tender ground invites Indianapolis to engage with archaeology and reflect on what we preserve and how. Inspired by conversations with local archaeologists, the Henry Street Bridge Project at Greenlawn Cemetery, and artistic archaeological research abroad in ancient cities like Rome, where preservation has been negotiated over centuries, the exhibition reflects on Indianapolis as a comparatively young city at the beginning of that conversation. The exhibition is to open space for curiosity and a sense of shared responsibility to learn from and preserve our city’s archaeological history.

A special thank you to local archaeologists, the Indianapolis City-County Archives, the Indianapolis Central Public Library, and the British School at Rome Library for their support in the research for this exhibition.

Factory Arts District, March 2026, Indianapolis