Indianapolis middle school: Uh oh. We’re very sorry.
Top 10 Best Indianapolis, IN Public Middle Schools (2023)
School (Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
Merle Sidener Gifted Academy
Math: 68% | Reading: 79%
Rank:
Top 5%
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2424 Kessler Blvd E Dr
Indianapolis, IN 46220
(317) 226-4259
Grades: 2-8
| 352 students
Rank: #22.
Center For Inquiry School 84
Math: 64% | Reading: 69%
Rank:
Top 5%
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440 E 57th St
Indianapolis, IN 46220
(317) 226-4284
Grades: K-8
| 450 students
Rank: #33.
Speedway Junior High School
Math: 52% | Reading: 51%
Rank:
Top 30%
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5151 W 14th St
Indianapolis, IN 46224
(317) 244-3359
Grades: 7-8
| 291 students
Rank: #44.
Paramount Brookside
Charter School
Math: 47% | Reading: 52%
Rank:
Top 30%
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3020 Nowland Ave
Indianapolis, IN 46201
(317) 775-6660
Grades: K-8
| 842 students
Rank: #55.
Center For Inquiry School 70
Math: 37% | Reading: 52%
Rank:
Top 50%
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510 East 46th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46205
(317) 226-4270
Grades: K-8
| 461 students
Rank: #66.
Center For Inquiry School 2
Magnet School
Math: 38% | Reading: 47%
Rank:
Top 50%
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725 N New Jersey St
Indianapolis, IN 46202
(317) 226-4202
Grades: K-8
| 438 students
Rank: #77.
Perry Meridian Middle School
Math: 33% | Reading: 51%
Rank:
Top 50%
Add to Compare
202 W Meridian School Rd
Indianapolis, IN 46217
(317) 789-4100
Grades: 7-8
| 1,289 students
Rank: #88.
Indiana Connections Academy
Charter School
Math: 29% | Reading: 55%
Rank:
Top 50%
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6640 Intech Blvd – Ste 250
Indianapolis, IN 46278
(317) 550-3188
Grades: K-12
| 6,687 students
Rank: #99.
Paramount Englewood
Charter School
Math: 30-34% | Reading: 40-44%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
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1849 E Pleasant Run S Pkwy Dr
Indianapolis, IN 46203
(317) 741-9589
Grades: 5-8
| 187 students
Rank: #1010.
Eastwood Middle School
Math: 30% | Reading: 45%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
4401 E 62nd St
Indianapolis, IN 46220
(317) 259-5401
Grades: 6-8
| 810 students
Rank: #1111.
George Washington Carver School 87
Magnet School
Math: 30-34% | Reading: 35-39%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
2411 Indpls Ave
Indianapolis, IN 46208
(317) 226-4287
Grades: PK-8
| 403 students
Rank: #1212.
Franklin Central Junior High School
Math: 31% | Reading: 40%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
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10440 Indian Crk Rd
Indianapolis, IN 46259
(317) 803-8100
Grades: 7-8
| 1,680 students
Rank: #1313.
Phalen Virtual Leadership Academy
Charter School
Math: 30-39% | Reading: 30-39%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
4352 Mitthoeffer Rd
Indianapolis, IN 46235
(317) 939-3787
Grades: 2-12
| 34 students
Rank: #1414.
Ips/butler Lab At William Bell 60
Magnet School
Math: 28% | Reading: 39%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
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3330 N Pennsylvania
Indianapolis, IN 46205
(317) 226-4369
Grades: PK-8
| 585 students
Rank: #1515.
Christel House Academy South
Charter School
Math: 27% | Reading: 38%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
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2717 S East St
Indianapolis, IN 46225
(317) 783-4690
Grades: K-12
| 674 students
Rank: #1616.
Irvington Community School
Charter School
Math: 21% | Reading: 42%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
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6705 E Julian Ave
Indianapolis, IN 46219
(317) 357-5359
Grades: K-12
| 1,037 students
Rank: #1717.
Southport Middle School
Math: 22% | Reading: 40%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
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5715 S Keystone
Indianapolis, IN 46227
(317) 789-4600
Grades: 7-8
| 1,190 students
Rank: #1818.
Rousseau Mcclellan School 91
Magnet School
Math: 28% | Reading: 33%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
5111 Evanston Ave
Indianapolis, IN 46205
(317) 226-4291
Grades: PK-8
| 587 students
Rank: #1919.
New Augusta Public Academy – North
Math: 18% | Reading: 34%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
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6450 Rodebaugh Rd
Indianapolis, IN 46268
(317) 387-4328
Grades: 6-8
| 853 students
Rank: #2020.
Center For Inquiry School 27
Math: 25% | Reading: 29%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
545 E 19th St
Indianapolis, IN 46202
(317) 226-4227
Grades: PK-8
| 493 students
Rank: #2121.
Northview Middle School
Math: 14% | Reading: 34%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
8401 Westfield Blvd
Indianapolis, IN 46240
(317) 259-5421
Grades: 6-8
| 894 students
Rank: #2222.
