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by Shelly on July 16, 2018 Leave a Comment

Hoosier Salon Returns to Indiana State Museum

Hoosier Salon returns to Indiana State Museum

INDIANAPOLIS– The annual Hoosier Salon exhibition, featuring artwork from more than 120 Indiana artists, returns to the Indiana State Museum for its 94th run beginning Aug. 3. The competition is Indiana’s longest-running art exhibition and is considered to be the preeminent juried exhibition of Indiana art by Indiana artists. While the art will be on display to the public Aug. 3 through Oct. 14, it will also be for sale – and the bidding begins on Aug. 2 at a special preview event that starts at 6 p.m.

Art by Amos Carol

Hoosier Salon Returns to Indiana State Museum

During the preview event, the winners will be announced for this year’s show, and the artwork will officially go on sale. Tickets for the preview event can be purchased online through July 27 athoosiersalon.org.

This year, more than 250 artists applied to the show, including several who are in their 20s, and the show has more young and up-and-coming artists than in previous years.

“The jurors did an excellent job,” said Jim May, executive director of the Hoosier Salon. “In addition to bringing back some long-time participants, 22 of the artists selected are first-timers, helping us to gain ground on our goal of getting new and younger artists from across the state to become members and enter.”

This is the second year back at the Indiana State Museum after a five-year run at the Indiana Historical Society, and the museum is honored to host the show once again.

“We are delighted to partner with the Hoosier Salon again this year at the Indiana State Museum,” said Cathy Ferree, president and CEO of the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites. “The show offers us an opportunity to give visitors access to the best art representing Indiana artists from across the state and around the country.”

In conjunction with the Hoosier Salon exhibition, a kids’ show will be on display in the museum: the Indiana Electric Cooperatives’ Calendar of Student Art Contest. This show features artwork from K-12 students that will be displayed in the cooperative’s annual wall calendar, with a first-place winner selected from each grade to go into the calendar. The winners of the kids’ show will also be announced on Aug. 2 during a 2 p.m. event.

The cost of both shows is included with the purchase of general museum admission, which is free for Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites members.

# # #

The Hoosier Salon is a statewide, nonprofit artist-service organization whose mission is to create an appreciation of visual art by promoting Indiana artists and their work. The organization has locations in Carmel and New Harmony.

The Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites is located in White River State Park in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. It is Indiana’s museum for science, art and culture, offering a place where you can celebrate, investigate, remember, learn and take pride in Indiana’s story in the context of the broader world. Even the building is a showcase of the best Indiana has to offer in architecture, materials and sculpture. Easy and convenient parking is available in the attached underground garage.

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Events Happening at the Indiana State Museum This Summer

Kids and Art Galleries| It’s Fun!

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by Shelly on June 11, 2018 Leave a Comment

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.

by Shelly on February 5, 2018 Leave a Comment

Rock Hunting at GeoFest at Indiana State Museum

Now that I’m a Mom I can clearly see why rocks are such treasures. Like my daughter, I would find rocks everywhere and ask my Mom to put them in her purse to bring home and add to my rock collection. I now find rocks in my car, pockets and purse all the time and I know they’re special treasures Sophia has found. Heart rocks are our favorite to collect.

Our family gravitates towards any museum exhibit featuring gems and minerals so we were especially excited to hear that GeoFest was coming to The Indiana State Museum.

The past few years we have been out of town for this event but am happy to have been invited this year by the ISM to check it out! We can’t wait to go rock hunting at The Indiana State Museum.

GeoFest at Indiana State Museum:

Open to the public Friday, Feb. 16 and Saturday, Feb. 17 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Feb 17 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Many special activities will be offered during GeoFest, including the opportunity to build a crystalline structure, make your own jewelry and geode, and participate in GeoFest trivia. Plus, enjoy special demonstrations on fluorescing minerals, naming fossils, and rocks and minerals in everyday life.
On Friday, visitors can enjoy a dig pit, learn about Salem microfossils, and create their own stratigraphy model in Rockin’ Through the Layers.On Saturday and Sunday, try your hand at our mastodon puzzle and practice mineral testing during a Get to Know Moh’s demonstration.

