Newfields Magazine Spring 2020

SPRING 2020

The Travel Issue Edward Hopper and the American Hotel

Journeys with J.M.W. Turner

The best of Spring Blooms

Save room for Pop Up: Pie

Magazine Editorial

Managing Editor Editor Designer Photo Editors Rights & Reproductions Contributors

Photographers

Deputy Director of Marketing

Amanda Kingsbury Dylan Remes Jensen Jarryd Foreman Tascha Horowitz Samantha McCain Veach Anne M. Young Sarah Bahr Lauren Bogart Claire Coons Traci Cumbay Irvin Etienne Jean-Luc Howell

Lydia Spotts Anna Stein Michael Vetter Kjell Wangensteen

Eric Lubrick Samantha McCain Veach Jonathan Berger

discovernewfields.org

INDIANAPOLIS MUSEUM OF ART THE GARDEN LILLY HOUSE THE VIRGINIA B. FAIRBANK S ART & NATURE PARK: 100 ACRES MILLER HOUSE & GARDEN

Newfields Magazine is published by Newfields, 4000 Michigan Road, Indianapolis, Indiana 46208-3326. Questions or comments may be directed to the staff at 317-923-1331. Text and design Š 2020 Newfields. All rights reserved. Artworks published under fair use.

Newfields Magazine is printed on paper containing FSC-certified 100% post-consumer fiber, is processed chlorine free, and is manufactured using biogas energy.

(The FSC trademark identifies products which contain fiber from well-managed forests certified by SmartWood in accordance with the rules of the Forest Stewardship Council.)

SPRING 2020

Newfields • Spring 2020

The Art of Travel Make Newfields your spring and summer destination.

At left: A view from the Woodstock Bridge puts The Garden’s beauty into focus.

Front Cover: Edward Hopper (American, 1882–1967), Western Motel (detail), 1957, oil on canvas, 30-5/8 × 50-1/2 in. Yale University Art Gallery, Bequest of Stephen C. Clarke, B.A., 1903, 1961.18.32 © 2020 Heirs of Josephine N. Hopper / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY.

Calendar of Events

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Beer Garden trivia, the Indy Film Fest, Family Day: Pollinator Power, and more.

Edward Hopper and the American Hotel

Powerful Women of Newfields

Members can check in early for this much-anticipated exhibition.

They broke glass ceilings, and told their critics to eat crow.

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Lift and Sculpt

Spring Blooms 2020

The Bridges of Newfields

Mike Bir moves some of the IMA’s largest and heaviest masterpieces.

Florals will be big this season.

Here’s what to know before you go.

Explore the crossover appeal of five beautiful structures on our 152-acre campus.

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Pop Up: Pie

The Healing Place

Instappropriate

A delicious, bite-sized history of a not-exactly-American classic.

Why health professionals are “prescribing” Newfields to their patients.

Our social media manager shares her favorite Instagrammable spots at Newfields.

CONTENTS

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NEWFIELDS

From the Director Two years ago, on a flight back to Indianapolis, I took out a notebook and brainstormed ideas for possible art exhibition themes. Sex, Love, and Death.

Luxury. The Four Ancient Elements.

Even a specific color can spark an idea for a theme: the Brooklyn Museum, for example, recently did a major exhibition, Infinite Blue, that examined the hue in all its diversity.

Using Newfields' exceptional art collection, we could build small or large shows around any of those themes. There are infinite ways to use art to tell stories, and a few museums I've recently visited have offered inspiration as we radically change how we present our permanent collection in the IMA Galleries.

Currently, our galleries take a traditional approach, showcasing the history of art by country or background: Asian or European, for example, or by type: decorative arts or prints. At the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the galleries innovatively unfold the story of human civilization through 12 chapters, including “The First Villages" and “A Modern World?” A recent exhibition, 10,000 Years of Luxury, used fashion, art, furniture, and more to explore a world history of opulence.

Last summer, my husband, Martin, and I paid a memorable visit to the Museum of Old and New Art in Hobart, Tasmania.

Owner David Walsh, an art collector and former professional gambler, designed the mostly subterranean museum as a “subversive adult Disneyland.” The welcome desk even doubles as a fully stocked bar!

There, we took a cerebral amusement park ride, of sorts, through hell, purgatory, and heaven, in an immersive experience

inspired by Dante's 14th-century Divine Comedy and created by world-famous artist Alfredo Jaar. At one point, visitors were strapped into harnesses and clipped to the wall so they didn't fall into the abyss of hell.

It truly was exhilarating.

Travel and exploration—the themes of this issue—play a vital role in helping our team at Newfields connect with innovations around the world and bring back inspiration. Most recently, a trip to China offered many things to ponder.

Because we have a major exhibition of our art, Rembrandt to Monet: 500 Years of European Painting, touring several cities there, I had the pleasure of meeting with many Chinese museum directors and curators. I also visited museums that did not exist a decade ago.

The How Art Museum in Shanghai, which opened in 2017, has curated some of the best video exhibitions I have ever seen.

Built by the private collector Zheng Hao, the museum seamlessly integrates a fine-art exhibitions program with a hotel, restaurant, café, and impressive gift shop. As we work to do more with contemporary mediabased art, redesign our café, and enhance our retail store, you just might see bits of a sophisticated museum in Shanghai popping up in the heart of Indiana!

Charles L. Venable, PhD The Melvin & Bren Simon Director and CEO

SPRING 2020

C A L E N DA R O F E V E N T S

SUPERHERO SMACKDOWN: COMIC BOOK & MOVIE TRIVIA Thursday, April 9 / 6–8 pm Beer Garden $10 members / $12 public POW! BANG! ZOOM! Assemble your team and compete for the top prize at comic book and movie trivia in the Beer Garden.

Ticket price includes one beverage, with more snacks and drinks available for purchase.

ADULT CLASS: ADVANCED ORCHID CARE

INDIANAPOLIS BALLET PRESENTS: SLEEPING BEAUTY Friday, April 17 / 7:30 pm Saturday, April 18 / 2 pm & 7:30 pm Sunday, April 19 / 2 pm The Toby

C ALE N DAR OF E VE NTS

FAMILY DAY: POLLINATOR POWER Saturday, April 4 / 11 am–3 pm The Garden Included with general admission / Free for members

Venture into The Garden this spring and learn what you can do to help protect and save our native pollinators—birds, bats, bees, butterflies, and beetles. Grab a treat at the Beer Garden and then experiment with sustainable materials to build homes for our little friends and create a pollinator garden recipe of your own. There will also be a flower market, art-making activities, photo booth, tours, and lots of budding blooms.

Don’t sleep on this epic season closer! Almost 130 years since it was first staged, Sleeping Beauty has become one of the world’s most beloved ballets. Indianapolis Ballet will finish its season in a truly classic fashion with this Tchaikovsky masterpiece. Visit www.indyballet.org for ticket information. Newfields members can save 20 percent off the ticket price with promo code newfields1920.

FASHION ARTS SOCIETY: HATS OFF TO 10 YEARS! Tuesday, April 28 / 10:30 am (doors) 11 am / Podcast recording / The Toby Noon / Block party / Sutphin Mall $60 FAS members / $70 public / Registration required FAS is celebrating a well-dressed 10 years. Wear your best street style and join us for a live recording of the podcast Dressed: The History of Fashion, followed by a party with a street food-inspired menu. Proceeds from ticket sales help fund fashion acquisitions at Newfields. Visit discovernewfields.org/HatsOff2020 to purchase tickets.

Thursday, April 9 / 6–8 pm Madeline F. Elder Greenhouse $50 members / $65 public / Registration required Ready to take on the next orchid-growing challenge? Level up at this class led by Russ Vernon, owner of New Vision Orchids, and learn about fabulous spray orchids, which don’t need warm conditions to thrive. You will also receive an Odontoglossum orchid in bud or bloom along with instructions on its care, a repotting demonstration, and potting mix.

Top, left: Learn about bees and other pollinators at April’s Family Day event.

Top, right: Fashion blogger Dedee Northway attends a recent FAS Hats Off! event.

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NEWFIELDS

C A L E N DA R O F E V E N T S HOMESCHOOL STUDIO: MAKE A SKETCHBOOK JOURNAL Wednesday, May 13 / 1–3 pm Studio 3 $10 members / $15 public / Free for children 3 & under Free for first adult chaperone / $5 per additional chaperone Registration required Looking to expand your family’s creativity? In May’s Homeschool Studio class, make sketchbook journals inspired by the drawings and watercolors of J.M.W. Turner. An instructor will provide advice to make curriculum connections and stimulate imaginations.

MOVIES UNDER THE STARS

2020 INDY FILM FEST C ALE N DAR OF E VE NTS

Thursday, April 30–Sunday, May 10 The Toby & DeBoest Lecture Hall

Tickets will go on sale April 21 to Newfields members for The National Bank of Indianapolis Summer Nights Film Series.

Trot the globe, minus the airfare and passenger shenanigans, and expand your perspective when the Indy Film Fest screens more than 140 movies from all over the world. There’s a special emphasis on films that have an Indiana connection, too.

Visit indyfilmfest.org for this year’s lineup.

