The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) opened its latest contemporary art exhibition, “Bold: New Voices in Contemporary Art,” in November 2025, featuring more than a dozen recently acquired works by contemporary artists from around the world.
On view through June 28, 2026, “Bold” is a step toward the institution’s mission to evolve its contemporary art collection and remain committed to “a global, inclusive, relevant future,” according to the website.
“I think it highlights a lot of important … themes and ideas and concepts that are very important for contemporary artists now, things that kind of link the works together, but I think it’s also about awareness of what we’re doing as an institution and the artists that we have worked with,” Michael Vetter, associate curator of contemporary art at Newfields, said. “Hopefully, guests can kind of get a sense that we’re really engaged on this front.”
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The contemporary art genre is defined by works created by artists who are still living. “Bold” features 13 works acquired for Newfields’ collection over the last five years, including a piece by Marion, Indiana, native Samuel Levi Jones.
“Bold” is also the museum’s way of “letting the community know” what the IMA at Newfields is interested in in terms of contemporary art and artists, Vetter said.
Beyond the time frame of a piece being recent, Vetter said the genre is about challenging traditional conventions. In fact, it’s becoming increasingly more common for encyclopedic institutions — or museums and libraries that collect works from all time periods and cultures, such as the IMA at Newfields — to show greater interest in acquiring work by contemporary artists.
“I think the history of contemporary and modern art over the last 100 years or so has been really about pushing back against conventions of art, or trying to change what we think art can be, beyond just the things that we know that are very traditional, like painting and sculpture,” Vetter said. “So many of the works in this show look like paintings or different works, but they’re not, actually. … I think contemporary artists are really interested in challenging our perceptions and our expectations of all of our art.”
“Untitled,” Jones’ piece featured in the collection, was initially created for a solo exhibition at Newfields in 2019. Showcasing this piece in “Bold” was an easy choice, Vetter said, as it fit along with the theme of contemporary works “exploring and experimenting with new media and things like textiles.”
Jones, who has a studio here in Indianapolis, came to art later in his adult life, having studied communications before earning a bachelor’s of fine art from Herron School of Art and Design in 2009 and a master’s in studio art from Mills College in 2012.
“Untitled” is made using materials from books in Newfields’ library, Jones said. A common theme in his work, Jones said the materials he uses are directly associated with institutions or systems of power “in relationship to how they stand within our existence in terms of control of information and the control of narratives that we sort of navigate throughout our lives.”
“For me, it’s about creating something visual to have commentary on those situations,” Jones said. “When I’m using this material, I’m being critical of the source from which it comes. And it’s a gallery that’s been around since the mid-40s, has presented predominantly white male artists. So, it was a critique on that lack of diversity within these spaces.”
Jones’ work is on display alongside large-scale, vibrant pieces by Khalif Thompson, Kimathi Mafafo, Wole Lagunju and 90-year-old South African artist Esther Mahlangu. The artwork incorporates various forms of textiles, found objects, digital imagery and handmade materials, “pushing the boundaries” of traditional paintings, Vetter said.
African art, which was not previously a focus of the IMA’s contemporary collection, is strongly represented in this show, due to collaboration between himself, IMA Director Belinda Tate and curatorial assistant Sarah Trew, Vetter said.
“In the wake of some of that turmoil, the institution did make a commitment to acquiring more works by artists of color and exhibiting more works by artists of color and from marginalized communities,” Vetter said. “I think we have been devoted to that mission, or kind of intent on that mission. … It kind of broadens the story and the narrative in many ways, for sure, and also, I think it just reinforces the commitments that we had made to the community over the last five years.”
“Bold: New Voices in Contemporary Art” is on view at Newfields, 4000 N. Michigan Road, now through June 28. The exhibition is included with general admission and is free for members. For more information, upcoming programming or ticketing information, visit discovernewfields.org.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
Chloe McGowan is the Arts & Culture Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Columbus, OH, Chloe has a bachelor's in journalism from The Ohio State University. She is a former IndyStar Pulliam Fellow, and has previously worked for Indy Maven, The Lantern, and CityScene Media Group. In her free time, Chloe enjoys live theatre, reading, baking and keeping her plants alive.
 opened its latest contemporary art exhibition, “Bold: New Voices in Contemporary Art,” in November 2025, featuring more than a dozen recently acquired works by contemporary artists from around the world. ){kind=link}