Joyce K. Jensen and Wesley Merritt, both of Zionsville, were among the 43 artists selected to display artwork at the Indiana Artists Club, 82nd Annual Exhibition, beginning April 6, at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Their work is eligible for one of 20 awards, including a $3,000 award for “Best of Show.”
The award winners will be announced during a free public reception – 2 p.m., April 27, at the IMA, located at 4000 Michigan Rd., in Indianapolis.
“This year’s Annual Exhibition features a number of new artists not seen before in this venue,” said Pam Newell, president of the Indiana Artists Club. “The show demonstrates how active and competitive the Indiana art scene has become. We are proud to showcase the diverse styles of art of our talented members.”
The Indiana Artists Club was founded in 1917 by 46 artists and patrons of the arts, including such notables as T. C. Steele, William Forsyth, Otto Stark, Carl Graf, Wayman Adams, Simon Baus, Marie Goth, Frederick Polley, Clifton Wheeler, Randolph Coats, Carl Lieber and Alex Holiday. Today, more than 180 artists are active members. To apply to become an active member, it is necessary to have been born in Indiana or to have lived here two years, and to have been accepted into three differently sponsored exhibitions with out-of-state judges with three separate works of art.
From 1935 through 1989, the Club exhibited annually at the L.S. Ayres and Company Auditorium in downtown Indianapolis. The University of Indianapolis then hosted the exhibition before it moved to the Indianapolis Museum of Art in 1992. This year’s exhibition features both contemporary and traditional work.
