Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians & Western Art

Very little to see and not worth the cost. I had hoped to see more of Remington’s works. There was nothing on Catlin. The interactive area was very juvenile and something you would find in an elementary school classroom. There were very few artifacts which was very disappointing. I had a couple simple questions which no one could answer so they gave me a phone number to call. I still have not heard back. Everyone was very friendly but it wasn’t enough to justify the expense.

Being truthful I’m not the regular museum type but while visiting downtown Indianapolis I thought it was the right thing to do and check it out. It was very well-​designed organized and extremely informative. I highly recommend if your in the area. Only $ 11 to view.

Sorry but my group and I found this museum to be quite boring. Perhaps on a day that they have a special temporary exhibit of interest it would be much better. But the general museum itself was small and unremarkable, and surely not worth the price of admission.

My fil loves trains so we went to Check out #jinglerails and it didn’t disappoint. They offer $ 2 for AAA, a senior discount, and free entry for Indiana teachers. Way cool! All the features were made from natural materials. I would highly recommend this exhibit. The Grand Canyon 3 part piece is breath taking.

Wonderful museum! It’s small, but it packs a lot into a small space.
Amazingly, I had never been to a museum dedicated to Native American art and history. I’m so glad my first experience was in Indiana!
One of the best things about the Eiteljorg is that around Christmas time, they have a model train exhibit. It’s craaaaazy. If you’re into trains or miniatures, you will love this exhibit, which is free with paid admission.
If you are visiting with young children, don’t forget to go downstairs. That’s where the kids area is! Kids can play instruments, play with pretend food, build with giant blocks, ride barrel horses, sit in a stage coach, do artwork … my goodness, there’s just so much for children to do. We probably could have stayed there an hour, and it isn’t even that big of a space! It’s a really well-​thought-​out exhibit.
The Eiteljorg café is surprisingly good. It’s worth it to kick back after waking around for a while and order a sandwich and a bag of chips. Their sandwiches are excellent, as is their tea selection.

I have somehow missed this museum on every trip to Indy. Glad I finally made the stop this past time. The outside of this place is so cool looking. I love the colors and the curves and the wood that they have incorporated into the exterior design. Upon walking into this gem you first notice the huge doors and fall in love right there. Between that and the exterior… I could visit this place every day of the week and pretend it was my own abode.
The collections are not massive but well worth the visit. They have some pretty cool pieces of art, especially on the first floor. They even have a couple Georgia O’Keefe paintings in one of their galleries. They also have some stunning photography on the second floor.
We were able to check out the temporary exhibit about trains that they have going on right now for the holidays. It was super fun to marvel at and very festive. If you are into trains you would love this room full of model trains and their western surroundings.
Oh, and the best part is that if you check in on Unilocal… you get $ 2 off your admission. Cheers!

What a great museum! The collection of Native American artifacts, artworks and western-​American Art is not something you find a lot of in the Midwest. We’re so luck my to have it here in Indy! Not to mention the actually building, which is gorgeously executed.
I always make a point of visiting during the holiday with the kiddos who love the annual Jingle Rails display – it’s amazing and totally worth the price of admission. The train tracks are so intricate and all of the scenes are made from natural materials – think acorns, moss, sticks, etc – that are mind blowing.
Don’t miss this Indy museum!

(NOTE: I’m going to talk like a teacher – my real job – in this review, because I brought my students here for a field trip in October.)
In 4^th and 5^th grade social studies, students study about the Native Americans of Indiana (4^th) as well as the tribes from the several regions of the US. My kids researched and presented the cultures of a specific tribe during the first quarter, so it was only fitting for them to check out the primary and secondary sources of their tribes at Eiteljorg. Additionally, they studied the work of Georgia O’Keeffe, so we were accompanied by my school’s art teacher. Our trip correlated with several state standards for both 5^th grade social studies and art, benefiting both teachers. More importantly, the students were able to make the direct connections with what they saw in the museum to what they had studied in school, bringing about several «lightbulb» moments as we walked through the various galleries in the museum. From the textiles to pottery to statues, it was all there, and as a teacher, I couldn’t have been more pleased with our day well spent.
As a resident of Indianapolis, I think it’s fitting to have a museum devoted to Native American history, culture, and artwork. The museum provides an afternoon full of beautiful history and appreciation for those who first settled in North America long before the Europeans. I was impressed by the amount of pieces in the museum as well as the knowledgeable docents who could discuss them. Therefore, I would highly recommend the Eiteljorg museum to any family or upper elementary teacher looking to provide a meaningful, educational day.

