Collector's Showcase: The House of the Singing Winds - En Homage

Name: Collector's Showcase: The House of the Singing Winds - En Homage
Start: 2025-10-05T12:00:00-04:00
End: 2025-10-05T17:00:00-04:00
Location: The Historic Brown County Art Gallery

Schedule

Sun Oct 05 2025 at 12:00 pm to 05:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

The Historic Brown County Art Gallery | Nashville, IN

The Historic Brown County Art Gallery presents a Centennial Event Exhibition
“The House of the Singing Winds” (En Homage)
Sponsored by Sarah and John Lechleiter
A three-year painting project by artists C.W. Mundy and Rita Spalding as a tribute to Theodore and Selma Steele and the Place Where It All Began.
And a play project.
“Selma and the Painter”
A one act play by Lyn Letsinger-Miller
Starring Broadway actress Jill Tasker
Nearly a century after the passing of Indiana impressionist pioneer Theodore Clement Steele, his legacy endures through his art and the historic site he and his wife Selma created. Steele, trained in Munich and celebrated nationwide, left behind a career of painting portraits of the elite to embrace his love of nature in Brown County, Indiana. In 1907, he and Selma settled in the wilderness near Belmont, where they built the “House of the Singing Winds.” This sanctuary became a hub for art, inspiring the T.C. Steele State Historic Site and drawing artists and visitors to the region.
The Steeles’ perseverance through challenges helped establish the early 1900s Brown County Art Colony, a regional art movement that brought artists, crafts, and tourism to the area. The 1920s marked a golden era for the colony, with the House of the Singing Winds at its heart. To honor this legacy, Indiana artists C.W. Mundy and Rita Spalding embarked on a three-year project to capture the Steeles’ world. Through research and artistic exploration, they recreated the spirit of the 1920s, producing a moving collection that celebrates the beauty and history of the Steeles’ life and work.
Paintings by Steele himself will be included in this exhibit. Visitors will be taken back in time, almost 100 years ago. The works by Mundy and Spalding will be offered for sale with part of the proceeds to benefit the
Brown County Art Gallery Foundation as it enters its 100th year.
Paint and canvas are not the only way to tell their story. Selma was a former teacher and city dweller who had studied design, but when she moved to Brown County, she had to become much more. She developed into a landscaper, beekeeper, produce
grower, employer, home supervisor, social secretary, and marketing manager. She became an advocate for the poor residents who surrounded their property. And she eventually became the caretaker for her husband, sister, and eventually the huge estate they had created. It was not what she was prepared for and she wrote about her journey in a book called “The House of the Singing Winds”. It is from this book and additional
research that author Lyn Letsinger-Miller created a dialogue to give Selma voice to her tale. And what a tale it is.
Broadway actress Jill Tasker will portray Steele’s wife in a one act play called “Selma and the Painter.” While the 20s were the heyday, Selma’s story is set in the 1940s following the great Depression and a world war in the future. It is a story of bravery,
determination and love.
There will be one performance on October 5th at 2:00pm, which includes the admission to the gallery, the exhibit, the play and light refreshments for $10.00 per person. Doors open at 12:00 noon.
Reservations are requested. Seating is limited. Groups rates are available.
Call the Gallery for reservations 812-988-4609 or mail admission requests and a check to Brown County Art Gallery Foundation at P.O. Box 443, Nashville, In 47448.