In Harmony Newsletter

Events

Donate

Browse Newsletters

In Harmony

Summer 2024

Assistant Director’s Update

Diane Sanders, Assistant Director of Historic New Harmony

Northern Lights over the Atheneum Visitors Center, May 10, 2024

“Magical.” “Unique.” “A jewel.”

These are some of the adjectives our interviewees chose to describe New Harmony in our newly released introductory film at the Atheneum Visitors Center. While perfectly apropos throughout the year, they seemed especially fitting this past season, as we’ve seen many celestial wonders and are now looking forward to the Firefly Festival this June.

On April 8, New Harmony joined thousands of other municipalities in the path of totality during the Great American Eclipse. Heavy fog filled the region during the morning hours, giving our town an eerie essence before burning off, leaving a bright, blue sky with nary a cloud in sight. As the moon stole away the sun sliver by sliver that afternoon, the anticipation rose amongst the crowd. As totality crept forward, our own David Angel’s voice rang out—counting down the seconds until our solar eclipse glasses were no longer needed. The crowd cheered mightily when the moment of totality finally arrived. How exhilarating it was to experience that communal moment of wonder with hundreds of thousands of other people. While I loved seeing the eclipse, what will stay with me is that collective moment of awe and the 360-degree sunset that was completely unexpected and utterly breathtaking.

Nearly a month later, New Harmony’s skies provided another glorious show as solar storms resulted in the aurora borealis or northern lights being visible in southern Indiana. Unlike the eclipse, which was known about and planned for more than a year, the aurora borealis was unexpected and a spontaneous occurrence in New Harmony. When I saw reports of the northern lights being visible, my husband and I stepped outside that night to see if we could see anything. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any activity in our patch of sky above our home. Luckily, Heidi Taylor-Caudill and her husband weren’t so easily dissuaded and traveled to New Harmony that evening to capture stunning images of the Atheneum with the northern lights as its backdrop.

Finally, in what is becoming an annual tradition, Historic New Harmony and One New Harmony will be hosting the Firefly Festival on Friday, June 7 and Saturday, June 8. The Firefly theater will soon be open to spectators, and nature will yet again be the star. We’ll honor Thomas Say and his discovery of Say’s Firefly, which was named in New Harmony and is now the state insect of Indiana. I have so many fond memories of watching and catching fireflies as a young girl, and it delights me to bring this experience to so many as an adult.

So, take a moment to pry into that sense of childlike wonder and sense of awe that too often is lacking in our day-to-day lives but is abundant in New Harmony; it is Utopia, after all.

New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art Update

Exhibitions Closing in June

Residence VIII: A Showcase of Artists from the New Harmony Clay Project | Closing June 1, 2024

Residence VIII is NHGCA’s annual exhibition highlighting the most recent round of artists in-residence at New Harmony Clay Project. This exhibition is in the main space of the Gallery. More information on the 2023-2024 resident artists is available here.

Bailey Roby | Echoing Ideations | Closing June 5, 2024

Echoing Ideations is a solo exhibition by Bailey Roby, a current design student at the University of Southern Indiana. She is a contemporary artist who explores the combination of installation and imagery. More information on this exhibition is available here.

Upcoming Exhibitions

Making Memory: Sara Christensen Blair & Janine Polak | June 8-July 20, 2024

Curated by Audra Verona Lambert, Curator at New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art

New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art, University of Southern Indiana is proud to present Making Memory: Sara Christensen Blair & Janine Polak. This two-person exhibition features sculpture and installation by Polak (born in Nebraska, lives/works in New York) and Blair (born in South Dakota, lives/works in Indiana).

Works on view speak to the potent ability of material to evoke memory and lived experience. Where both artists create work in dialogue with labor, featuring tasks such as sewing, darning and knitting – work which has historically been done by women – artist Janine Polak speaks to the duality of persistence and erasure, fragility and strength. She preserves found garments into porcelain and glass sculptures that slow the eye of the viewer, prompting a reconsideration of the object itself. What at first glance appears as everyday objects reveal themselves upon closer inspection to be sculptural forms that embrace unusual and hybrid materiality and processes. Artist Sara Christensen Blair tackles the persistence of certain traditions with historical gender roles in her installation and sculpture.