Let me know if you’ll be joining us at GeoFest at Indiana State Museum and what you’re most looking forward to. I’m positive Sophia and I will both choose a special rock to remember the day! Perhaps a Jade to symbolize her middle name.

Find more information on The Indiana State Museums website including a list of exhibitors that will be joining this year’s event!

(All photos courtesy of Indiana State Museum)

by Shelly on September 27, 2020 Leave a Comment

The 6 Best Family Activities for October

6 of The Best Family Activities for October. October is right around the corner and with it comes cool temperatures, colorful leaves, apple cider and lots of outdoor fun. For our family, October is as busy as December with lots of birthdays and fun fall activities. We’re big into Halloween too so we’re definitely ready to celebrate October.

I want to preface by saying that we will not be doing everything on this list this year because of the pandemic but are excited about being able to do them again in the future. Here are the best family activities for October.

1. Visit a Pumpkin Patch

I don’t remember a year where I didn’t visit a pumpkin patch. Even without kids, we’d visit the pumpkin patch a couple times each year. With the kids, I love finding the pumpkin patches that have one fee to enter and you’re able to stay and play on on the games as long as you’d like. A favorite around Indy is Piney Acres Farm where they have TONS of games, a corn maze, hayrides, and lots of beautiful pumpkins to bring home.

2. Watch Halloween Movies

Both my daughter and I watch Halloween and Christmas movies year-round. However, starting October 1st, we start the Halloween Movie Marathon where we watch at least one Halloween movie per week. I rounded up our favorites for kids 6 and under in this post. Lots of ‘kid-friendly’ lists seem to have scary movies or movies that may not be appropriate for younger kids, which is why I made this list.

3. Make Fall or Halloween Crafts

We have a couple tubs of Halloween decorations for when October rolls around but fall brings out the craftiness in me. I’m happy to light a fall candle, open the windows, throw on a sweatshirt, and get in some good crafting on the weekends. Some of my favorites have been this Halloween Street Sign, Fall Pumpkin Flower Arrangement, Fall Felt Leaf Garland, and this year’s Fall Mickey Pumpkin.

4. Bake some Fall or Halloween Treats

Nothing is better than sweats when the air gets cool. Which means treats are totally fine. All the pumpkin spice is super nice but I especially love baking with my kids. There’s just something about sharing our love of sweet themed treats that really brings us together. My all-time favorite Halloween treat is Candy Cookie Pizza. I used to ask for it as my birthday cake growing up because I love it so much. I also love this round up if you’re going to be Booing neighbors or going to a Halloween party.

5. Visit Local Fall Attractions

Where I live, you could easily fill each weekend with fall activities all over the city. Each year we try a new place but we love all the other traditions so much that we end up just adding more each year. Most of the places around Indy have their events free for members which is an awesome way to be able to have lots of fun without spending any extra before holiday shopping.

Some of our must-dos are Conner Prairie’s Headless Horseman, ZooBoo at the Indianapolis Zoo, The Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites (tons of different locations and events), and the Haunted House at The Children’s Museum. Not to mention all of the haunted houses, corn mazes, and amusement parks that celebrate Halloween.

6. Go Camping and Hiking

Fall has always been my favorite time to camp. The foliage is beautiful and the temperatures are perfect for all-day hiking and warming up with s’mores by the campfire at night. Growing up, we went to Spring Mill around Halloween and it was my favorite camping trip ever. Everyone decorated their sites with Halloween decorations and there was a hayride and a spooky ghost walk through the old mill. We’re so excited to incorporate these traditions into our own family and we’re starting this year with an October camping trip in our newly renovated popup camper The Popup Jungle. Brown County State Park is another awesome place to camp this time of year.

And if all else fails, visit Disney World. October is our favorite month to visit the Happiest Place on Earth and I am so bummed that we had to cancel our first family trip this year due to the pandemic. Thankfully, we still have lots of things to do (some from this list are still very safe). Let me know what your best family activities for October are for this year!

