February 21, 2021
Hello Friends,
First, on behalf of our board of directors, we want to wish you a happy new year, and hope 2022 is off to a great start! We also want to thank you for your membership and support of Friends of T.C. Steele.
Going forward in 2022, we will issue two newsletters per year (semi-annually), these include a Winter and Summer newsletter. The focus will continue on high quality, meaningful content, and electronic distribution/archival. Look for these in your inbox during the 1st quarter (winter) and the 3rd quarter (summer).
We continue to focus on creating sustainable value for our members and stakeholders. This is demonstrated by our continuing direct support and funding of the annual Member Art Show, access and on-going research to support our virtual gallery, our Community Partnership Agreement with the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites, and supporting the T.C. Steele Historic Site with volunteers and financial contribution.
During the year 2021, we engaged these important initiatives:
- February – 9th Annual Member Art Show – record entries of 68 original works submitted by 39 members.
- April – 36th Annual Wildflower Foray – hikes, nature and flowers are the focus of this tree-day do-operative event throughout Brown County. Hikes and programs are held at T.C. Steele Historic Site and nearby areas including DNR properties, Hoosier National Forest, Indiana University, Sycamore Land Trust and Nature conservancy lands.
- September – 33rd Great Outdoor Art Contest, the oldest plein air painting competition in Indiana.
- November – Screening at Brown County Art Gallery of the new PBS WTIU documentary: Singing Winds, The Life and Work of T.C. Steele, produced by Todd Gould and narrated by two-time Grammy Award winner, Sylva McNair.
- Purchase of two new golf carts for transport of visitors at site.
- Financial contribution for exterior painting of buildings on historic site.
- Volunteer support at 25 events held throughout 2021 at the T.C. Steele Historic Site (11 of which were targeted for children and families).
Looking ahead we have two new important strategic initiatives in 2022:
- Art Student Scholarship and partnership with Herron School of Art and Design
- T.C. Steele Historic Trail (virtual)
In closing, be safe, and we hope to see you at one of the many events soon, and please visit our website often as we continuously update our EZ Calendar and Scholarly Resources, which are always accessible in the menu at the top of our website.
We encourage you and members of your party to wear masks and observe appropriate social distancing when participating in Friends events or visiting the historic site. Guidelines and pet policies can be found here.
P. Garrett Adams
President & Board Chair
Learn more about this issue’s featured Steele painting, Path Through the Woods, here.