News Release

There are many wonderful museums to visit in and around northern Indiana. One museum that is worth a drive to Indianapolis is the Eiteljorg Museum. Indianapolis businessman Harrison Eiteljorg and other civic leaders founded the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in 1989.

The mission of the museum is to “inspire an appreciation and understanding of the art, history, and cultures of the American West and the Indigenous peoples of North America.” The contemporary Native American art collection has been ranked as one of the best in the world. The museum is the only one of its kind in the Midwest.

The holiday season is one of the best times to visit the Eiteljorg due to its holiday tradition of Fifth Third Bank Jingle Rails: The Great Western Adventure. Now in its 13^th season, Jingle Rails is a one-of-a-kind whimsical model Railroad that features a network of G-scale electric trains, 1,200 feet of track and artistic miniature representations of iconic landmarks of Indianapolis and the American West. Jingle Rails, which runs from Nov. 19 through Jan. 16, will be displayed in a newly expanded space this year.

Winding through tunnels and over trestles, model trains pass miniature features of the downtown Indianapolis skyline such as Lucas Oil Stadium and Monument Circle, along with landmarks and scenes of the American West, such as the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park, Golden Gate Bridge, Mount Rushmore and more. The scenic backdrops are amazingly crafted out of all-natural materials such as bark, tree roots, pine cones, acorns, seed pods and honeycomb.

The newly expanded space now has a striking all-glass east wall with a beautiful view of downtown, and it includes the new family activities area. Visitors will have additional space to better enjoy Jingle Rails with new child-friendly activities, including train tables with wooden toy trains, magnetic tiles for assembling your own train, an “I spy” activity, a reading nook filled with train-themed children’s books and the always popular Jingle Rails photo opportunity.

The museum is also hosting a special exhibition of Contemporary Native Art, “a visual review of contemporary Native art from the 20^th century to today, focusing on its developments in painting, sculpture, prints and multimedia.” Contemporary Native Art 101 is a survey of contemporary Native art from the mid-to-late 19th century to today.

Contemporary art is defined as art that is being created now and its origins are in modern art, which began around the 1860s to the 1960s. Native art has been transitioning for hundreds of years now and many art historians consider the mid-19th century as the beginning of Native modernism with the innovation of Ledger Art or Ledger Style. The exhibition runs through July 3.

The holidays are the perfect time to take a trip to Indianapolis to visit the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art. Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Tickets are $18 for adults, $14 for seniors and $10 for youth.

The museum is located at 500 West Washington St., Indianapolis. The museum can be reached at (317) 636-9378.

Other local museum exhibits include:

• Visit the Lakeland Art Association gallery Wednesday through Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to view the winning art from the Fall Members Show and pick up some handmade gifts at the store. The gallery is open through Dec. 17 and admission is always free.
• Excellent artist Steve Creighton (Indiana’s Rembrandt) will be exhibiting at Warsaw City Hall Art Gallery from Oct. 10 through Dec. 30. You will want to make time to see this exhibit. To exhibit at Warsaw City Hall Art Gallery, contact Curator Darla McCammon at (574) 527-4044 or email [email protected]. If you would like to offer someone a free email subscription to this weekly column, please send a request including the email address, to [email protected].