During the fall season, life slows down a bit.
The trees turn vibrant and we become more aware of textures: the softness of our sweaters, the crunchiness of the leaves we step on.
It’s the perfect time to contemplate the big questions of life, and a visit to your favorite art gallery or museum is the perfect place to do that.
Looking at art, you can time-travel, experience awe and find inspiration for your own creative endeavors.
What are the artists of our city up to? You can find out with this list we made for you. It has everything from small and cozy to big and spectacular — and everything in between.
We’ll keep updating this list as the season rolls on.
Multicultural and family-friendly 🔝
Indianapolis Public Library
📍 Central Library, 40 E. St. Clair St.
🎟️ Free
The library is always free and has a full calendar of family-friendly activities. This season, you can also expect a variety of educational displays.
- Sept. 3-29, the “Women of Color Exhibit” is now an annual tradition. It pays tribute to visual artists who identify as women of color.
- Oct. 3-Nov. 2, celebrate Filipino American National Heritage Month and see works about traditional and modern Philippine life. A special exhibit of art by talented library staff will also be on display.
- Nov. 6-Dec. 9, you can see three art shows at the library: BAM Miller’s “Thanks for the Musical Memories” with poems and colorful illustrations of Indy’s jazz scene and local artists; Vanessa Monfreda’s “International Soul Searching,” featuring collage, mixed-media and assemblage art inspired by the Latin American artist’s life journey; and Sepideh Motevaselolhagh’s “Me, Myself, and I,” featuring expressive cubism artworks.
Tube Factory
📍 Tube Factory artspace: 1125 Cruft St.
📍 Guichelaar Gallery: 1135 Cruft St.
🎟️ Free
What’s new:
- On Sept. 5 only, catch a wearable art performance by Monique Burts. “Picnic at the Park” explores resilience in the face of the chaos through a seemingly perfect picnic that takes an unpredictable turn. Outdoor performances will be in Terri Sisson Park at 7, 8 and 9 p.m. Between performances, you can meet the artist and performers, and even embellish a picnic basket to take home.
- “SOMA” by Yashi Davalos runs Sept. 5-Oct. 19 in the main gallery at Tube Factory Artspace, with an opening reception 6-10 p.m. Sept. 5 and a gallery walk-and-talk 2 p.m. Sept. 6. The exhibit reflects on identity, growing up and moving beyond society’s expectations through surreal and symbolic work by seven artists.
- Amy Kligman’s “Shrines of the Luminous Halo” runs Nov. 7-Jan. 25 in the main gallery at Tube Factory Artspace, with an opening reception 6-10 p.m. Nov. 7. Kligman’s paintings explore how personal everyday objects can offer a glimpse into our inner world.
Leaving soon:
- “Museum of Fabulosity” by Will Higgins is open through Sept. 21 at the Guichelaar Gallery. This pop-up museum tells 16 stranger-than-fiction stories of long lost Indy icons through photographs and fascinating artifacts. Last call to lay eyes on Jinx Dawson’s skull or the boxing gloves Lou Thomas wore the night he killed Arne Andersson.
Embracing the Journey: Threads of Joy and Sisterhood!
🗓️ 6-9 p.m., Oct. 3
📍 Rapp Family Gallery, Indiana Landmarks Center, 1201 Central Ave.
🎟️ Free
This quilt exhibit features works by members of Akoma Ntoso Modern Quilt Guild of Central Indiana. Founded in 2018 for people of color in the Indianapolis area to create and connect through quilting, guild members range from novice to professional and include quilters who have exhibited nationally and internationally. The exhibit will remain on display through Nov. 21.
Special not-to-miss gallery events 🔝
“Have Faith in Art”
🗓️ Now through Oct. 3
📍 McFarland Hall Gallery at Second Presbyterian Church, 7700 N. Meridian St.
🎟️ Free
This exhibit by Second Presbyterian Church aims to encourage dialogue between people of different faiths and traditions. It features paintings, sculptures, photography, and mixed media by artists of a variety of backgrounds and beliefs.
“The Pattern Effect”
🗓️ Sept. 4-Oct. 6
📍 The SPACE Lounge Gallery at The Stutz, 1060 N. Capitol Ave.
🎟️ Free
Celebrate 15 years of Pattern Inc. What started as a fashion magazine, has since become a creative economy advocacy organization. The exhibit will highlight visual repetition, rhythm and structure. Expect color and design-forward pieces.
“Transformaciones”
🗓️ 6-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3
📍 Lost Dog Gallery, 1040 E. New York St.
🎟️ Free
Indy Latina Artists members, including Mirvia Sol Eckert, Mary Mindiola, Nettie Viera, Mara Salazar, Elisa Barety and Alicia Trujillo, will show work depicting Latinidad, femininity and politics.