Hoosier College and Career Academy
Charter School
Math: 6-9% | Reading: 35-39%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
5650 Caito Drive
Indianapolis, IN 46226
(317) 495-6494
Grades: 7-12
| 929 students
Rank: #2323.
In Math & Science Academy
Charter School
Math: 24% | Reading: 26%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
4575 W 38th St
Indianapolis, IN 46254
(317) 298-0025
Grades: K-8
| 577 students
Rank: #2424.
Fall Creek Valley Middle School
Math: 14% | Reading: 29%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
9701 E 63rd St
Indianapolis, IN 46236
(317) 964-6600
Grades: 7-8
| 1,390 students
Rank: #2525.
Lynhurst 7th & 8th Grade Center
Math: 17% | Reading: 25%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
2805 S Lynhurst
Indianapolis, IN 46241
(317) 988-8100
Grades: 7-8
| 1,216 students
Rank: #2626.
In Math & Science Academy – North
Charter School
Math: 19% | Reading: 22%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
7435 N Keystone Ave
Indianapolis, IN 46240
(317) 259-7300
Grades: K-12
| 726 students
Rank: #2727.
Damar Charter Academy
Charter School
Math: 15-19% | Reading: 20-24%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
5125 Decatur Blvd Ste D
Indianapolis, IN 46241
(317) 455-2400
Grades: K-12
| 194 students
Rank: #2828.
Charles A Tindley Accelerated School
Charter School
Math: 10% | Reading: 29%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
3960 Meadows Dr
Indianapolis, IN 46205
(317) 545-1745
Grades: 7-12
| 374 students
Rank: #2929.
Westlane Middle School
Math: 13% | Reading: 26%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
1301 W 73rd St
Indianapolis, IN 46260
(317) 259-5412
Grades: 6-8
| 793 students
Rank: #3030.
George W Julian School 57
Math: 15-19% | Reading: 15-19%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
5435 E Washington St
Indianapolis, IN 46219
(317) 226-4257
Grades: PK-8
| 183 students
Rank: #3131.
Victory College Prep Academy
Charter School
Math: 13% | Reading: 22%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
1780 Sloan Ave
Indianapolis, IN 46203
(317) 351-1534
Grades: K-12
| 963 students
Rank: #32 – 3332. – 33.
Decatur Middle School
Math: 10% | Reading: 24%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
5108 S High School Rd
Indianapolis, IN 46221
(317) 856-5274
Grades: 7-8
| 1,118 students
Rank: #32 – 3332.
– 33.
Lincoln Middle School
Math: 10% | Reading: 24%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
5353 W 71st St
Indianapolis, IN 46268
(317) 291-9499
Grades: 6-8
| 866 students
Rank: #34 – 3534. – 35.
Decatur Township School For Excellence
Math: ≤10% | Reading: 20-29%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
5106 S High School Rd
Indianapolis, IN 46221
(317) 856-0900
Grades: 8-12
| 218 students
Rank: #34 – 3534. – 35.
Indiana School For The Blind
Special Education School
Math: ≤10% | Reading: 20-29%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
7725 N College Ave
Indianapolis, IN 46240
(317) 253-1481
Grades: PK-12
| 114 students
Show 43 more public schools in Indianapolis, IN (out of 78 total schools)
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IPS considers standalone middle schools amid opposition
Indianapolis Public Schools has never gotten middle school quite right.
In the early 2000s, the district combined grades 7-12 in an attempt to limit dropouts between middle and high school. But chronically low test scores prompted officials to get rid of that model beginning in 2017, pushing many middle schoolers into K-8 elementary schools instead.
Now, under a third consecutive superintendent, the district is weighing a new plan for middle grades: break up the K-8 structure and create standalone middle schools to better serve students amid declining enrollment.
The proposal from the district’s Rebuilding Stronger initiative — meant to shave costs as IPS loses students to charter schools — has divided the IPS community, even though IPS has not yet revealed the plan’s details.
The district will unveil the full plan Sep. 13, and officials are warning people not to leap to conclusions about what’s coming before then. District officials say the move would help offer higher quality education to all students, not just those in choice schools.
Opponents of the proposal, however, argue the break up will hurt students academically right as students are recovering from losses during the COVID pandemic.
How many students would be affected and where they might move is unclear. It’s also uncertain when any changes will go into effect.
But not all K-8 schools will be affected. Innovation schools, most of which are run by charter operators that have special agreements with the district, will not be forced to break up elementary and middle grades unless they agree to do so.
Both the Path School and Matchbook Learning, two charters that took over underperforming schools, told Chalkbeat Indiana they will not break up their K-8 school structure, for instance.
The challenge is one of economies of scale. Traditional neighborhood K-8 schools are under enrolled but also spread thin, stuck with the fixed cost of running buildings that have fewer students than they used to. K-8 schools with fewer than 500 students, for instance, spend $1,500 more per pupil than schools with more than 500 students.
For James A. Garfield School 31 Principal Adrienne Kuchik, the fixed cost of her K-8 building means she is unable to offer certain classes.
