Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Arts

Founded in 1895 as the Department of Freehand and Mechanical Drawing, the present day Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Arts was at the time only the third art department in the United States. Today it consists of over 40 full-time faculty members between the Studio and History of Art Departments with several of its programs listed among the most respected in the county.

From the description of Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Arts Director's records, 1941-1968, bulk 1958-1968. (Indiana University). WorldCat record id: 747586603

Founded in 1895 as the Department of Freehand and Mechanical Drawing, the present day Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Arts was at the time only the third art department in the United States. Prior to the arrival of Henry Hope in 1941, only two other individuals had served as chairs of the Department: Alfred Mansfield Brooks from 1895-1920, and Robert E. Burke from 1920-1941. That year, upon the request of President Herman B Wells, Hope joined as chair of the then department of Fine Arts which employed only two faculty members and was housed in several rooms of the old library (now Franklin Hall). Within a few months, he added three faculty members, and the department moved into a newly renovated space in Mitchell Hall.

In 1948, Henry Hope established the Hope Fund with the help of a few major donors to create a collection of prints, photographs, drawings and watercolors for the university which would lay the foundation for the permanent collection of the IU Art Museum. By late 1956 the department had expanded to include sixteen full-time faculty members, was spread across four additional buildings on campus, and lacked a secure gallery space to exhibit art work. Because of this vast expansion in 1962 the department in its entirely moved to its new present day facility near the center of campus on Showalter Plaza, and in 1982 the separate I.M. Pei designed IU Art Museum was dedicated to house the art collections.

In 1967, Henry Hope stepped down as chair of the department, and in 1971 he officially retired from his university duties. Following his death in 1989, the School of Fine Arts was named in his honor as the Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Arts. Today the School consists of over 40 full-time faculty members between the Studio and History of Art Departments with several of its programs listed among the most respected in the county.

From the guide to the Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Arts Director’s records, 1941-1970, bulk 1958-1968, (Indiana University Office of University Archives and Records Management http://www.libraries.iub.edu/archives)