Throughout the exhibition, visitors will have a truncated library of texts available to browse. These texts are on loan from the exhibition’s artists, the curator, and the New Harmony Working Men’s Institute.

Making Memory is on view from June 8 through July 20, 2024, with an opening reception on Saturday, June 8 from 3-5 p.m. Central Time at which the artists and curator will be in attendance.

Two additional events will take place in dialogue with exhibition themes. First, a virtual discussion, “Making Memory: Personal and Collective Histories in Contemporary Art,” will take place via Zoom on June 20 at 2 p.m. with the artists and curator along with University of Southern Indiana professor, Dr. Aimee Mark. Second, the Gallery will host a closing event on Saturday, July 20 from 3-5 p.m. called, “A Book of Hours: Memory and Record-Keeping.” This event will feature book-making activities, a selection of record-keeping items from Historic New Harmony’s collections, and musical guest(s) performing hits related to the theme of time and memory. Light refreshments will be served at both the opening and closing events.

Visitors can see the exhibition at the New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art during the hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday. For more information, visit the exhibition site.

Spirit of New Harmony | August 3-September 7, 2024

The Spirit of New Harmony open call for art exhibitions is ready for submissions! The theme of the exhibition is “engaging with communities in and around New Harmony,” and this idea can be expressed in whatever sense that theme holds meaning for you. We are seeking proposals that include at least 2 artists and represent the spirit of New Harmony in a broad sense. We welcome all mediums and artwork of all sizes and concepts. The selected proposal will be awarded a $250 stipend.

The deadline for applications is 11:59 p.m. Central Time on Friday, June 14, 2024. Multiple artists can join to submit one idea for a show proposal. Applicants can be residents of New Harmony or work/live nearby, but this is not necessary if the artists and artwork demonstrate direct links to the New Harmony area and can deliver their works and assist with installation in-person. The exhibition will be on view at the New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art from August 3-September 7, 2024.

Visions of Utopia: Selections from the Society of Photographic Educators | September 14-October 26, 2024

This photography competition invites current members of the Society of Photographic Educators in the Midwest chapter to display the essence of their research through images. Participants may submit up to three entries, each requiring a separate submission. All entries must be original and not copied from published work, in dialogue with the theme, “Visions of Utopia.” The exhibition will be juried by gallerist Paul Paletti.

Submissions will be judged for exhibition according to the following criteria:

Overall originality/creativity
Aesthetic appeal of the image
Relationship between the image and the applicant’s research
Clarity of written description and title

Eligible members can apply here.

Upcoming Workshop

Pop-Up Sewing Maker’s Space: Open Sewing | August 10, 2024

Dust off your sewing machine or use one offered in this pop-up maker’s space. Learn how to operate your machine, repair your clothing, up-cycle a jacket...so many choices are available in this workshop. Machines, tools and supplies are provided. We also welcome you to bring your own machine or an unfinished project.

This workshop will be led by USI alum Emily Gartner, an internationally recognized textile artist and fashion designer with multiple publications and honors for her wearable art and furniture. It will take place on August 10, 2024, from 1-3 p.m. Central Time at the New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art. Cost: $45 per person; 8 participants maximum. Register here.

Gallery Shop Update

New work is available by Brittany Hunter, Scott Scheller, Ron Austill, and Autumn McKay.

New Harmony Second Saturdays

The New Harmony Second Saturdays event series continues through November 2024.

While New Harmony Second Saturday events for June have already been set up, please enter your information into this online document for the July 13 events before June 27, 2024, to have it published in time. Questions? Email nhsecondsaturdays@gmail.com.

For more information about upcoming programs and events, please visit the Second Saturdays website, or follow us on Instagram @newharmonysecondsaturdays and on Facebook @NHSecondSaturdays.