INSPIRED SIPS: B*TCHIN’ STITCHES Friday, May 8 / 6–8 pm Studio 3 $30 members / $35 public / Registration required First, you’ll visit feminist artist Miriam Schapiro’s New Harmony quilt (which she called a "femmage"). Then, you'll learn how to stitch colorful, subversive embroidery. Using this traditional craft, you can speak your mind about anything—from today’s political tension to your signature sassy quote.

Inspired Sips is a new program that creatively pairs art with small bites and curated beverages.

ADULT CLASS: CACTI IN A CAN Thursday, May 14 / 6–8 pm Madeline F. Elder Greenhouse & Beer Garden $30 members / $45 public / Registration required Upcycling, succulents, and beer: the perfect trio! Sample some of the Beer Garden’s offerings, learn about cacti and succulents, and pot one of your own to take home using a beer can as a planter.

NEWFIELDS ANNUAL MEETING Wednesday, May 20 / 5:30–6:30 pm Doors open at 5 pm / The Toby Reception / 6:30–8 pm Free to members / Registration required All members are invited to hear remarks by Board Chair Katie Betley; the Melvin & Bren Simon Director and CEO Charles L. Venable; and other Newfields leaders at the 137th Annual Meeting. Distinguished service awards will be presented and new acquisitions, events, and exhibitions will be announced.

The agenda will also cover fiscal and attendance statistics, budget milestones, and the introduction of new board members.

A reception with drinks and hors d’oeuvres will follow.

Registration will open in mid-April at discovernewfields.org/ annualmeeting2020.

CARNIVOROUS PLANTS AND A BEER Saturday, May 23 / 1–2:30 pm Madeline F. Elder Greenhouse & Beer Garden $15 members / $20 public Discover the insatiable world of carnivorous plants—the different types, habitats, and basic care—during this new, informal discussion. Price includes a beverage of your choice. Snacks cost extra for you, but not for the plants!

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SPRING 2020

N E W AT N E W F I E L D S BUILD YOUR TEAM HERE Virtual reality, fire walking, trapped-in-a-room-adventure games—team building trends come and go. What never changes?

The need for a unique venue that inspires and connects employees.

Newfields is offering four new experiences, and your group can choose one or work with our education team to create a custom program. Choices include Gallery Conversations (themes are "talk it out" or "problem solving"); Art Making (printmaking, painting, or bookmaking); Team Challenges (with scavenger hunts that take place in the IMA Galleries or The Garden); and Inspired Sips (visit the galleries, work with an artist to create a masterpiece, and enjoy drinks and small bites). To learn more, please e-mail Katy Denny at KDenny@discovernewfields.org.

NEW HOURS FOR SPRING Now through October, please join us at Newfields from 11 am–5 pm Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and 11 am–8 pm Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

We are closed Monday.

INDIANA ARTISTS CLUB SHOW

N E W AT N E W F I E L D S

It’s not often that you can buy what you see on the walls at a museum. But all of the award-winning works at the Indiana Artists Club show, April 3 through May 30, will be for sale.

The 88th annual juried exhibition, organized and presented by the IAC, will feature more than 40 works including prints, photographs, paintings, mixed media, and sculpture in The Bret Waller Gallery.

Visit indianaartists.org for more information.

DOUBLE CONCAVE CIRCLE (DEEP VIOLET-RED) De Wain Valentine was born in Colorado in 1936 and moved to Los Angeles in 1965 to teach a course in plastics technology at UCLA. In 1966, he developed a type of polyester resin that enabled him to cast monumental objects in a single pour, which was later commercialized under the trade name Valentine MasKast Resin.

This innovation in resin technology allowed him to create largerthan-life-size sculptures such as Double Concave Circle (Deep Violet-Red) (1970), which was installed in January at Newfields.

Valentine was one of several artists working in Southern California in the 1960s and '70s who experimented with new plastics and manufacturing methods. This group, which included figures such as Robert Irwin, Fred Eversley, Peter Alexander, and Craig Kauffman, was later called “Finish Fetish” by critic and curator John Coplans.

At 8 feet tall, Double Concave Circle (Deep Violet-Red) is the largest resin disc that Valentine has ever made, and is on long-term loan from the collection of Randy and Sheila Ott. — Michael Vetter

Top: Works at the annual Indiana Artists Club show will be available to purchase.

Bottom: De Wain Valentine (American, b. 1936), Double Concave Circle (Deep Violet-Red), 1970, polyester resin, 91-1/8 × 93-1/2 × 10-3/8 in. (thickness at top 5-3/8 in.). On loan from Randall and Sheila Ott. © De Wain Valentine.

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NEWFIELDS

EDWA R D H O PPER THE ESCAPE ARTIST

By Anna Stein Assistant Curator of Works on Paper

Edward Hopper (American, 1882–1967), Hotel Lobby (detail), 1943, oil on canvas, 32-1/4 × 40-3/4 in. Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, William Ray Adams Memorial Collection, 47.4 © 2020 Heirs of Josephine N. Hopper / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY.

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Opposite Page: Edward Hopper (American, 1882–1967), People in the Sun (detail), 1960, oil on canvas, 40-3/8 × 60-3/8 in. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. 1969.47.61 © 2020 Heirs of Josephine N. Hopper / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. Digital Image: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC / Art Resource, NY.

SPRING 2020

Edward Hopper and the American Hotel The exhibition will be open Saturday, June 6, through Sunday, September 13. Free preview days for Newfields members are 5–8 pm Thursday, June 4, and 11 am–5 pm Friday, June 5.

Tickets will go on sale in March for a special opening party the evening of June 5.

Edward Hopper and the American Hotel is organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, in partnership with the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields.

Edward Hopper and the American Hotel is presented by Schahet Hotels.

Lead support is provided by Charles L. Venable & Martin K. Webb and Drs. Marian and Patrick Pettengill. Additional support is provided by Ms. Nancy L. McMillan.

While many of us think about packing our bags for summer vacation, a group of masterpieces will be hitting the road to Indianapolis for an exhibition dealing with this very concept: American travel. Edward Hopper and the American Hotel is coming to the IMA at Newfields from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA). Guests will have the opportunity to explore—through spectacular artworks—how the career of iconic American painter Edward Hopper was shaped by his fascination with hotels, motels, and other lodging spaces of American popular travel culture.

Over 100 works borrowed from museum and private collections were organized into this exhibition by Dr. Leo G. Mazow, the Louise B. and J. Harwood Cochrane Curator of American Art at the VMFA. At its heart are 17 grand oil paintings by Hopper, one of which Newfields will not need to borrow. Our own Hotel Lobby (1943) is highlighted in the show and is one of several paintings accompanied by the sketches that Hopper used to prepare them.

The senses of anonymity, unease, and transience that keen-eyed guests so often identify in Hotel Lobby are characteristic of Hopper’s work. Placing his brooding hotel figures in the context of American culture, however, reveals they were also part of a larger phenomenon. Hotel experiences were common metaphors for modern 20th-century life as its inhabitants grappled with it, and appeared with some regularity in movies and novels (with 1941 film noir The Maltese Falcon being perhaps the most enduring of these). With these artworks, Hopper was participating in this larger “hotel consciousness.”

Hopper’s immersion in hotel culture has roots in his years as a commercial illustrator, when he created 23 covers for the trade magazines Hotel Management and Tavern Topics. Later in his career, he was a seasoned traveler who often took to the road with his wife, fellow painter Josephine “Jo” Nivison Hopper, who managed “Ed’s” career at the expense of her own. The pair crisscrossed the continent in their beloved Buick while Jo recorded observations on temporary lodgings everywhere from beach houses in Massachusetts to motels in Georgia and hotels in northeast Mexico. Jo’s diaries vividly describe some of their lodgings and are invaluable to understanding how the Hoppers traveled.

A diary excerpt from December 8, 1952: “Several motels stretched straight out like a tense caterpillar, head with office facing road and body at perpendicular to it. Cars meant to stay outside windows of rooms, one after the other like vertebrae.”

Three diaries will be on view in the exhibition along with some of the postcards the Hoppers sent back home.

The influence of hotels on Edward Hopper’s work will also be shown through some large watercolors (most painted from the windows and roofs of hotels), a few etchings, and a selection of his hospitality trade magazine covers. Enriching and contextualizing these works will be paintings, sculpture, and photographs by other important American artists who were inspired by hotel culture over time. These include Richard Caton Woodville’s 1848 painting War News from Mexico and Susan Worsham’s 2009 photograph Marine, Hotel Near Airport, Richmond, VA.

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NEWFIELDS

PLAN YOUR ESCAPE 5 ways to be part of the adventure at Edward Hopper and the American Hotel: SHARE YOUR FAMILY TRAVEL PHOTOS. Do you have family photographs of travels and vacations from the 1920s to the 1960s? If so, we invite you to submit them via discovernewfields.org for a chance to have them featured in a video slideshow. Submissions will be accepted through Friday, April 3.

VISIT HOPPER’S WESTERN MOTEL. Feel as if you’ve walked into this iconic 1957 oil painting.

An immersive space will create a fun and novel way to touch, investigate, and interact with the artist's world.

