100 plus volunteers are on duty, the shuttles are lined up – the Museum is a hustle and bustle of activity today. Celebrating the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has become an annual IMA tradition and it is historically one of the Museum’s busiest days each year. This is the IMA’s sixth year of celebration and we typically have between 2,500 and 4,000 visitors celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day and acknowledging the importance of creativity in our daily lives.

So what do we have going on? A full list of activities is below, but a few of the highlights include: a 4pm conversation with poet Mari Evans and jazz composer and musician David Baker, A Screening of Mr. Dial Has Something to Say and Jacob Lawrence: An Intimate Portrait, and free admission to Read My Pins: The Madeleine Albright Collection. We’ll also be handing out buy one get one free admission vouchers for the upcoming special exhibition: Hard Truths: The Art of Thornton Dial. The Museum is open until 5 pm today so you still have time – stop by and visit us!

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Filed under: Art, Current Events, Exhibitions, Thornton Dial

In the interest of being green and sustainable, of reducing, reusing, and recycling, and of running out of time, I’m using an email from the Bossman as the foundation for this blog post. Thanks Mark for all the facts in one concise piece of literature.

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.

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Filed under: Horticulture

Some have their names on a gallery, time to give or money to gift. Others use their knowledge of a subject, unique skill set or need for a place to belong. They all have a passion for the IMA.

As editor of Previews, the best part of publishing a membership magazine is interviewing, meeting and photographing our members. As we celebrate the IMA’s 125th anniversary this week, it is fitting to highlight the people who give of themselves to the IMA.

Members selected to be featured in Previews are chosen to fit the overall theme of that particular issue and on their history of devotion to the IMA. For example, in this year’s fall issue, Roger and Francine Hurwitz were interviewed about their contributions to the Museum’s Chinese and Japanese collection since the featured exhibition was Power & Glory: Court Arts of China’s Ming Dynasty. I usually get a brief rundown of the member I am profiling before writing interview questions, but it never prepares me for the true devotion and stories these individuals hold.

I was moved by the volunteer who regained her sight and found hope after listening to her friends describe works of art for her. By painting the pictures for her through words, she found joy in life again and saw in art the possibility to inspire. When she moved to Indianapolis, she sought out the IMA to volunteer her time.

I was tickled when interviewing a donor couple deeply in love. Their journeys to collect art and relationships with IMA curators are so much a part of their life and family. They were so eager to share their love of the Museum with me that they talked over each other and finished one anothers’ sentences. (Talk about a journalist’s headache!)

If I interview the member over the phone, I’m always delighted to meet them in person when they come in to be photographed for the magazine. This is truly my favorite day of the publishing process. Our photographer, Tad Fruits, and I search for the right spot to capture their personality and interest. We joke and laugh as he captures a moment in time that represents so much more than standing in a gallery next to a work of art.

I hope you too find inspiration in the many diverse individuals who come together with the common interest of supporting the IMA. Become a fan on Facebook and keep an eye out for (new) upcoming opportunities for members to have 15 minutes of fame!

Filed under: Interviews, Marketing