The Indianapolis Museum of Art is among the largest general art museums in the U.S., with a collection of 42,000 works that spans the range and scope of art history. Highlights include the Samuel Josefowitz Collection of Gauguin and the School of Pont-Aven; the Holliday Collection of Neo-Impressionism, featuring the work of Georges Seurat and his followers; the largest collection of works by J.M.W. Turner outside of Great Britain; one of the most outstanding collections of Japanese Edo-period paintings in the nation; and more than 2,000 objects in the African art collection. Other important collections include Chinese ceramics, West Asian rugs and contemporary studio glass.

K. Shankar Pillai (July 31, 1902–December 26, 1989) was a famous cartoonist. He brought out a political magazine called ‘Shankar’s Weekly’. Under the auspices of this magazine, a competition called the Shankar’s International Children’s Competition was organized in 1949. It invited paintings and writings from children in India. Children sent about 3,000 entries. The following year the competition was thrown open to children from all over the world. Today, the competition has grown and about 1,60,000 entries are received from over 130 countries. The entries are judged by an international jury. The prizewinning entries are compiled in a volume called the ‘Shankar’s Children’s Art Number’. The competition is open to children all over the world below the age of 16 years. There is no entry fee and competitors are free to choose the theme/subject they are interested in, or like most, for their paintings/ drawings/writings.

The Family Dinner Time Art Contest celebrates family dinner time and kicks off on Thanksgiving each year. Children may submit artwork of their family at dinner time to win a home computer. Artwork can be in any form, but must illustrate a family eating together. For sculptures and other difficult-to-ship items, please send a photo as opposed to the actual artwork. A winner will be selected from each age group: preschool ages 1-7; grade school ages 8-12; and high school ages 13 -17.

Located in downtown Indianapolis, the Eiteljorg Museum is unique, one of two museums east of the Mississippi with both Native American and Western art.