Events Happening at the Indiana State Museum This Summer

Events Happening at the Indiana State Museum This Summer- There is no shortage of fun going on in Indianapolis this summer for families. Here is the line up for June through August. There is so much that I will be posting another one at the beginning of August for all the Fall happenings. Be sure to check out all the free events as well!

Events Happening at Indiana State Museum This Summer

Summer – June through August

ISM Program: Canal Nights

• When: 6 to 8 p.m., June 6, 13, 27; July 4, 11, 18, 25
• Price: Free
• What: Canal Nights at the Indiana State Museum are nights of free, family-friendly fun along the canal just outside the museum entrance. Enjoy games, engineering activities, science challenges and more. Themes include STEAM Night, Water Science, Build It! and other themes. A full list of themes by date can be found at www.indianamuseum.org/family-and-camps.

ISM Experience: Hoosier Salon

• When: Aug. 3 – Oct. 14
• Price: Included with admission.
• What: Now in its 94^th year, the annual Hoosier Salon returns to the Indiana State Museum this summer and fall. The juried exhibition of recent art by Indiana’s best artists will be on display from Aug. 3 to Oct. 14, and the art will be available for purchase. The Hoosier Salon is a statewide nonprofit artist-service organization based in Indianapolis, with galleries in Carmel and New Harmony.

NEW ISM Program: Small Wonders

• When: 10 to 11 a.m., June 13, 16; July 18, 21; Aug. 15, 18
• Price: $9/members, $12/non-members
• What: Small Wonders invites parents, grandparents and caregivers to bring their 3- to 5-year-olds to learn, play and discover in the museum.  Our monthly program will build your child’s sense of wonder and playfulness as they engage in storytelling, hands-on activities, music, movement, art and gallery exploration. This class is for 3- to 5-year-olds and an adult.

NEW ISM Program: Young Explorers

• When: 1 to 2:30 p.m., June 16; July 21; Aug. 18
• Price: $10/members, $13/non-members
• What: Be a big kid and join us for these 90 minute drop-off classes that encourage creativity, exploration, and independence in an environment that fosters curiosity and imagination. Themes include “Sensing the World Around Me,” “Bees & Bugs,” and “Backyard Animals.” This class is for 4- to 6-year-olds.

NEW ISM Program: Exploring Abstraction with art therapist Lauren King

• When: 1 to 3 p.m., July 15
• Price: $20/member, $25/non-member
• What: Explore the artwork of Lois Main Templeton, how it relates to your own lives and how it can be used as a method of self-expression. Participants will engage with the artwork on display visually, verbally, and through their own art responses. The first portion of the workshop will be in the gallery space examining artwork, followed by artmaking and discussion led by an art therapist. Each participant will create their own art response using line, shape and color to express emotion.

NEW ISM Event: Building Indiana

• When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., July 14
• Price: Free for members, included with admission
• What: This family-friendly event encourages a child’s passion for construction, a fascination with building things and taking things apart, and an interest in structures, big and tall. Budding architects, builders and engineers will test their hand at design and engineering challenges, learn from local experts and hear how they turned their hobbies and passion into a career, and even investigate construction trucks up close. More info to follow.

Corydon Capitol State Historic Site: Murder Mystery Dinner

• When: 6 to 9 p.m., Aug. 18
• Price: $25/person, includes dinner; for those ages 15+
• What: Join us for a killer time at our popular murder mystery. Each guest is given a character involved in the mystery. This is an interactive mystery but there are no speeches to give or lines to memorize. Dinner is a full-course meal following this year’s theme, Ancient Rome. Reservations are required and sell out quickly. To make reservations, call 812-738-4890.

Culbertson Mansion State Historic Site: Clue Party

• When: July 28, in the evening
• Price: $30/person, reservations required by calling 812-944-9600
• What: Was it Colonel Mustard in the library? Or Mr. Culbertson in the Blue Room? Can you figure out the real-life game of Clue? Make your way through the Culbertson Mansion and find the hidden clues to reveal who-done-it, where, and why. Costumes are HIGHLY encouraged. This costume party hosts light hors d’oeuvres and batch cocktails associated with the film, which will also play during the event. Prizes will be given for solving the mystery and for best costume.

Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site: An Evening in Gene’s Gardens

• When: 8 to 10 p.m., June 9
• Price: $35, for adults 21+
• What: Enjoy an elegant evening in Gene’s “Tame” garden with luminaries providing atmosphere under the light of a full moon. The “Tame” garden is home to hundreds of species of plants – many planted by Gene herself! Live music, wine tasting and white chocolate-dipped strawberries will add to the romance of the evening.

Lanier Mansion State Historic Site: Music at the Mansion

• When: 7 to 9 p.m., June 9; July 14; Aug. 11; and 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Sept. 8.
• Price: Free
• What: Enjoy free summer nights of music outside of the beautiful Lanier Mansion. Bring a blanket or chairs and pack a picnic to enjoy while taking in the sounds of different bands in a gorgeous location. Bands will include the Sycamore Community Band, Juggernaut Jug Band, Lick Creek Band, and Small Time Napoleon.

Levi and Catharine Coffin State Historic Site: Inside the Levi & Catharine Coffin House: A Poetry Workshop

• When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., August 25
• Price: $10/adult, $8/senior (site admission); reservations are required and can be made by calling 765-847-1691.
• What: Join Indiana poet Shari Wagner for a special one day poetry workshop at the Levi & Catharine Coffin State Historic Site. This workshop for adults allows participants to express their reactions to the Coffin story through poetry. Learn about poetry prompts and models, along with gaining tools for collaborative and individual writing exercises. As part of the workshop, participants will tour both the Coffin Interpretive Center and the 1839 Coffin home. This event is supported by the Indiana Arts Commission.

Levi and Catharine Coffin State Historic Site: Meet the Author Talk and Tour with Randall Wisehart

• When: 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., July 21
• Price: $12/adults; $10/seniors; $7/youth
• What: Join Richmond, Indiana, author Randall Wisehart for a special guided tour of the Levi & Catharine Coffin house in Fountain City. The site is celebrating the re-release of his young adult novel Luke’s Summer Secret. While on a guided tour of the Coffin house, Wisehart will talk about how the house and the Coffin story are used in his novel. Tour participants will also learn how the Coffin home was used as a safe place for freedom seekers, or runaway slaves, on their journey through Indiana.

Limberlost State Historic Site: Independence Day “Birds of Prey” Program

• When: 2 to 3 p.m., July 4
• Price: Free (donations encouraged)
• What: Come to the Limberlost State Historic Site to celebrate America’s birthday with a bird of prey program. The presentation will include a live bald eagle, hawk and owl.  A PowerPoint presentation about the bald eagle will be offered in the visitor center classroom.

New Harmony State Historic Site: Say’s Firefly Party

• When: Evening (specific time TBD), July 2
• Price: Free
• What: Join a party to celebrate the designation of Say’s Firefly as Indiana’s official state insect. New Harmony scientist Thomas Say first discovered and described this type of firefly in the 1820s. The party will take place in the evening so visitors can watch the beautiful flickering of the fireflies.

Vincennes State Historic Sites: Indiana Frontier Day

• When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Aug. 18
• Price: $5/adult, $2/youth under 12
• What: Experience life during the time of the Indiana Frontier. This interactive program at the site of Fort Knox II will give visitors the chance to learn about different aspects of life, work, and play during the early 1800s. Special events throughout the day – including a Tecumseh-Harrison debate, a kids militia, weapons demonstrations, a duel, and a dance – will take place throughout the day as well.