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Tours

1. 30-Minute Campus Arts Walk

   Stops

   1. Eskenazi Museum of Art

      Founded in 1941 and housed since 1982 in a building designed by renowned architect I.M. Pei, the Eskenazi Museum of Art is one of the largest university art museums in the United States, with a permanent collection of nearly 45,000 objects from ancient gold jewelry and African masks to paintings by Claude Monet and Pablo Picasso. The museum’s rotating gallery brings new exhibits from acclaimed contemporary artists to campus each year, as well as exhibits from student and faculty in the Studio Arts program.

      Link:  Indiana Art Museum

   2. Indiana Arc

      The 21-foot aluminum arc was created by American sculptor Charles O. Perry and painted IU’s iconic crimson.  It was commissioned in 1995 in honor of IU President Emeritus Thomas Ehrlich and his wife Ellen.

      Link: Art Museum On Site Sculpture

   3. Light Totem

      Designed in 2007 by Robert A. Shakespeare, professor emeritus in IU’s Department of Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance, the Light Totem stands in front of the Eskenazi Museum of Art and projects a multi-colored light show on the museum’s façade every evening after dark.

      Link: Indiana Art Museum On Site Sculpture

   4. Grunwald Gallery of Art

      Housed within IU’s Fine Arts building, the Grunwald Gallery of Art presents rotating exhibits from contemporary artists from around the world, as well as from IU faculty and students in the Department of Studio Art. The gallery is named in honor of IU alumnus John A. Grunwald.

      Link:  About Grunwald Art Gallery

   5. Showalter Fountain: Birth of Venus

      Created in 1958 by faculty member Robert Laurent, Showalter Fountain is the centerpiece of IU’s Fine Arts Plaza. The sculpture depicts the Greek goddess Venus surrounded by fish.

   6. Lilly Library

      Founded in 1960 from the personal collection of Josiah K. Lilly, Jr., the Lilly Library is one of the largest rare books and manuscripts libraries in the United States. The Lilly’s holdings include more than 400,000 rare books and 7.5 million manuscripts, with highlights such as a Gutenberg Bible and a first draft of the Declaration of Independence.

      Link:  Lilly Library

   7. IU Auditorium

      Built as a Federal Works Agency Project, the IU Auditorium opened in 1941. Today it is the premier performance venue in South Central Indiana, hosting world-renowned musical performances, speakers, and touring Broadway productions. The Auditorium is also home to Thomas Hart Benton’s “Century of Progress” murals, the priceless Dailey Family Memorial Collection of Hoosier Art, two Robert Laurent sculptures, and the regal Indiana University Auditorium Organ.

      Link: IU Auditorium

   8. IU Cinema

      Originally constructed as the University Theatre in the late 1930s, the venue was renovated and rededicated in 2011 as the home of the new IU Cinema. The Cinema screens more than 100 films each semester and brings acclaimed filmmakers from around the world to campus for screenings and public talks. The Cinema is also home to several of Thomas Benton Hart’s Indiana Murals.

      Link:  IU Cinema

   9. Hoagy Carmichael Landmark Sculpture

      Created by IU alumnus Michael McAuley and dedicated in 2008, the bronze sculpture honors one of Bloomington’s most famous sons, jazz composer and songwriter Hoagy Carmichael, whose “Star Dust” was at one time the most recorded song in history. The sculpture toured the state of Indiana before coming to its permanent home in front of the IU Cinema.

   10. Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center

       Opened in 2002 and rededicated in 2011, the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center contains three different performances spaces. The 439-seat Ruth N. Halls Theatre is named for IU alumna Ruth Norman Halls, who donated her entire estate to the College of Arts and Sciences, with a significant portion earmarked for the creation of a theatre and drama center for student performances. The multi-level, 236-seat Wells-Metz Theatre is named in honor of IU President Herman B Wells and alumnus and former IU Foundation Board of Directors member Arthur R. Metz. The Studio Theatre is a flexible space for independent student productions and experimental projects from faculty and students.

       Link: Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center

   11. Peau Rouge Indiana

       Created by American sculptor Alexander Calder and installed in 1970, Peau Rouge Indiana was the renowned artist’s final site-specific installation. One of Calder’s famous stabiles (monumental stationary sculptures), the work’s contours complement those inside the performance hall of the Musical Arts Center.

   12. Musical Arts Center

       Completed in 1971, the Musical Arts Center, or MAC, is a 1,460-seat opera theatre and the crown jewel of IU’s renowned Jacobs School of Music. Regarded as one of the finest opera performance spaces in the United States, the MAC’s facilities include three sliding stages, a ten-story fly system for sets and lighting, and a two-level orchestra pit capable of holding a 100-piece orchestra.

       Link:  Musical Arts Center: Performance Halls