I’ve recently gotten on a Western Art kick after a visit to Tulsa’s Gilcrease Museum, so much so that I did a weekend drive from Atlanta to check this place out.
The museum is on sprawling grounds that also contain the Indiana State Museum and the College Basketball Hall Of Fame. There’s a park nearby, fancy hotels, all of that stuff. And the museum itself is beautifully designed in some type of almost hogan-​ish Native style. This is apparently Big Money Central in Indianapolis. And as such, I stupidly decided to park in the park area thinking the meter-​feeding would be a better value than the underground parking for the museum block. Of course, I later learned that deck parking is validated with museum entry. Learn from my mistake.
The ground floor hosts the Western galleries. Yes, there’s a couple of O’Keefes in here, and a few Remingtons, but I most liked the artists of the Taos School who aren’t as household-​namey. The thing that blew me away about Western Art is the vivid use of color in the landscapes — it’s not just any shade of blue that makes up the New Mexico sky, and some of these paintings capture that inner truth. There’s also the exhibition galleries, which featured a history on the Gold Rush while I was there, focusing largely but not exclusively on California — I learned a lot about the Alaska rush of the early 1900s, not least that Parker Brothers even made a board game about it. Too bad they didn’t sell that in the gift shop.
Upstairs is the Native American galleries, which are well done. You start out with the Miami who are native to Indiana, and the display gets pretty in-​depth on their history. I really appreciated this — let’s face it, ALL of this land in these United States was originally tribal lands, and they all have their stories to tell. I am ashamed to say that I didn’t know the Miami of Indiana were federally not recognized, or that there were tribes not recognized, until I saw this exhibit and delved further. And once you’re through the local portion, you have a more encyclopedic glance at the major tribes of North America — I learned the difference between a tipi and a wigwam here. The collection on the whole is a bit smaller than the Gilcrease’s, but I did appreciate the information about the objects which I didn’t see at that other museum. The Haida of the Northwest had probably my favorite display, with the masks and hats.
I took things at what I considered to be a leisurely pace, also walking through the children’s space downstairs, and it took me two hours exactly. You may want to budget a little extra time to check out the inviting park scene nearby, but I’d think otherwise that’s a good time estimate for being here. Your time reminiscing about your visit may be greater.

Classy place. The Remington statues were wonderful. Great place to visit…

Eiteljorg is one of few museums I’ve visited which featured solely Native American historical artifacts. With tribal people having historical significance in North America, I was happy to experience different points of history and cultures throughout the museum.
The arctic and Antarctic cultures were fascinating. I wish this section of the museum were more expansive.
I particularly enjoyed the Christmas train section. The tracks and sets were intricately designed. It brought me back to my childhood when building choo choo train tracks around the living room were popular holiday traditions.
Parking is just around the corner by the visitor center. Be sure to check in for the $ 2 off with Unilocal

There is something here for both children and adults — an engaging selection of art and exhibits on the main floor plus an extensive educational play/​exploration area for children on the bottom floor. We have gone as a family several times over the past few years and always have a good experience. It’s a good place to expose children to art, history, and culture while at the same time allowing them freedom to play a bit in the downstairs area. The Christmas train exhibit is always good as well.

I have never been here before because I assumed it was boring. I took advantage of the free day on the Fourth of July. My whole family really enjoyed this museum. The staff is very helpful and educated. The exhibits are beautiful and appealing to the eye.
There is a wonderful area for small children down in the basement. I loved the Ansel Adams exhibit and am so happy I was able to experience that. I also really enjoyed the Gay Rodeo photography as well.
Really fantastic hidden gem in Indy.

A museum that covers Western art right here in Indianapolis, who knew. I forget sometimes that Indiana in fact had native tribes, many of whom had to leave their lands and settle elsewhere.
This visit had Ansel Admas photos. I never realized how many of his photos were from CA and AZ. The pictures are a nice reminder of how things were. The bronze sculptures that were also mixed in were a rugged look at how life was lived not so long ago.
The art is very much a focus on the culture that is/​was cowboys. Some of the paintings were breath taking moments caught in a time past, when the wild was wild — no cars, no streets. Just an Indian sitting on an overlook pondering who knows what — maybe nothing — but that is the point of art, each of us looks at a little different and we come up with our own story for what is in front of us.
I was very impressed with the story of the gay cowboy. Who knew there was such a beast. Being gay I’ve never met one — now I’ve met an entire group. Their story was touching.
Worth stopping and spending a few hours to enjoy the wild wild west.

Small museum dedicated to American Indian and Western art. I’ve been a few times in the past, visited again on Saturday ³⁄₂₉ to view the Ansel Adams exhibit. Many of his most famous photographs were displayed and it did not disappoint.
I especially enjoyed a photo of San Francisco Bay prior to the Golden Gate Bridge being built. It’s difficult to imagine San Francisco without the bridge there and seeing Adam’s photograph pre-​bridge was interesting.

