State of the Arts at the Indiana State Museum

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Indiana State Museum

Hoosiers are proud of their heritage and cultural history. And no place presents it better than the Indiana State Museum in downtown Indianapolis.

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The museum is a destination for young and old – and all ages in between – to discover their inner explorer.

Indiana Jones wannabes can visit a simulated dig or dig into Native American history. They can meet a charging mastodon head on, or view the faces of famous Hoosiers. An educational, exciting adventure awaits visitors at every turn. Established in 1869, the museum was housed in various venues before finding a permanent home in White River State Park. The three-story building, constructed from materials native to Indiana, opened in 2002 as a repository of history, culture, art and science, representing each of the state’s 92 counties.

Indiana State Museum

Bruce Williams, director of media and public relations, says the museum is a component of the state’s 12-site museum system, which includes 11 historic sites located throughout Indiana.

“We are the central hub of the system and, along with the others, help to tell the story of Indiana’s history,” he says.

The combined sites draw nearly 700,000 visitors annually, including more than 270,000 visitors to the museum in Indianapolis. While most are regional residents, special exhibits – what Williams refers to as “blockbusters” – appeal to international guests.

Indiana State Museum

Core galleries on Levels 1 and 2 present natural science and cultural history, respectively. Permanent exhibits offer interactive, hands-on experiences designed to complement artifacts and media within those exhibits, he says.

Among the Level 2 exhibits, the Foucault Pendulum demonstrates the Earth’s rotation. The swinging pendulum, a popular attraction, knocks down a peg every seven to eight minutes as the Earth turns.

Changing exhibits on Level 3 include Fearless Furniture, works by 24 artists with a Hoosier connection. The exhibit of eclectic, high-quality studio work runs through May 27, 2014.

The South Gallery features prehistoric creatures in Ice Age Giants: The Mystery of Mammoths and Mastodons through Aug. 17, 2014.

Indiana State Museum

“This explores Ice Age animals, what happens at a real dig site and research that helps us understand prehistoric animals,” Williams says. “We have the largest mastodon bone collection in all the Midwest, so there are tons of bones on display throughout the gallery, as well as an on-site simulated dig.”

Fred, a mastodon unearthed in an ancient lake west of Fort Wayne, is a featured attraction. Weighing about three tons, he consists of 85 percent real bone and is said to be about 13,000 years old.

A posthumous, retrospective exhibition of drawings, small sculptures, paintings and assemblage will be showcased in Style, Elegance and Wit: The Artwork of James Russell, running April 4 through Oct. 12, 2014. A Kewanna native, Russell (1915-2000) is considered one of Indiana’s most exemplary contemporary artists.

Also in April, the museum will host the Pinewood Derby through a partnership with the Boy Scouts of America. Competitors race on a two-and-a-half-story, 120-foot track in the museum’s entryway in this prelude to the annual June race.

Indiana State Museum

“We always have fun things coming up,” Williams says, noting all exhibits are available for viewing with the cost of regular admission. “There’s always something to do here.”

Indiana’s largest IMAX Theater screen, Farmers Market Café, the L.S. Ayres Tea Room and the Indiana Store are also on site. Consult the website for further details.

SEE MORE: Indiana’s State Historic Sites

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