The Grover Center Museum is pleased to announce its 2026 art exhibition season, featuring artists with strong Indiana connections, community-centered programming, and immersive projects that highlight art, history, and cultural exchange. *Museum will reopen on Feb. 4
The exhibition season opens with Felrath Hines Jr. (1913–1993), an Indianapolis-born contemporary artist, designer, and conservator. A graduate of Crispus Attucks High School, Hines emerged from the historic institution that gained national recognition during segregation, and also under basketball coach Bill Garrett who brought the team to a state championship. Hines’s abstract artwork and contributions to museum conservation earned him national acclaim and set the tone for a year focused on artists who bridge local history and national narratives. Exhibit panels created by the Indiana State Museum and Kisha Tandy.
(Main Hall)
This will lead off Black History Month that will also include the history of Black Churches in Shelby County, Indiana. The talk will be at the Grover Center Museum at 52 W. Broadway St. at 6:30pm on February 25. Sarah Richardt will be the featured Speaker.
Also featured is Victor Higgins (1884–1949), a Shelbyville native and founding member of the Taos Society of Artists. Known for his vibrant landscapes and portraits of the American Southwest, Higgins helped establish Taos, New Mexico, as a major American art colony. This year, we will have a new mural by Carl Leck, representing a 90-foot-long painting in the style of Victor Higgins. (Train Room)
In early summer, the Blue River Community Foundation in cooperation with the Grover Museum will unveil the Japanese Alley Project, an immersive installation inspired by traditional Japanese culture including art, festivals, agriculture and economics. This project transforms an alley space into an environment, encouraging visitors to explore design, culture, and atmosphere through architecture, detail, and movement. Michael Runge (Art/Architecture) and Ignition Arts, LLC (Fabrication / Engineering) were hired to develop the space. Mt. Fuji, a World Cultural Site, is an important backdrop to the Shizuoka landscape and was ultimately selected as inspiration for the installation. The Rotary Club of Shelbyville also donated $20,000 to this project. To Learn more or donate, visit: Patronicity.com/japanesealley
An exhibit of the 1833-1834 block print by Utagaya Hiroshigi 53 stations of the Tokaido will be on display will be on display until May to commemorate our nearly 40 year history with our sister city, Shizuoka. This is on loan from Dupauw University.
The season also includes work by Jeffrey Becom (b. 1953), an artist and architect from Shelbyville whose paintings and photographs document vernacular architecture and cultural landscapes around the world. Four paintings and one photograph by Becom have been generously donated to the museum’s collection. Hopefully, Becom will also present a public talk later this year. (Main Hall)
Rounding out the fine art exhibitions is Roland Hobart (1940–2020), an Austrian-born artist and printmaker whose murals, screen prints, and public art left a lasting impact on Indiana’s art community and generations of young artists. (Meeting Room & Jones Gallery)
In addition to fine art, the Grover Center Museum will host children’s and community exhibits throughout the year, including the Scuffy Children’s Art Exhibit in April 22- May 20 and the Shelby County Prosecutor’s Office Children’s Art Exhibit in November–December.
Grover Center: Museum and Historical Society is operated by the Shelby County Historical Society. It is located at 52 W. Broadway Street, Shelbyville, IN. The museum is free to the public and features 20,000 sq. feet of galleries and exhibits. There are three rotating galleries and three permanent galleries featuring The Streets of Old Shelby, Building Shelby County and The Train room featuring working model trains. The museum is free and open to the public Wednesday-Saturday from 10am-4pm. For more information about the Grover Center, visit us at www.grovercenter.org.