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by Shelly on January 4, 2020 8 Comments

2019 in Review | What Blogging has Made Possible for Our Family

I wanted to share 2019 in review as well as what blogging has made possible for our family this past year. As a kid, I remember my mom telling me ‘it doesn’t hurt to ask.’ I’ve used this advice and paired it with a quick rebound after any ‘nos’ I receive. After 30 years I’ve gotten REALLY great at letting the ‘nos’ roll off my back. In 2019 I really leaned into this tactic and it awarded us with some really awesome opportunities.

WHAT BLOGGING HAS MADE POSSIBLE FOR OUR FAMILY

It all started in February when I received an email from Visit Fort Wayne asking if I’d like to join them with a few other bloggers on a weekend trip to see their city. I honestly thought it was a mistake that my email got on the list because the others on the list had much bigger followings. They travel all over the world for their blogs. I had done some travel writing but always on our own dime, until this year.

I’d accepted the trip and as I talked to people about being excited about my first FAM (familiarisation) trip to Fort Wayne they gave me a funny look. They were confused about why I was excited to visit Fort Wayne. Having never heard about Fort Wayne, I didn’t understand why they were negative about Fort Wayne. ‘It’s the second-largest city in Indiana’, I’d say. They’d reply with stories of why I shouldn’t go.

Fort Wayne

Thankfully, I didn’t listen to them and was excited about my trip. Come to find out, Fort Wayne is amazing. Despite having rough patches over the years, they’re completely turning their city around and making it a destination location again. I wrote about my trip in three parts ( part 1, part 2, part 3) because there was so much to talk about from my trip! The best part of that weekend was meeting other travel writers and gaining a relationship with an Indiana CVB (Visit Fort Wayne). The trip included my new favorite restaurant Tolon, an awesome walkable mural trail, and a peek at the origins of my favorite chocolate company DeBrand. We’re planning a trip back this summer!

Local Indianapolis Attractions

The Children’s Museum

We’ve lived in Indiana for nearly 4 years now, so I’ve made quite a few connections with family-friendly locations. This year I continued to work with The Children’s Museum in seeing new exhibit openings such as Paw Patrol, Take Me There: Greece, and Hotel of Spells.

Conner Prairie

Conner Prairie had a big year with the opening of Merry Prairie Holiday and continued to make it our favorite stop no matter what time of year. Headless Horseman, bread baking in William Conner’s house, Treetop Outpost, and hanging out after school was our favorites this year.

Indianapolis Zoo

The zoo has been upgrading and adding major projects for several years. Right now they’re expanding their elephant area. We were excited to welcome the sloths and snakes exhibits this year as well as enjoy our traditional Zoo Boo and Christmas at the Zoo events as a family.

Indiana State Museum

In my opinion, the Indiana State Museum is a hidden gem for families to explore. In the past few years, they have really focused on making sure their exhibits are hands-on and interesting for people of all ages. This year we were able to check out the Amazed exhibit, Celebrations Crossing, and the grand opening of Firefly Landing. Between their awesome temporary exhibits, they cycle through, their amazing permanent exhibits, the IMAX and Firefly Landing, ISM is a full-day attraction.

What Blogging has Made Possible for Our Family — The Children’s Museum, IN State Museum, Conner Prairie, Indy Zoo

Summer Camps and Lessons

This year I made some new friendships with local businesses I wanted to help promote. Through trade, I was able to write about our experiences at several locations in exchange for classes and lessons. In 2019, I was an ambassador for Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation which allowed Sophia to experience several of their summer classes including Junior Engineering & Chemistry, Hip Hop, and Knee-High Naturalists. She had a lot of fun learning about science, nature, and dance through CCPR. She also took a week-long summer camp learning how to cook and bake with Sprouts Cooking School. The week she chose was Fairy Tale themed so each day’s food items revolved around a different story. They would cook and read books all morning and it was one of her favorite classes this summer.

You know those businesses that you fall in love with but they’re far away? That’s Line + Form for me. I am thrilled with the classes they offer to kids, families, and adults. This summer Sophia attended a week-long Fairy and Unicorn camp where she met great friends and used her imagination to create all day. They’ve since moved downtown Indianapolis to be more centrally accessible for people in Indy.