Historic New Harmony Updates

Saying Hello

David Angel, Experience Coordinator for Historic New Harmony

David Angel, Historic New Harmony's Experience Coordinator

Bios are often tempting to write in the third person, but I got stuck at “David Angel….” So, I thought I’d introduce myself from this perspective instead! My education has been led by my life experiences and needs. Working as an entrepreneur led me to my Master of Business Administration from University of Illinois Chicago with concentrations in management and entrepreneurship. My love of negotiations and mediation led me to Marquette University, where I earned my Master in Dispute Resolution with a focus on conflict decision-making.

My work and consulting on conflict resolution since then have carried me from a variety of jobs and locations. From working with peacemaking and youth in Milwaukee, to non-profits and small businesses in Chicago, to international business analysis in New Delhi, India, I’ve enjoyed a wide range of opportunities to apply myself. It’s New Harmony that I fell in love with and whose history I am excited to help share with the world.

I’ve been with Historic New Harmony for almost a half year now and am grateful for the chance to take this little moment to introduce myself. I’m excited to help grow our community, share our history, and contribute to what makes our town so special. Community building and program management are passions of mine, as are audio and photography. I also love my coffee. So, if you’d like to chat over said cup(s) of coffee, or cocoa, let me know! I’m always interested to hear what great ideas, insights, and histories others share.

Welcome, Makena Stikeleather

Makena Stikeleather, Community Engagement Intern for Historic New Harmony

Makena Stikeleather, Historic New Harmony's Community Engagement Intern

My name is Makena Stikeleather, and I am a Public Relations and Advertising Major at USI! I am new to the area, but I am excited to learn more about the community and help Historic New Harmony's audience expand more and more each day. I hope to try out exciting new social media initiatives and experiment with different community engagement activities. Overall, I can't wait to start this new opportunity!

Heritage Artisans Days

Diane Sanders, Assistant Director of Historic New Harmony

Heritage Artisans Days is Historic New Harmony’s longest running program and for which we’re most well-known. Nearly four decades old, some of the parent chaperones are returning to the program for a second time as adults. In a post-event survey, one teacher remarked, “You all do a fabulous job year after year. It's come a long way since I was in elementary school. I think what you have now is perfect. Love talking to all the Artisans. The marble print maker and the oxen are our favorites…. Looking forward to next year!”

This year’s Heritage Artisans Days occurred on April 24 through 26 and featured mostly beautiful weather save for a few showers on Friday morning. During the three days, 2,208 children, teachers, and chaperones attended the event from 76 traditional schools and homeschools. Several artisans returned this year, including our 1800s doctor, basket weaver, blacksmith, candle dippers, fiddler, kettle corn vendors, oxen handlers, paper marbler, rope maker, and weaver. We also had a few new artisans join the event including an interpreter in the Harmonist Garden, a hat maker, a flax processor, hide tanner, and a tinsmith. As one teacher noted, “[her students] learned how tasks were completed in the old days, and hopefully, developed an appreciation for the convenience of things done today.”

This event would not be possible without the support of many sponsors, including Indiana Humanities, Vicki and David Campbell, William and Kathleen Elliott, John H. Grizzell, Heritage Federal Credit Union, Josef Laposa, Barbara Northern, Kent and Laurie Parker Family Foundation, Laurel Vaughn, Karen Walker, Linda Willis, and Andrew Wilson. Historic New Harmony would also like to thank the Robert Lee Blaffer Foundation, the Working Men’s Institute, the Town of New Harmony, and the Posey County Health Department for their support, as well as the staff and volunteers who provided so many hours of their time.

New Harmony Firefly Festival

Diane Sanders, Assistant Director of Historic New Harmony

Blink, blink, blink, blink, blink. Twinkle…twinkle…twinkle…twinkle. Flicker………flicker………flicker.

New Harmony will be abuzz with activity the weekend of June 7–9 with the Golden Raintree Antique Festival, Cruise-in, and our personal favorite—the New Harmony Firefly Festival. Historic New Harmony is partnering with One New Harmony to offer this free family-friendly event on Friday, June 7, and Saturday, June 8 to honor Indiana’s state insect: Say’s Firefly.