SEND A POSTCARD. Write down a favorite travel memory on a vintage Indianapolis postcard. Take it home or add it to a special display for other Newfields guests to see.

TRAVEL BACK IN TIME. Americans participated in the boom in travel and hospitality culture in different ways depending on their gender, race, and wealth. Hear stories inspired by personal accounts from the time period.

MARK YOUR TERRITORY. Guests will be invited to place magnetic markers on a large U.S. map of destinations where they have traveled and where they have always wanted to return.

TAKE A SEAT AT THE BAR. Relax while you sip vintage drinks and enjoy savory bites at Pop Up: Hotel Bar just outside the Floor 2 galleries. The only downside: you won’t be able to charge the tab to your room.

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A traveling exhibition always looks and feels differently at each museum it visits. Taking Dr. Mazow’s deep research into Hopper’s relationship with hotel culture—and the artworks that he and his VMFA team assembled—the IMA at Newfields will use its own exhibition design and twists on interpretive elements.

One element will round out the narrative of 20th-century travel in the exhibition. Although Hopper has historically been interpreted as an “all-American” painter, it is important to acknowledge that his oeuvre represents a tiny slice of the American experience. He drew on a boom in travel and hospitality culture, but Americans participated in this boom in different ways depending on their gender, race, and wealth. Personal stories throughout the exhibition will elaborate on the experiences that others had within this larger cultural phenomenon.

To further bring guests into this time and place, some of the architectural design elements from hotels that Hopper used to stage his paintings will be recreated as immersive spaces within exhibition galleries (although, unlike the VMFA, we will not be offering overnight stays).

To immerse yourself in the shared world of 20th-century art and travel, please join us for Edward Hopper and the American Hotel.

Above: Edward Hopper (American, 1882–1967), South Carolina Morning (detail), 1955, oil on canvas, 30-3/8 × 40-1/4 in. Whitney Museum of American Art, Given in memory of Otto L. Spaeth by his Family, 67.13 © 2020 Heirs of Josephine N. Hopper / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. Digital image © Whitney Museum of American Art / Licensed by Scala / Art Resource, NY.

PORTRAIT OF ZAHA HADID. PHOTO BY STEVE DOUBLE.

SPRING 2020

POWERFUL WO M EN OF NEWFIELDS

By Sarah Bahr Newfields Correspondent

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NEWFIELDS

They shattered glass ceilings, told their critics to eat crow, and took the art world by storm. Meet five of the coolest female artists, influencers, and collectors not just inhabiting, but dominating, the Newfields collection.

MAYA LIN (B. 1959) SEE HER WORK: Outside the Asian galleries

Indiana’s underground rivers, on the ceiling of the balcony outside the Asian galleries at Newfields—proving that, despite the naysayers, she’s always looking up.

The 21-year-old Yale senior GEORGIA was barely old enough to drink O’KEEFFE when her design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in (1887–1986) Washington, DC. beat out 1,420 entries—including a design by SEE HER WORK: her Yale architecture profesAmerican galleries sor—in a public competition in 1981. Her spare black granite The mother of American wall, intended to prompt Modernism told male critics introspection for the fallen intent on interpreting her soldiers, wasn’t a universal hit, flowers as female genitalia to though: the National Review get their minds out of the dismissed it as “Orwellian glop,” gutter—her oversized poppies and a group of Vietnam and petunias were intended to veterans derided Lin’s “black show the ladies of New York gash of shame.” But a year later, how she saw flowers.

Lin’s design became one of the most moving monuments in our “I decided that if I could paint a nation’s capital. (In 2007, the flower in a huge scale, you American Institute of Architects could not ignore its beauty,” ranked Lin’s memorial No. 10 on she said. their list of America’s Favorite Architecture).

And paint she did, through driving rain and biting cold, In 2007, she designed and taking shelter under tents installed a 2,000-square-foot fashioned from tarps—she was black, painted wire landscape, an avid camper and rafter well Above and Below, inspired by into her 70s. Even after going

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blind, she continued to sculpt and work in watercolor, pastel, charcoal, and pencil with help from a friend until she was 96.

O'Keeffe earned the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom, the greatest civilian honor in the United States, from Gerald Ford in 1977. The U.S. Postal Service put her 1927 painting, Red Poppy, on a 32-cent stamp in 1996—a fitting tribute for a trailblazer as tenacious as any mail carrier.

JANET SCUDDER (1869–1940) SEE HER WORK: American galleries As the country’s foremost fountain fashioner in the early 20th century, this Hoosier gave the gardens of wealthy Americans their glow-ups. In 1901, inspired by a trip to Italy's villas in Florence, the Terre Haute native created her famous Frog Fountain, which features a chubby, flowercrowned boy prancing among three frogs. (Newfields' bronze replica is currently off view.)

Scudder earned commissions

from the likes of John D. Rockefeller and became one of the most successful American sculptors of her day—male or female. But that didn’t mean she’d sculpt for the sake of it: when she was approached about sculpting a figure for prominent public display in Washington, DC., she refused, unwilling to contribute to “this obsession of male egotism that is ruining every city in the United States with rows of hideous statues of men-men-men— each one uglier than the other—standing, sitting, riding horseback—every one of them pompously convinced he is decorating the landscape!”

SPRING 2020

ZAHA HADID (1950–2016) SEE HER WORK: Design Gallery The world’s leading female architect was no stranger to breaking out of boxes. Long saddled with a rap for devising “unbuildable” designs that many believed would never move beyond sketches—she was initially nicknamed the “paper architect”—Hadid dared to imagine the impossible.

The Iraqi-born British builder transformed her plans into iconic institutions such as China’s “double pebble” Guangzhou Opera House, the spaceship-like London Aquatics Centre, and the first 2022 FIFA World Cup Stadium in Qatar.

Despite becoming the sole female recipient of the 172year-old Royal Gold Medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects in 2015, joining an illustrious club that includes Frank Gehry and I.M. Pei, the “Queen of the Curve” continued to face skepticism that a female

architect could execute projects beyond residential properties.

But Hadid refused to sacrifice flourish for functionality, and wouldn’t be pigeonholed into doing interior design work— though she excelled at that, too, as her curvaceously cutting-edge Moraine Sofa at Newfields can attest.

CAROLINE MARMON FESLER (1878–1960) One of Indy’s original influencers proved that a woman didn’t have to create art to wield clout in the community. As a philanthropist and fine-art collector with an eye for genius, the city’s “first lady of the arts” amassed a retinue of artists based on one person’s assessment of quality —her own.

The daughter of Indianapolis automobile manufacturer Daniel Marmon studied painting in Europe after graduating from Smith College in 1900, which set her on a path to a two-year presidency of the Art Association of

Indianapolis (the precursor to the Indianapolis Museum of Art), funding the construction of the Herron Art Institute, and befriending Georgia O’Keeffe.

She exploded the model of patrons buying pieces for themselves and then donating them to museums—she often purchased pieces for the museum directly. But she also gifted them, too. Though her gifts were often anonymous, everyone knew who the new Picasso came from when Fesler bought the artist’s Ma Jolie out of pocket in 1944 and bequeathed it, following her death in 1960, to the Museum.

The members of the arts committee originally rejected the purchase as too radical.

Today, Newfields’ permanent collection boasts paintings by Vincent Van Gogh, Georges Seurat, Pablo Picasso, and Georgia O’Keeffe, as a legacy of Fesler’s fine taste and influence.

GREAT WOMEN ARTISTS & PATRONS A docent-led “Powerful Women of Newfields” tour will be offered at 11:30 am Saturdays in March.

On Sunday, March 29, Newfields will present “Artist Encounters: Georgia O’Keeffe on Stage" in The Toby. Actor Jen Johansen will portray O’Keeffe based on a script written by docents Sharon Kauffman and Barbara Porter.

An informal conversation will follow the 3 pm event, which is free to attend with regular Newfields admission.

Above, left: Dan Budnik (American, b.

1933), Georgia O'Keeffe at the Ghost Ranch with Pots by Juan Hamilton (detail), 1993, gelatin silver print, 10-7/8 × 16-1/8 in. (image) 16 × 19-7/8 in. (sheet).

Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, Gift of Michael Wood and Constance Welling Wood, 2014.74 © Dan Budnik Above, middle: Portrait of Maya Lin. Photo by Walter Smith.

Above, right: Portrait of Janet Scudder, about 1910–1915. Photo by Bain News Service. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, LC-B2-2968-11.

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Moving NEWFIELDS

Masterpieces

Robert Indiana (American, 1928–2018), LOVE (detail), 1970, Cor-ten steel, 144 × 144 × 72 in. Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, Gift of the Friends of the Indianapolis Museum of Art in memory of Henry F. DeBoest. Restoration was made possible by Patricia J. and James E. LaCrosse, 75.174 © 2020 Morgan Art Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY.

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By Traci Cumbay Newfields Correspondent

SPRING 2020

At Left: Mike Bir has had many “art-handling” positions since joining Newfields 30 years ago.

Installation view of the Design Gallery.

Artworks © their respective creators.

