The Indiana State Museum (located in White River State Park in the heart of downtown) is having a competition and I can think of no place in the city better suited to participation in said competition than Irvington. The state of Indiana is now accepting applications from Hoosier artists to paint the official portrait of Governor Mike Pence. The Indiana State Museum will coordinate the selection process to determine the artist. Irvingtonians! Irvingtonians! Irvingtonians! Bring forth your brushes, your oils, your acrylic paints and represent!
Okay, okay, it doesn’t need to be that dramatic, but it is a perfect opportunity to exhibit your talent during this, our state’s Bicentennial year. Mark Ruschman, Chief Curator of Fine Arts at the ISM, says the museum is now accepting applicants for the honor. There is no charge to apply, but all applicants must complete the online application form, available at: http://www.indianamuseum.org/governorportrait.
Each applicant must be a resident or native of Indiana or a graduate of an Indiana institution of higher learning. In other words, if you were born here, live here or went to college here, you may have a chance. Preference will be given to Indiana residents. Interested applicants have until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 23 to submit their applications. Finalists will be determined in mid-October and the selected artist will be named by the end of that month. Hopefully, the painting will be completed by the end of June 2017 with an unveiling of the portrait expected by summer 2017.
Ruschman, an Irvingtonian and Indiana University graduate, is a very familiar name on the Indianapolis art scene. He operated the Ruschman Fine Art Gallery on Mass Ave (and later on Alabama Street) for 25 years (1984 to 2009) and was one of the founding fathers of IDADA, the Indianapolis Downtown Artists and Dealers Association, famed for their popular First Friday events spanning 25 galleries that continue to this day. Ruschman’s specialty is modern, contemporary art, but his love is Indiana.
Ruschman, along with a committee of experts from the ISM and representatives from the Governor’s office, will determine the winner. He expects this year’s entries to top those of 2013 when Governor Mitch Daniels’ official portrait was commissioned. “We received 60 to 70 applicants for that one,” said Ruschman, “From those initial entries, three finalists were chosen.” Curator Ruschman tells us that artists must present their work in oil or acrylic on a 42-inch by 32-inch canvas or linen surface.
A gubernatorial portrait is completed for each Indiana governor. Ruschman clarifies that although Mike Pence is our 50th Governor, there are 53 portraits in the ISM’s collection. “Some two-term Governors were painted twice in the past, but we don’t do that anymore.” says Ruschman. The Indiana State Museum manages the state’s historic governor’s portrait collection. Since 2012, it has been Ruschman who overseas the care and conservation of the state’s collection. When a new governor is elected, the ISM must assure that the governor’s portrait is painted and added to the collection.
Although there is no sense of urgency for this competition, the process was accelerated somewhat by the July 15th announcement that Governor Pence would accept the Vice-Presidential spot on the Trump Presidential ticket thereby dropping his re-election bid. Mr. Ruschman informed us that usually, as in the case of Governor Daniels, the process begins about three months before the sitting Governor leaves office.
The Indiana Governors’ Portraits collection consists of oil portraits (except for one pastel) of all but one governor of Indiana since it became a territory. According to the official website, “the collection is a visible reminder of Indiana’s past and a resource for political, cultural, and art history.” Ruschman notes that there are no portraits in the collection by Irvington artists but there are several by Herron School of Art professors. Irvingtonian William Forsythe was a founder and instructor at Herron until 1933 so there is an Irvington connection to the collection. Other artists who have painted portraits in the collection are familiar names to Hoosier art fans: Wayman Adams, Jacob Cox and James Forbes all painted six portraits each and the venerable T.C. Steele painted five of them.
The roots of the collection can be traced back to 1869 when Governor Conrad Baker began collecting pictures of the seventeen Indiana governors who had preceded him. Soon the state legislature authorized him “to secure, as soon as practicable, a true and life-like likeness of each of the Governors of the State and Territory of Indiana, including the present incumbent . . .”, at a cost not to exceed $200 per portrait. Baker sought out the families of the former governors to procure photos and paintings from which official portraits could be created. Baker began his task by calling upon six local artists who then began working from life, or earlier paintings, or photographs to create the foundation of the current collection. Since then, each governor has posed for his portrait either while in office or soon after.
