James L. Russell’s Wonderland Way Art Club would gather at Russell’s framing and decorating shop in downtown New Albany to discuss art. It was a place where local artists could go and feel welcomed like it was their second home. The store opened in 1906, but in 1937 disaster struck. The Ohio River had flooded, destroying Russell’s prized art shop and leaving him devastated.

“The story goes that he died of heartbreak later that year,” Kirk Randolph, Director of the Paul W. Ogle Cultural and Community Center, said.

Kathy Smith, granddaughter of Russell, and her husband Don Smith, desire to build a permanent residence for the works of Wonderland Way artists in the Ogle Center on IU Southeast Campus.

The Wonderland Way stretched from Cincinnati to Illinois and at one time consisted of more than 300 artist. The artists would go to various locations in the community and would sketch or paint what they saw outdoors, known as en plehn air.

“The Wonderland Way is a borrowed name. Mr. Russell selected the name because they went up and down the Ohio River painting in a flat boat,” Don Smith, said.

Don Smith says that it is believed that the tourism departments of Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois got together to promote travel to their local area restaurants and motels. They thought the roadways between Cincinnati and Illinois were gorgeous, and decided to name the stretch of roadway Wonderland Way.

“The Southern Indiana and Louisville area were known to be the most beautiful in that area because of the Knobs, and when they decided to name the club, or this Society, he figured, we paint on the Wonderland Way, lets just call it the Wonderland Way,” Don Smith said. “And now it’s become a style of painting. Wonderland Way is now impressionist art painted between 1900 and 1940.”

Kathy Smith, says impressionism is when an artist who would set their easel up and look at a particular scene and would paint their impression of that scene.

“There were five of them that were really good friends, my grandfather and his group and they would go out and paint together,” Kathy Smith Said, “and would come back and critique each other in a very friendly way, you put a little too much blue in that, or whatever, and they would learn from that and it was the camaraderie of it, because only artist really understand other artists,”

Don Smith said Russell was known to be a very humble, moral guy.

“You would always come first, not him,” Don Smith said.

Don Smith says the type of man Russell was, and the passion that Russell had for art, showed when Russell would organize art shows and get everyone else to enter but would not enter the show himself, so that another artist could win.

Russell’s shop was a gathering place for many artists, and Don Smith said thats what he believed to be the key to Russell’s success.

“It was the kind of guy he was, and no matter what he was doing he would stop and talk to you, so when they came in they felt comfortable and he was also really good and he could critique younger artist work,” Don Smith said.

Russell painted over 5,000 pieces in his lifetime. Kathy Smith and her husband Don Smith wish that a permanent collection of the works by Wonderland Way Artists be available for the benefit of our region.

“We are trying to bring that part, or this part of Indiana you would say, alive!” Don Smith said.

Don and Kathy Smith are trying to contact any surviving family members of Wonderland Way artists to let them know that this collection of art is being assembled and to make sure they can be a part of it.

Kathy Smith said that the couple started collecting art when Kathy’s mother gave them a list of artists and simply told them, “You will collect art.”

Since then, their love for art has blossomed into a gorgeous collection. They currently own up to 500 hundred paintings and close to 100 sculptures.

Don and Kathy Smith are eyeing the Ogle Center lobby as the best location to show the art. They will donate 20 pieces of art to the gallery themselves but hope the display will start out with approximately 300 pieces and always be growing.

“We are going to donate all the Wonderland Way artist we have,” Kathy Smith said.

IU Southeast will accept or deny works of art after undergoing a juried process. The Campus Art Committee jury will consist of a flexible group of four to eight members who are respected in the art community. The accepted artwork will become part of the James L. Russell Wonderland Way Collection and will remain on campus to enhance the educational experience of IU Southeast students and the local community.

Randolph says that people who are interested can contact Rob Koenig, Development Officer, to make arrangements for contributing artworks to IU southeast.

“Anyone can donate art to IU Southeast, and people may receive a tax credit for their donation.” Randolph said.

IU Southeast is raising money to help preserve this collection and by contributing to the Ogle Center Endowment Fund you can help ensure that the Ogle Center will help keep collection; Alive.