Treasures of the Swope
William T. Turman
Fall Scene, Deming Park, 1921
oil on paperboard
Bequest of Rose Mary Donaldson, 1994.37
William Thomas Turman was born in Graysville, Indiana in 1867. Turman’s favorite plein air location was Deming Park in Terre Haute, which he painted through the years during different seasons and time of day to capture the differing moods of the park. Fall Scene, Deming Park was painted one-hundred years ago when the developing of the park was first started by Demas Deming, Jr.—the son of the prominent Terre Haute settler. In the same year, the Park District purchased 155 acres from the family in response to the busy urban environment of busy, narrow streets and congested housing and downtown. Located at the terminus of Ohio Boulevard in Terre Haute, Deming Park was developed in 1921 so that generations could see Indiana as it was when settlers arrived.
Thank you to everyone who participated in our June 6 event Art in the Alley at the Flats! The Swope appreciates the support of both local businesses and the public.
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There are still spots available for Summer Art Studio! Register your artist for a week long studio in July here.
Happening Now at the Swope:
Provocative Lines | drawings by Harold Zisla
July 9 – September 12
Harold Zisla left behind thousands of sketches, drawings, and paintings in his home studio. Recently published in a book of the same name, Provocative Lines features a collection of drawings made by Zisla during faculty meetings at IU South Bend, where he taught from 1966 to 1989. A classically trained representational artist, Zisla was an Abstract Expressionist with a quirky sense of humor – illustrated by the revealing titles of the works – and a sharp sense of design – evidenced by his selective cropping, composition, and understanding of line.
Turman’s Deming
In celebration of Deming Park’s centennial
June 4 – September 26, 2021
Turman’s favorite plein air location was Deming Park in Terre Haute, which he painted through the years during different seasons and time of day to capture the differing moods of the park. In celebration of the centennial of Deming Park, the Swope Art Museum is showing Turman’s paintings of the park from the permanent collection. The similar scenes are only a few from a large series of paintings of beech trees that showcase Turman’s interest in the subtleties of light and seasonal changes in the landscape.