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GOAL #3: PRESERVE AND ADVANCE LOCAL
ART AND CULTURE
Our campus serves as a regional hub for the visual
and performing arts—welcoming the members of
our community and offering them unique cultural
experiences. And while our efforts certainly seek to
broaden horizons and push forward new ideas, we
must also continue to honor and preserve our history.
Right now, one of the most remarkable ways we can
do this is through the James L. Russell Wonderland
Way Collection, named after the man who founded the
Wonderland Way Art Club in New Albany over 100 years
ago. Though the club itself was short-lived, the name
now describes a group of influential artists from the area
who frequented Russell’s gallery and framing shop in the
first decades of the 20th century.
Russell’s granddaughter, Kathy Russell Smith, and
her husband, Don Smith, have spearheaded efforts
to save and preserve pieces from former Wonderland
Way artists, and in doing so, to protect a portion of
our region’s heritage. Their greater aspiration is to
make these works of art a permanent collection at IU
Southeast, housed at the Paul W. Ogle Cultural and
Community Center.
Your support can ensure that this important part of our
culture will be secured and remain on exhibit for many
years to come.
ADVANCING THE ARTS FOR ALL
Our students, faculty, and staff are overflowing with
creative energy, and their contributions to society take
many forms. For example, each year, the Ogle Center
partners with the students in the Theatre Department
on campus to provide free performances for youth
in the southern Indiana community as a part of their
annual children’s series.
And the most recent work of Tiffany Carbonneau,
assistant professor of fine arts, centers on projecting
original video on vacant architectural structures
in New Albany. Achieved with the help of fine arts
majors, the work allows her to explore the local effects
of global systems.
By bringing our students together with faculty to work
on major creative and cultural projects, we equip
themwith the motivation and know-how to invest in a
community. We also create appealing experiences for
local residents, while attracting and inspiring those from
other areas. However, initiatives like these can come with
a significant price tag. With your help, we can continue
to expand arts engagement, benefiting the world in our
own backyard and better preparing the next wave of
collectors, curators, performers, and artists.
Together, we can advance the arts and culture
in southern Indiana and prepare those who will
carry forward these indispensable expressions of
our humanity.
“The arts convey who we are as a society and who we
aspire to be. They enrich our lives, our minds, and our
souls. IU Southeast engages our community by providing
professional student productions and free quality arts
experiences to thousands of children each year.”
—Kirk Randolph
Director, Paul W. Ogle Cultural and Community Center