“All middle school students deserve robust opportunities that meet their academic needs,” she said at an IPS board meeting last month. “As a K-8, I cannot offer algebra to the three students I have in eighth grade who are ready for that. I cannot offer a foreign language to my students, because I do not have the budget.”
But the idea that the district could split up K-8 schools into K-5 and 6-8 schools has angered parents at the district’s high-performing K-8 choice schools, such as Center for Inquiry schools, or those with special programs like Montessori. Parents fear their child’s grades will be eliminated or moved from existing choice schools.
Linus Schwantes-An, whose son is a third grader at the Sidener Academy for High-Ability Students for grades 2-8, said he’s unsure where Sidener will fit into the district’s K-8 shakeup.
“We’re very concerned that they’re just going to close the school and we’ll be kind of back to square one,” he said.
Education research makes a strong case against standalone middle schools. One 2012 Harvard University study examining Florida schools, for example, found that students who transferred to a new middle school in sixth and seventh grades suffered a drop in academic achievement on state tests compared to students who stayed in K-8 schools.
That gap in test scores continued to widen over time, researchers found.
“When students transition from one school to another, for whatever reason there does seem to be an increase in potential for misbehaving and decline in academic achievement,” said Clara Muschkin, an associate research professor of public policy at Duke University who co-authored another 2006 study that found that sixth graders in a middle school had more behavioral infractions than those in an elementary school. “And that transitional effect seems to be particularly strong for children transitioning to middle school.
”
But district officials argue grade reconfiguration alone is not the sole answer to the district’s middle school problems, but one part of an endeavor to bring academic and extracurricular rigor to all students.
“I think just saying we’re going to go back to a middle school model is not going to get us where we need to go,” said IPS board member Diane Arnold, who was on the board when the district last changed the middle school structure five years ago. “I think a complete redevelopment of the whole middle school experience is what will make this different.”
In 2015, Indianapolis middle schoolers were struggling.
Three of every four failed the ISTEP, the statewide test at the time. And the district lost hundreds of students each year as they moved into middle school.
At the same time, middle schoolers were — and to some extent, still are — scattered throughout the district in a medley of grade configurations, including 6-12, 7-12, 7-8, and K-8.
The district’s response in 2017 was to separate roughly 2,030 students from six high school buildings.
Some students were moved into five elementary schools, which were expanded to include K-8. John Marshall became a 7-8 middle school, and later so did Northwest and Arlington. The district also created two new middle schools — Butler University Laboratory School 44 and Longfellow Medical/STEM Middle School.
Across the district, however, middle school proficiency levels in English and math on the state test have remained low — in 2022, just 12.6% of sixth graders and 12.8% of seventh graders were proficient in both subjects. Eighth grade proficiency was even lower at 9.9%.
But nowadays, officials are focused on other problems. Not only has enrollment in the district’s traditional public schools declined, but higher-performing choice schools with more programs and resources are also mostly white.
Today, middle schoolers have varying levels of access to diverse academic courses and extracurricular activities.
Eleven of the 12 middle schools offering Algebra I are choice schools, and only two of those serve a population of students of color above the district-wide median, according to a district presentation about the Rebuilding Stronger initiative in May.
Achievement is uneven, too.
At Rousseau McClellan Montessori School 91, a choice school, proficiency in math and English on the latest state ILEARN test ranged from 28.9% in 8th grade to 41.9% in 7th grade — well above the district’s middle school averages.
But at James Whitcomb Riley School 43, a neighborhood school just three miles away, middle schoolers are well below the district average: none of its seventh or eighth graders were proficient in both English and math in 2022. Just 2.3% of its sixth graders were proficient.
Those types of disparities and low scores are what district officials say they’re determined to address through the upcoming overhaul.
“What Rebuilding Stronger is trying to do is less about which grade configuration is absolutely right and is the silver bullet for solving all our problems, because that we do not believe grade configuration will do,” said IPS Chief Academics Officer Warren Morgan. “But what we’re trying to do is figure out what is the best configuration that will allow us to have an equitable and excellent experience across all types.
”
Research bolstering arguments in support of the K-8 model and against standalone middle schools is dated, Morgan added.
And three of the five K-6 schools that added seventh and eighth grades in the last reconfiguration of middle schools had declining performance after the fact, noted Chief Portfolio Officer Jamie VanDeWalle. Those three schools — Washington Irving School 14, Wendell Phillips School 63, and Stephen Foster School 67 — became “restart” schools taken over by charter operators due to low achievement.
Grade configuration is the question getting a lot of heat from families right now, VanDeWalle said, but it’s hard to discuss it before the plan is formally released.
“Not that it’s all going to be crystal clear and everybody’s going to love it then,” she said. “But we do think maybe it will make a little bit more sense.”
Many parents of students in high-performing K-8 choice schools don’t want them broken up. They worry that their schools’ poor facility condition score would be used as an excuse to put them on the chopping block for potential closure or consolidation.
