Legacy of Hoosier artist T.C. Steele at the Museum

Thursday, April 14, 2011

The Putnam County Museum will host an evening of celebration of Theodore Clement (T.C.) Steele, a well-known American impressionist and a member of the Hoosier Group, at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 21.

Steele's great-grandsons, Nick and Bob Steele (first cousins) will share stories, photos, and paintings from the family collection.

T.C. Steele was born in Owen County in 1847, grew up in Indianapolis, and was an artist-in-residence at Indiana University in Bloomington. He studied at the Royal Academy in Munich, Germany, and upon return to the United States in 1885, began to paint portraits.

But Steele drew most of his artistic inspiration from rural landscapes. He traveled throughout Indiana and other states to paint countryside scenes. A number of other artists shared Steele's artistic interest at the time, forming the Brown County Art Colony. His Brown County home, the "House of the Singing Winds," and his art studio are part of a 200-acre Indiana Historic Site.

Both speakers for the museum event, Nick and Bob Steele, have personal ties to Putnam County. Nick is a professor emeritus of classical studies at DePauw University, where he was on the faculty for nearly 40 years. Bob, a DePauw graduate, is now director of the Janet Prindle Institute for ethics and a professor of journalism ethics at DPU.

The event is free and open to the public. The museum is located at 1105 N. Jackson St., Greencastle.

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