Photography exhibitions 🔝
Aurora Photo Center
📍 1125 E Brookside Ave., Suite C9
🎟️ Free
What’s new:
- Priya Suresh Kambli’s “Family Pictures” runs Sept. 5-Nov. 14, with an opening reception 6-9 p.m. Sept. 5 and a workshop with the artist 1-4 p.m. Sept. 6. The exhibit explores the artist’s migrant story, “with her family photographs acting as stepping stones across continents and generations.”
- “Nowhere in Particular,” by Indiana-based artist Carlos Perez, opens Oct. 3-Nov. 21. Perez uses contact sheet photography to create larger landscapes showing everyday scenes of life in Indiana.
Leaving soon:
- Erin Patton McFarren’s cyanotype exhibit, “Um Passo à Frente,” closes Sept. 15. McFarren uses sunlight, wind and water in a light-sensitive printing technique to create images that reflect the movement of the natural world.
International Photography Hall of Fame traveling exhibition
🗓️ Oct. 9-11
📍 Indy Art Center, 820 E. 67th St.
🎟️ Free
This exhibition will be at Indy Art Center for just a few days while world-renowned photographers visit Indy for a series of workshops, artist talks and an award ceremony. Stop by to see work by David Burnett, Keith Carter, Adger Cowans, Sheila Metzner and Zanele Muholi.
For the art nerds 🔝
Garfield Park Arts Center
📍 2432 Conservatory Drive
🎟️ Free
What’s new:
- “Out with the Paint, In with the Pixel,” a group digital art show, will run from Oct. 10-Nov. 22 in the main gallery.
- In the lobby, second and third floor galleries, Garfield Park Arts Center will rotate solo art shows by artists Jordan Conner Christie, Andy Bradburn and Rachel Engelmann from Sept. 4-Oct. 1; The Sunshine Family Show, Li Montalvo and Daniela Cardenas-Cisneros from Oct. 10 to Nov. 5; and Chelsea Costello and Kristi Yapp from Nov. 6-Dec. 12, with a special Garfield Park Neighborhood Associations Die de Muertos Memorial on Oct. 31.
Leaving soon:
- “Industry Baby 2,” an exhibition of artwork by the talented artists working in Indy’s service industry is on display through Sept. 20.
“We Turn Everything Into Art”
🗓️ 5-8 p.m. Oct. 11
📍 10 East Art’s RE:PUBLIC, 2301 E. 10th St.
🎟️ Free to $5
This vibrant event showcases art by local queer and POC artists Fran Smith, Emery Gay and Elizabeth Hernandez, with house/techno sounds by Andres Calvo a.k.a. Polychromatic. There will be art performances, poetry readings and art on display.
Although this event is free to attend, a $5 ticket buys you a VIP experience that includes a “We Turn Everything Into Art” die-cut vinyl sticker and a signature mocktail.
Juan Arango Palacios: “Tierra Caliente”
🗓️ Nov. 3-Dec. 6
📍 Basile Gallery at Herron School of Art, 735 W. New York St.
🎟️ Free
Tierra Caliente — “hot land” — references the tropical lowlands near Colombia’s coffee axis, where Juan Arango Palacios was born. This exhibition includes paintings, drawings and ceramics exploring queerness, migration and cultural identity.
Arango Palacios reflects on longing and the unfulfilled experiences of queer immigrants in the United States. Shifting between images of his intimate daily life and expansive mythic scenes, his work captures moments that feel both deeply personal and universally queer.
“Object Permanence”
🗓️ 6-9 p.m., Nov. 7
📍 Patina Gallery, 2201 E Michigan St.
🎟️ Free
Austin Falls makes art from old things that people didn’t want anymore. About his upcoming exhibit, he says: “I made some big things that I don’t have room to store. Please buy some of it! Please. My basement is full and it’s making my cat anxious.”
Holiday art shows where you can do holiday shopping 🔝
“No Theme for the Holidays Group Show”
🗓️ 6-10 p.m. Nov 21
📍 Storage Space, 121 E. 34th St.
🎟️ Free
Last year, more than 150 works by around 100 artists filled the gallery walls at Storage Space for a one-night-only spectacular of eclectic art. This year, you will have to be there to see how many ceramics, paintings, tapestries and sculptures will be on display and for sale. There is something for creative weirdos of all walks of life in this show.
“TINY 14”
🗓️ Dec. 5-Jan. 8, 2026
📍 Indy Arts Cuncil’s Gallery 924, 820 E. 67th St.
🎟️ Free
Indy’s “biggest small art show” is packed with more than 400 pieces of original artwork by over 100 local artists, all sized at 6x6x6 inches or smaller. Most pieces cost around $100 or less. The first chance to shop is during the First Friday reception 5-9 p.m. Dec. 5 at Gallery 924.
Annual color-themed show
🗓️ 6-9 p.m. Dec. 5
📍 Harrison Center, 1505 N. Delaware St.
🎟️ Free
The annual color-themed group exhibition features artwork by dozens of local artists, showcasing their interpretation of a single color. This year’s theme: “Golden Ticket.”
