SOUTHWEST INDIANA ARTS AND CULTURE
Southwest Indiana arts and culture are a vital and thriving part of the quality of place of the region.
For example:
- The J. Michael Dunn Art Gallery on the campus of Oakland City University showcases monthly exhibits from national, regional, local, and student artists.
- The Museum of the Coal Industry tells the story of coal mining in Warrick County, with objects such as a coal car, cab, and drag line, as well as photographic displays.
- The annual RopeWalk Writers Retreat offers opportunities for writers to participate in workshops and confer one-on-one with prominent authors.
- Tales & Scales, Inc. provides nationally acclaimed arts education programming in schools throughout the nation, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the city, and the state.
The lists below include additional arts and culture venues, organizations, icons, and events.
Gibson County
Cockrum Hall
138 N. Lucretia St.
Oakland City, IN 47660
Phone: 812-749-4781
www.oak.edu
Located on the campus of Oakland City University, Cockrum Hall stands where the Cockrum family home played an important role in the 1850s underground railroad. Exhibits tell the story of the secretive movement to freedom of slaves within the U.S. and those who helped make it possible.
Gibson County Courthouse
101 N. Main St.
Princeton, IN 47670
Phone: 812-385-2541
www.gibsoncountyin.org/attractions.htm
An imposing example of nineteenth-century architecture, the courthouse stands as an important local historical structure.
Gibson County Theatre Company
The theater company welcomes actors and audiences as it revisits stage classics.
Henager’s Memories & Nostalgia Museum
8837 S. Hwy 57
Buckskin, IN 47647
Phone: 812-795-2230
www.princeton-indiana.co
A century of memorabilia, from a car to collectibles, awaits visitors to this year-round museum.
J. Michael Dunn Art Gallery
143 N. Lucretia St.
Oakland City, IN 47660
Phone: 812-749-1426
www.oak.edu
Lyles Station Community Museum
Route 3
Princeton, IN 47670
Phone: 812-385-2534
www.lylesstation.org
Princeton Railway Museum
702 W. Broadway
Princeton, IN 47670
Phone: 888-390-5825
www.princeton-indiana.com
The historic Princeton Train Depot, built in 1875, is now home of the Princeton Railway Museum. The museum showcases the county’s early rail transportation service.
Posey County
1776 Double Log Cabin
This 1776 structure, the oldest in historic New Harmony, is showcased as it would have looked when the Harmonist settlers came to the area in the early 1800s. Community-living demonstrations are provided during special events and tours.
Church Park
P.O. Box 579
New Harmony, IN 47631
Phone: 800-231-2168
www.usi.edu/hnh
This beautiful and peaceful site built at the location of the two original Harmonist churches features formal gardens, a fountain, and a recreation of the Doors of Promise, the large doors original to one of the earlier churches.
Harmonist Labyrinth
P.O. Box 579
New Harmony, IN 47631
Phone: 800-231-2168
www.usi.edu/hnh
Restored in 1939, this living maze is a tribute to the Harmonists. It stands near the site where their original shrubbery labyrinth was first grown and shaped.
Hoosier Salon New Harmony Gallery
New Harmony Atheneum
P.O. Box 579
New Harmony, IN 47631
Phone: 800-231-2168
www.usi.edu/hnh
A showcase for historical exhibits about New Harmony, the Atheneum also features a museum shop and theater.
New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art
506 Main St.
New Harmony, IN 47631
Phone: 812-682-3156
www.usi.edu/nhgallery
Since 1975, the not-for-profit gallery has promoted the artists and contemporary art of the Midwest.
Roofless Church
RopeWalk Writers Retreat
8600 University Blvd.
Evansville, IN 47712
Phone: 812-464-1863
www.usi.edu/ropewalk
The annual retreat in historic New Harmony is a program of the University of Southern Indiana. The event offers opportunities for writers to participate in workshops and confer one-on-one with prominent writers.
The New Harmony Theatre
8600 University Boulevard
Evansville, IN 47712
Phone: 812-465-1635
www.usi.edu/nht
The New Harmony Theatre is University of Southern Indiana's professional equity theatre, performing new and classic plays and musicals from world literature.
Thrall’s Opera House
P.O. Box 579
New Harmony, IN 47631
Phone: 800-231-2168
www.usi.edu/hnh
Originally a Harmonist dormitory, this historic building was converted to a theater during the late 1800s, and still serves that purpose today.
Vanderburgh County
American Guild of Organists, Evansville Chapter
The group sponsors concerts, lectures, and other events open to the public.
Angel Mounds State Historic Site
Art Colony Gallery
56 & 58 Adams Ave.
Evansville, IN 47713
Phone: 812-428-7911
The gallery is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday.
Arts Council Bower-Surheinrich Gallery
318 Main St.
Evansville, IN 47708
Phone: 812-422-2111
www.artswin.evansville.net
Boom Squad, Inc.
This arts-based percussion program is a performing drum line of students from schools in the Evansville metropolitan area. The group performs at sporting events, parades, and community events.
Bosse Field
1701 N. Main St.
Evansville, IN 47711
Phone: 812-435-8686
www.evansvilleotters.com/bosse_field.html
Opened in 1915, this historic, working facility was featured in the box-office hit “A League of Their Own.” It is the third-oldest ballpark in the nation and home of the Independent Frontier League Evansville Otters.
