Newfields: A Place for Nature and the Arts

This is so much more than an art museum and just surpassed expectations in every way. Highly recommended if you are visiting Indianapolis. Newfields consists of a large campus with the art museum, cafe, gift shop, gardens, greenhouse, walking trails, the Lilly house and even an outdoor beer garden. Give yourself plenty of time - we stayed for 4 hours and didn't get to everything we wanted to.

We enjoyed the Dali immersive exhibit which is currently showing and the American art collection, in particular, was wonderful. The collection has pieces that range across all different art mediums and time periods.

Lunch at the cafe was delicious. They have a very diverse menu with gluten free and vegetarian options. Everything tasted fresh and homemade. The dining area overlooks a beautiful tulip garden and fountain.

They have free onsite lot and garage parking. Adult admission is $20 and it is free if you have a membership. If I lived in Indiana, I would absolutely buy a membership and enjoy visiting frequently.

It's impossible to review Newfields without understanding what it used to be. I've visited this campus dozens of times over the past thirty years, and it's slowly, but firmly, transitioned from a community-focused open space to a walled garden filled with projectors, light shows, and stolen antiquities. It's no longer a place I recommend when friends and family visit from out of town.

Many in Indianapolis remember the pre-2015 years when the Indianapolis Museum of Art was free of charge. I have so many fond memories in my childhood of visiting the museum multiple times in the same week, taking in gallery after gallery slowly, drawing and writing on the benches, traipsing the grounds with friends and drenching myself in a beautiful space of curiosity and culture. It was diverse and inclusive because of that openness, with students from schools around the city opting to spend time there. By far, my favorite exhibit was the contemporary art on the third floor, which had such a wide variety in its collection of art that I never would have been exposed to without this museum.

All of that changed when admission was charged, and steeply so with a jump from $0 to $17 in a year. I can't fault the museum for that -- I'm sure being free wasn't sustainable -- but since then, everything has become increasingly monetized, and most of the art I loved has been pushed to the background. The gardens and grounds have been de-emphasized in favor of high-priced light shows that rarely change, expensive wares sold throughout the path a la carte, and temporary decor that obscures the sculptures and plants that are actually there. The contemporary art exhibit has been completely emptied and replaced by an off-the-rack projector show that seems like it will never go away, leaving behind barren white walls. Meanwhile, the second floor remains full of artifacts with sordid histories -- it's always uncomfortable to see your own religious iconography on display, because there's never a good explanation for how it got there.

I've got an extra star in here because the 100 Acres Art & Nature Park still survives as a vestige of the IMA that was. It's a vision of the old museum, but thankfully supported by an endowment that keeps it free and open. And as soon you get to the edge of it, along the White River towpath you reach a bridge to the museum that used to be open, and now is gated shut. Beyond this, you'll likely pay over $100 for a two hour visit with your family. I guess I'll take the hint.

I had not been to Newfields since the name change and rebranding, but I thoroughly enjoyed the Indianapolis Museum of Art when I visited in the past. I'd been wanting to visit The Lume and experience the immersive art experience firsthand, so my fiancé and I recently visited and enjoyed the Van Gogh exhibit. This was his first time ever visiting and he was child-like, hurrying from room to room, eager to see what came next.

From beginning to end, the experience was amazing. We started off by visiting the cafe. I had hot cocoa, tomato soup and half of a BLT. Everything was delicious and they did not skimp on the bacon (I hate when restaurants do that!). My fiancé had tomato soup and French fries. He seemed to enjoy his meal as well.

Next, we went on a private, guided garden tour. Our volunteer tour guide was delightful. We could tell that she really cared about the garden and was very knowledgeable. She told us that many of the plants she highlighted were ones that she had in her own garden. I really wish I could remember her name because she was a joy to be around. It was rather cold outside, but her excitement to show us all of the things made us want to stay the course and enjoy the entire hour-long tour.

After the tour, we headed inside to visit The Lume. It was a truly unique experience. We loved the show itself, but we also enjoyed the interactive portion of the exhibit. It was a lot of fun.

To wrap our day up, we took a quick look around at some of the art exhibits, but we agreed that we'd have to return to really take our time in the art galleries. I was happy to be the one to show my fiancé how cool the art museum is. It was a lovely experience that we look forward to enjoying again really soon. We're actually headed to Newfields again tonight for the Harvest Nights event!

My husband and I had the best day at Newfields! We explored all the floors and went to the Dali immersion on the 4th floor. I loved all the modern art and the furniture exhibit. There was so much to see and explore. I also want to give a shout out to the cafe! It was exceptional food! Far better than I expected from a museum :-).

I visited Newfields for the first time in March. I'd previously been to the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA), but this seemed to be a whole different experience. As previous reviews mentioned, you are thoroughly checked by security before entering the museum. From security you can purchase tickets in-person at the customer service counter, or have digital tickets scanned by the person standing at the bottom of the staircase.

