4th Floor Galleries / Image courtesy of the IMA
The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) has formally announced that it has partnered with David Rubin LAND COLLECTIVE to develop a Master Plan for the IMA’s 152-acre campus, including the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park:100 Acres, the Westerly House, and the iconic Miller House and Garden in Columbus, IN, one of the nation’s most highly regarded examples of mid-century Modernist residences. Founded in 1883, the IMA is among the ten oldest and ten largest encyclopedic art museums in the United States and features significant collections of African, American, Asian, European, contemporary art and design arts that spans 5,000 years of history. Its campus includes Oldfields, former home of the Lilly family, and grounds designed by Olmsted Brothers’ landscape architect, Percival Gallagher. From gardening demos in the Madeline F. Elder Greenhouse to outdoor film screenings in the IMA Amphitheater to community celebrations in The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres, guests are invited to engage with art and nature in exciting new ways at the IMA.
The Master Plan will serve as a road map for the next 30 years, addressing access, infrastructure, connectivity, space and land use needs. A major goal of the plan is to integrate the IMA’s cultural and natural resources to create a holistic campus experience.
“I became a member of the IMA several years ago, long before any professional affiliation connected me to this extraordinary institution,” said David Rubin. “Working on projects in and around Indianapolis, I found the museum assets and expansive gardens to be a welcome place for emotional recharge and intellectual stimulation between project meetings. This is a unique place—like no other I have found in all of my travels— with untapped resources that have the capacity to serve the breadth of the region’s population. I call it a ‘constellation of assets’—a living Jacco Olivier painting—where every citizen can find themselves enriched by ever-changing, stimulating experiences throughout the year. It is my home away from home.”
LAND COLLECTIVE has engaged with a very talented team of consultants to collaborate on the project, including architects and planners Beyer Blinder Belle; historic planning and preservation consultants PennPraxis; operations & maintenance studio, ETM Associates; green infrastructure engineering firm, Nitsch Engineering; and the Indiana-based construction company, The Hagerman Group. Our multifaceted team will examine the IMA’s existing challenges and determine opportunities for growth in underutilized spaces, resources, and programming. The resulting Master Land Use plan will aim to enhance the guest experience and celebrate the institution’s unique history while creating a sustainable, 21st-century campus.
