UIndy Permanent Collection & Cultural Attractions

In addition to the many arts events scheduled each year, UIndy is the proud home of two permanent art collections on permanent exhibition: the UIndy Permanent Collection · Sculpture Walk and the Master Au Ho-nien Museum.

UIndy Permanent Collection · Sculpture Walk

Universal Continuum by Beverly Precious

The Permanent Collection · Sculpture Walk is a diverse collection of works of Art that can be viewed across campus – inside and outside – from Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center to the Health Pavilion – from Good Hall to Martin and Lilly Halls and most of the spaces in between. The University of Indianapolis campus is a living Art Museum. All you need to do to visit it is walk the campus. At almost every turn there are more artworks to see. And more is constantly being added.

The mission of the University of Indianapolis Permanent Collection · Sculpture Walk, is to collect, preserve and maintain quality works of Art for the institution-wide education and inspiration of the students, staff, faculty, and surrounding communities.

The Permanent Collection · Sculpture Walk provides a venue to access and experience original works of Art, Design, and Illustration by practiced professional artists and designers from across the world that evoke thought, discussion, and appreciation. The exhibition of the collection across campus serves as an extended classroom that provides the opportunity for experiential learning, creative/research projects, and course discussions.

The Permanent Collection · Sculpture Walk are original or original editioned works with holdings in ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture in a variety of mediums, photographs (both traditional and digital prints), prints including intaglio, serigraphs, letterpress, and lithographs, illustrations, mixed media and cultural artifacts. 

All works in the collection have been expertly chosen for quality and relevance by professionals with vast experience in the fields of Art and Design. The works in the collection exist in the format in which the artist or designer originally produced the work. Some works are created by hand with materials directly applied to a substrate. While other works are created digitally and therefor exist as digital prints. The Collection does not include non-original reproductions – such as poster prints.

The Sculpture Walk is a part of the UIndy Permanent Collection and consists of exterior works of art. This free outdoor art exhibition featuring work by artists from around the country. The sculptures range widely in size, style, and subject, but all are made from durable materials such as copper, steel, aluminum and limestone.

Information about the artists and their work are available through the Department of Art & Design in the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center.

Master Au Ho-nien Museum

Located in the lower level of the Schwitzer Student Center, the Master Au Ho-nien Museum features 45 pieces of painting, poetry and calligraphy by this world-renowned artist who combines traditional Chinese painting with Western perspective, chiaroscuro and color schemes, often supplementing his naturalistic images with poetic inscriptions. The collection, donated to the University by the Au Ho-nien Cultural Foundation in Taiwan, is valued at more than $1 million. There is no admission charge to the museum, which is open daily.

The Sankofa Circle of Sages

The Office of Ecumenical & Interfaith Programs hosted five events in celebration of African-American Christian spirituality. These "gatherings of the sages" brought together leaders from Indianapolis-area churches, universities and the wider community to honor persons who embody spiritual wisdom. The seven honored sages spoke on varying aspects of the rich tradition of African-American Christian spirituality: the black freedom struggle, the spiritual disciplines of the black church, worship in holiness, preaching the word, social justice through education, gospel music, storytelling and dance.

A display on the second level of the Schwitzer Student Center was erected in appreciation and honor of the sages. The center of the display features the continents of Africa and North America joined together against a backdrop of the sunset's brilliant colors. Images of the seven sages are paired in a circle engulfing the conjoined continents. The words "we must go back and reclaim our past so that we can move forward; then we can understand how and why we came to be who we are" accompany the display.