At Right: Nick Cave (American, b. 1959), Soundsuit, 2013, mixed media including mannequin, fabric, ceramic birds, metal flowers, and antique gramophone, 134 × 58 × 35 in. (installed). Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, Purchased with funds provided by Marc and Dana Katz, Michael and KimAnn Schultz, Margaret Wiley, Janet and Chris Brandt, New Year's Eve Event Patrons, General Endowed Discretionary Art Fund, Roger G. Wolcott Fund, Anonymous IV Art Fund, Elizabeth S. Lawton Fine Art Fund, Emma Harter Sweetser Fund, 2013.296A-B © Nick Cave.

Mike Bir doesn’t decide where you find LOVE—he’s the man who makes sure it will arrive safely, be protected, and look dazzling. And that the floor beneath it can manage its weight.

“I’ve moved LOVE six times in my tenure here,” he said. As director of operations, Bir is responsible for ensuring art is handled and displayed in a manner that not only shows it to its greatest effect but keeps it—and the Museum—safe.

When it came to the 2017 move of Robert Indiana’s monumental sculpture inside the Museum from the Sutphin Mall, Bir was ready for the challenges of moving 9,200 pounds of steel and the 18,000 pounds of equipment required to do so, but he was not prepared for what he saw when he looked up: condensation stains on the ceiling that meant repairs and repainting before visitors could again find LOVE. The sculpture now greets guests on Floor 2 in Pulliam Family Great Hall.

That’s the gig: whatever it takes to engineer measures that protect the art. It involves precision, he says, a strong sense of physics and design, and an enthusiasm for “laying out all the perceived problems.” Like how to secure the massive

cantilevered element of Roy Lichtenstein’s Five Brushstrokes, which arrived as eight massive elements to be installed in the scant three feet of soil above the parking garage. Or how to turn a sketch into the 450 pieces of rebar, spanning 15 arc types, that make up the Landscape of Light during Winterlights.

“It’s one interesting challenge after another,” Bir said. “And it’s great fun.”

Bir joined the Museum in January 1990 as a mount-maker and has held many “art-handling” positions since. He holds a bachelor of fine arts from Herron School of Art and Design, and a master of fine arts degree in sculpture from Syracuse University. That background, he says, trained him to respect the art and gave him the visual acuity to ensure its optimal display.

It also means that he speaks “artist,” and a good thing, too, because he works closely with the artists whose work he handles—minimally.

“Conservation is always on our minds,” Bir said. “We engage with the art as infrequently as possible.”

but not necessarily on the minds of everyone required to move large pieces.

He remembers reacting swiftly when consulting at another museum, where he stepped into an installation-in-progress to see riggers handling a piece unnecessarily: “First, get your hands off the art!”

“That was a real casual relationship to the art they were having,” he said.

His mission is to prevent such relationships and especially to solve the problems of safe, pleasing display. Most recently, he prepared for the March arrival of Fletcher Benton’s Folded Circle Dynamics Red Phase III, a sculpture that's nearly 15 feet tall and just as wide.

Bir began the work of figuring out how to move and display the piece last September.

Because the sculpture has a kinetic element, Bir’s problem-solving included how to add a conduit for electricity without disturbing the ductwork located below its new location. When it arrived, it found its home beneath the skylight in Pulliam Family Great Hall. Bir’s gloved hand helped guide it into position.

It’s on the minds of Bir and his team, sure,

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NEWFIELDS

N E W LY AC Q U I R E D

Salzillo’s St. Francis ARRIVE S FROM SPAIN

By Kjell M. Wangensteen, PhD Associate Curator of European Art

To anyone seeking advice on buying a work of art, I would say this: never underestimate the importance of spending time in the presence of the object. A recent acquistion I made on behalf of Newfields is a case in point. In November 2018, I was contacted by a trusted art dealer who had come across a painted wooden sculpture in a private Spanish collection. His photographs showed a small and dirty object, but one with exquisite carving. I asked him to bring the sculpture to TEFAF (The European Fine Art Fair)—the world’s most esteemed Old Masters art fair, held in Maastricht—­­­­so I could examine the object up close.

On seeing it in person, I was convinced that it was a museum-quality object and a good fit for the IMA. One year later, I am pleased to have brought this sculpture, St. Francis of Assisi, into our collection.

In near-perfect condition, the 15-inch-tall sculpture is almost certainly a work by Spanish sculptor Francisco Salzillo y Alcaraz (1707-1783).

The son of a talented wood sculptor, Salzillo ran a large family workshop in the town of Murcia. Though our sculpture is not signed, the attribution to Salzillo is based on its quality and on careful comparison to his known works, many of which are now preserved in a museum in Murcia dedicated to him.

While our collection is strong in Spanish paintings, we have lacked solid representation in the area of Spanish polychrome (painted wooden sculpture). The IMA is now one of the only institutions outside of Spain with a prominent example of Salzillo’s work.

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The St. Francis sculpture has a near-perfect provenance (history of ownership), as it had been in the possession of the same Spanish family until recently. The quality of the carving and the delicate painting technique, called estofado, lends a rich, shimmering, and marvelously detailed effect. The same can also be said of the statue’s accoutrements, which appear to be original: a banner of embroidered silver and gold thread, a knotted cord belt made of silver brocade, and a delicate rosary with beads of gold and pearls. Each component is as detailed as the carving of the statue itself, which is crowned with a delicate (now tarnished) silver halo.

Together with our incomparable paintings by El Greco, Ribera, Goya, and others, the IMA now has one of the finest collections of Spanish art in the Midwest—the happy result of not only our generous benefactors, but also the legacy of thoughtful acquisitions by the Museum over the decades.

St. Francis of Assisi is on view through July 12 at the Director's Choice exhibition.

At Right: Francisco Salzillo y Alcaraz (Spanish, 1707–1783), Saint Francis of Assisi (detail), about 1775, parcel gilt and polychrome wood, silver, gold, silk, A-C) installaed: 24-5/16 × 8-5/16 × 4-3/4 in.

Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, Anonymous Art Fund in memory of Louisa A. Vonnegut Peirce, James E. Roberts Fund by exchange, Gift of Miklos Sperling by exchange, 2019.7A-C.

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TH E ART O F

TR AVELING

Light

By Amanda Kingsbury Managing Editor

Curator Anna Stein

Two centuries ago, prints based on J.M.W. Turner’s watercolors of famous destinations—the Rialto Bridge in Venice, the Aysgarth Force waterfalls in England, Rossyln Castle in Scotland— became gateways to the world for armchair travelers. In Journey into Light: Travels With J.M.W. Turner, modern explorers will also enjoy the 32 works that represent a lifetime of Turner’s adventures, often on foot, pencil and sketchbook in hand.

The exhibition will open with a special preview for Newfields members from 5–8 pm Thursday, April 9. Here, Anna Stein, assistant curator of works on paper, talks about his legacy, his critics, and her curiosity about his shoes.

By the time J.M.W. Turner died in 1851, he was Britain’s most well-known artist, even though he lived his final years in what one writer called “eccentric obscurity.” Why do you think his legacy endures?

The “eccentric obscurity” can be overplayed: he had moved in with his girlfriend in Chelsea, where he used her last name while his old house and gallery fell into neglect. He was always a difficult personality, so if you take all of this and pit it against Victorian sensibilities, you can see how this myth of the old eccentric rotting away might have blown up.

His legacy lived on partially through his prints, which continued to be reissued for decades after his death.

Plus, he bequeathed his estate to Britain under specific provisions, so his paintings have always been on view.

The prominent critic John Ruskin had written of Turner as the century’s greatest artistic visionary in his influential book Modern Painters. Ruskin led the way for a new generation of Turner fans who saw his work as speaking to the values of modernity. Later, Turner’s style spoke to many of the values of

20th-century Modernism, so his work remained relevant to artists for decades further. This is why viewers today usually prefer his late and nearly abstract works.

Turner also had a lot of critics.

What did they find so irritating or disdainful about him?

He was criticized for exaggerating scenes and abandoning the factual truth of his landscapes. Conservative art critics found his paintings confusing and blotchy: comparing his oil paintings, especially later works, to everything from soapsuds to lobster salad became almost a game.

He also had a reputation for rudeness, and he was a terrible public speaker despite holding on to the position of professor of perspective at the Royal Academy for nearly 30 years.

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NEWFIELDS

Previous: J.M.W. Turner (English, 1775–1851), The Marxburg (detail), 1817, watercolor and gouache over pencil on paper prepared with a gray wash, 7-3/4 × 12-5/8 in. Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, Gift in memory of Dr. and Mrs. Hugo O. Pantzer by their children, 72.181 Above: J.M.W. Turner (English, 1775–1851), Rosslyn Castle (detail), about 1820, watercolor, 7 × 10‑3/8 in.

Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, Gift in memory of Dr. and Mrs. Hugo O. Pantzer by their children, 72.184

What’s something you discovered that even diehard Turner fans might not know?

A diehard fan would know this, but I liked learning that he was an avid fisherman. I think of that every time I see some tiny fishermen in the foreground of one of his watercolors —and they show up a few times in the show!

How did the IMA come to have such extensive holdings of Turner’s works on paper?

A passionate Turner collector and attorney named Kurt Pantzer was a generous supporter of the IMA. He moved his Turner collection here in 1972, but even before that, he worked for decades to build the Museum’s collection.