December’s First Friday opening at the Harrison Center also includes shows by Julia Wickes in the Speck Gallery; Jingo de la Rosa in the City Gallery; Will Minon in the Hank & Dolly’s Gallery; Joel Atkinson in the Lift Gallery; and Cierra Johnson in the Underground Gallery. All works will be available for purchase.
The big ones 🔝
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, the Eiteljorg, State Museum and Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields also have great offerings now through the end of the year.
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The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
📍 3000 N. Meridian St.
🎟️ General admission is $24 for adults and $19-21 for children, with a $3 discount for Indiana residents. Admission is free for visitors under 2 years old.
What’s new:
- Included with general admission Nov. 28-Jan 4, families can catch the Aesop’s Fables and Tails show, “The City Mouse and the Country Mouse,” either at 1 p.m. or at 3 p.m.
Leaving soon:
- “Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design” features more than 60 costumes from Carter’s legendary film credits, including: “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “Coming 2 America,” “Roots” (2014) and “Do the Right Thing.” The exhibit closes Sept. 7.
Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art
📍 500 W. Washington St.
🎟️ General admission is $20 with discounts for seniors and youth; children under 5 are free.
Opening and leaving soon:
- The 20th annual “Quest for the West” art show and sale takes place Sept. 5-6. Through Oct. 5, you can visit the museum to see art by nearly 50 of the nation’s leading artists in the Western genre — landscape paintings, portraits and sculptures.
Opening soon:
- “Emerging Current: Eiteljorg Contemporary Art Fellowship 2025,” Nov. 8-Feb. 22. Every other year since 1999, the Eiteljorg Fellowship has brought contemporary Native art to the forefront, casting a spotlight on the works of contemporary artists from across the U.S. and Canada. The five artists selected for 2025 create trailblazing work in the disciplines of painting, printing, installation, sculpture, video and assemblage.
- See model electric trains ramble through replicas of the skyline of downtown Indianapolis and the landmarks of the American West. “Jingle Rails: The Great Western Adventure” returns for a 16th year Nov. 15-Jan. 19.
Also on display:
- “Voices from the Arctic: Contemporary Inuit Art” continues at the Eiteljorg through April 5.
Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields
📍 4000 N. Michigan Road
🎟️ General admission is $20 with discounts for seniors and youth; children under 5 are free. Museum admission is free for everyone on the first Thursday of the month.
What’s new:
- “Luminous Horizons: Celebrating the Legacy of J.M.W. Turner,” opens Sept. 19-Jan. 4. Turner was a painter that revolutionized landscape and watercolor painting.
- At the IMA’s always-free community gallery, “43rd Annual Juried Exhibition of the Watercolor Society of Indiana” will be on display Sept. 5-Nov 1.
- Now through the end of the year, explore Australia’s land, water and sky through more than 500 paintings, stories and photographs at the “LUME.” The exhibit includes real Indigenous Australian bark paintings from the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s permanent collection, and “Featurettes” by Herron School of Art and Design students. The student-made videos “Echoes of Home,” “Harmonia” and “Evren” were commissioned by the museum with showings every day.
Leaving soon:
- See vibrant, abstract paintings at “Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas” until Sept. 28.
Also on display, but leaving next year:
- “Black Dandelion,” a commissioned sculpture by Kori Newkirk at the entrance pavilion; “Maximum Color, Minimal Form: The Panels of Ellsworth Kelly”; and “Resplendent Dreams: Reawakening the Rococo,” with work from three contemporary queer artists—Robert Horvath, Diego Montoya and Anthony Sonnenberg.
Indiana State Museum
📍 650 W. Washington St.
🎟️ $23 with discounts for seniors, youth and college students
Opening soon:
- The beloved holiday experience “Celebration Crossing” returns Nov. 28-Jan. 4. On opening day, at 11 a.m., Santa will arrive by helicopter before welcoming families for the lighting of the 92 County Tree. Families can visit the jolly old elf in his house daily through Dec. 24. Afterwards, hop on board the Snowfall Express through a snowy forest filled with movement and music, then enjoy activities in Santa’s Front Yard and Reindeer Barn. Visitors can also make a reservation for lunch in the L.S. Ayres Tea Room.
Leaving soon:
- The 101st annual “Hoosier Art Salon” exhibition is on display through Oct. 19. The show features 145 original works by 130 Indiana artists, including paintings, drawings, sculptures and other creations in a variety of artistic styles — and all are for sale.
- Also leaving on Oct. 19 is “Museum Marvels,” where visitors get to explore nearly 60 artifacts related to significant moments from Indiana’s past.
Did we miss something? Send information for your fall season art show with an image to jennifer.delgadillo@mirrorindy.org.
A correction was made on Sept. 8. 2025: A previous version of this story mixed up the captions for artworks by Faith Blackwell and Cindy Wingo.
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.
Jennifer Delgadillo is Mirror Indy’s arts and culture editor. You can reach her at jennifer.delgadillo@mirrorindy.org.
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