you the scientific and common names of the plants. It includes an accession number that usually gives you a fairly accurate age for the plant. For instance, 2004-26 means that plant was purchased in 2004 and was the 26th plant accessioned that year. If the label says 2004E-26 then the plant already was in the gardens (E = extant) but was not given an accession number until 2004. It was the 26th extant plant accessioned in 2004.

Garden maps are available in multiple locations. Special signage may explain historical facts or special walks (Flowering Tree, Conifer).

Note the cell phone audio tour. Just call the number for more information. Also, always feel free to ask any of the Horticulturists working in the gardens questions. We love to talk plants (and good gossip is always welcome too).

I may be a touch prejudiced but I think truly all can access the gardens emotionally. Whether strolling through on a cold winter day in new-fallen snow or bouncing from blooming plant to blooming plant on a hot July evening one can always connect with some aspect of the gardens. They can be a place to heal a bruised soul, capture a child’s imagination, assist us in expressing love, or laugh ourselves silly…

So everyone, and I do mean everyone, come visit the gardens of the IMA. And this month of Disability Awareness is also a great time to begin to DISABLE the LABEL.