Historic site celebrates Hoosier artist

To celebrate the 100-year settlement in Indiana of Impressionistic artist T.C. Steele, the T.C. Steele Historic Society in Nashville, Ind., is kicking off the 2006 Great Outdoor Art Contest Saturday. \nWhen the gates open at 7 a.m., artists from all over the region will gather at Steele's old home, a studio at 4220 T.C. Steele Rd., to draw and paint landscapes on the property where Steele himself once worked. A panel of judges will determine a winner.\nAndrea deTarnowsky, site manager at the T.C. Steele State Historic Site, said this will be the 18th Great Outdoor Art Contest. This year, however, the program will be in conjunction with the art conservation work of Barry Bauman, deTarnowsky said. \nBauman, a nationally recognized art conservator, has offered his services to help restore Steele's work. Thus far, he has helped restore about a dozen of Steele's paintings.\n"Mr. Bauman made us an offer, and we accepted," deTarnowsky said. "All he requested was that we provide supplies for the job, which is actually quite generous. Usually when you restore paintings, it's the work and caliber of the conservator that costs money, not the supplies."\nT.C. Steele is best remembered to those at IU as a former art professor most noted for his Impressionistic landscapes and for his involvement in the Bloomington art community. In fact, according to the Brown County T.C. Steele State Historic Site Web site, www.tcsteele.org, Steele's legacy extends far beyond his work as a professor because he put Indiana on the map as a major art colony.\nThe influence of Steele has also permeated history at IU. Rand McKamey, curator of the IMU, said many of Steele's paintings hang around campus. About 38 paintings are in IU's possession, though some are located at other campuses or belong to other IU organizations, such as the University Club. \n'Munich,' one of Steele's earlier Impressionistic pieces, hangs in the Tudor Room at the IMU and was signed by his wife. \n"It is perhaps one of the earliest paintings that I've seen in his Impressionist style," McKamey said.\nUnlike other Impressionistic works of Steele's, 'Munich' features dark hues and a skyline.\nOther works in the IMU include 'The Cabin' and 'The Strength of the Hills,' both located outside Sugar & Spice.