June 21, 2018
The Culver-Union Township Public Library is hosting Local Treasure, one of the Indiana Historical Society’s (IHS’s) traveling exhibits, until July 2. The exhibit, which highlights elaborate and colorful murals installed in Hoosier communities during the 1930s, will be on display at the library, located at 107 North Union Street in Culver.
The exhibit gives a brief history of the federal Section of Painting and Sculpture, which was established in the summer of 1934 “to secure suitable art of the best quality for the embellishment of public building,” and then focuses on the histories of some of the 36 murals commissioned for Indiana post offices.
The exhibit is based on a 1995 IHS publication A Simple and Vital Design: The Story of the Indiana Post Office Murals by John C. Carlisle with photographs by Darryl Jones. It includes specific figures, such as “The Raggedy Man,” a fictional character by James Whitcomb Riley, and historical figures such as Solon Robinson and Chief Mewonitoc from George Melville Smith’s Crown Point mural From Such Beginnings Sprang the County of Lake, Indiana.
For more information about Local Treasure, call the Culver-Union Township Public Library at (574) 842-2941.
About IHS Traveling Exhibitions
Historical societies, museums, libraries, schools and other nonprofit organizations in Indiana can book this and other traveling exhibits through IHS’s Local History Services department. Exhibits may be borrowed for approximately four to five weeks at a time. To book an exhibit, please contact Karen DePauw at localhistoryservices@indianahistory.org or (317) 233-3110. For more information about the traveling exhibit program, visit www.indianahistory.org.
About the Indiana Historical Society
Since 1830, the Indiana Historical Society has been Indiana’s Storyteller™, connecting people to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing the state’s history. A private, nonprofit membership organization, IHS maintains the nation’s premier research library and archives on the history of Indiana and the Old Northwest and presents a unique set of visitor experiences called the Indiana Experience. IHS also provides support and assistance to local museums and historical groups; publishes books and periodicals; sponsors teacher workshops; produces and hosts art exhibitions, museum theater and outside performance groups; and provides youth, adult and family programs. IHS is a Smithsonian Affiliate and a member of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience.