The Lume at Newfields

Whether you're a classic Vincent van Gogh fan, an art lover, or just looking for a wonderful way to spend a Saturday afternoon in Indianapolis, I can't recommend The Lume strongly enough!

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Interested in The Lume Indianapolis?

As Newfields members, we've been looking forward to the highly-anticipated opening of The Lume, Newfields' largest-ever exhibit, since the moment it was announced. We were lucky enough to get tickets for The Lume's first weekend, and we were *not* disappointed. A truly unique experience, The Lume is part of an increasing trend by art museums across the world to create immersive, innovative experiences.

As even the products with which we interact in our daily lives continue to produce sights and sounds that replicate and replace reality in impressive ways, The Lume helps us feel the wonder that the fin-de-siecle public experienced upon viewing these works.

Getting Started: The Lume Basic Information

What is The Lume exhibit?

The Lume is an immersive, digital, van Gogh experience that has taken over the entire top floor of Newfields in Indianapolis. Expect to be surrounded by sunflowers, subsumed by a starry night, and awed by the emotional power of Van Gogh's work.

Tickets to The Lume

​Tickets to The Lume are getting easier to come by (but not much!) than they were when the exhibit first opened. Stop by the Newfields website and reserve your tickets to The Lume (or to visit Newfields at all, per COVID protocols) in advance.

Is The Lume included
​in Newfields general admission?

Ticket prices from The Lume website

No. Entrance to The Lume requires a separate ticket and is not included in your general admission ticket. However, if you buy the more expensive ticket to The Lume, that does include general admission. Bit confusing. Just make sure to confirm that you're getting tickets that confirm The Lume!

Is The Lume crowded?

The Lume is new, exciting, and unique! Unsurprisingly, it's quite crowded. We visited on the first weekend that The Lume was open and it was *packed*. I'd suggest visiting on a work day, or later in the day, if weekends are the only options. ​Things should be calming down soon, especially as children return to school.

Live-action photo of my fellow tourists enjoying The Lume

Is The Lume a permanent exhibit at Newfields?

No, The Lume is not permanent. However, the immersive artist experience isn't going anywhere. Starting next year, Newfields will transition to displaying the work of another artist (the newt artist is TBD)! Personally, I'm hoping for Picasso.

Exploring The Lume

It had to happen

So let's take a stroll through The Lume! Depending on when you arrive, the arrangement is currently set up to hold people back for entrance, to control crowd size. Even on the first weekend we visited, though crowded, we didn't have to wait in line.

Upon entering The Lume, you'll learn some back information about Vincent van Gogh himself, and then you'll be directed immediately into the largest room of the exhibit: an impressive, immersive panorama of moving, digitized versions of van Gogh's work.

A couple smaller rooms branch off, so don't forget to look at those.

Quotes from van Gogh's letters are featured throughout the exhibit

Though there aren't signs requiring it, people were treating The Lume as a fairly "one way" exhibit - not just wandering around haphazardly. So, be sure to take your time in each room before moving to the next!

En route through The Lume

Dining at The Lume: Cafe Terrace 1888

The Lume also features a beautifully built, fin de siecle-style bar, in the middle of the exhibit. Pop by to have a seat, and of course, have a drink!

Are there bathrooms in The Lume?
Yes! Bathrooms are available through Cafe Terrace, so you don't have to exit the exhibit for a pit stop.

Interactive Experiences at The Lume

van Gogh Yourself

The Lume has several interactive experiences, particularly for children. The coolest, in the collective opinion, is van Gogh Yourself, where you can turn a photo you take of yourself at the museum into a van Gogh-style image, using the stands in the exhibit. Take a picture, select a van Gogh "filter" and voila! Email it to yourself and you're Instagram ready!

If you allow it, your photo may be added to the collage

The final product!

Traditional van Gogh art at The Lume

At the end of your time strolling through The Lume, you'll find, not only the gift shop, but also several original van Gogh works, that will likely look familiar!

Thanks for stopping by!

I hope you have a fabulous experience at The Lume! Don't forget to check out my other posts on Newfields and exploring Indianapolis:

• Best Indianapolis Breweries
• Romantic Things to Do in Indianapolis
• Tourist Mistakes in Indianapolis
• Newfields, Indianapolis
• Winterlights, Newfields, Indianapolis
• Where to Stay in Indianapolis
• 10 Fun Facts about Indianapolis, Indiana

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