Say’s Firefly, or Pyractomena angulata, is native to Indiana and to the United States and is named after Thomas Say, widely considered to be the Father of American Entomology after publishing American Entomology, a three-volume work in which he described and named more than 1,400 species. Say discovered Say’s Firefly in Philadelphia but named the beetle while living in New Harmony, Indiana. Say’s Firefly became Indiana’s state insect in 2018, following a campaign by local school children.

The Firefly Festival will be at the Atheneum Visitors Center, at 401 Arthur Street. The Atheneum will have extended operating hours for the festival and will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. both days. Food trucks and vendors will offer family-friendly food options. Harmony Homemade and the Main Street Café will provide fare beginning at 5 p.m. Friday night and will be joined by 3 Chicks Fudgery, Bursting with Love, and TTs Sammiches at 6 p.m. through 10 p.m. On Saturday, Bursting with Love will set up at noon, and will be joined by Uncle G’s Lemon Shakeups and Harmony Homemade at 5 p.m. and FireChicken at 6 p.m.

Families will have many activities to choose from on both days. Assistant Director Diane Sanders will be providing free firefly-themed storytelling and crafts at 10 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. Parents and children should meet in the Atheneum lobby. We will also be offering three free showings of a dramatic portrayal of Thomas Say at 6:30, 7:30, and 8:30 p.m. each night to hear from the Father of Entomology himself about his discovery of the firefly. Performances will be held in the Atheneum Theater and will be offered on a first-come, first-serve basis.

On Saturday, June 8, visitors ages 10-17 will have the opportunity to “Draw Like a Naturalist” in our kid’s art workshop with artist Savannah Hoskinson. Historic New Harmony will offer two sessions of the two-hour beginner class—one at 10 am and one at 1:30 pm—where they will learn how to see and draw from natural specimens. For a $15 material fee, each artist will be provided a mini drawing kit and sketchbook to take home and enjoy. For more information and to preregister, please visit the Draw Like a Naturalist page on our website.

Finally, the star of the show will be the fireflies of Firefly Theater. Historic New Harmony will be running their tram from 8:30 p.m. through 9:45 p.m. We will pick visitors up from the Atheneum Visitors Center and drop them off at Firefly Theater (north of Main Street in the New Harmony recreational trail system) to watch fireflies with a trained naturalist and the local community. Our tram will run on a loop returning to the Atheneum Visitors Center throughout the evening. While visitors wait to visit or upon returning from Firefly Theater, visitors can experience a glow dance party on the Atheneum front lawn.

Please kick off the summer season with us this June in what is becoming a cherished annual tradition to celebrate Indiana’s state insect—Say’s Firefly! We hope to see you there!

Draw Like a Naturalist

Heidi Taylor-Caudill, Collections and Community Engagement Manager for Historic New Harmony

Historic New Harmony is hosting two sessions of a new art class – Draw Like a Naturalist – during the Firefly Festival in New Harmony. University of Southern Indiana graduate Savannah Hoskinson, a science and nature-based illustrator, will lead the class. Draw Like a Naturalist is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Central Time on Saturday, June 8 at the Atheneum Visitors Center.

These sessions of Draw Like a Naturalist are designed for students ages 10-17. Participants will receive a sketchbook and mini drawing kit to use during the class and take home afterward. During the 2-hour session, they will learn how to closely observe and draw from natural history specimens much like 19^th-century naturalists Thomas Say and Charles Alexandre Lesueur who used illustration to share their findings with the wider world.

The fee for the class is $15, which covers the cost of materials. Registration is highly encouraged since space is limited to 8 students per session. You can register your child through this online form or by calling the Atheneum Visitors Center at 812-682-4474.

For more information about Draw Like a Naturalist, please contact Heidi Taylor-Caudill at 812-682-6133 or hltaylorca@usi.edu.

