The Artist-in-Residence program is available to emerging and established contemporary visual, musical, literary and conceptional artists who would benefit from a respite to their everyday routine and gain inspiration in the serene, rural setting found at T.C. Steele State Historic Site.
To honor the legacy of Theodore Clement, or T.C., Steele, the most renowned painter of the Hoosier Group of impressionist painters in Indiana during the early 1900s, and his wife Selma, the historic site grants opportunities for growth and exploration to those inspired by the natural environment.
How to Apply
Visit indianamuseum.org/artist-program for all details including expectations, length of stay, facility information, submission requirements, application fees and online application.
a Longtime Steele Tradition
Theodore Clement Steele (1847-1926) became Indiana University’s first Artist in Residence where he led students “to see the Beautiful in nature and in life.” Steele visited the campus often following his move to Brown County. As one of Indiana’s leading artists, his presence on campus was an indication of IU’s increasing cultural prominence. The university position offered Steele“the comforts of civilization,” unlike the wilderness of rural Brown County. Greatly moved by that wild, but beautiful landscape, he developed an impressionistic style of painting that contrasted with his more tonal, academic works.
In both locations, Steele served as a mentor to other artists and opened students’ eyes to the area’s natural beauty by demonstrating his methods and sharing his philosophy. This dual role is reflected in the goals of the site’s Artist in Residence Program.
The artist worships the beauty of the world, for his whole life’s work is the endeavor to make permanent that which endures so short a time. The hours and the season, under the magic of light, weave and interweave the whole world of effect.
Happy indeed is the artist if he can grasp and give again the beauty and significance of an hour, in this changeable miracle of nature, and make permanent upon his canvas the poignant charm of that which is so brief.
T.C. Steele