We purchased our tickets for the museum and The Lume experience. Before heading upstairs my SO hit the restroom, I admired the orchids in the gift shop and we briefly checked-out the cafe. We purchased tickets for The Lume with an entry time that was approaching, so we headed there first.

The Monet/Impressionists show was really neat and included several rooms of this immersive experience. It was super packed on the day we visited and I didn't think there was enough seating. My SO and I sat on the floor for a while. This was fine for us, but would not have been for anyone with limited mobility. Loved the bar inside the experience for drinks and snacks. You can purchase food at a little area just outside when you first enter/exit The Lume, or from the bar inside the show and eat your food while watching. I think the entire show was around 45minutes and there were some things to see while exiting. The interactive room designed for kids was really neat and the pop-up gift shop was well done. Note: if you're prone to any sort of vertigo or motion sickness, I would not recommend The Lume.

From The Lume experience we headed to the 3rd floor. The Design Gallery was featuring mid-century modern furniture. I LOVED this. Easily in my Top 3 'favorites.' We spent so much time in here that we kind of had to hurry through everything else. If you like to carry a larger purse: in The Design Gallery I was asked to carry my backpack/purse with my hand, held at my side.

From The Design Gallery we went to the 2nd floor. The Steven Sprouse: Rock/Art/Fashion exhibit was also in my Top 3 Favorite Things I Saw at Newfields. Admittedly, I had no idea who Sprouse was until this exhibit. I learned that he was from Indiana and had many connections to other famous fashion designers, rock bands and artists. Remember that iconic dress Debbie Harry from Blondie wore in the music video for Heart of Glass? Yep, a Sprouse design. A replica of the dress is on display. There are many, many other costumes/designs you're sure to recognize that were worn by the famous. Before Sprouse's death he designed a line for Target that is also on display.

From the Sprouse exhibit we ended our day in the Clowes Pavilion. We spent a long time admiring the digital art show that plays on the ceiling of the garden area. WOW!

Can't recommend this museum enough. Had it been warmer we would have explored the sculptures outside. Another time. Cost was just over $60 for two adult general admission tickets + two adult tickets for The Lume. Free parking. Free lockers. We could have spent from 11am-5pm here. If you like to take your time, plan an all-day visit. Don't forget to check-out the gift shop.

Great museum. Couldn't see everything. Had a Van Gogh special exhibit that was awesome. They have outside gardens and an outside beer garden. Beautiful building and free parking. 4 floors with top floor being special exhibit. Museum had their own van goghs and Gougons and many other famous artists. There are African, Asia, European, and American art.

The Midnight Extravaganza was the most beautiful soiree of diversity, elegance and fun!! Our community came out in a way that shows their love and support for this amazing institution!!

This was our first time at Newfields. Our experience was quite amazing. We arrived here right when it opened and it was not necessary to make reservations of any kind. When we entered, we were quickly greeted and directed to the desk to buy our tickets. We opted for the LUME Monet and Friends experience as we thought it would be a good idea to try something new. Once we received our tickets, we did find a section of the wall that indicated a map. We didn't really have knowledge of how to get around, but somehow arrived in the garden in the beginning.

It was a little chilly outside so we walked around on the paths quickly observing the various fountains and plants present. This would have been nicer to visit when it was warmer. After walking back inside, we took some stairs to the actual museum where we were able to see a lot of the art. At some point, we arrived at the LUME exhibit which was about a 15-30 minute show. We took a seat on the floor and watched the entire exhibit, which was quite nice. After finishing the exhibit, we noticed there was a bar (Lumiere) that served some drinks (beer, wine, and themed cocktails). There was some bar seating and tables available, but we were also informed that we could walk with our drinks as long as we were in the LUME exhibit. At the end of the exhibit, there was a small gift shop that sold an assortment of items including books, puzzles, and household items.

I do recommend you check out Newfields (especially on dates). You can spend a good portion of your day here!

A fun go-to option that's family friendly and enjoyable for all ages. SWhenever we have out of town visitors we take them to Newfields!

You can spend a whole day there with the museum exhibits, outdoor garden area, Lilly house, and greenhouse. I really like their outdoor cafe too - hope to eat brunch there sometime in the near future!

Newfields will always have my heart

Newfields has been through some pretty major highs and lows in the past few years. Like any grand old lady, she wears her age with grace & class.

There are very few places that allow you to take a deeply calming breath of "aah," upon entering. Newfields tops that list of places in Indy.

From the rotating galleries to the permanent collection, there is always something interesting on display. The on-site homes are beautifully curated, and outdoor spaces aren't to be missed.

My one complaint is the currently displaced modern art galleries. The modern collection houses some of my favorite Newfields pieces and it saddens me greatly to not see them on display. I'm sure the Lume is an appealing financial boost, but I'll stand up and cheer on the day that the modern & contemporary art returns.

Whether you're visiting Indy or here for the long-haul, Newfields should be at the top of your must visit list.