IHS Celebrates Bicentennial with T.C. Steele Book, Exhibition and Storytelling Event

Indianapolis—The Indiana Historical Society (IHS) continues the year-long celebration of the 2016 Bicentennial with a look back at Indiana’s landscape through the brush of one of the state’s most iconic artists. The life and legacy of Theodore Clement Steele is being commemorated with a special edition book, a storytelling event and a new exhibition.

“Through the scope of this project, you will find the work of Hoosier artist T.C. Steele brought to life in vivid color; including paintings that now reside in private hands as well as those from some of the state’s finest museums,” said IHS President and CEO John A. Herbst.

Visitors can view 43 of those paintings, some being displayed for the first time in public, when IHS opens its exhibition Indiana Impressions: The Art of T.C. Steele. The picturesque scenes, ranging from fallen snow on Steele’s Brown County home to hay baling in Munich, Germany, will be on display from Thursday, April 21 through Saturday, July 9, at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, located at 450 W. Ohio St. in downtown Indianapolis.

The exhibition is guest-curated by noted Hoosier art authority Rachel Berenson Perry and coincides with the release of a deluxe 50th anniversary edition of the IHS Press book, The House of the Singing Winds: The Life and Work of T.C. Steele. First published in 1966, this special edition features new images and a new essay by Perry on the life of Steele’s second wife, Selma Neubacher Steele.

“The opportunity to research and write a bit more about Selma, the unsung heroine of her artist husband’s legacy, has been a pleasure,” said Perry. “Searching for the best paintings by the artist to include in this book has also been a fun and rewarding assignment.”

The House of the Singing Winds (Revised Edition) includes approximately 75 images of Steele paintings from the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Indiana University Art Museum and private collections.

In addition, fans of Steele and his work will enjoy a Storytelling Arts and IHS presentation by Lou Ann Homan. The event is Friday, April 29, at 8 p.m., inside the Frank and Katrina Basile Theater. Tickets are $20 at the door and $15 in advance. This activity is a signature project of the Indiana Bicentennial Commission and is made possible in part, with support from the Indiana Arts Commission.

For more information on the Steele book, exhibition or storytelling event, call (317) 232-1882 or visit IHS online at www.indianahistory.org.

About the Indiana Historical Society

Since 1830, the Indiana Historical Society has been Indiana’s Storyteller, connecting people to the past by collecting, preserving, interpreting and sharing the state’s history. A private, nonprofit membership organization and an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, IHS maintains the nation’s premier research library and archives on the history of Indiana and the Old Northwest and presents a unique set of visitor exhibitions called the Indiana Experience. IHS provides support and assistance to local museums and historical groups, publishes books and periodicals; sponsors teacher workshops; produces and hosts art exhibitions, museum theater and outside performance groups; and provides youth, adult and family programming.

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