Spirit of Competition

 Hop on a bike and try to match Major Taylor’s blistering track speed. Have a civil debate about city vs. country. Watch a short film about Ralph DePalma, who pushed his race car to the finish line in the 1912 Indianapolis 500. All of this will be possible at the new, interactive “Spirit of Competition” exhibit that features unknown and well-known stories about Hoosier competitors. Created by Indiana Humanities and designed in partnership with the Indiana Historical Society, the exhibit will engage visitors across the state in thought-provoking conversations about competition and challenge visitors to envision Indiana’s competitive spirit.

  The exhibit’s first stop is in Indianapolis at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center (in front of the Basile Theater), where it is on display until May 30.

Traveling exhibit components include engaging interactive opportunities such as a bicycle to match Major Taylor’s track speed, a chance to build John Wooden's Pyramid of Success, debate podiums, a mascot photo op, information about items invented in Indiana and a scoreboard that shows statistics about where Indiana ranks in the world on a variety of topics.

It also includes short films on Hoosier competition-related stories, such as:

•     Marshall "Major" Taylor, a world-champion cyclist

•     Ralph DePalma, who pushed his racecar to the finish line of the 1912 Indianapolis 500

•     Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, the classic rivalry

•     Gebisa Ejeta, a World Food Prize winner and Purdue University professor

•     Madam C.J. Walker, the first African American millionaire

•     New Harmony, Indiana, a town that experimented with communal living

•     Jeanette Lee, a.k.a. “The Black Widow” on the professional billiards circuit

About Spirit of Competition

Following the award-winning Food for Thought program, Indiana Humanities has launched Spirit of Competition, a two-year set of programs designed to help Hoosiers think, read and talk about the role competition plays in our daily lives. Together, we will examine competition through five core elements – civility, rivalry, passion, innovation and failure – and discuss questions like:

•     How much do we shape competition, and how much does competition shape us?

•     Are Hoosiers uniquely competitive?

•     How can a better understanding of our history, our community and ourselves make Indiana more competitive on the global stage?

•     What is the true spirit of competition?

 Since 1830, the Indiana Historical Society has been Indiana’s Storyteller, connecting people to the past by collecting, preserving, interpreting and sharing the state’s history. A private, nonprofit membership organization, IHS maintains the nation’s premier research library and archives on the history of Indiana and the Old Northwest and presents a unique set of visitor exhibitions called the Indiana Experience. IHS also provides support and assistance to local museums and historical groups; publishes books and periodicals; sponsors teacher workshops; and provides youth, adult and family programming. The Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, home of the IHS and the Indiana Experience, is located at 450 W. Ohio St. in downtown Indianapolis. For more information on the IHS and its offerings, call (317) 232-1882 or visit www.indianahistory.org .