“We can all get behind making education more equitable and offering the choice or innovation schools to more students in more areas of town,” said Lindsay Conner, whose son is in third grade at Rousseau McClellan Montessori School 91. “But it seems like they’re wanting to replicate these successful K-8 school models by chopping them up and kicking them to the curb.”
Harshman Magnet Middle School, a choice school, is one of the district’s few schools that includes just grades 7-8.
Scott Elliott / Chalkbeat
Students, too, have voiced concern about being separated from beloved classmates.
“I really don’t want it to happen, because it’s not fair that you have to be with a certain grade level,” said Calvin Young, a sixth grader at School 91. “Like, let’s say there’s an 8th grader who’s friends with a kindergartner — not anymore.”
More broadly, taking away certain grades would also remove many older students who younger students may look up to, Calvin said.
Teachers have their own reasons to be wary of breaking up certain schools’ grade structure.
At William Penn School 49, the students Rosiland Jackson had her first year of teaching are now eighth graders. The K-8 setup allows teachers like her to remain connected with their previous students.
“It’s also great to talk to the middle school teachers to make sure that what we’re doing in third grade is going to put them on the right tract and trajectory to be successful in middle school,” said Jackson, an executive board member of the Indianapolis Education Association.
The real problem plaguing traditional K-8 schools, Jackson argued, is the growing number of charter schools. Some of those schools are part of IPS through its innovation network, while others operate separately.
“They have too many charters and innovations that’s sitting in our district that’s sucking the kids from there, and sucking the programs and the money out,” she said. “So you would be able to have an Algebra teacher, a middle-school algebra teacher, if the funding was in the building for that.
”
Charter school proponents, however, argue that they are providing better quality options for parents, particularly for students of color who experience a large opportunity gap within traditional IPS schools.
District-affiliated charter schools have indeed grown as students have departed traditional district-run IPS schools.
In 2010-11, IPS had 33,408 students entirely within the district, according to district data. Now, the district has just 18,844 students in traditional district-run schools while the remaining 12,757 are in innovation schools, most of which are charters.
But some parents of children in neighborhood schools support the idea of separating the middle grades.
Natasha Hicks said she already plans to pull her two younger children out of James Whitcomb Riley School 43 and send them to a charter school once they get to fifth grade.
“I’ll put them somewhere else because starting at sixth grade, seventh and eighth, those are middle school ages, so they tend to have more drama,” Hicks said.
“So if they’re looking to cut it off at fifth grade, I totally understand that.”
Brittany Maul, an IPS parent, is used to the standalone middle school structure in Pike Township, where her children previously attended schools.
“I think the age groups should stay together,” she said. “The smaller kids should stay together, and the older kids should stay together.”
Research suggests that all things being equal, a K-8 grade configuration is most conducive to students’ academic success as measured by progress on state tests, said Martin West, a professor of education at Harvard University who co-authored the 2012 study of Florida students.
But there isn’t one optimal grade configuration for every school system in the country, West cautioned.
“There are other considerations that districts can and should incorporate into their decisions about grade configuration,” West said. “Sometimes standalone middle schools create opportunities for more school-level diversity than do K-8 schools, which tend to serve a smaller catchment area.
”
If IPS does break up its K-8 structure, then the district should focus on mitigating the harms of the transition from elementary to middle school, said Muschkin, the Duke professor.
“If children are having turbulent transitions because they’re feeling alone and isolated and not having guidance from significant adults, then that would be something to really work on,” she said.
In the end, the district’s plan may end up exacerbating the major problem it is striving to address: declining enrollment, driven by decisions made by parents like Hicks. At her high-poverty neighborhood middle school, proficiency in both English and math on the state ILEARN test falls well below the district-wide average.
Other parents with children in choice schools, fearful of the impending changes within the district, are already lining up options outside of IPS.
Schwantes-An said he and his wife chose to be a part of IPS when they sent their son to Sidener Academy. As a Korean-American immigrant, he values the school system because it was the first place he learned English and a place where he felt safe.
But with unknown changes ahead, Schwantes-An now reflects on the advice that coworkers gave him when he arrived in Indianapolis.
“Maybe, at the end of the day, I should have listened to my colleagues and sent him to private schools or something,” he said.
Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at [email protected].
Indianapolis University, Indiana USA
Maria Gurieva
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Indianapolis University is a private university. It is one of the major educational institutions in Indianapolis and the Indiana Territory. Many students dream of going there after graduation.
Indianapolis University Founding History
The founding of Indianapolis University dates back to the early 20th century: construction began in 1902.
It was originally designed as Indiana Central University. Two decades later (1921) it became Indiana Central College. And by 1986, it received its modern status and is now known as the University of Indianapolis.
This university has a strong affiliation with the Indianapolis United Methodist Church, since that is where its history began. At 19In 02 William Elder made an offer to the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. Elder provided 8 acres of land for the subsequent construction of an educational institution. In exchange for this, the church was to assist in the sale of the plots around the donated land. The construction of the campus began almost immediately, but they began to teach students only 3 years later, in 1905. At this point, the construction of Good Hall, which became the very first building on the campus, was completed.