Many of the watercolors that Pantzer collected were available because they had originally been made for and handed over to publishers (who later sold them to collectors), unlike the other drawings that stayed in Turner’s personal collection and ended up at the Tate Britain in London.

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Which piece in this exhibition do you find the most interesting?

I have a soft spot for The Pyramids at Gizeh. It comes out of this moment when the Americans and British were becoming fascinated with the increasingly accessible Middle East.

Books and illustrations on it were a medley of Arabian Nights romance, semi-scientific exploration, and a faith-based interest in the land of the Bible all mixed together under colonialism. Turner never went to Egypt, but publishers knew his illustrations would increase sales on a popular subject.

If you could have J.M.W. Turner over for dinner, what three things would you want to ask him?

Turner was notoriously rude and misogynistic (although he was great at networking when he needed to be), so I’m not sure how far we’d make it in conversation. I have to admit one thing that crosses my mind when I read about the hundreds of miles that he walked across mountains and valleys for travel sketches: what kind of shoes was he wearing?

What’s one thing you hope visitors to the exhibition will remember?

This show is really about Turner’s relationship with traveling for publishing projects. Most of all, I want to show how a huge part of his fame and fortune actually came from hustling to create watercolors that could be published for this big business of selling travel prints and books to British armchair tourists.

His success came from the perfect storm of talent, hard work, and the culture of his generation.

Journey into Light: Travels with J.M.W. Turner will be open Friday, April 10, through Sunday, October 4.

Support for this exhibition is provided by Christopher and Michelle Reinhold.

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Curated Travel Newfields’ curators are often in the air or on the road to do scholarly research, give presentations, or just find inspiration. Here are places they recommend from their recent travels.

SHELLEY SELIM Curator of Design and Decorative Arts 1 Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire, England

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THE SYDNEY AND WALDA BESTHOFF SCULPTURE GARDEN EXPANSION AT THE NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART. PHOTO BY RICHARD SEXTON.

“It’s one of the rare historic country estates that was commissioned by a woman, and is filled with some of the best Elizabethan textiles, paintings, and furniture of England.”

ANNETTE SCHLAGENHAUFF Curator of European Art Hotel Henry, in Buffalo, New York “This rehab project of a building designed by H. H. Richardson is a must-see. Completed in 1880 as the New York State Asylum for the Insane—a progressive facility for its time—it’s been converted into a hotel that has a rotating contemporary art program.”

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ROBIN LAWRENCE Manager of Curatorial Affairs 2 The New Orleans Museum of Art’s sculpture garden “Magnificent art is placed around the site’s mature oaks, magnolia trees, and two lagoons.

It is truly worthy of a visit.”

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MICHAEL VETTER Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art 3 The Wanås Estate, near the village of Knislinge in Sweden “It’s innovative and really committed to expanding the possibilities of what artists can do outside—a model for what I’d like to do going forward in The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park.”

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NEWFIELDS

Spring Blooms is presented by Wild Birds Unlimited. Support for community engagement is provided by Bank of America, and Charles L. Venable & Martin K. Webb. Additional support is generously provided by the Bud Brehob Family, the R. L. Turner Family, and Total Lawn Care, Inc.

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SPRING 2020

Top, left: After a long winter, let us freshen your drink in the Beer Garden.

By Lauren Bogart Public Relations Intern

Warm sun. Sweet freedom. Fragrant flowers. Defrost your winter-weary self during Spring Blooms, presented by Wild Birds Unlimited, and watch the magic unfold in The Garden and the IMA Galleries. During this year's exhibition, March 20 through May 17, make sure to visit often to discover new bursts of color and creativity, and enjoy orchids all season long. Here are some special events you won't want to miss:

Beer Garden Opening Friday, March 20 Museum hours / Free for members As winter melts away, the Beer Garden blooms again with giant pretzels and your favorite seasonal brews.

Member Lecture: Spring Horticulture Panel Sunday, March 29 / 2 pm DeBoest Lecture Hall Free for members / Registration required Learn gardening tips and tricks from a team of experts who will also talk about the creative ways they bring art and nature together at Newfields.

Perennial Premiere Saturday, April 18 / 9–11 am (members only) and then open to the public from 11 am–4 pm; Sunday, April 19 / 11 am–3 pm or until sold out (open to the public) Sutphin Mall Free for members It's a big weekend at Newfields for plant lovers, who can enjoy both the Indianapolis Garden Club Flower Show and Perennial Premiere. At the garden club's show, see floral flair throughout The Garden and the IMA Galleries. Then, shop Perennial Premiere for the best plants for your garden and ask questions of our horticulture experts. Come for the freshest blooms on Saturday and return for the clearance sale on Sunday.

Mother’s Day Celebration May 7–10 / Various times Campus-wide Give the special moms in your life half a million blooms for Mother's Day. This multi-day celebration will include a craft activity, greenhouse class, and other events. Visit discovernewfields.org for updated information, including pricing for special activities.

Top, right: Shop for fresh blooms and meet our horticulture experts at Perennial Premiere.

Hoosier Flower Power This spring and summer, make sure to check out the showcase of Indiana woodland wildflowers at the Ruth Lilly Visitors Pavilion.

Newfields staff and volunteers have planted more than 3,000 bare-root native spring ephemeral wildflowers, including Virginia bluebells, Dutchman’s breeches, purple trillium, and celandine poppy. In the summer, nearly 1,000 native woodland wildflowers will pop up around the pavilion.

A casual stroll around the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres will reveal even more.

“There are many places where native spring ephemerals are coming up, now that we have removed invasive species through so much of the park,” said Chandler Bryant, director of Natural Resources.

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NEWFIELDS

Irvin’s

Spring Awakening Irvin Etienne Curator of Herbaceous Plants and Seasonal Garden Design

I am by nature a worrier. A forgotten detail can be a source of sudden panic. A concern far in the future can be the cause of lengthy tossing and turning when it enters the brain at 2 am.

And no amount of “let a thought enter your head, acknowledge it, then let it go” will make it go away. While I would love to leave all that at home when I go in to work, well, that just wouldn’t be right.

Despite fretting about potential disasters, I have faith that we can fix the problems that come along. I work with tremendous people.

The vendor sends three flats of peach pansies and I ordered 12.

Adjust in situ. Does somebody have some extra fennel or snapdragons? I’ll take ‘em! There are 100 yellow tulips in my red tulips.

Does it still work? Can I live with it? (Highly debatable!) I may just snap those yellow heads right off the stems.

If you are a horticulturist at a public garden like Newfields, spring is fraught with worries. Will it be 85 in March and all the tulips bloom in a week and you are left without your main bling for the rest of the season? Will temperatures drop to the teens the day after you plant spring annuals and damage the vast majority and outright kill some others?

And speaking of bulbs, each year we hold those lumps of plant tissue in our hands and know that if we give them just a little care, just a little, they will survive a harsh winter in the ground under frozen mud, snow, and ice—and come spring, push new growth and flower. Of course, there are years when some things go wrong. That’s why we plant a variety of bulbs.

Too much rain. Too much drought. Too much snow.

Too much heat. Too much cold. Too much vendor hell.

Too much to worry about if you aren’t careful.

Even the showgirls of spring, the tulips, are selected for early-, mid-, and late-spring bloom. Yes, this extends the bloom time, but it also ensures that a weird weather moment doesn’t destroy the entire show. Likewise, planting a variety of bulbs from early-season crocus and snowdrops to late-season Allium and Spanish-bluebells means there will be successes at one point in spring if not the whole spring season.

My worry over spring 2020 actually began last July. In August, I needed to know the bulbs I wanted. By mid-September, I needed to know the annuals, vegetables, perennials, and anything else I wanted.

I spend days deciding the direction to take my portion of the spring show. What should the design be? Blocks of color? The bulbs tossed haphazardly in the bed and planted where they land? Do I want to emphasize bulbs or annuals? Heavy on flowers or heavy on foliage this year with the annuals? That lupine didn’t work so well last year. Will this one be better?

What color scheme? What plants come in that color? What plants in that color are hardy here AND available?

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Spring-flowering annuals, leafy vegetables, and early perennials pull multiple duties. They add to the aesthetics of the spring display, of course, but they also fill in gaps between bulb events and guarantee color until the end of May. So my worrying over spring is really a waste of energy. We plan wisely to make it a good show, no matter what. We actually know what we are doing. We’ve got this! Now what’s that low on Tuesday forecasted to be?

SPRING 2020

OUT OF THE

By Claire Coons Newfields Correspondent

It is rare to find someone as fanatical about a mission as Brian Presnell is. Just ask him about ash borer beetles, or the kiln he built in his warehouse, or the biggest tree he has. He'll happily talk for hours about trees and his company, Indy Urban Hardwood.

Indy Urban Hardwood's 12,000-squarefoot warehouse on the city's southeast side is filled with 30,000 board feet of recycled local hardwood. Wood is arranged by type, size, and its status in the drying process (which can take two years). All the lumber was milled from inside the I-465 loop; when it’s finished, it can be sold or donated, or Presnell will use it to make a unique creation.

