Artist owns her moment

India Cruse-Griffin is booked and busy. The Richmond native and retired Richmond High School art teacher’s calling card is filled as far out as May 2026. This month, she had an exhibit and speaking engagement at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, and is showcasing selected work as part of the DeHaan Artist of Distinction display in Indianapolis. 

Locally, her work will be shown at IU East in January; in February, she’ll have a solo show at Indianapolis’ Harrison Center, where her studio is housed. And she will soon expand out of state, showcasing a piece in Chicago. However, her most recent work is one that led her into a great company of Indiana artists. 

Cruse-Griffin is currently part of the annual Hoosier Salon at the Indiana State Museum. This year, the exhibit celebrated its 101st show, and Cruse-Griffin’s piece, “Snow Queen,” was awarded the First-Time Exhibitor award during an Aug. 20 ceremony. Daniel Del Real, artist and program director for the Minority Arts Program for Success, encouraged her to submit. Founded a year ago, MAPS aims to create a more equitable art scene by providing resources and support for artists who are people of color.

“Personally, I have never actually entered before because, you should realize that, it was more of a specific show,” Cruse-Griffin explained. Art commonly featured in the salon focused on landscapes, whereas Cruse-Griffin was a bit more contemporary. 

“I didn’t think what I was doing was matching what was happening in the Hoosier Salon,” Cruse-Griffin said. “But you have to realize, as time has gone on now — in my lifetime — people have gone to space and the moon, we have TV … so things excite us a little differently now. And so I think that’s how I just kind of came about it.”

Cruse-Griffin admits she was nervous but excited about entering the exhibition. It came as a complete surprise to be honored as a winner the first time around. 

“I was very excited when I got into the exhibition, but then when they announced my name at the reception, I just was, I didn’t know what to think,” Cruse-Griffin said. “I mean it just really, really surprised me, but it makes me really proud to know that I really pushed hard and I had other people backing me, saying, ‘You should do this, you can do this,’ and that it did come around to be a good thing.” 

The piece submitted, “Snow Queen,” displays an older figure enjoying the Midwestern snow in Cruse-Griffin’s signature mixed-media style. Inspiration for the piece comes from her experiences with wintertime and a well-known Richmond locale, Roosevelt Hill in Glen Miller Park.

“I wanted to create some winter scenes because I really feel like people feel like, not everybody likes to be out in the winter. Well, here in Richmond, everybody was out in the winter. We go to Roosevelt Hill,” Cruse-Griffin said. “We would have gloves, no gloves, hat, no hat. Didn’t matter. We’re out there. And so I wanted to show that aspect of my life.”

Cruse-Griffin chose to depict an older person because she could remember enjoying the wintry scene with her grandparents. As the piece took shape, the person in the snow presented a royal persona. 

“You cannot tell whether it’s male or female. It’s just a person in the snow and has a really bright coat on and large gloves that are actually white and blue,” Cruse-Griffin explained. She added a hat to the figure’s head, and “it evolved into this queen-like person.” Some questioned whether the figure represented homelessness or a different meaning. Cruse-Griffin said it didn’t. 

“It had to do with just being yourself and being in that environment that you’re in at the time and owning it. And the person actually sitting there is very much a queen, you know. They could be watching their grandkids, or they could be out there sledding themselves. So, yeah, there’s little things there.”

Much like her “Snow Queen,” Cruse-Griffin is owning her space at this time in her life, albeit a time when cultural contributions from Black, brown and minority communities are being challenged, from works in Washington, D.C.’s Smithsonian to school and public library bookshelves. Cruse-Griffin recognizes the difficulties underrepresented communities face, but through advocacy for the arts, she passes on a message she received from her parents. 

“We’re a Christian family, to care about people,” she continued. “Yes, people can have different opinions, and yes, people can try to discredit you or make people look at you differently. But, you have to remember we are individual humans. We know ourselves better than anyone. And I know for a fact I’m making a presence for the people of Richmond; I’m making a presence for Black women. I’m making a presence for minority women. I’m making a presence in Indianapolis — the best I can to just remind people to keep going.”

The 101st Annual Hoosier Salon Exhibit runs through Oct. 25 on the third floor of the Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis. For more of Cruse-Griffin’s current work, visit indiacruse-griffin.org. 

In addition to Cruse-Griffin, the Hoosier Salon featured other prominent area artists. Union City’s Carol Strock Wasson submitted “Blue Gray Winter Light” and was awarded Best of Show. And Muncie’s Carrie Wright, who’s been featured at the Richmond Art Museum, received the Second Place Abstract Award for “Somewhere Else I’d Rather Be.”