Central Library
200 S.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Evansville, IN 47708
Phone: 812-428-8200
www.evpl.org
Children’s Center for Dance Education
P.O. Box 5532
Evansville, IN 47716
Phone: 812-421-8066
www.childdance.org
This regional dance school and performing arts company is a not-for-profit organization introducing children to the experience of dance.
Civic Theatre
717 N. Fulton Ave.
Evansville, IN 47710
Phone: 812-425-2800
www.civic.evansville.net
The historic, 1939 Columbia Movie Theater facility has been home to the Civic Theater and its many delightful productions for more than three decades, and was restored in 1994.
cMoe – Koch Family Children’s Museum of Evansville
22 S.E. Fifth St.
Evansville, IN 47708
Phone: 812-464-2663
www.cmoekids.org
Children are happily engaged in learning and fun with the multi-sensory experiences of this museum designed just for them.
Evansville African American Museum
Evansville, IN 47713
Phone: 812-423-5188
Lincoln Gardens was built in 1938 as one of the nation’s first housing projects of President Roosevelt’s New Deal program. Today, the Evansville African American Museum occupies that space and tells the story of 70 years of the African-American experience in Evansville.
Evansville Dance Theater
This ballet company and performing arts training institute provides training, educational outreach programs, and performances.
Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science
411 S.E. Riverside Dr.
Evansville, IN 47713
Phone: 812-425-2406
www.emuseum.org
The museum offers national traveling exhibits, local exhibits, and a wide-ranging permanent collection, plus seasonal astronomy shows at the Koch Planetarium and a children’s learning and exploration center.
Evansville Philharmonic
600 Main Street
Evansville, IN 47708
Phone: 812-425-5050
www.evansvillephilharmonic.org
Founded in 1934, the non-profit Evansville Philharmonic is the largest arts institution in the region. The professional orchestra is made up of 80 musicians under the direction of Alfred Savia. Each concert season includes performances by internationally renowned soloists and local artists, and includes popular works as well as twentieth-century pieces.
Evansville Symphonic Band
Evansville, IN 47711
Phone: 812-477-6424
Fine Arts Camera Club of Evansville, Indiana
200 S.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Evansville, IN 47713
Phone: Not Available
www.fineartscameraclub.org
The club provides opportunities for professional and amateur photographers of all interests and skill levels to share their knowledge and enjoyment of photography.
Mallette Studio Theatre
University of Southern Indiana
College of Liberal Arts
8600 University Blvd.
Evansville, IN 47712
Phone: 812-465-1614
www.usi.edu
Students learn by performing on the black box stage in this theater that seats 100.
Mesker Amphitheatre
1551 Mesker Park Dr.
Evansville, IN 47711
Phone: 812-425-4586
www.smgevansville.com/mesker
With seating for 8,500, this venue under the stars is the stage for concerts, movies, and other entertaining performances.
Nance Galleries
662 S. Green River Rd.
Evansville, IN 47715
Phone: 812-476-6295
www.nancegalleries.com
This fine art gallery and museum store deals in antiquities, including extensive inventory of Japanese Netsuke, Chinese porcelain, and early English studio pottery. Custom framing, art conservation, and other services are also available.
Old Post Office and Customs House
201 N.W. Fourth St.
Evansville, IN 47708
The 1890s structure is one of the nation’s premiere models of Neo-Baroque architecture.
Pagoda/Visitors Center
Constructed in 1912, the structure has a Japanese architectural style based on an exhibit at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. Today, the pagoda welcomes visitors to the city, as an official Visitors Center. It also serves as a site for picnics and concerts on the river’s edge.
Raintree Quilters Guild
Reitz Home Museum
This Victorian house museum, in the city’s Historic Preservation District, is an outstanding example of Second French Empire architecture.
Shanklin Theatre
1800 Lincoln Ave.
Evansville, IN 47722
Phone: 812-488-2031
theatre.evansville.edu
Built in 1967, the theater is home to the performances of the renowned University of Evansville Theater Department.
Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Coliseum
350 Court St.
Evansville, IN 47708
Built in 1918 to honor Civil War and Spanish-American War veterans, the Coliseum is now used for plays, concerts, sporting events, and social gatherings.
Tales & Scales, Inc.
P.O. Box 3672
Evansville, IN 47735
Phone 812-425-8741
www.talesandscales.org
The U.S. LST 325 Ship Memorial
840 LST Dr.
Evansville, IN 47713
Phone: 812-435-8678
www.lstmemorial.com
Victory Theatre
Willard Library
The oldest public library in the state houses a famed genealogy collection, a special collection of art books, and the historically significant Native American Leaders of the Mid-19th Century Exhibit. It offers programming and books for readers of all ages.
Warrick County
Museum of the Coal Industry
S.R. 68 W.
Lynnville, IN 47619
Phone: 812-922-5659
www.visitwarrick.com
Rivertown StoryTellers
Riverwind Gallery
10400 W. State Rte. 662
Newburgh, IN 47630
Phone: 812-853-2537
www.riverwindgallery.com
On display: the work of artists Robert Bateman, James Christensen, G. Harvey, Judy Larson, and others.
Warrick County Museum
217 S. First St.
Boonville, IN 47601
Phone: 812-897-3100
www.warrickcountymuseum.org
The former Ella Williams School Building houses this museum of local history, in operation since 1976. The collection includes a Civil War cannon and Civil War drum, cameras, doctor’s office furniture and tools, children’s toys, and other artifacts of an earlier time.