Presnell’s passion has led to partnerships throughout Indy. He works with the Central Indiana Community Foundation and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and his furniture can be found in restaurants such as Twenty Tap and the Garden Table. But his relationship with Newfields is more organic—he worked here on the exhibition installation team from 1997 to 2004. That’s when he came up with the idea for Indy Urban Hardwood; he saw possibilities for elaborate support pieces that were used for exhibitions.

He wants Indy to know that urban milling is a fourth option that gives dead or unwanted trees a second, better life.

"Newfields does all it can to protect our trees and tree canopy," said Jonathan Wright, The Ruth Lilly Deputy Director for Horticulture and Natural Resources.

"In the event a tree falls, is struck by lightning, or becomes unsafe, Brian makes sure the wood can live on."

Presnell’s work can be found at indyurbanhardwood.com, or at the Museum & Garden Shop at Newfields.

He is working on a limited-edition series of tables that incorporate a carved outline of the White River, and include the oxbow bend and the Lake at Newfields.

It’s a must-have for any Hoosier art-lover.

“Usually, trees end up in one of three places: they’re mulched, they go to the burn pile, or they go to the trash heap.”

“Usually, trees end up in one of three places: they’re mulched, they go to the burn pile, or they go to the trash heap,” he explained.

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NEWFIELDS

Bridges The

OF NEWFIELDS

Twenty-five years ago this June, a lonely Iowa farm wife (played

by Meryl Streep) fell in love with a rugged National Geographic photographer (Clint Eastwood), when he visited her county to take pictures of covered bridges.

The late film critic Roger Ebert praised the middle-aged characters in The Bridges of Madison County for realizing "that the most important things in life are not always about 20

making yourself happy," and gave the film 3 ½ out of 4 stars.

There’s something about bridges—often-beautiful structures that connect people and places—that create ideas about adventure and new beginnings. Newfields' bridges might not inspire a best-selling book, movie, or musical, but they certainly have crossover appeal.

Here, Jean-Luc Howell, historic site manager at Newfields, walks us through the history of five bridges.

Bridge to the Future Newfields’ 30-year Master Plan provides a stewardship initative to preserve our historic assets, including bridges. Over the next few years, we will need the community’s help in caring for these important parts of Hoosier history.

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Woodstock Bridge Built between the fall of 1908 and summer of 1909, this bridge was the first structure constructed in the town of Woodstock and acted as the main entrance of Oldfields estate. Daniel B. Luten, a civil engineer and former Purdue University professor, designed the single-span concrete arch bridge that also has limestone piers and an iron gate. Enjoy the views of the wooded ravine as you cross from the IMA into Oldfields.

Richard D. Wood Formal Garden Bridge This single-span concrete arch bridge connects Lilly House to the Formal Garden. It acted as the aisle for the double wedding of the daughters of Hugh Landon (founder of Oldfields) and his late wife, Suzette, in June 1920. The wedding party walked from Lilly House to the Formal Garden over the bridge, which was draped with white fabric. Today, standing on the bridge, you have a great view of the Rapp Family Ravine Garden below.

Interurban Bridge This single-span steel bridge was built to span the tracks of the Terre Haute, Indianapolis, and Eastern Traction Company, the secondlargest interurban rail system in the state during the 1920s. Few, if any, other bridges that relate to the rail system are left in Indiana.

It was commissioned in 1908 by Hugh Landon and Linnaeus Boyd, executive of the Indianapolis Water Company, and designed by Daniel B. Luten.

Rapp Family Ravine Garden Bridge This small wood bridge was designed by Percival Gallagher of the Olmsted Brothers landscape design firm as he plotted the surrounding Ravine Garden for the Landon family in 1921. The bridge crosses over the small stream that runs down the middle of the garden, adding to the rustic, informal feel. This is the first of four gardens designed by Gallagher on the Oldfields estate.

Waller Bridge The Waller Bridge, named after former IMA Director Bret Waller, spans the Indiana Central Canal and connects The Garden to the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres. Originally made by the King Iron Bridge and Manufacturing Company, this bowstring iron bridge was constructed over Sugar Creek in Montgomery County and was moved one other time before it came to Newfields.

On July 12, 2000, Bart Peterson, then the mayor of Indianapolis, performed the ribbon-cutting dedication ceremony.

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NEWFIELDS

GUIDE LINES

Drawn to

Landscape

EDITOR’S NOTE: Guide Lines is a new feature where we ask a member to take us on a “tour” of their favorite parts of Newfields.

Kenny Abernathy, a logistics coordinator, started developing an appreciation for art at age 7, when he, his mother, and brother would visit the IMA to see outdoor theater and relax at the Sutphin Fountain. Today, he begins his trips in the Neo-Impressionist gallery, but more often, finds himself drawn to Indiana works. “Looking at them just feels like home to me.”

EUROPEAN GALLERIES Landscape at Saint-Remy (1889)

by Vincent Van Gogh (Top left photo) House in Provence (1886-1890)

by Paul Cezanne Landscape near Arles (1888)

by Paul Gauguin "I take a few minutes to admire the three famous landscapes, to compare and contrast the artists’ techniques. I like Van Gogh’s loose brushstrokes, Gauguin’s vibrant colors, and Cezanne’s geometric shapes.”

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Postcard of the Bois d’Amour Pont-Aven (about 1910) A magnified reproduction of a postcard depicts people in picturesque dress that appealed to the Pont-Aven School painters.

“For me, it’s the fashion. I love how the men and women are dressed.”

AMERICAN GALLERIES

Herman and Verman (1924)

by Hugh M. Poe (Top right photo) A candid, sensitive portrait of two characters from Booth Tarkington’s Penrod stories.

“It’s the expression on the boy’s face. It’s not sad, it’s not desperate–but it’s a longing for something different, something more.”

The Bloom of the Grape (1883)

by T.C. Steele The hazy, frosty days of late October and early November inspired the painting's title.

“It reminds me of fall in Indiana.”

CONTEMPORARY GALLERIES Soundsuit (2013)

by Nick Cave “When I was visiting this piece so close to Halloween last year, I thought, man, that would be a terrific costume.”

THE GARDEN

Bench with view of Lilly House and Richard D. Wood Formal Garden “I like to come here with a book. It feels like my own personal garden.”

Above, Left: Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853–1890), Landscape at Saint-Rémy (Enclosed Field with Peasant) (detail), 1889, oil on canvas, 30 × 37-1/2 in. Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, Gift of Mrs. James W. Fesler in memory of Daniel W. and Elizabeth C. Marmon, 44.74.

Above, Middle: Kenny Abernathy relaxes on his favorite bench in The Garden.

Above, Right: Hugh M. Poe (American, 1902–1973), Herman and Verman (detail), 1924, oil on canvas, 18 × 24 in. Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, Gift of Mrs. John N. Carey, 38.28 © Hugh M. Poe.

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Pop Up: Pie Low-key diner, upper-crust spin “To Make Short Paest for Tarte–Take fyne floure and a cursey of fayre water and a dysche of swete butter and a lyttel saffron, and the yolckes of two egges and make it thynne and as tender as ye maye.”

– From an English cookbook in 1545

By Amanda Kingsbury Managing Editor

American as … apple pie? The classic dessert became a symbol of American culture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but not one ingredient in apple pie, nor the techniques, are native to the Americas.

Learn more about the global history of pie at Pop Up: Pie, open now through May 24 just outside the Floor 2 galleries.

Slide into a diner booth and treat yourself to sweet and savory pies, along with vanilla milkshakes (spiked, if you wish, with bourbon or brandy).

Vegan options are on the menu as well. Here are a few fun facts to consider while you wait for your Pop Up: Pie server to top off your bottomless cup of delicious coffee.

The first pie recipe was published in 14th-century Rome.

It was for a rye-crusted goat cheese and honey pie.

Early English settlers in America cooked their meat pies in tough, unappetizing pastry “coffins”–made of whole wheat flour and lard. (“Crust” didn’t become a thing until around the time of the American Revolution.)

Seven percent of Americans admit to having passed off a store-bought pie as homemade.

When Mark Twain was feeling depressed, his lifelong housekeeper and friend, Katy Leary, served him huckleberry pie and milk.

Competitive eater Joey Chestnut ate 13 apple pies in 8 minutes in 2013.

“Animated pies” were a hot banquet trend in the 14th century.

Set into these pies, and released when the crust was cut, were birds, frogs, rabbits, turtles–and even small people (who later entertained the guests).

Nine percent of Americans like to eat their pie crust-first.

Recipes in a 1780 cookbook, The Lady’s Assistant for Regulating and Supplying Her Table, Becoming a Complete System of Cookery, suggested putting almost anything in pie, including eel, carp, veal, and goose.

Sources: WhatscookinginAmerica.net; The American Plate; Time magazine; American Pie Council.

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NEWFIELDS

Health?

I S N E W F I E L D S G O O D F O R YO U R

By Amanda Kingsbury Managing Editor

mother-in-law for a visit to the IMA Galleries and The Garden. The oldest daughter, who’s 17 and loves to draw, especially loved the art. Blackmon enjoyed the exercise and the relaxation.

In 2008, Tiffany Blackmon, an Indianapolis mom of three, fell down some stairs and suffered a traumatic brain injury. “I could’ve stayed much longer,” said She went through intensive physical Blackmon, who wrote a thank-you note therapy, along with counseling, to help her to Morales. “It gave me a calm and manage her anxiety and stress. Nearly a peaceful feeling.” decade later, she sometimes struggles to remember details and time frames.

People who work at or regularly visit museums intuitively know that art, as A medicine she takes causes her to gain the influential German-American weight, so Blackmon, 40, joined a Healthy textile artist Anni Albers once said, is Me lifestyle/wellness group at Eskenazi “something that can make you breathe a Health Center Grassy Creek, where she different kind of happiness.” But can it and her family receive their primary care. make you healthier? Well, actually, yes.

One day, the group’s coach, Tari Morales, In 2013, as part of the Happy Museum gave Blackmon a surprising “prescription”: Project, Daniel Fujiwara of the London free passes to visit Newfields. This past School of Economics analyzed two years summer, Blackmon brought her husband, of action research from 12 museums that Lawrence, their three children, and her had been commissioned to improve

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guests’ well-being. His finding?

Museums make people happier and healthier, even after accounting for other influencing factors.

For years, Newfields has offered weekly yoga classes to the public and monthly Meet Me at Newfields tours for people with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers. But in 2019, it launched Art as Medicine, a pilot program to address broader community health issues in Indianapolis.

Art as Medicine is part of an international movement called “social prescribing,” which started in the United Kingdom.

Doctors and other health professionals look holistically at a patient’s life—physical and mental health, financial and social stressors, and personal goals and interests. Then they devise a custom plan that might include referrals to non-medical

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resources such as a financial advisor for debt management, a walking club for exercising and socializing, or a public park for relaxing.

At Newfields, CFO Jerry Wise has led the Art as Medicine initiative. He saw Eskenazi Health, where he serves on a board of directors, as the ideal partner.

“Eskenazi is a national leader in understanding the impact that social determinants have on overall health outcomes, and specifically the effect that art and nature experiences have,” Wise said. “With their focus on Marion County’s Medicaid population, they are a natural partner for this initiative.”

When the state-of-the-art Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital opened in 2013, nearly 20 contemporary artworks were commissioned for the building. The site has a century-long history of incorporating art and nature into its healing process, beginning in 1914 with City Hospital’s display of T.C. Steele’s Four Seasons murals of Brown County landscapes. (The Steele paintings currently hang at Eskenazi Health.)

That vision has evolved under Dr. Lisa Harris, CEO of Eskenazi Health, which also oversees 11 neighborhood primary-care centers in Indianapolis.

Last summer, Newfields distributed 300 prescription passes among three centers: West 38th Street, Grassy Greek, and Pecar.

There, clinical staff selectively gave the passes to patients, most of whom had been diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension, or depression—chronic conditions that often co-exist. The patients could visit Newfields at no charge and bring up to three guests. Many brought their children or grandchildren.

“Our staff is trained on motivational interviewing,” said Dr. Dawn Haut, CEO of Eskenazi Health Center, Eskenazi Health's primary care divisions. “We often have known these families for many years and can build on that trust.

As we partner with patients to design a care plan that meets their goals, we learn what motivates them.”

Together, the three Eskenazi Health sites “We know from research the tremendous see about 70,000 patient visits a year. But, impact that visiting art museums and each clinic took a different approach. At gardens can have on people’s health, and Grassy Creek, a Healthy Me lifestyle/ we would like to eventually get these wellness coach gave the passes to prescriptions to be widely accepted and members of her group session. At Pecar, covered by health insurance,” he said.

Maria Howard, a licensed clinician with “For now, we believe people can use these Sandra Eskenazi Mental Health Care, visits as part of their treatment and their incorporated the program into a support preventative care.” group called Inspire, for women who have experienced trauma.

Using wellness strategies such as nutrition and exercise, and programs “When I found out about this, I thought it such as Art as Medicine, Eskenazi Health was great to get women to experience art professionals hope to work with patients and get out into the community,” Howard to lower their blood pressure and blood said. “Many of these women have never sugar levels, and “ultimately wean them experienced anything like this.” off medication,” Dr. Haut said.

“I am looking at art and … I am no longer in my body,” one patient said.

“I am in a place of connection.”

Over the past five years, more research has shown the ways that interacting with art and nature can contribute to people’s quality of life. In Australia, for example, researchers found museums play a critical role in combating social isolation, particularly in older people. At the same time, more museums are adding public health programming. In 2016, M Shed, a museum in Bristol, England, launched Art Shed, a group for people with low-level anxiety and depression. At the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens in Jacksonville, Florida, social workers and artists co-host Kids Together Against Cancer workshops for families coping with a cancer diagnosis.

At Newfields, Wise said his goal is to extend Art as Medicine to other health centers and hospitals.

The program’s success will be measured, with funding from the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation, through interviews and surveys with patients to help understand the impact of their visits.

Wise also wants to better understand what motivates Eskenazi Health patients to redeem the prescriptions.

Similar programs between museums and health care centers have had strong results. The University of California Davis and the Crocker Museum in Sacramento offer Art Rx, in hopes of giving relief to people who suffer from chronic pain. Patients, along with their family, friends, and caregivers, are invited to visit the museum for free. They can join special tours and discussions, or just relax and explore.

UC Davis followed up with a study of program participants, published in 2018 in the journal Pain Medicine. They found that 57 percent of patients in the study reported pain relief during the tours, along with feelings of social connection.

"I am looking at art and...I am no longer in my body," one patient said. "I am in a place of connection."

To learn more about Art as Medicine, please e-mail Newfields CFO Jerry Wise at jwise@discovernewfields.org.

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NEWFIELDS

The

Social Artist

By Lauren Bogart Public Relations Intern

Ever wonder who is behind @NewfieldsToday and DiscoverNewfields.org? Abby Dolan, online content manager, lives and breathes the digital brand. After graduating from Butler University in 2017 with a marketing and international business degree, she started at Newfields as an administrative coordinator for Horticulture and Natural Resources.

In 2019, Abby took on her current role, curating content for the website and for @NewfieldsToday on social media. What she loves most about her job? “Getting to see all of the cool things that go on behind the scenes and working with so many talented people.”

Do you have a daily social media routine?

How do you usually go about it?

I plan content for Newfields’ channels a month in advance and then evaluate and adjust weekly. I try to schedule most of my posts at the beginning of the week and then I monitor our social channels every day to see how posts are doing and engage with followers. I’m always trying to change things up to stay in the moment.

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Who are some people or organizations that Newfields loves following?

The Royal Ontario Museum for the memes. ARTNews for the latest updates. The Museum of Ice Cream for pink overload. The Indianapolis Zoo for some cuteness in our day. NASA for perspective.

How would you describe your online personal brand?

Mysterious. All my profiles are private. But seriously, I spend so much time thinking about Newfields’ online presence, I don’t put too much thought into my own.

What is your proudest moment at Newfields?

We did a March Madness-style series where followers could vote on their favorite “throne” in the IMA collection leading up to the Game of Thrones finale. And we recently participated in Ask a Conservator Day, highlighting a few projects our conservation team is working on.

What’s the best way to interact with Newfields on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram?

Tag us @NewfieldsToday and use #DiscoverNewfields.

SPRING 2020

Where it's @ Some of Abby Dolan’s favorite Instagrammable spots at Newfields:

Who to Follow Wine. Plants.

History. Design.

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Alba Fernandez-Keys @albafkeys Head of Libraries & Archives

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Connect with any—or all— of your interests by following these Newfields staff members on Instagram:

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Jaime Frye @plantpaperworkprincess Assistant Horticulturist and Plant Record Specialist Eric Lubrick @ericlubrick Senior Photographer

1 Stop at the end of the mall with Lichtenstein’s Five Brushstrokes (no, they aren’t slices of bacon) in the foreground and the IMA in the background.

The Woodstock Bridge that leads you into The Garden.

The trees form a beautiful canopy that frames the photo and you can’t go wrong when it’s lit up for Winterlights.

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1) Roy Lichtenstein (American, 1923– 1997), Five Brushstrokes, designed 1983–1984, fabricated 2012, painted aluminum, various dimensions.

Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, Robert L. and Marjorie J. Mann Fund, Partial Gift of the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation, 2013.443A-E.4 © Roy Lichtenstein Foundation.

3) Nick Cave (American, b. 1959), Soundsuit, 2013, mixed media including mannequin, fabric, ceramic birds, metal flowers, and antique gramophone, 134 × 58 × 35 in. (installed). Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, Purchased with funds provided by Marc and Dana Katz, Michael and KimAnn Schultz, Margaret Wiley, Janet and Chris Brandt,

3 Nick Cave’s Soundsuit: It’s colorful, a little otherworldly, and always gets lots of likes.

4 Stand at the end of the Lilly Allée and get a photo of Lilly House for #RealEstateGoals.

Finally, learn to take a selfie from the master: Find Rembrandt’s Self-Portrait (after it returns in 2021 from its tour of museums in China) and don’t forget to smize (smile with your eyes).

5 The iconic Robert Indiana LOVE sculpture with Sol LeWitt’s Wall Drawing No. 652 filling in the letters in the background.