Indianapolis University began as a school. High school education, two years of teacher education, and a college of liberal arts were supposed.
There were several faculties: a school of oratory, a music conservatory, a bible institute, a pedagogical college, and a college of liberal arts. Completion of training and certification of students took place at the Academy. It was there that graduates were awarded diplomas of secondary education.
Main areas of study Indianapolis University
Now students are taught here in 82 specialties. After 2 years of study, you can get an associate degree. After 4 years of study – a bachelor’s degree. At the moment, there are 27 master’s programs, the opportunity to get a doctoral degree, and new pre-professional programs are regularly launched. At the moment, Indianapolis University offers the following schools in the following areas:
• Business,
• Education,
• Nursing,
• Occupational Therapy,
• Krannert School,
• Engineering (RB Annis School),
• Applied and Behavioral Sciences,
• Medicine,
• art and Science (Shahi College).
In addition, the university has several different educational centers and institutes:
1. Industrial Leadership Post,
2. Business Partnerships,
3. Richard Lugar,
4. Excellence in Education,
5. Aging and Community,
6. Edge,
7. Civic Leadership,
8. Leadership and Professional Development.
The rating of this educational institution is high. U.S. News & World Report ranked Indianapolis University 1st among all universities in the Midwest.
Read also: How to get into an Ivy League university in the USA
Acceptance statistics and passing scores
One of the obvious advantages is good admissions and acceptance statistics. About 4,500 people received a positive response to more than 5,000 applications for consideration. This is 84%. Approximately 850 freshmen enrolled.
The SAT passing scores were as follows:
• Critical Reading scores – 450 – 550,
– Mathematics – 460 – 560,
– Writing score – 440 – 540.
Passing scores ly AST looked like this :
• Composite: 19 – 25 points,
• Mathematics: 19 – 26,
• English: 19 – 25.
denskaya life
Mostly students from Indiana study here, but about 10% are foreign students: many come from Spain, Asia. Almost equal number of girls and boys study – 64% and 36% respectively. At the same time, the age of students is quite young, most often people aged 18 to 22 study here.
A student newspaper has been published continuously for over 96 years. The first report from the campus was published in the November 15, 1922 issue. Since then, the newspaper has not stopped its daily broadcast. Now this is happening online.
Twice a year the university laboratory publishes a journal of literary and visual arts. It has been out for 32 years now. In addition, students take part in the selection of nominees for a literary award. Winners who receive it can publish their books through the Etchings Press’ Chapbook and the Novella Prize.
The campus also has its own radio station. It began broadcasting in 1962 and still does not stop working, covering all listeners of the Indianapolis metropolitan area. It’s called WICR.
In addition, the university has its own cable channel. Here, students can create news releases, entertainment shows and broadcast them on the channel. It also broadcasts on the Comcast and Bright House networks, covering Marion County. In 2008, this cable channel received an award from the Association of School Broadcasters.
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Indianapolis Museum of Art, USA – HiSoUR – HiSoUR – Hi So You Are
The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) is the ninth largest and eighth largest encyclopedic art museum in the United States. The permanent collection includes over 54,000 pieces including African, American, Asian and European pieces.
The Indianapolis Museum of Art is located on a 152-acre campus of lush gardens, historic homes, outdoor sculptures, inspiring performances, and galleries. The IMA is one of the 10 oldest and 10 largest encyclopedic art museums in the United States and has significant collections of African, American, Asian, European, modern art and design in 1883 that span 5,000 years of history.
The Indianapolis Museum of Art (commonly known as the IMA) is a museum of encyclopedic art located in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. The museum, which expanded by $74 million in 2005, is located on a 152-acre (0.62 km2) campus on the near northwest site outside downtown Indianapolis, northwest of Crown Hill Cemetery.
With innovative programming to engage guests of all ages, IMA offers a variety of interactive experiences within the galleries, across campus and in the local community. From gardening demonstrations at Madeline F. Elder Greenhouse to outdoor film screenings at the IMA Amphitheater to community celebrations at Virginia’s B.
Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 acres, guests are encouraged to interact with art and nature at exciting new IMAs. Along with the Indianapolis campus, the IMA also owns the Miller House and Garden in Columbus, Indiana, one of the nation’s most respected examples of mid-century modernist residences.
Significant areas of the collection include: neo-impressionist paintings; Japanese paintings from the Edo period; Chinese ceramics and bronze; paintings, sculptures and engravings by Paul Gauguin and the Pont-Aven School; a large number of works by J. M. W. Turner; and a growing collection of contemporary art. Other areas of focus include textiles and fashion arts, as well as a recent focus on contemporary design.
In addition to its collections, the museum consists of 100 acres of Virginia B. Fairbanks, an art park and nature park; Oldfields, a restored Country era American residence once owned by Josiah K. Lilly, Jr.; and restored gardens and grounds originally designed by Percival Gallagher of the Olmsted Brothers firm.
The IMA also owns the Miller House, a mid-century modern home designed by Eero Saarinen and located in Columbus, Indiana. The museum’s holdings demonstrate the institution’s focus on the connection between art, design and the natural environment.
