Indiana University, Indiana History, Indiana Attractions

The Indianapolis Museum of Art, located at 4000 Michigan Road Indianapolis, Indiana is one of the oldest and most prestigious art museums in America. Originally the result of a private art association developed in the later 1800s, the museum itself was not established until 1906 under the name of the John Herron Art Institute. John Herron real estate investor from Indianapolis and a great patron of the arts. Upon his death part of his will included donating the sum of $225,000 to the Art Association of Indianapolis to build a permanent art gallery and school. The institute was subsequently named in his honor. When the museum relocated to a new building in 1969 they were obliged to change the name to the Indianapolis Museum of Art as the old Art Institute came under new management and has since become a fine school for the arts.

After many additions and new construction the Indianapolis Museum of Art has reached its current size of 171,800 square feet. It possesses 56,760 works of art representing the majority of art periods in history throughout the world. The museum boasts the private collection of many prominent Indiana art lovers as well as the works of 19th century Indiana artists. A few names one might run across are Jacob Cox, Otto Stark, and George Winter. Also an inordinately high proportion of the works on display are Asian in origin. These include Asian textiles, Japanese paintings and porcelain, Chinese jade, as well as works dating all the way back to the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The museum building itself is now only one third of the whole experience. Now included are the Oldfields- Lilly House & Gardens, and the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park. These two adjacent structures take up an additional 156 acres of beautifully sculpted land. The entire Oldfields estate was donated by the family of Josiah K. Lilly Jr, the Indianapolis businessman. It is been preserved in the exact condition it was in during the 1930s when it was last inhabited.

The Nature Park is designed to be an outdoor display showing off the beauty of nature in all its variety. It was named after Virginia B. Fairbanks, wife of the late Richard M. Fairbanks. He was a trailblazer in radio whose foundation donated a great deal of money for the park´s construction.

For those who live too far away to benefit from the enriching experiences the Indianapolis Museum of Art has to offer, they´ve developed an experimental website which will eventually show every work of art they have on display in high detail. They will also be hosting video and audio logs of all their traveling displays and guest speakers.

Are you going to be in or around Indiana and want to get in some great fishing spots? Did you know that one of the best places to catch catfish is Indiana? Many anglers are surprised to learn that Indiana catfishing is some of the best in the world. In the early part of spring around May and June the catfish are searching for a place to spawn, which means they are also very hungry during this time. They will be incredibly active and in search of food. You can find large groups of catfish gathered together which makes it even more exciting fishing during this time because, once you locate one you have the potential to catch many.

By the end of June and going into August the catfish will begin to slow down and it will be harder to locate them. Therefore, you will need to plan your fishing trips for earlier in the season for the best results. Here are some of the best lakes to visit when in Indiana for catfishing during the spring and some of the techniques that will get you the best results.

The Geist Reservoir Is a Great Place to Catch Catfish

The Geist Reservoir is a great place to fish for large catfish. Therefore, when fishing this reservoir you need to make sure you have the equipment needed on hand to bring in those big ones. The catfish here feed primarily off of shad and similar bait. Even though there are not a lot of natural structures found in the reservoir for the catfish to spawn there are many man-made ones and these seem to work just fine. Fishing near the docks has proven to be very productive during the spring along with fishing near the grassy areas of the reservoir. Keep in mind that it is a small fee for going fishing in the Geist Reservoir but it will be worth it if you are serious about catching catfish.

The White River Has a Lot to Offer

When it comes to The White River you will be happy to know that it has a lot to offer the serious angler as well. If you have visited Indiana in the past you probably noticed that there are two White Rivers. One is called the West Fork and the other is called the East Fork. Both of them flow in a direction that causes then to join together when they begin getting close to Petersburg. You will find the catfish to be plentiful in these rivers and you will not be disappointed when Indiana catfishing here. When fishing these rivers in the spring you need to search for the catfish in the deep holes or around any area that has natural or manmade cover. This is where they will be looking for a place to begin the spawning process. These areas include rocks, trees, docks and weeds.

For one of the most exciting times that will last a lifetime, you should experience spring Indiana catfishing at least once. It will be filled with so much fun and excitement that you will never forget the wonderful time you had. In fact, if you are like most anglers, you will be making plans to return as soon as possible. It is a great way to spend your vacation time and you will be thrilled with all the catfish you can catch at these Indiana locations.