New Year's Eve Event Patrons, General Endowed Discretionary Art Fund, Roger G. Wolcott Fund, Anonymous IV Art Fund, Elizabeth S. Lawton Fine Art Fund, Emma Harter Sweetser Fund, 2013.296AB © Nick Cave.

4) Bertel Thorvaldsen (Dutch, 1770–1844), The Three Graces (Reproduction) (detail), stone, 120 × 54 × 34 in. (with base). Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, Gift of the Children of J.K. Lilly, Jr., LH2001.227.

Joshua Ratfliff @ratsomm Director of Culinary Arts Shelley Selim @shelleyselim Curator of Design and Decorative Arts Anna Stein @arstein8 Assistant Curator of Works on Paper

DeBoest. Restoration was made possible

by Patricia J. and James E. LaCrosse, 75.174 © 2020 Morgan Art Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. 5) Sol LeWitt (American, 1928–2007), Wall Drawing No. 652, Continuous Forms With Color Acrylic Washes Superimposed (detail), 1990, acrylic wash on wall, 30 × 60 ft. Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, Gift of the Dudley Sutphin Family, 1990.40 © 2020 The LeWitt Estate / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY.

Samantha Veach @sammcveach Associate Photographer Jonathan Wright @plantitwright The Ruth Lilly Deputy Director for Horticulture & Natural Resources

5) Robert Indiana (American, 1928–2018), LOVE, 1970, Cor-ten steel, 144 × 144 × 72 in.

Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, Gift of the Friends of the Indianapolis Museum of Art in memory of Henry F.

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NEWFIELDS

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Overnight

Sensations At Left: H. R. Page & Co. (1889).

Hotel English in the Indianapolis illustrated.

IUPUI Digital Collections: Indianapolis History.

By Lydia Spotts Associate Archivist/Librarian

Like many nascent institutions, the late 19th-century arts organization that evolved over 137 years to inhabit the sprawling Newfields campus, was at first itinerant. In honor of June's Edward Hopper and the American Hotel exhibition, we look back at two prominent downtown hotels that hosted key events in the founding of the Art Association of Indianapolis.

On May 7, 1883, “all the art-loving residents in Indianapolis” were invited to attend a public meeting at the 250-room Denison Hotel, at Ohio and Pennsylvania streets, according to Art Association of Indianapolis, Indiana: a Historical Sketch.

The gathering followed 10 exploratory committee meetings, organized and hosted by May Wright Sewall in her parlor.

Sewall was an educator, reformer, and suffrage activist of national renown, and a leader at the art association for nearly 25 years. Under her direction, the exploratory committee produced a constitution, adopted at the public

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meeting. Officers were elected, and though Albert E. Fletcher became the first president, women made up 64 percent of the executive committee.

The young association incorporated October 11, 1883, and impressively put together an exhibition in November at the English Hotel, a structure that was partially erected in 1880 on Monument Circle and eventually spanned its northwest quadrant. As Newfields staff will attest, organizing an exhibit on any scale in one month is no small feat.

The woman who directed the first exhibition, Sue M. Ketcham, was described as formidable and convincing.

She traveled to New York to secure the best works possible.

“As a result of great zeal and energy, Miss Ketcham collected 453 paintings from the easels of 137 artists, many of whom stand at the head of their professions in this country,” noted the association's Historical Sketch.

The next exhibit, in 1885, was also held on the circle in the Old Plymouth Church, which by 1898 had become a portion of the growing English Hotel. Exhibitions were held at other downtown venues through the 1890s.

The Denison hosted annual meetings for the association from 1883 to 1890. The John Herron bequest enabled the association to acquire a permanent home by the turn of the century. The museum moved to the Talbott House at 16th and Pennsylvania in spring of 1901.

The Stout Reference Library is open to the public Thursdays from noon to 4 pm. The Archives are open by appointment. Learn more at discovernewfields.org/research.

SPRING 2020

Affiliate Events These groups offer members a chance to explore their passions, and participate in exclusive events and educational programs.

The Alliance Alliance Gallery Enrichment Tour Tuesday, April 21 / 11 am Meet outside The Café Free / Alliance members and their guests only Tour Journey into Light: Travels with J.M.W. Turner, an exhibition of the English artist’s works. Alliance members are invited to gather for lunch in The Café after the tour.

Please check in at the Welcome Desk to get your member sticker, and then meet outside The Café before 11 am on the day of the tour.

To register, contact Karen Perez at 317-846-8387 or kper11@aol.com.

Alliance Annual Meeting and Spring Luncheon Thursday, May 21 / 11 am DeBoest Lecture Hall & Deer Zink Pavilion Open to the public Hear from Dr. Graham C. Boettcher, the new director of the Birmingham Museum of Art. An author and fast-rising leader in the art world, he serves as a Trustee of the American Association of Art Curators.

For ticket information, contact Stephanie Fast at thinks.fast@gmail.com or 202-300-1012.

Asian Art Society Arsenic is the New White: The Technical Study of Two Himalayan Thangkas Thursday, March 26 / 6 pm 6 pm / Tour / IMA Science Laboratories 7 pm / Lecture / DeBoest Lecture Hall Free / Open to the public In 2016, the IMA brought two Himalayan thangkas into its collection. Join Dr. Gregory Dale Smith, senior scientist, and Claire Hoevel, senior conservator of paper, for a tour and lecture to learn about these fascinating and colorful devotional artworks. The team’s technical study of the thangkas, in collaboration with IUPUI geologists, led to an interesting discovery of a white mineral pigment based on toxic arsenic.

Contemporary Art Society CAS First Look Friday, May 15 / 6 pm Floor 4 galleries $10 CAS members / $15 public Join Michael Vetter, assistant curator of contemporary art, for a tour of new additions to the contemporary galleries, then mingle with other art lovers.

Design Arts Society DAS Annual Meeting & Indiana Modern Lecture Thursday, May 28 / 5 pm (doors) 5:30 pm / Annual Meeting / Fountain Room 6 pm / Lecture / The Toby Free / Open to the public / Registration required DAS will welcome new board members and officers, and discuss programs for 2020.

After the meeting, DAS and Indiana Modern will host a lecture by Alexandra Lange, architecture and design critic.

Please register for the event through Eventbrite.com.

Alliance Book Discussion Group Thursday, May 14 / 12:15 pm 12:15 pm / Optional group lunch / The Cafe 1:30 pm / Discussion / Adult Lecture Space A Free / Alliance members and their guests only The group will discuss On Ugliness by Umberto Ecco.

For reservations, contact Ann McKenzie at anntm@me.com or 401-397-7446.

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NEWFIELDS

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ON CAMERA

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On Camera at Newfields

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Runway fashion, Japanese paintings, and a bountiful celebration of Harvest.

Here’s a look at photos from recent Newfields events.

SPRING 2020

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ON CAMERA

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FAS Designer Showcase (1) Model Sarah Jackson wears a design by Misty Dodson.

Harvest (2, 3) Children and families enjoy the activities at Harvest.

Harvest Chairwoman's Dinner (4, 5) (4) John Teramoto, curator of Asian art at Newfields, toasts with guests. (5) Dinner guests cross the festively decorated Woodstock Bridge.

Growing the Midwest Garden Lecture & Reception (6) Sue Nord Pfeiffer, Madeline F. Elder Greenhouse manager, shares gardening advice.

At the Crossroads: A Community Meal (7, 8) (7) Neighborhood residents, food growers, and creatives gather for a conversation about food equity. (8) From left: Chef Corey McDaniel, the poet

Synergy, and Newfields Culinary Arts Director Joshua Ratliff welcome guests.

A Brush with Beauty Opening Reception (9, 10, 11) (9) Guests view 700 years of Japanese painting traditions. (10) Charles Venable, The Melvin & Bren Simon Director and CEO at Newfields, gives opening remarks. (11) Multi-disciplinary artist Mitsu Salmon performs.

DAS Design Icons Lecture (12) From left: Shelley Selim, curator of design and decorative arts at Newfields, and speakers Mira Nakashima and Celia Bertoia.

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the Book It's the ultimate souvenir for people who love to travel. In 10 fascinating essays, the exhibition catalogue for Edward Hopper and the American Hotel (pictured) explores the artist's lifelong investigation of lodging spaces, along with streets, lighthouses, and gas stations. The book's backflap also holds two TripTik-like, removable maps that trace the journeys Hopper and his wife, the artist Josephine "Jo" Nivison Hopper, took by car in the 1940s and 1950s; correspondence; quotations from Jo's diaries; and reproductions of postcards and other ephemera. You can purchase this incredible volume ($40), along with other Edward Hopper-inspired gifts, at our Museum & Garden Shop or at discovernewfields.org.

Newfields 4000 Michigan Road Indianapolis, IN 46208 discovernewfields.org

Buy

General support of Newfields is provided by the Arts Council of Indianapolis and the City of Indianapolis; Indiana Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency; Lilly Endowment Inc.; and Nicholas H. Noyes Jr., Memorial Foundation.

Follow us:

@Newfieldstoday Sample pages from Edward Hopper and the American Hotel catalogue.

Photo: Sandra Sellars Š Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.