Color Me Orchid exhibit runs through March 13 at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Photo courtesy Indianapolis Museum of Art
The Orchid Exhibit at the Indianapolis Museum of Art is as rich with history as it is with blooms.
As far as I’m able to tell, it’s the first formal exhibit of a plant at the IMA. (Of course, the gardens and grounds exhibit plants year-round.) And, an exhibit of orchids is an homage, or sorts, to the late IMA benefactor, Madeline F. Elder, for whom the greenhouse is named.
There are two places for the Color Me Orchid exhibit, which runs through March 13. The Pop-Up Shop is in the Bret Waller Gallery in the main building. An exhibit of more exotic and collector orchids is at the greenhouse.
“The Pop-Up Shop exhibit is laid out like a sculpture gallery,” said Sue Nord Peiffer, greenhouse manager and curator of the exhibit. Gorgeously displayed in gallery lighting, individual plants sit on pedestals, shelves, nooks and crannies like you’d find in a sculpture exhibit.
All of the plants in the Pop-Up Shop are for sale. They came from growers as close as Indiana and as far away as Hawaii, Peiffer said. The orchids at the shop will change regularly as new plants begin to bloom. The greenhouse’s living gallery exhibit reflects the orchids’ visual and scented appeal.
Orchids are on exhibit in the Madeline F. Elder Greenhouse and in the Pop-Up Shop in the main museum building Photo courtesy Indianapolis Museum of Art
Elder is credited with leading the effort to save the greenhouse from demolition in 1972. “She rallied volunteers, repainted the greenhouse and donated some of her own plants,” Peiffer said. Elder, who died at age 103 in 1992, also provided financial support and eventually endowed the greenhouse. The legacy also continues with the IMA’s Horticultural Society, which was founded by some of Elder’s volunteers.
One orchid in the special exhibit at the greenhouse is from Elder’s collection. Elder was known nationally as an avid collector of orchids and African violets, Peiffer said. Coincidentally, while doing research, Peiffer learned another connection to the greenhouse was also a collector of orchids. J.K. Lilly Sr., the father of J.K. Lilly Jr., who lived at Oldfields and owned the greenhouse, had a large orchid collection at his Carmel, Indiana home, she said. The Lilly family donated the 52 acres at Michigan Road and 38th Street to be an art museum.
Color Me Orchid is free for members. Regular admission applies for nonmembers. Admission is free 4 to 9 p.m., March 3, the first Thursday of the month. Class on repotting orchids will be Feb. 27 and March 5. Author Douglas Allen will talk about “Success with Orchids in Your Home,” 2 p.m., March 6 at The Toby. His talk is free.