IPS, Indiana State Museum, IPS Foundation Propose Partnership to Preserve Historic Artwork and Expand Student Arts Opportunities
Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS), the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites (ISMHS), and the IPS Foundation are proposing a joint project to bring artwork from the school district’s historic collection to a wider audience and support arts education programming across the district.
IPS is working to transfer nearly 150 pieces of fine art currently in permanent storage to the IPS Foundation. With a focus on strong, long-term stewardship of the artworks, IPS asked ISMHS to purchase the pieces from the IPS Foundation to preserve them and make them available to the public again.
The IPS Board of Commissioners is scheduled to consider the proposed project at its Oct. 28 board meeting.
ISMHS has received a $1.65 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to purchase the artworks at their fair market value. ISMHS would manage the relocation and restoration of the artworks. Some pieces would join the museum’s permanent collection, while others would be placed in museums and other cultural institutions across Indiana.
If the transfer of the artworks is approved by the IPS Board of School Commissioners, the proceeds of the sale will be used to create an endowed IPS Arts Enrichment Fund, supporting high-quality arts instruction, enrichment activities, field trips, and visiting artist programs across IPS schools, which will honor the original donors’ intent to provide meaningful arts experiences for students. The arts enrichment fund will be managed by the IPS Foundation.
“This proposed partnership honors our past while investing in our students’ creative futures,” IPS Superintendent Dr. Aleesia Johnson said. “These historic artworks reflect the deep connections between IPS and the Hoosier arts community. Thanks to this grant from Lilly Endowment, the oversight of the IPS Foundation, and the stewardship of the Indiana State Museum, these works will be preserved, shared, and used to inspire the next generation of artists and innovators in our classrooms.”
Dr. Johnson also noted that while the district has cared for the artworks, it lacks the space, staff, and resources to preserve and display the works properly.
The 148 works of art, created from the 1890s through the 1970s, include pieces by notable Indiana artists. Many of these works once hung in schools that have since closed.
ISMHS will set aside a portion of the grant for conservation of the artworks to prepare them for public display. The Indiana State Museum will oversee a yearlong process and begin placing the artworks with Indiana organizations in 2026, with completion expected by early 2027.
“As a statewide institution that has been heavily focused on Indiana art for more than a century, we have an opportunity to use our expertise to ensure the responsible stewardship of these artworks and to make them publicly accessible again,” said Dr. Susannah Koerber, ISMHS’ chief curator and research officer. “Through this collaboration, we can also help ensure that IPS students continue to experience art in meaningful ways.”
No artwork currently displayed in open schools will be affected. The project applies only to pieces in permanent storage and excludes the Shortridge Collection, which is on long-term loan to the Indiana State Museum.
