This was taken from a release from the Association of Indiana Museums (AIM). Please visit their website at indianamuseum.org for more information.
The National Medal for Museum and Library Service, awarded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, recognizes five museum and five libraries each year, for programs and services provided to the nation and to the communities they serve. An Indiana museum has received a medal for two of the three years that IMLS has made the awards.
In 2008, AIM was proud to announce the news of the award received by the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum (Crawfordsville). This year, the Indianapolis Museum of Art receives the honor.
The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA), formerly known as the Art Association of Indianapolis, was founded more than 125 years ago on the principal that art should be cultivated, studied, and available to all. Today, the IMA upholds these original tenets through programs like Viewfinders, an art viewing program that invites children to visit the museum with their teachers, think creatively, and share their ideas about the art with one another; and the Museum Apprentice Program, an initiative for high school students that supports mentorships with prominent artists on projects that develop leadership skills and expose them to the arts fields. Happily, visitors can appreciate the most comprehensive visual arts institution in Indiana for free, a recent and impactful change.