Fourth of July Patriotic Celebration

Christine Crews, Administrative Associate for Historic New Harmony

The annual New Harmony Fourth of July Patriotic Celebration will begin at the Atheneum Visitors Center at 10 a.m. with a program sponsored by the Friends of the Working Men’s Institute. The keynote speaker will be Diane Sanders, Assistant Director of Historic New Harmony. Ben Nicholson will read the Declaration of Independence and the Community Choir will perform several patriotic songs. Following the program, a golf cart parade will continue through town and end at Maclure Park, where the Kiwanis will have food available to buy and Bob Minnette and the Dixieland Society will perform in the bandstand.

Free Admission for Military Families This Summer

Heidi Taylor-Caudill, Collections and Community Engagement Manager for Historic New Harmony

Historic New Harmony has joined museums nationwide in the Blue Star Museums initiative, a program that offers free admission to currently serving U.S. military personnel and their families this summer. The 2024 program began on Armed Forces Day (Saturday, May 18) and will end on Labor Day (Monday, September 2).

Blue Star Museums is a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families in collaboration with the Department of Defense and participating museums across America. The free admission program is available for those currently serving in the United States Military – Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy, and Space Force, members of the Reserves, National Guard, U.S. Public Health Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps, and up to 5 family members. Qualified members must show a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID), DD Form 1173-1 ID card or the Next Generation Uniformed Services (Real) ID card for entrance.

Find the list of participating Blue Star museums at arts.gov/BlueStarMuseums.

Talking History

Heidi Taylor-Caudill, Collections and Community Engagement Manager for Historic New Harmony

Earlier this year, Historic New Harmony introduced Talking History, a free monthly program aimed at local history enthusiasts. Talking History uses objects and other materials as conversation starters and encourages participants to freely explore different directions in the stories that we tell and the memories that we share. The most recent Talking History gathering took place in the Murphy Auditorium on May 25. Our theme was Schools, and we took a closer look at yearbooks, early 20^th century school programs, and a 19^th century spelling game from Historic New Harmony’s collections. Topics of conversation included school pranks, graduations, music lessons, changes in clothing styles, food, classes, and our favorite teachers as well as those who sent shivers down our spines!

Consider joining us at the Atheneum Visitors Center on Saturday, June 22 at 10 a.m. Central Time for our next Talking History gathering. Our theme for June is “Getting to Know New Harmony.” We will be screening the three orientation films that have been shown to New Harmony visitors at the Atheneum: The New Harmony Experience (shortened version, 1977); New Vision, New Harmony: A Place Like No Other (2015); and Utopia: The New Harmony Experience (2024). Afterward, we will have our usual conversation about New Harmony’s history.

The dates, times, and locations for Talking History in July and August have yet to be decided. For more information about this program, please visit the Talking History page on our website.

A Landscape Reimagined, New Harmony, Indiana Exhibition

Heidi Taylor-Caudill, Collections and Community Engagement Manager for Historic New Harmony

In March 2024, award-winning British landscape architect and garden designer Alistair W. Baldwin traveled to New Harmony, Indiana, to complete a study visit of the town's gardens and landscapes. While Mr. Baldwin was here, he talked with people and organizations in New Harmony who are invested in creating spaces that are beautiful, functional, and add to the well-being of the community. From these conversations and his observations, he created conceptual drawings of New Harmony landscapes "reimagined" for the future.

On May 7, Historic New Harmony opened an exhibit at the Atheneum Visitors Center that shares Mr. Baldwin's drawings and seeks public comment. A Landscape Reimagined, New Harmony, Indiana features his recommendations for town-wide planning and thinking as well as plans for new gardens outside the Poet's House, Mother Superior Guest House, Gate House, David Lenz House, Beal House, and Maclure Square and Church Park.

This exhibit runs through June 9, 2024, on the first floor of the Atheneum Visitors Center. We encourage you to look at the drawings and ideas and then leave your thoughts in the blue notebook at the exhibit entrance. These comments will help the organizations that are considering these designs as possibilities.

For a look at projects completed by Mr. Baldwin's firm, AWB Associates, visit his company's website .

