FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — Many cities throughout Indiana have a rich history with art. Whether it’s Funky Bones in Indianapolis or the various murals throughout cities, Hoosiers have a deep appreciation for all styles of art. But where did that appreciation start?

The Hoosier Group was a group of five impressionist artists from 1880 to 1915. This group of artists, T.C. Steele, William Forsyth, Otto Stark, J. Ottis Adams and Richard Gruelle, got their start in Germany. All studying in Munich, Germany in the 1880s the group returned to Indiana to continue their careers.

When in Indiana the group fell in love with landscape artistry, many making a living off of landscape paintings created around their homes. Some of the artists also became teachers, creating some of the first art schools in Indiana.

Steele founded the Indiana School of Art, while also painting portraits of wealthy families. Steele was one of the most famous founders of the group due to his start of the school as well as his later famous landscape work. Adams was one of the founders of the Herron School of Art as well as a teacher and eventual principal at the school.

The group became nationally known in 1904 after traveling through cities in the Midwest with exhibitions of their work. The group went on the inspire many generations of Hoosiers after their death, and some of their work is still hung in galleries throughout Indiana.