Musings • October 2025

New Cemetery Tour This October

Over the summer, visitors of the PoCo Muse were transported to the forested hills of Furnessville while viewing Life Work: The Artists Hazel & Vin Hannell. The Hannells moved to the Indiana Dunes in the 1930s and established a studio just north of the Furnessville Cemetery.

Join cemetery trustee Trent D. Pendley, a member of the PoCo Muse Advisory Council, for a tour of the Furnessville Cemetery on Saturday, October 25 at 2p. And don’t forget to come see Life Work one more time before it closes forever the following day (Sunday, October 26).

VIEW THE CURRENT ISSUE OF MUSE NEWS

P.S.—We are thrilled to partner with Hebron Parks and Recreation to offer regular public hours at the Stagecoach Inn and Panhandle Depot on Saturdays between 10a-2p. Stop in on Saturday, October 4, to pick up a free fall-themed cookie from Springview Sweets Bakery!

WHAT TO DO

Saturday Hours at Hebron’s Stagecoach Inn

Saturday, October 4, 11, 18, 25, from 10a-2p

127 N Main Street, Hebron, IN

Hannell Panel Discussion

Thursday, October 9, 1-2p

Pines Village Retirement Communities, 3303 Pines Village Circle,Valparaiso, IN 46383

No RSVP Required

Duneland Historical Society: Plank Road Presentation

Thursday, October 16, 1-2p

Hawthorne Park Community Building, 500 Ackerman Drive, Porter, IN

Final Guided Tour of "Life Work" & "Vin's Farm Scenes"

Saturday, October 18, 10-11a

PoCo Muse, 20 Indiana Avenue

Furnessville Cemetery Tour

Saturday, October 25, at 2p

278 E 1500 N, Chesterton, IN

WHAT TO SEE

Life Work: The Artists Hazel & Vin Hannell

Closes Forever at 5p on October 26, 2025

Life Work traces the artistic journeys of Hazel and Vin Hannell, from early life to their move to Porter County’s Furnessville and beyond. Known for their passion, generosity, and versatility across media—sculpture, drawing, painting, printmaking, and pottery—the Hannells became iconic regional artists of the mid-twentieth century.

This exhibition is part of a year-long community collaboration celebrating their legacy, with events hosted by the Art Barn School of Art, Chesterton Art Center, Pines Village Retirement Communities, and the Westchester Township History Museum.

Eunice Slagle & Montague/Urschel Galleries

Vin’s Farm Scenes

Closes Forever at 5p on October 26, 2025

In the decade after he moved to Porter County in 1930, Vin Hannell documented the local barnyards and farm animals with imaginative and dramatic effect. The modernist sensibility he learned in Chicago was still fresh during this period, and his unique perspective helps transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Robert Cain Gallery

Lowenstine WWII Roll of Honor

The Lowenstine WWII Roll of Honor was displayed on the courthouse square from 1943 until 1973 in commemoration of the Valparaiso citizens who contributed to the war effort during World War II. It was installed in the PoCo Muse in December 2022.

MORE TO EXPLORE

Muse News: October through December 2025

Stay up-to-date with all that’s happening at the PoCo Muse by checking out our most recent newsletter, Muse News.

PoCo Muse Magazine: Issue No. 10

The digital version PoCo Muse Magazine is free to read for everyone. In this wide-ranging issue, we revisit a national moment of unrest during the 1960s and a local response from university student activists, learn about Gilbert Ashville Pierce, a nineteenth-century man for all seasons, and finally, explore the Bailly family legacy from the perspective of their possessions.

Looking Back: October 1925

Each day on social media, the PoCo Muse looks back by featuring century-old historical excerpts selected from the Evening Messenger and Valparaiso Daily Vidette newspapers.

At the Intersection of Art & History

The 25-minute video slideshow called "At the Intersection of Art & History" presents highlights from our permanent art collection and spotlights a few common themes found in the artworks.

Furnessville Cemetery, 1938, courtesy of Steven R. Shook; Margaret Willis (left) and Deborah Stipanovich (right) at the V.I.P. opening of Life Work: The Artists Hazel & Vin Hannell, May 2025. Albert Photographic; segment of the plank road, circa 1850; Visitor Experience Manager Quinn Albert gives a tour of Life Work, 2025, Albert Photographic; the Stagecoach Inn at 127 N. Main Street in Hebron; “Untitled (Floral bouquet),” oil on canvas by Vin Hannell, 1933, on loan from the collection of Edward J. Pivarnik and Chase E. Pivarnik; “Untitled (farm landscape),” watercolor by Vin Hannell, 1933, on loan from John Cain; two unidentified men sitting on the courthouse square with a view of the Lowenstine WWII Roll of Honor in the background, circa 1968.