A recent visit to the Ansel Adams exhibit at the Eiteljorg was nothing less than inspiring! I’ve been studying Adams’ work for most of my life and I never get tired of seeing his work in person. The collection moves through the years and decades of his life’s work. This set of 80 prints (on display until August 3) is amazing in its breadth. There are even several small prints on loan from a private collection dating back to the 1920s. These early soft-​focus prints are small and brown with sepia. Adams used sepia extensively as a preservative in archival processing. He moved quickly away from the browns in favor of the bolder contrast grays and blacks.
I’ve thought a lot about what Adams would think of digital and the advent of high dynamic range (HDR). This exhibit helped me understand how much he would endorse HDR. Ansel was THE early master at HDR. Everything he did: from expose and develop the negative through to the execution of the print, was aimed at creating the greatest range of light and dark possible.
With this exhibit you can see his approach to the limitations of the technology of his time. He always developed the print to show the correct exposure for the highlights. In doing this, many of the darker areas are dark — and sometimes too dark (This is one of the main challenges of all photography). Some of the darkness is the result of red filters used to darken a blue sky and increase the contrast with clouds. This really shows up on the Half Dome print in the exhibit.
As he became more masterful with his craft and the technologies available — film types, filters, developers, paper, etc. — the range of light on the print evened out and this, along with his usual flawless composition, helped Ansel Adams create some of the most iconic images known.
Personal Favorites:
+ Golden Gate before the Bridge — Taken in 1932 when he was 30 years old. It might not have even been city when he stood on a hill in what is now the center of San Francisco. This image is part of the permanent collection at the MET in NYC.
+ Moonrise, Hernandez — One of his most popular images, its always been one of my favorite black and whites of all time. I drove through Hernandez, NM once unexpectedly — on Route 84 the same road he was on when he took this image in 1941. It sort of freaked my out thinking about his place in time 80 year earlier. Sotheby’s sold one of these popular prints for more than $ 600K in 2006.
+ Mount Williamson, Sierra Nevada from Manzanar (1944) — An stunning example of sharp foreground and background. A perfect composition. He had to have been at f64 for this image.
+ Frozen Lake and Cliffs, The Sierra Nevada (1932) — By their nature, all black and white images are abstract. This image is abstract in its composition as well. It makes perfect visual sense in every way.
I could go on, but you get the idea — go see the Ansel Adams exhibit for yourself. It’s convenient, not crowded and spectacular. Kudos to Eiteljorg for bringing this important exhibit to Indianapolis.

Evidently, Indy is home to one of the better museums of Native American artifacts. This museum houses everything from paintings depicting Native Americans to actual artifacts from Indian tribes. They offer an entire floor dedicated for children to learn about Native American culture. During the winter they set up a phenomenal model train set that takes you through places from across the U.S. Admission is a bit pricey but the stuff they have is pretty interesting. I would recommend seeing it once. However, after you’ve seen it once, it’s not really worth the price to go back to it again.

The Eiteljorg Museum is one of that you should try and to attend if you can. Over the years they have brought in a nice selection of special exhibits and the yearly Indian Market & Festival is a good time.
The museum itself small in size when you compare it to the IMA, but it fills that space with a wonderful collection of art and artifacts. The first floor contains the main gift shop; a small café that serves coffee, sandwiches, and salads (3 of which are or can be made gluten free); and two galleries of art and sculptures.
The second floor takes you through a very informative, even for kids, and continuous set of displays and artifacts of the various Native American Indians in Indiana and other places throughout the rest of the US. I love the displays of the traditional garments because it shows the amount of time and level of detail and d of skill and that goes into each piece.
The museum is $ 12/​adult, which isn’t bad when you consider that your parking is validated when you park at the White River State Park Garage Parking except on July 4 and during Indian Market and Festival, but one thing to note is that they only validate until 6 PM, so don’t expect to keep your car there past that time and not get charged.

I really enjoyed the December 2013 exhibit on contemporary artists’ work, especially the photography. This is what a state museum about American Indian culture should strive for — emphasis on memory of place, educational resources about the major tribes in Indiana, and a beautifully designed building.
The descriptions beside the special collections was a bit odd — the font was cursive and reminded me of a microsoft word print out quality. Strange in an artist curated exhibit. There were also some typos that made the companion text a distraction from the high quality of the prints themselves.

I’ve always enjoyed visiting the Eiteljorg for their special exhibits and events. It’s probably one of the better museums in Indy and worth a visit.
Some of the exhibits they had include Steele Ponies (showcase of vintage motorcycles) and Guitars (featuring instruments from famous musicians). Jingle Rails is always a hit during the holidays. The museum space is transformed into a maze of toy trains, with miniature landscape of Indianapolis as well as national landmarks. Both adults and kids would be impressed by the level of details in putting this exhibit together. The Eiteljorg does a pretty good job in bringing exhibits that are unique and outside of the box.
Other events at the museum include Indian Market and Festival and Contemporary Art Fellowship. The Contemporary Art Party is held in conjunction w/​the fellowship and is always a good time. The party includes artwork from modern artists, DJs/​dancing, and comedy. They had a big turnout for this year’s party, and there was plenty of food/​drinks.
In general, the Eiteljorg is a good place to visit, whether you are wandering in the galleries or hanging out in the terrace/​café. The museum also hosts concerts and film screenings from time to time. Parking is validated in the White River parking garage.