The Indianapolis Museum of Art was founded as the Art Association of Indianapolis, an open-ended group led by suffragist May Wright-Seual. The organization, founded in 1883, is dedicated to informing the public about the visual arts and providing art education. The first exhibition of the Arts Association, which opened on November 7, 1883, contained 453 works from 137 artists. The death of wealthy Indianapolis resident John Herron in 1895 left a substantial legacy with the condition that the money be used for a gallery and a school bearing his name. The John Herron Art Institute opened at 7 p.m.02 on the corner of Pennsylvania 16th Street. The emphasis on the Arts and Crafts movement grew during the early years of study, with an emphasis on the applied arts.
William Henry Fox was hired in 1905 as the first director of the Art Institute. From 1905 to 1910, Fox supervised the museum and school in the construction of two new buildings at 16th Street.
From the 1930s to the 1950s, the John Herron Institute of Art emphasized the professionalism and growth of the collections. Wilbur Cake, museum director since 1929 to 1965, acquired a significant part of the collection. Peat also made connections with philanthropists such as Dr. George H. A. Close, Booth Tarkington, and Eli Lilly. Caroline Marmon Fesler, president of the Indianapolis Art Association, produced a range of works in the 1940s, including 20th-century contemporary work and post-impressionism work by Cezanne, Van Gogh, and Seurat. After much debate surrounding the expansion and relocation of the museum and school, Eli Lilly’s great grandsons, J.C. Lilly III and Ruth Lilly donated the family estate, Oldfields, to the Indianapolis Art Association at 1966 year. A year later, it was decided that the school would become part of Indiana University at Indianapolis to help with accreditation.
The same year it was confirmed that the museum would move to Oldfields with the opening of the new Krannert Pavilion to the public in October 1970. In 1969, prior to moving to the new site, the Indianapolis Art Association officially changed its name to the Indianapolis Museum of Art.
In 2008, the museum changed its main entrance from 1200 West 38th Street to 4000 North Michigan Road.
The Indianapolis Museum of Art has a permanent collection of over 54,000 works that represent cultures from around the world and span over 5,000 years. The collection includes: European painting and sculpture; American painting and sculpture; prints, drawings and photographs; Asian art; the arts of Africa, the South Pacific and the Americas; ancient art of the Mediterranean; Art of design; textile and fashion art; and contemporary art. The museum houses a significant collection of neo-impressionist paintings and prints, many of which were given in 1977 by the local industrialist W. Holliday. Paired with the neo-impressionist collection is the collection of Samuel Josephowitz Gauguin and the Pont-Aven School, which includes highlights such as the Bretons on the Ferry by Emilie Bernard. The IMA also has a large collection of J.M.W. Turner containing highlights such as an 1820 watercolor, Roslyn Castle. The collection, which was formed by a significant donation from philanthropist Kurt Panzer in 1979, includes over fifty watercolors as well as oil paintings, prints and engravings.
The European collection, which was organized into works before 1800 and runs from 1800 to 1944, includes highlights such as Aristotle by Jusepe de Ribera and The Flageolet Player on the Rock by Paul Gauguin. Rembrandt’s self-portrait is part of the Clowes Foundation collection, which includes a number of significant Old Masters works. Part of the Neo-Impressionist collection, The Channel of Gravelines, Petit Fort Philippe by Georges Seurat was one of the first works donated to Caroline Marmon Fesler at 1940s. Fesler would go on to donate a number of important works, including her bequest in 1961 of famous 20th-century modernist items, including Pablo Picasso, Chagall and Matisse. The pieces in the American Collection represent American Impressionism and Modernism, including works by Georgia O’Keeffe and George Inness. Significant parts include the hotel lobby (1943) by Edward Hopper and the boat builders Winslow Homer.
The museum has a significant collection of works from Asia, with over 5,000 items spanning 4,000 years. Most notable is the famous IMA collection in Japan, paintings, scrolls and screens of the Japanese epic Edo. Highlights include “Thousand Peaks and Myriad Gorges”, the work of the Ming Dynasty Bi Wu and Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian patriarchs, the era of the Kano Sanraku era, in addition to a number of Chinese ceramics and bronzes that were donated by Eli Lilly in 1961, for example, a beautiful Shang-bronze guang. The IMA collection also consists of over 2,000 African art and artifacts, 1,200 of which were donated by Harrison Eiteljorg in 1989. The IMA has expanded the collection to include both historical and contemporary objects from all major African regions, including Egypt. The museum is unique in its comprehensive display of Islamic and Egyptian works in an African gallery rather than Greek or Roman antiquities. Significant pieces include a figurine of an ancestor lady of the Senufo people and a Magbo mask mask for the Oro Association by the master carver Onabanjo of Itu Meko.
