New harmony arts community

DEFINITION

Named for New Harmony, a southwest Indiana frontier town founded by utopian seekers who called themselves Harmonists, the town has become an arts mecca. Two-hundred years after its founding in 1814, New Harmony is now led by retired physician and philanthropist Dr. George Rapp, descendant of the original founder, Reverend George Rapp. In 1997, Dr. George Rapp's focus on art collection and promotion motivated him to have annual "First Blush of Spring Paint-Outs" in New Harmony, which now has a population of about 1000 people. The project has become a joint project of The Hoosier Salon, the Indiana Plein-Air Painters Association, and the New Harmony Artists Guild. Artists compete for prizes and sales and hold workshops and also sessions to critique each other's work. The April 2004 Paint Out featured a workshop by plein-air landscape painter David Slonim.Credit:Written and submitted July 2004 by Steve Zimmerman, Art Collector and Historian of Indianapolis, Indiana.