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Indiana native Nancy Noël’s name conjures up whimsical visions of children, angels and animals. For decades beginning in the 1970’s, she was one of the most prolific and iconic artists from the Hoosier state. Early on however, the artist signed her work as N. A. Noël. She chose to disguise her gender by using initials. Male artists, she believed, received more respect and credibility at the time. Her strategy may have successfully helped launch Nancy Noël’s internationally renowned career as a contemporary impressionist.
She painted more than 1,000 original works and sold millions of prints around the world.
The Paintings of N. A. Noël exhibit opens at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis November 13, 2021 and runs through January 9 2022. The Zionsville-based artist died August 16, 2020. Noël’s two sons, Alexander and Michael Noël-Kosene, proposed The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis as a place where admirers and those not as familiar with her wide spectrum of work, especially children, could visit and learn more about their mother and her art.
“Of all the museums that would be good for this, The Children’s Museum was the appropriate place to celebrate Nancy. Not only because of her long history that she has with the museum, but also because of her focus on children,” said Alexander Noël- Kosene. “I thought it would be really exciting to for families and children to rediscover Nancy Noël or discover Nancy Noël.”
More than 40 of Noël’s works are on display. Her sons and The Children’s Museum selected pieces both huge and small to show her evolution as an artist, her diversity of styles and processes, her famous works and her lesser known newer pieces and above all says her son Alex, pieces that provoke family discussions and engagement.
Children and families get a glimpse of how and where Noël worked when they observe a re-creation of her Zionsville studio. It features an easel with one of her works-in-progress titled African Boy, the chair she used while painting and many of her personal art supplies and tools. After studying Noël’s work, families may participate in three self-guided activities including creating family portraits or sketching objects that belonged to Noël and appear in some of her paintings.
“We made a commitment to upholding her legacy, to bring her art to more people and to giving her the place that she deserves in Indiana’s art history,” said Alexander Noël-Kosene.
The Paintings of N.A. Noël exhibit is made possible by support from Herbert Simon Family Foundation.
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is proud to partner with Riley Children’s at Indiana University Health, Old National Bank and Ice Miller LLP.
About The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is a nonprofit institution committed to creating extraordinary learning experiences across the arts, sciences, and humanities that have the power to transform the lives of children and families. For more information about The Children's Museum, visit www.childrensmuseum.org, follow us on Twitter @TCMIndy, Instagram@childrensmuseum, YouTube.com/IndyTCM, and Facebook.