One of my favorite partnerships from this year has been with Goldfish Swim School in Fishers. Both girls were able to take swim lessons all summer with the main focus being safety. Lilly is still taking lessons and they’re the highlight of her week.

Goldfish Swim School practices Heart Health month February DIY Mama

Memberships

One of the other highlights this year has been partnering with local businesses for membership discounts. Defy Indy opened at the beginning of the year and it’s one of our favorite places to burn off energy. I love it because you can see across the entire trampoline park. As a parent of multiple children, this makes the experience so much less stressful! I also partnered with Massage Heights at Ironworks and they’ve now opened a second location in Fishers! In January 2019 I started getting massages and found that if I went regularly I didn’t have the chronic neck and back issues I’d previously been having. I pay for my memberships but it has been wonderful being able to have a discount through sharing these great businesses with my followers.

family fun in hendricks county — Splash Island- Plainfield

Visit Hendricks County

Our summer FAM trip was to Plainfield, Danville and Avon in Hendricks County (where I grew up). We enjoyed seeing things that weren’t there when I was growing up. We even started a summer tradition of going to make tie-dye at Tie Dye Lab, stopping for lunch at Oasis Diner and then going to the waterpark Splash Island.

Santa Claus

In the fall I worked with Visit SoIn where we visited Santa Claus and Jeffersonville. It was really fun revisiting Holiday World with both girls after having visited with just Sophia a few years ago. As a family of sweet tooths, Santa’s Candy Castle was also a highlight of the trip.

Falls of the Ohio The Best Things To Do In Southern Indiana — Falls of the Ohio- Jeffersonville

Jeffersonville

Jeffersonville is right on the border of Indiana and Kentucky. I wish we had more time to explore this sweet town. On our trip to Jeffersonville, we saw fossils from when Indiana was underwater millions of years ago, learned how to make hard candy at Schimpff’s Confectionery and had some of the best pizza we’ve ever eaten at Parlour.

French Lick

The winter called for one last FAM trip of 2019 with a trip with Visit French Lick. Despite only having two days for our adventure, I had to write a two-part (part 1, part 2) post about all the fun we had. I’ve already started planning a trip back when the weather is warmer because we enjoyed it so much. During this trip we were in awe over the amazing hotels (French Lick Springs Hotel and West Baden Springs Hotel), a ride on the Polar Express, having more of the best pizza ever at Vintage Cafe, and learning about animals (including feeding giraffes and lemurs) at Wilstem Ranch.

Tips for Solo Disney Trip — 1st Solo Trip to Disney World

Networking

Along with the wonderful relationships I made through the visitors’ centers and local businesses, I had a goal of meeting more bloggers. I’ve made an awesome blog tribe around greater Indy who meets once per month to talk blogging. I also made some great friends from my solo trip to Disney World where I went to the Flock conference. Blogging can be a very solitary job if you stay glued to your camera and computer. Being an extravert I love the relationships I’ve made through blogging and am excited to see what 2020 will bring!

I’m so thankful I said yes to Visit Fort Wayne. I’m proud to have asked for partnerships with the businesses I wanted to promote this year. I did not make as much money as years passed because I spent time making these relationships rather than doing sponsored content. At the end of the year, I’m thankful I made that choice and will continue to do the same in 2020!

If you have any questions about blogging, I’m happy to share! If you’re a blogger, I’d love to hear what blogging has brought to you in 2019!

Hoosier Salon Returns to Indiana State Museum

Hoosier Salon Returns to Indiana State Museum

Events Happening at the Indiana State Museum This Summer

Events Happening at Indiana State Museum This Summer

Summer – June through August

Rock Hunting at GeoFest at Indiana State Museum

GeoFest at Indiana State Museum:

The 6 Best Family Activities for October

1. Visit a Pumpkin Patch

2. Watch Halloween Movies

3. Make Fall or Halloween Crafts

4. Bake some Fall or Halloween Treats

5. Visit Local Fall Attractions