This museum actually has something for everyone—art lovers, nature lovers, and history buffs. There is a collection of 50,000 works from many cultures and periods of art history, 100 acres of woodlands, wetlands, meadows and a 35-acre lake (opening to the public in June 2010), and a preserved house museum that was once the home of J.K. Lilly Jr., the late Indianapolis businessman, collector, and philanthropist. The art collections are ambitious in scope, including everything from ancient art of the Americas to design arts to dynamic contemporary acquisitions and outdoor site-specific installations. Best of all, admissions to the museum, Lilly house, garden, and grounds are all free.
Once open, the “100 Acres” park (formally, the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park) will be one of the largest museum parks in the country. The land is a former gravel pit that has evolved through a natural reclamation into its current state of untamed woodlands and wetlands that will be the home to installations by Atelier Van Lieshout, Kendall Buster, Alfredo Jaar, and others.
Indianapolis Museum of Art Information
- Public Transportation: Accessible via IndyGo bus
- Handicapped Accessibility: Yes
- Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday and Friday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.; closed most major holidays. Gardens and grounds open every day from dawn to dusk.
- Admission: General admission is free. There may be a charge for some special exhibitions.
- Subscription/Memberships: IMA memberships start at $50 for individuals, $75 for family, and $25 for students. Member benefits include unlimited free admission to special exhibitions, discount rates on IMA public and educational programs (including films, lectures, and special performances), 10% discount at all IMA stores, invitations to members-only exhibition previews, and subscriptions to IMA members magazine. At the $150 giving level, members get reciprocal membership benefits at 230 museums and cultural institutions around the country.