New Atheneum-Themed Merchandise

Makena Stikeleather, Community Engagement Intern for Historic New Harmony

The Museum Shop at the Atheneum Visitors Center is introducing new merchandise to its shelves! With shirts, bags, notebooks, and pens featuring the Atheneum hitting the shelves, we hope to see you in the shop. For more information about these products, please contact the Atheneum at 812-682-4474.

Historic New Harmony Launches Its First Online Collections Database

Heidi Taylor-Caudill, Collections and Community Engagement Manager for Historic New Harmony

On May 15, 2024, Historic New Harmony announced the launch of its first-ever online collections database at https://historicnewharmony.catalogaccess.com. For the first time, residents of New Harmony, family historians, educators, students, researchers and others from around the world will be able to explore our collections digitally.

Historic New Harmony’s collections feature more than 2,800 objects that include decorative arts, furniture, paintings, prints, sculpture, drawings, medical equipment and textiles dating from the early 19^th century to the present. We also keep an extensive archive of photographs, slides, rare books, sound and video recordings, maps, architectural drawings and manuscript collections that document the unique history of New Harmony.

While the material available through the online database is limited, we will be working to add more records over the next few years with the goal of eventually making most of our collections available online.

Historic New Harmony’s online database offers several ways to delve into our collections: simple and advanced searches, browsing records at random, looking at records by material type, narrowing your focus to objects on display, and exploring records by the people associated with them.

Launching the online database is a key step in our effort to continue highlighting the fascinating stories, places, and people of New Harmony. It is even more significant that this “opening up” of our collections to greater public access happened during Historic New Harmony’s 50^th anniversary year. Over half a century of collecting efforts by Historic New Harmony staff have made this project possible and now, we are so excited to share the many objects, books, photos, and archival materials that document New Harmony’s rich history with the wider world.

Calendar of Events

Historic New Harmony Tours
Tram Tours at 10 a.m. and 11:15 a.m., Tuesday-Saturday and History Tours at 1 p.m., Tuesday-Sunday. Tours start at the Atheneum Visitors Center.

New Harmony Second Saturdays
Every second Saturday, March-November, at various locations.
For more information, visit: New Harmony Second Saturdays - University of Southern Indiana (usi.edu)

Firefly Festival
Friday, June 7-Saturday, June 8 at various locations in New Harmony.
The schedule of events for the Firefly Festival is available at the Visit Posey County website.

Draw Like a Naturalist
10 a.m.-noon and 1:30-3:30 p.m., Central Time, Saturday, June 8 at the Atheneum Visitors Center. $15 per student; there is a limit of 8 students per class, so pre-registration is highly encouraged.
For more information, visit the Historic New Harmony website.

Historic New Harmony Office Closed for Juneteenth
Historic New Harmony's administrative office will be closed on Wednesday, June 19 for Juneteenth. The Atheneum Visitors Center will remain open for tours that day.

Talking History
10 a.m., Saturday, June 22 at the Atheneum Visitors Center. Dates and times for July and August to be determined. For more information about the Talking History program, visit the Historic New Harmony website.

Help Historic New Harmony and the New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art continue their historic preservation efforts, educational programming and more with your charitable gift to the USI Foundation. You can make your gift securely online at USI.edu/giving, calling 812-464-1918, or mailing to USI Foundation, 8600 University Blvd., Evansville, IN 47712. Your charitable gift is tax-deductible and a gift receipt will be issued.

Spring 2024 Edition

Diane Sanders, Assistant Director of Historic New Harmony

It’s my favorite time of year when we welcome visitors back to the Atheneum and begin our new tour season. Unlike the critters and creatures who spent the winter hibernating, the staff at Historic New Harmony and the New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art were busy creating new experiences and exhibitions for visitors to experience this spring. We will be unveiling many of these new offerings in this issue of In Harmony but stay tuned to future editions of this newsletter and our social media channels for more announcements throughout the season!

