Sometimes Indy residents take for granted what we have. The largest children’s museum in the world. The largest single day sporting event in the world. One of the top ten largest art museums in the country, displaying world-class contemporary and modern art. All located right here in Indy.
Trophies (Doll Factory) (Photo Credit: IMA)
And, as one of the top ten largest art museums in the country, the Indianapolis Art Museum attracts the best artists and collections in the world. Case and point: Hard Truths: The Art of Thornton Dial.
I recently had the opportunity to visit the Thornton Dial exhibit to see for myself what TIME and the New York Times were raving about.
Born and raised in poverty and with no formal education, Thornton Dial’s hard truths offer depth into social issues unlike what most have seen. Plastic toys, scrap metal, animal bones, branches, fabrics, paint and really anything else the artist could find are morphed into brilliant displays of the issues of poverty, race struggles and politics- all from Dial’s 82 years of experiences.
Stars of Everything (Photo Credit: IMA)
There is an incredible draw to each of the exhibit’s 70 pieces. At first glance you might think you are looking at chaos, but there is obviously something more. I would stand in front of each painting scanning every inch of the canvas trying not to miss whatever it was that had me pulled in.
In the end you have to see Dial’s truths for yourself. Dial’s work will be in Indy until September 18 when it moves on to New Orleans, Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina. Tickets for this special exhibit are $8 and can be purchased at the museum.
After viewing Hard Truths, be sure to also find time to see the rest of the IMA’s over 50,000 works of art- all for free. The museum also offers free general admission, free parking and free WiFi.
Don’t Matter How Raggly the Flag, It Still Got to Tie Us Together (Photo Credit: IMA)
