Amid the soft colors and the bold brushstrokes, visitors to the next installation of THE LUME Indianapolis will be plunged into the heart of the Impressionist art movement.
People can walk among water lilies and dazzle in pastel sunrises made famous by Claude Monet. They will be transported inside the simple country scenery from Paul Cezanne’s “Landscape at Auvers, Farm Entrance on the Rue St. Remy.” The subtle color of “Bouquet in a Vase” by Pierre Renoir will wrap around guests in an immersive experience.
All the while, curated scents and music by Debussy, Tchaikovsky, Ravel and Offenbach offer a full sensory opportunity to see art in a new way.
“As soon as you walk in, you’re kind of overtaken. People stop at the threshold, because it’s so grand,” said Jonathan Berger, vice president of marketing and external affairs at Newfields. “Walking into this space and being completely surrounded by these images and the aroma in the air really adds to that experience.”
“Monet & Friends Alive” is the next chapter of THE LUME digital experience at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields. Following up the wildly popular exhibit immersing visitors in Vincent van Gogh’s art, which brought in more than 235,000 people since opening last summer, the new experience focuses on the Impressionist painters.
Starting on July 3, works by Monet, Pissaro, Renoir, Cezanne and others come to life in three-dimensional projections stretching from the floor to the ceiling.
The experience also offers the opportunity for local artists to be part of THE LUME, with one artist’s digital work chosen to be displayed as a featurette within the display.
“We’re excited to see how this year’s ‘Monet Alive’ show will impact those in our community, the Midwest and nationwide,” Berger said. “Newfields was transformed by last year’s Van Gogh show, so this year we’re continuing to look for ways to add new surprises, educate our visitors and welcome new faces to the museum.”
THE LUME is the result of an ambitious multi-year effort by Newfields to offer a one-of-a-kind experience at the museum. Newfields officials worked with Grande Experience, an Australian company specializing in immersive art and large-scale exhibitions. Over five years, Newfields has researched innovative digital exhibitions in Asia, Australia and Europe, gauging how those museums created immersive exhibitions and how the concept could be brought to Indianapolis.
The research demonstrated how digital projection technology and celebrated works of art can be joined to appeal to new audiences.
The fourth floor of the Indianapolis Museum of Art was completely reimagined to support this vision. In massive galleries, 150 high-definition projectors display a rotating collection of images and artwork.
The exhibit will be the largest continuous exhibition space in the museum’s 139-year history, part of museum leadership’s goal of reaching new audiences through innovation.
“What it has helped us do was de-mystifying art in a way. You go up to the fourth floor and have this amazing experience in THE LUME, and then you go to these other galleries we have,” Berger said. “There might be people who may be a little intimidated about art, where they don’t know much about it. But they’re curious about it. This helps introduce art to people differently.”
The decision to focus on Monet and other Impressionists for this exhibition stemmed from Newfields’ unique campus and the mission that goes along with it.
“Our mission is exeptional experience with art and nature. There are not too many museums in the country that are a world-class museum that we are that sit on 152 acres of garden space,” Berger said. “Monet and that whole Impressionist movement really dovetails right into that mission, and helps people explore that.”
The artwork, accompanied by music of the late 19th century and other sensory touches, remains the focal point of “Monet & Friends Alive.” Swirling color, sound and styles create a mesmerizing — even at times overwhelming — display.
“With its focus on a dozen or more of the very best French Impressionist artists, along with the wonderful complementary musical score and a host of other poignant sensory elements, Monet & Friends Alive is sure to be a mesmerizing follow-up to our recent Vincent van Gogh experience,” said Bruce Peterson, owner of Grande Experiences. “THE LUME remains an extraordinary way to experience art from a new perspective.”
But officials have also organized other experiences to help visitors better understand Impressionist art and the profound effect it had on culture. One of the final galleries includes works of art from Newfields’ own collection, including the Monet piece “Charing Cross Bridge.”
“You go through this amazing Monet and Friends experience, and then you get to the third gallery, and there’s our own Monet, and a Degas sculpture. It’s one thing to see photos, but here is the real thing,” Berger said.
Inside a “Monet and Play” interpretation room, people can play with a selfie station, a wall timeline and interactive coloring mural activity.
A life-size recreation of Monet’s “Bridge Over a Pond of Water Lilies” offers a physical interpretation of the famed painting.
Inside a Monet-inspired cafe, people can order specialty cocktails, sweets and small bites.
“It’s a little French cafe, and people can stop in, get that food or drink, and sit in the gallery space and enjoy the images around you,” Berger said.
