The art school was founded in 1902 as the John Herron Art Institute, operating as an independent institution until its acquisition by Indiana University in 1967. In 2005, Herron relocated to Eskenazi Hall on the IUPUI campus after more than 100 years in the Herron–Morton Place neighborhood of Indianapolis.[1]
Herron includes five galleries that exhibit contemporary works of art by national and international contemporary artists and designers, as well as the work of Herron faculty, alumni, and students; and the Basile Center for Art, Design, and Public Life, which enriches educational and interdisciplinary activities through civic engagement and community partnerships. and was ranked 73rd overall by U.S. News & World Report among graduate schools of fine arts in 2022.[3]
The Art Association of Indianapolis, formerly the Indiana School of Art, was established in 1883. In 1895, John Herron bequeathed most of his fortune (almost $250,000) to the Association, which was headed by suffragette May Wright Sewall. Herron, who had moved to Indianapolis about 15 years earlier, owned several rental properties on the near north side and a large farm in Franklin County, Indiana. His gift came as a complete surprise to Art Association of Indianapolis members.[4] Herron stipulated that the money be used to build a museum and art school in his name. (Due to inflation, $250,000 in 1895 would be equivalent to about $7 million in 2014).
Former home of the art school, now known as Herron High School. "John Herron Art Institute" is still visible on the building's façade in this image from 2010.
1900s
As a result of Herron's gift, the John Herron Art Institute was formed in 1902 to serve as an art museum and an art school. The Institute's Herron Museum, an Italian Renaissance Revival-style building, was designed by Vonnegut and Bohn architects and located at 1701 North Pennsylvania Street in the present-day Morton Place. The institute's main building was designed by Paul Philippe Cret in 1929 and was the second facility in the nation designed specifically for art education.
Fesler Hall, constructed in 1962, was a major addition to the John Herron Art Institute site along N. Pennsylvania St. It was Indianapolis architect Evans Woollen III's first civic commission. The three-story academic building was a freestanding wing addition that connected via a covered walkway to the original, Cret-designed main building. Both of these structures are still standing. Woollen's addition was noted for its use of reinforced concrete and exposed columns, typical of Brutalist architecture, and its deeply coffered ceilings.[5] The project was funded through a bequest of Caroline Marmon Fesler, a former board member and president of the Indianapolis Art Association.[6]
In 1967, the Herron School of Art became a school of Indiana University. Two years later, it became part of IUPUI, located near downtown Indianapolis. In 1970, the Indianapolis Museum of Art separated from the school, taking with it a majority of Herron's art collection.
2000s
IUPUI campus sign for Herron School of Art and Design
The Herron School of Art and Design launched a capital campaign to raise funds for new buildings in 1999, and in 2000 a ceramic arts facility was opened.
In 2000, Herron School of Art and Design was among the earliest tenants to set up residency in the recently established Harrison Center.[7]
In 2003, The Herron Chronicle was published detailing the past 100 years of the school's history.[8]
In 2005, Eskenazi Hall, the current home of the school, was completed.[9] This 169,000-square-foot (15,700 m2) facility tripled the amount of space available to Herron students and includes a 5,500-square-foot (510 m2) library, a 240-seat auditorium, 4,200 square feet (390 m2) of gallery space, and several computer labs.
Since 2006, Herron's original academic buildings have housed Herron High School, a classical liberal arts charter high school.[1]
Caroline Marmon Fesler: The daughter of local industrialist and automobile manufacturer Daniel W. Marmon, she studied painting in Europe. Later, she became a well-known art collector, especially of 20th-century modernist works, many of which she later gave to the Herron Museum—including Grey Hills by her friend, Georgia O'Keeffe. Along with Sullivan, Fesler propelled the Herron Museum into the era of modern art.
Herman C. Krannert: Founder and president of Inland Container Corporation, Krannert agreed to take charge of the Art Association in 1960, at a point when the organization was struggling to stay afloat. Krannert insisted the group reorganize its board and its way of doing business, including creating the position of board chairman—he became the first person to have that title and he held it for 12 years. His tenure culminated in relocating the museum from the Herron campus at 16th and Pennsylvania streets to its current site at W. 38th St. and Michigan Rd., and the Art Association's name was changed to the Indianapolis Museum of Art.
This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. Please improve this article by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article AND are alumni, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations.(April 2018)
^ abcCooley, John J. (2021) [1994]. "Herron School of Art and Design". Digital Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. Indianapolis Public Library. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
^Kevin A. Drawbaugh (16 February 1988). "Woollen's Mark Seen on Major Indiana Buildings". Indianapolis News. Indianapolis: C3. See: "Biographical" Sketch in Woollen, Molzan and Partners, Inc. Architectural Records, ca. 1912–2011. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society. 2017. See also: Mary Ellen Gadski, "Woollen, Molzan and Partners" in David J. Bodenhamer and Robert G. Barrows, ed. (1994). The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. p. 14. ISBN0-253-31222-1. See also: "Young Architects in the United States: 1963". Zodiac. 13. Milan, Italy: 168.
^"Newfields: History". Newfields (Indianapolis Museum of Art). Retrieved December 18, 2017.
^ abJudith Vale Newton and Carol Ann Weiss (2004). Skirting the Issue: Stories of Indiana's Historical Women Artists. Indiana Historical Society Press. ISBN0-87195-177-0.