The museum’s textile and fashion collection consists of 7,000 items, including 20th-century custom-made suits from Givenchy, Chanel and Balmain. The collection includes a number of world textile traditions, including African textiles donated by sisters Eliza and Sarah Niblak between 1916 and 1933, and a significant collection of Baloch carpets. Based on the museum’s early history of collecting textiles, the range ranges from haute couture to silk and antique lace, spanning 500 years. Some notable pieces include the imperial Russian court dress by designer Charles Friedrich Worth and the Bodhisattva of Wisdom (Manushri), a Ming Dynasty silk panel.
The museum’s museum art collection consists of European and American works from the Renaissance to the present day. The collection includes the sideboard by Eliel Saarien, designed in 1929 for the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition The Architect and the Industrial Arts: An Exhibition of Contemporary American Design and the Bubbles Chaise Lounge designed by Frank Gehry in 1979 for a series of experimental edges.
In recent years, the IMA has begun developing its contemporary art collection, which includes works such as Alexander Calder’s Two White Dots in the Air and Light and Space III, a permanent installation by Robert Irwin located in Pulliam Great Hall. Since 2007, the museum has featured state-of-the-art site-oriented installations in the Efroymson Pavilion, which rotate temporary works every six months. The Efroymson Pavilion features the work of artists such as William Lamson, Studio Ball-Nogues, Orly Genger and Heather Rowe, to name a few. Contemporary art is also featured at 100 Acres: The Virginia B.
Fairbanks Art and Nature Park, which is unique in its inclusion of commissioned works created by mid-career artists. Since 2007, IMA has been committed to building a contemporary design collection that exemplifies the artistic merit of utilitarian objects. The emphasis on international contemporary design, coupled with the opening of the Miller House in 2011, is expected to reshape the museum as an authority on design.
Collection and disposal practices The IMA has used technology to promote open access, openness and transparency in museum operations. Introduced in March 2009, the Internet Deaxation Database lists each object that is distracted and links new acquisitions to properties sold that provide the funds to purchase them. The IMA has been praised for being the first among museums to openly share their deprivation practices and include the ability to post public comments about entries in a searchable database. The IMA has also developed the Association of Museums and Museums (AAMD) Object Registry, a database that helps museums more easily follow the UNESCO decision 1970, which prevents the illegal circulation of antiquities.
Since 2003, the IMA has been systematically studying the provenance of works created before 1946 and acquired after 1932.
The IMA Conservation Department was established in 1970 by the museum’s first permanent curator, Paul Spheris, and soon became known as the regional center for conservation. In 1978, the department began providing consulting services to regional institutions, accepting contracts from across the Midwest. An early high-profile contract included the preservation of 45 portraits of governors for 15 months. Exposure 1979 Years, Portraits and Artists of Indiana Governors, took place at the IMA from January to March before the portraits were placed on permanent display in Indiana. Other major regional projects included the conservation and restoration of the Thomas Hart Benton murals, first created for Indiana Hall at the 1933 Chicago Chicago Fair and now located at Indiana University, the Wistard Memorial Hospital murals, the Otto Stark and Clifton Wheeler murals at Indianapolis Public School 54, and more recently, the restoration of the May Lighthouse May Memorial Torches at Herron High School, formerly the site of the John Herron Art Institute./cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63591178/12045377_1915775488647874_8754264102573163872_o_e1544715666602.0.jpg)
The conservation department currently serves the needs of the museum with specialists in painting, textiles, paper, frame and object conservation. The department has grown in both size and staffing over the years, with the most recent expansion occurring in 2007. As of 2007, the IMA owned one of the few computerized X-ray machines in the United States, continuing the X-technology trend that began in the 1970s. At 19In 1980, the department helped organize and establish the Midwest Regional Conservative Guild, which includes conservatives and conservative scholars from Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, and Michigan. In the mid-1980s, the department gained attention when conservative chief Martin Radetzky helped local authorities open more than two dozen fake T.C. Steele and William Forsyth paintings worth over $200,000. A highly professional fake case prompted the Radecks to organize an exhibition in 1989, is it genuine? Steele, Forsythe and Counterfeit in Indiana. The exhibition presented methods of conservation and considered ways to detect counterfeits.
Another public presentation of conservation took place in 2007 with Sebastiano Mainardi: Science of Art, a Star Studio that allowed visitors to watch the conservators as they worked on the 16th-century altarpiece. The IMA Star Studio is an interactive gallery that allows visitors to explore through artistic creation and observation of the museum’s collections.
In February 2010, the IMA moved from its current environmental control standards to its exhibition space, allowing temperature and humidity fluctuations of several degrees on either side of the proposed standard. The IMA abandoned the standard after concluding that most art could support a higher humidity range, allowing the museum to save on energy bill costs and reduce its carbon footprint.
In October 2008, the IMA announced a $2.6 million grant. USA from the Lilly Foundation, which will be used to establish a state-of-the-art conservation research laboratory. Through an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant, Dr. Gregory Dale Smith, was hired in October 2009years to lead the laboratory as a senior conservative scientist.
The main focus of the laboratory is on the research of the IMA collection, including fashion fashion in the collection of fabrics and items made of synthetic materials in the design collection. Another focus is the scientific study of materials found in the collections, such as resins and dyes on African art pieces and glazes on Asian pottery. With the addition of the laboratory, IMA aims to become a globally recognized center for conservation and expand its potential as a resource for education and advanced training in conservation science.
