History
Herron School of Art and Design is an outgrowth of the Art Association of Indianapolis, which was incorporated in 1883. The association successfully organized itinerant exhibitions and art instruction that ran in fits and starts until an unexpected bequest from John Herron in 1895 made it possible for the association to build a permanent gallery and school.
The association allocated the bequest to buying land and building a structure, acquiring art and operating an art school. The enterprise was named the John Herron Art Institute. The school opened at 16th and Pennsylvania streets in 1902. The institute grew and thrived for decades, despite the vicissitudes of war and depression. In 1966, the children of J.K. Lilly gave the association a 42-acre family estate with the condition that it become the site of a new museum. The association’s art collection was severed from the school to form the basis of the Indianapolis Museum of Art. The association approved the merger of the school with Indiana University at Indianapolis. In 1969, IU’s Indianapolis operations joined forces with local programs run by Purdue University to form IUPUI.
--excerpted from The Herron Chronicle