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Indiana State House Expands its Artwork

In addition to housing all executive offices, the State Senate, the Indiana House of Representatives, and the State Supreme Court, the Indiana State House also is home to several public works…

In addition to housing all executive offices, the State Senate, the Indiana House of Representatives, and the State Supreme Court, the Indiana State House also is home to several public works of art.  Bronze and plaster busts of U.S. presidents and other notable Hoosiers decorate the  Rotunda in the interior of this Indiana Landmark.  With the help of the Indiana Arts Commission, the Indiana Historical Bureau, the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus, and The Indiana Department of Administration, the State House is planning to add two more pieces of art to the already impressive lineup: busts of Indiana legislators James Sidney Hinton and Julia Carson.

This public art legacy project invites artists to submit an application to design and create busts for these two prominent African American legislators.  Applications are currently being accepted through Monday, June 18th at 4:30 p.m.  The application, which can be filled out online, must include an entire proposal of the project.  More of the guidelines for applying can be found here.

James Sidney Huston was the first African American elected to the Indiana General Assembly in 1880, and Julia Carson was a Congresswoman for Indiana from 1997-2007.  Like the other busts in the State House, both Huston and Carson’s busts will be housed in specially designed niches around the State House Rotunda.  These busts are meant to celebrate and recognize the lives and careers of these two outstanding Hoosier public servants.