For more than 70 years, Symphony in Color has served as an annual statewide art and music enrichment program for thousands of Indiana students. This year, children in grades one through six listened to selected symphonic music then created artwork inspired by what they heard.

Volunteers from the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Association administered the competition and a panel of judges chose 100 finalists and awarded 36 students with gold ribbons.

March 23 through April 28, 2024

This artwork can be seen on the Thomas A. King Bridge Gallery and is included with the purchase of museum admission.

Purchase admission

Two contestants and one school win special awards

Vanna Craun, a fifth grader from Swayzee Elementary School in Swayzee, earned this year’s Renato Pacini Award as the creator of the overall winning artwork. Her artwork was inspired by “Infernal Dance” from Igor Stravinsky’s The Firebird.

Olivia Ly, a sixth grader from Neil Armstrong Elementary School in Mooresville, won the People’s Choice Award by the voting public at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Association’s annual event. The music of Paul Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice inspired her artwork.

 

Teacher Christy Schuler from Manchester Elementary School in North Manchester received the Maestro Award for having the most finalists.

Judges

  • Dan Cooper

    Cooper is a graphic designer and award-winning visual artist with paintings in corporate and private collections across the country. He was a founding member and first president of the Coalition of Indianapolis Artists and long-serving board member for the Indianapolis Downtown Artists & Dealers Association. Dan has been an instructor at the Indianapolis Art Center since 2006 and was the recipient of the 2023 Skip McKinney Faculty of the Year Award. He has recently expressed his creativity by producing experimental art incorporating paintings, videos, kinetic sculpture, installations, poetry and music, including collaborative performances at the Indianapolis Artsgarden and Clowes Memorial Hall.

  • Joe Seest

    Seest is an engineer and principal in the structural engineering firm of ARSEE Engineers. He is active in visual and performing arts organizations including The Portfolio Club in Indianapolis, International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, Dans Norden (Scandinavian dance), Skandilocity (Scandinavian music), the American Guild of Organists, Echoing Air and the Central Indiana Folk Music Society. John hosts a variety of musical events in his Indianapolis home.

  • Mary Hamilton Shaw

    Shaw is a graduate of Herron School of Art and Design who practices her craft as director of Heartland Printworks, employing her knowledge of color and design to produce fine art scans and prints for artists, collectors, students and businesses. Mary’s engagement with Symphony in Color dates to 2006 when she first scanned and printed reproductions of the Renato Pacini Award winner.

  • David E. Wilcox

    Wilcox is a retired engineer who served as chairman of the board of the Indiana Transportation Museum from 1998 to 2006 and helped oversee the museum’s educational and outreach programs for nearly 20 years. He is a current board member of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and serves as treasurer of the Brown County Art Guild board of directors. Dan curates the guild’s extensive permanent art collection.