If you have had the opportunity to visit the Atheneum Visitors Center since March 1, you may have noticed that we premiered a new introductory film. Produced by Blackstrap Media, the 11-minute film provides a brief overview of New Harmony’s history and culture and features New Harmony residents and business owners, Historic New Harmony staff and University of Southern Indiana faculty. I’m delighted by the filmmakers’ skill in capturing the essence of the town and showcasing our corner of the world so beautifully. I hope you’ll check it out.

Historic New Harmony’s tours started on March 15 at the Atheneum Visitors Center, and we’re thrilled to be offering a brand-new option for visitors this season. The New Harmony Tram Tour is a family-friendly tour that will take you on a 45-minute exploration of the town aboard our tram. Interpreters will offer their local insights, telling stories and showing you the “can’t miss” spots and iconic sites that contribute to a great New Harmony experience. We’re planning to offer this tour at 10 a.m. Tuesday-Saturday. For the month of March, we’ll be offering the tour for free in exchange for your feedback and suggestions!

In addition to changes at the Atheneum Visitors Center, we’ve been working on new program offerings too. We started a new program series, Talking History, for visitors and residents to gather to “talk history” around a shared New Harmony theme. These programs also allow Heidi Taylor-Caudill, our Collections and Community Engagement Manager, to showcase our collections and connect community members. Our first program was well attended, and we’re looking forward to the next program at 10 a.m. on March 21 at the New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art.

It’s an exciting time to be at New Harmony and we hope that you’ll take the time to experience it with us anew. Please let us know what you think about the new offerings, as we’ll continue experimenting, innovating, and improving to find the right harmony between the elements, so that we can create an exceptional experience here in Utopia for you and your family.

New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art Update

Welcome, Audra Verona Lambert

Audra Verona Lambert, Curator of the New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art

Audra is a curator and art historian with over a decade of experience organizing 60+ exhibitions in the United States. She holds an MA, Art History and Visual Culture from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO and a BA, Art History and Asian Studies from St. Peter's University in Jersey City, NJ. She has studied abroad on scholarships in the Kansai region of Japan and in Germany's Nordrhein-Westfalen region. Lambert has managed exhibitions for the Yeshiva University Museum, Art in Odd Places festival, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, More Art, White Roof Project and more. She is co-founder of the site-specific art festival, alt_break art fair, and has been invited as a guest curator/lecturer at Columbia University, New York University, Fashion Institute of Technology, Rhode Island School of Design and more. She and her spaniel mix, Patrick, live in Evansville. IN.

Learn more about Audra’s curatorial ethos in this recent feature in Shoutout North Carolina Magazine.

***Totality*, March 9-April 20, 2024**

T Lance, Senior Gallery Associate, New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art

New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art, University of Southern Indiana is proud to present Totality, an exhibition juried by professor and physicist Dr. Kent W. Scheller. On April 8, 2024, New Harmony, Indiana, will be in the path of a total solar eclipse. To commemorate this astronomical event, the gallery sought out artwork related to and/or inspired by the idea of an eclipse.

Totality will be on display Saturday, March 9 through Saturday, April 20. An opening reception was held on March 9 with a presentation by Dr. Scheller on the cultural impact exuded by a solar eclipse. New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art’s open hours are Tuesday - Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Central Time, located at 506 Main Street, New Harmony, Indiana.

Exhibiting artists include Andy Batt, Ariana Chilvers, Audra Lynn Clayton, Rita H.G. Davis, Vernelle Farrington, Mary Kay Glinis, Brian Hitselberer, Heather Landry, Beata Renata Marczak, Ravyn McHugh, Rob Millard-Mendez, Sarah Moschel Miller, Jakey Mumfie, Dawn Murtaugh, Laura Foster Nicholson, Sheryl Sullivan, and Bill Tortoriello.

Juror Dr. Kent W. Scheller, Professor of Physics in the Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education at the University of Southern Indiana, has been teaching physics for the past 25 years.

New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art at the University of Southern Indiana promotes discourse about and access to contemporary art in the southern Indiana region. New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art is a proud outreach partner of the University of Southern Indiana. This exhibition is made possible in part by the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana and the Indiana Arts Commission, which receives support from the State of Indiana and the National Endowment for the Arts.