From the Director Maxwell L. Anderson

Large-scale interior spaces date back to antiquity, expanding by means of poured concrete in ancient Rome and flying buttresses in the Middle Ages. With colossal size came a demand for large-scale design solutions, and such challenges have been met in countless ways across the ages. Robert Irwin came at our invitation in 2007 to experience the vastness of the IMA’s Pulliam Great Hall, our largest interior space, and consider how we might address the scale of this primary assembly space in the Museum’s core. One of America’s leading artists, Irwin has tackled other massively scaled projects, from the atrium of the Nancy Hanks Center in Washington, D.C., to the gardens of the Getty Trust’s complex in Brentwood, California.

Irwin’s solution to our needs is a deceptively simple one. He has devised something akin to a choir screen, rising 60 feet and spanning 60 feet. Emitting a bath of light, muted by scrim, it provides a focal point for this enormous space and adds a much needed complement to Sol LeWitt’s equally majestic Wall Drawing No. 652 a few dozen feet to the south. In light of Irwin’s contribution, LeWitt’s crystalline, multicolored drawing takes on the character of a huge stained glass window. The silent conversation between these two giants of late 20th century and 21st century art creates the aura of a secular cathedral dedicated to the arts and will make your next visit to the IMA a memorable one.

The story of the collecting acumen of Dorothy and Herbert Vogel is a riveting one, and we are pleased to present the works they have recently donated to the IMA as part of a nationwide transfer of artworks from the National Gallery of Art. While these independent-spirited collectors followed their own muse in assembling a great collection, a wonderful counterpoint may be found in our display of the . This mural cycle from 1914 was originally made for the patients of City Hospital by Indiana artists, including William Edouard Scott, T.C. Steele, Clifton Wheeler, J. Ottis Adams and Wayman Adams. The IMA’s Conservation Department has restored the works thanks to the generosity of the Efroymson Family Foundation. Our next installation in the Efroymson Family Entrance Pavilion is a soulful work by Orly Genger, opening on November 21. This cascading assemblage of rope conjures up multiple associations and will decisively reframe the Museum’s entrance.

The same night, the Randall and Marianne Tobias Theater (a.k.a. "The Toby") will debut its 600-seat renovation with "Virtuosos and Visions", presenting Violinist Cho Liang Lin and pipa artist Min Xiao-Fen with 2002 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis Laureate Susie Park, violist Atar Arad and cellist Sophia Shao.

Altogether we know this fall and winter will be among the most spectacular in our 125 years—and we hope our members and visitors will take full advantage of every offering.