That poses an interesting question for Mr. Ruschman: does the artist selected by the committee work from live sittings or photographs? “Well that depends,” said Ruschman “The artist and the Governor will meet and coordinate their schedules accordingly. It is important for the artist to establish a good chemistry with his subject.” Of course, in the case of this 2017 portrait, concessions might be the order of the day. After all, one never knows where Governor Pence might be headed in 6 weeks or so.
Most of the portraits in the collection are hanging in government offices in the State House in Indianapolis. Eight of the paintings can be found in the Treasurer’s office, ten in the State Attorney General’s office and 12 in the Governor’s office. Others can be found elsewhere in the statehouse. It is Ruschman’s job to maintain and rotate the portraits based on the personal preference of the office’s occupant or in cases when the portrait needs cleaning, restoration or just a break. After all, if you were 100 years old or older, you’d need a break once in awhile too. Ruschman points out that while the paintings are in the fine art storage unit at the ISM, they are safe from harsh lighting while resting in a climate controlled environment. The same thing can’t always be said about the portraits on public display.
Mr. Ruschman relates an interesting story about the 2013 Mitch Daniels portrait. “Richard Halstead was the artist.” says Ruschman, “Governor Daniels had not seen the portrait until it was unveiled in the statehouse (October 16, 2012). The Governor loved the portrait. Ironically, Halstead lives in Illinois but was born in Lafayette.” Mr. Ruschman is quick to point out that the unveiling took place well before the Governor became the President of Purdue University in Lafayette.
I asked Mr. Ruschman which job he enjoyed more, gallery owner or curator? He answered that he loved/loves both jobs but both are vastly different. At the ISM he is in charge of acquisition and enjoys meeting and speaking with fellow Hoosier art enthusiasts. He gets weekly calls from people discussing family heirlooms, purported long lost artwork or simply sharing stories. “I enjoy that part of my job and I always answer every phone call, e-mail or inquiry. But most of the time, I just redirect them to the appropriate facilty, gallery or auction house,” said Ruschman. Curator Ruschman judges each inquiry on its own merit and oftentimes his job simply involves waiting for that one special piece.
On the touchy subject of museum deaccessioning (officially defined as removing an item from the listed holdings of a library, museum, or art gallery, typically in order to sell it to raise funds), Ruschman explains, “Good self curating eliminates deaccessioning.” When acquiring an item for the museum’s art collection, whether through donations or purchase, Ruschman insists that he must always subtract his personal emotions/feelings out of the equation. Instead he must rely on the museum’s mission statement and the story the ISM is trying to tell.
I asked him if he had any items on his museum wish list.. He skillfully measured his answer with the caveat that all items are important and it is hard to pick favorites. However, he did go out on a limb by saying that he would love to find contemporary works by South Bend artist George Rickey (1907 – 2002) or Ft. Wayne artist David Smith (1906 – 1965), both kinetic sculptors known for creating large abstract geometric sculptures in steel. Smith once worked as a welder at Studebaker in South Bend. Both men worked for a time at Indiana University. If you have one of these classic sculptures yourself or know the whereabouts of one, please do us all a favor by calling Mark at the ISM.
With his strong background in contemporary art, a medium that I and many others often find ourselves scratching our heads about, I couldn’t resist asking if it was a hard genre to define to museum visitors. To the question, how do you know it’s art? His answer, like the genre itself, is simple and concise: If an artist made it, then it is art.
As an example, he pointed to the first work of art that greets all visitors to the ISM; the C.D. wall. “Before we put up that display, the hallway was a static wall of donor plaques and thank you signs. Now visitors linger at the display and gaze in wonder,” said Ruschman. True, with it’s kinetic rhythm and shimmering motion, the sea of CDs create a feast for the eye by using an average, everyday item as art. Ruschman concludes by noting that, “I found out later that the first CD was produced right here in Indiana. Terre Haute I believe.” True enough, in September 1984, Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” became the very first CD ever produced at the CBS production plant in Terre Haute, Indiana. Art meets life meets history. Well how about that?
Al Hunter is the author of the “Haunted Indianapolis” and co-author of the “Haunted Irvington” and “Indiana National Road” book series. His newest book is “Bumps in the Night. Stories from the Weekly View.” Contact Al directly at Huntvault@aol.com or become a friend on Facebook.
