With the avowed purpose “to stimulate interest and appreciation of art in our region,” ten artists formed the Hammond District Art Association in 1936. Membership was limited to Hammond and Calumet City artists. Together, they sponsored the first annual Art Exhibition of the Hammond District Art Association in the millinery department of the Edward C. Minas Company Department Store in Hammond. The ten founding artists were William J. Bachman (architect of the Center for Visual & Performing Arts), Martha Ellyson, Anne Geyer, O.O. Haag, Lenore Conde Lawson, Eunice McCullough, Frank Myslive, Clyde Price, Laverne Thornton, and H. Tom Tuinman.

In addition to Edward C. and Clarence Minas who furnished free space, prizes and other support, substantial credit goes to Mr. Haag, who, along with his wife Margaret, assembled and cataloged the exhibits for many years, furnishing housing for the judges and the labor necessary for the receipt and return of artwork.

As recalled by Theresa Buzinski, an art patron from East Chicago, the Salon Show was the exhibit where one could go to view and buy original art created by some of the area’s finest artists. Mrs. Buzinski paid $30 for the piece accompanying this article, which she remembers purchasing when the exhibit was still held in the Minas hat department. The artist was B. Morris and the piece looks as pristine now as it did the year she purchased it. This annual exhibition would continue to grow, as the group welcomed artists outside of Hammond, until it would officially become known as the Salon Show in 1943, forming the cornerstone of the organization that would come to be known as South Shore Arts.

From its humble yet ambitious roots on State Street in downtown Hammond, the annual Salon Show would continue to push against any of its perceived boundaries growing to need ever larger spaces to accommodate the expanding interests of residents interested in the arts. Over the years the Salon Show has been juried by a roster of exceptional artists and art connoisseurs alike, such as Sergio Gomez, Tom Torluemke, Lanny Silverman and David Klamen, to name but a few.

South Shore Arts is excited to continue this tradition with the 80th annual Salon Show, September 8 through November 4, 2023, with an awards ceremony held on Sunday, October, 15, from 1-3pm. With up to $13,000 in cash prizes to be awarded, this year is shaping up to be the largest in South Shore Arts’ long history, leaving one to ponder how those original ten founders would view today’s 80th edition compared to the show’s humble beginnings so many years ago. In 2022, a new top prize of $2,500 was established by the family Tracy & Marc Schwimmer in memory of Mrs. Schwimmer’s parents, Renee & Sam Denmark, long-time supporters of Northern Indiana Arts Association, later South Shore Arts.

This year’s juror will be Ish Muhammad, a self-taught artist, curator, and teacher, born in New York City, who is no stranger to South Shore Arts, where he has been affiliated for nearly 30 years. Calling Indiana home for more than three decades, Muhammad received his BS in Electrical Engineering at Purdue University. His work is post-graffiti abstract expressionism and has been exhibited nationally and internationally in galleries, museums, and at site-specific instillations, including the Indiana State Museum, Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago Cultural Center, Zhou B Art Center, Swope Art Museum, and Maison de Metallos in Paris, France. As a Curator, Mr. Muhammad exercises his network of talented friends and peers to present a uniquely composed iteration of individual works in harmony with the space and each other. We are excited to see Ish’s perspective and selections for this year’s milestone South Shore Arts’ 80th Annual Salon Show!

Written by: John Cain

Salon Show Application