In 1909, the Arts Association campaigned for a major retrospective, the Augustus Saint-Gaudens Memorial Exhibition, to be taken to Indianapolis. The exhibition, also referred to as the Saint-Gaudens Memorial Exhibition in Sculptures, attracted 56,000 visitors over a three-month period, far exceeding the council’s goal of attracting 50,000 visitors. In 1937, the Seventeenth-Century Dutch Painting exhibition included loans from the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
The six-week exhibition featured 65 pieces, including several Rembrandts, and was considered the beginning of the museum’s rise to knowledge.
In 1977, the IMA acquired a collection of neo-impressionist paintings from the Indianapolis industrialist W.J. Holliday, which was featured in an exhibition in 1983 titled The Aura of Neo-Impressionism: The W.J. Holliday. From 1986 to 1988, the exhibition traveled to seven cities in the United States and made one stop in Europe at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Opening in the summer of 1987 to coincide with the Pan American Games, The Art of Fiction: Latin America 1920-1987 featured 125 works by artists from around the world. Well-known artists such as Frida Kahlo and Roberto Matta were featured, as well as artists who had never exhibited outside their home country. The show was the first large-scale presentation of 20th-century Latin American art in the United States for over 20 years, and was the museum’s first contemporary travel exhibition.
In 1992, the IMA hosted the William S. Paley Collection, a touring exhibition organized by the Museum of Modern Art, including Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and contemporary works collected by the late CBS News Chairman William S. Paley. The exhibition helped establish the IMA as a prominent museum venue in the Midwest and brought in a record 60,837 visitors. In 2001, the IMA collaborated with the Armory Museum in Moscow to organize gifts for the Tsars, 1500-1700: Treasures of the Kremlin. The show helped the IMA form partnerships with local arts organizations, gain international exposure and attracted a record 70,704 visitors. Another important exhibition for the IMA trip was Roman art from the Louvre, which attracted 106,002 visitors during 2008. The exhibition featured 184 mosaics, frescoes, statues, marble reliefs and vessels borrowed from the permanent collection of the Louvre in Paris, France. It was the largest collection ever borrowed from the Louvre to date and only stopped in three US cities before returning to France.
In 2009, Holy Spain: Art and Faith in the Spanish World brought together 71 pieces of art from a wide variety of lenders, including Peru, Mexico and the Prado in Spain. The exhibit consisted of a rare collection of pieces, many of which had never been seen in the United States. It featured paintings, sculptures, metalwork and books by artists such as El Greco, Diego Velasquez and Bartolome Esteban Murillo. Andy Warhol Enterprises was featured at the IMA from October 2010 to January 2011 as well as over 150 Andy Warhol artworks as well as archival material. The exhibition was the largest to illustrate Warhol’s fascination with money and consumerism as a central theme. Visitors were able to see the progression of Warhol’s career from his beginnings as a commercial artist in his multi-million dollar empire.
European design since 1985: Shaping the New Age was shown from 8 March to 21 June 2009 and was the first major review of contemporary European design. About 250 pieces were assembled at the exhibition by Western European industrial and decorative designers such as Philippe Starck, Mark Newson and Matthias Bengtsson.
Three prominent design styles emerged from 1985-2005 and could be seen at the show: geometric minimal design, biomorphic design, and Neo-Pop design. Among the topics covered throughout the exhibition was the question of what makes something “art” and how to distinguish a piece of museum quality in a world full of mass-produced products. Instead of being organized by the designer or the country, the plays were organized based on the intellectual or philosophical commandment they fell under. Since leaving the IMA, the exhibition has traveled to the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and the Milwaukee Art Museum in Milwaukee.
Hard Truths: The Art of Thornton Dial, on display from February to September 2011, features over 70 large-scale works and is the largest collection of Thornton Dial works ever assembled. The exhibition contextualizes Zifert as a contemporary, contemporary artist, rather than a folk artist or outsider artist, as many have portrayed him in the past. The segments featured in Hard Truths cover a range of social and political topics, many of which involve rural life in the South and the treatment of African Americans.
After leaving Indianapolis, the exhibition is scheduled to travel to New Orleans, Charlotte, North Carolina and Atlanta.
In 2010, IMA was selected to host the commissioning of the United States Pavilion at the Venice Biennale (Biennale di Venezia). An IMA proposal to create an exhibition celebrating the work of Puerto Rican artists Jennifer Alora and Guillermo Calzadilla was accepted by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State. Allora and Calzadilla were the first collective collection to be featured at the Venice Biennale, and in 2011 American artists from the Hispanic community were selected for the first time. The six new artworks will be developed by the pair, who often explore geopolitical themes in their work. The pieces they created for the 2011 US Pavilion will form an exhibit called “Gloria” and highlight competitive institutions such as the Olympics, military and international trade. Allora and Calzadilla also brought elements of their performances into their multimedia productions through the participation of Olympic athletes.