From Sampler to Sower

Christ Bearing the Cross, from the Workshop of El Greco and part of the IMA's Clowes collection.

Granted, this is a bit of a diversion from my normal subject matter for this blog, but I’m too excited about this not to share.

One of my favorite things about living in Middletown is the combined joys of living in a small town (population 2,500), the convenience of being 10 minutes from the retail and restaurant options of Anderson, and the culture of being 45 minutes from Indianapolis.  And one of my favorite things about being close to Indy is the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

Simply put, I love the IMA

It’s free.  (That doesn’t keep me from paying for an annual membership though – it’s a museum worthy of support.)

It really is a world class institution.  They have a very eclectic collection from Chinese Jade, to the Eitlejorg African/Egyptian collection, to old masters, to modern design.  They have one of the best collections of Neo-Impressionism in the Western Hemisphere, and their collection of works from the Pont-Aven School (including Paul Gauguin) is perhaps the best in the world.  I can’t summarize their collection without mentioning their extensive collection of works from J.M.W. Turner in their Pantzer collection.  And, for me, the icing on the cake: their Clowes collection features five works from the workshop of El Greco – my favorite artist of all time.

And it’s 45 minutes away!

As if that wasn’t enough, we’re one week away from the opening of the special exhibition I’ve been waiting for… Sacred Spain.  Featuring works from some of my favorite artists (including El Greco), this exhibit showcases devotional art from Spain and the Spanish speaking world.  At the heart of the exhibit is the Crown of the Andes, a 17th century emerald crown commissioned for the statue of the virgin Mary in Columbia.

What’s more, the IMA has one of the best technology departments of any art museum I’ve ever visited.  They are pioneering the way in using technology and social media to promote arts education.  I’m especially looking forward to the unveiling of their new TAP technology which uses an iPod Touch application to provide an in depth experience for this exhibit.  Developed by IMA staff, this will be a revolutionary way to take in an exhibition.

It’s going to be awesome and I can’t wait.

Member’s preview day is Saturday, October 10th.  The exhibition opens to the public on Sunday, October 11th.  Admission is free.  Check it out!

And while you’re at it, you can connect with the IMA through their blog, or their incredible art video site artbabble.org.