Upcoming Ruthmere events

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• Spring Concert Series - Sponsors and Season Tickets

  • Start
    29 Jan 2026
  • End
    07 May 2026
  • Location
    Ruthmere Game Room

  The 2026 Ruthmere Spring Concert Season
  

  May 7- Fischoff Soiree
  May 21 - The Shelest Duo

  June 4 - Thomas Pandolfi

  June 11- Tong Wang & David Dietz

  Sponsorship Levels

  2026 Presenting Sponsor $6,000

  2026 Individual Concert Sponsor $1,000

  2026 Annual Sponsor $900

  Spring Season Sponsor $500

  Spring Season Pass- Members Only $80
  (Season Pass does not include Artist's Preview reception)

  
  

  NOTE: Sponsors receive both reserved seating and admission to the pre-concert  Artist's Preview Reception for their attended concert.  This reception is held in the Robert Beardsley Arts Reference Library at 6pm and feature champagne toast  and an opportunity to meet the artist.

  Season Pass holders receive reserved seating.

  Season Pass holders and all Sponsors are offered free attendance at the Beardsley Prize Competition.  Seating first come, first served all afternoon. 
  

  For more information, or to make reservations call Ruthmere at 574-264-0330 ext. 107. All concerts begin at 7pm and open seating is limited on a first come, first seated basis behind reserved seats.  Doors open at 6:30pm.  

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• Gallery Talk- The Politics of Declaring Independence

  • When
    02 Apr 2026
  •  
    11:00 AM
  • Location
    Beardsley Discovery Center
  • Spaces left
    46

  Katlyn Carter, Associate Professor, Department of History at the University of Notre Dame, will present a Gallery Talk entitled "The Politics of Declaring Independence", on Thursday, April 2 at 11 am at the Beardsley Discovery Center. As the American colonists weighed whether to declare their independence from the British Empire in 1776, they knew they would need public opinion on their side in order to give meaning to their declaration and make independence a reality. This talk will cover how the Continental Congress tried to shape and respond to Americans' opinions, the audiences they had in mind when writing the Declaration of Independence, and how our views of this founding document have changed over time.

  
  

  Gallery Talks feature a twenty-minute discussion on an object/artwork within the Ruthmere collection or a person or event in local history. Our Gallery Talks are free and open to the public. 

  This Gallery Talk is sponsored by Karen Nicholson

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• The First Annual Ruthmere Solo Strings Competition - RUTHMERE CLOSED FOR TOURS ALL DAY

  • When
    04 Apr 2026
  •  
    12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
  • Location
    Ruthmere
  • Spaces left
    31

  Ruthmere is proud to announce The First Annual Ruthmere Solo Strings Competition on April 4, 2026 at 12pm EST in the Ruthmere Game Room. Come listen to our finalists compete for our panel of distinguished judges. Tickets are available to the general public for just $5 a person. Doors open at 11am. The competition will begin at noon. Individual artist performance times are yet to be determined.

  
  

  RUTHMERE MUSEUM WILL BE CLOSED FOR NORMAL TOURS THIS ENTIRE DAY, APRIL 4, 2026.

  Please contact Ruthmere Museum at (574) 264-0330 ext. 107 if you have any questions regarding the competition.

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• Mother and Me Tea- Mothers Are Like Bees: Always Busy, Sweet as Honey

  • When
    26 Apr 2026
  •  
    2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
  • Location
    Ruthmere
  • Spaces left
    40

  Join us for our Mother and Me Tea on Sunday, April 26, 2026 with tea food, sweets and an assortment of teas. This year's theme is Mothers Are Like Bees: Always Busy, Sweet as Honey. Mich Bignell and her daughter, Stefani, from Ms Bs Teas in Clayton, Indiana will be the guest speakers to talk about family run tea room.

    

  
  

  Adults $40, Youth (ages 4-18) $20, Members $35. Reservations required with advance purchase or call 574-264-0330 ext. 104. Ages 4 and up.  *(registration deadline is April 19th). Please limit registration to 7 or fewer people. Minimum age is 4 to attend.  Target youth age is 8-10.
  

  If you register separately from others in your group, please call us at (574) 264-0330 or email us at ahutslar@ruthmere.org to let us know with whom you would like to be seated.

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• Gallery Talk- Preserving Your Family History: Caring for Family Heirlooms

  • When
    08 May 2026
  •  
    11:00 AM
  • Location
    Beardsley Discovery Center
  • Spaces left
    49

  Family heirlooms are an important part of any family's history as well as an invaluable source of information. Caring for them can be a challenge for any family historian. Learn simple, effective techniques for preserving and handling family heirlooms, documents, and photographs while still keeping them accessible for research and display. Tamera Hemmerlein, Director of Local History Services, Indiana Historical Society, will present a Gallery Talk entitled "Preserving Your Family History: Caring for Family Heirlooms", on Friday, May 8 at 11 am at the Beardsley Discovery Center. 

  

  Spink Arms, interior, 1921 

  Bass Photo Co Collection, Indiana Historical Society

  Gallery Talks feature a twenty-minute discussion on an object/artwork within the Ruthmere collection, a person or event in local history, or a topic from the Victorian/Edwardian eras. Can't attend? All of Ruthmere's Gallery Talks are recorded and uploaded onto our YouTube page (youtube.com/ruthmeremuseum) within a few weeks after the event. Visit Ruthmere.org/Gallery-Talks to learn more.

  This Gallery Talk is sponsored by Cindy Evers. Thank you!

  Our Gallery Talks are free and open to the public thanks to our sponsors. We need sponsors for 2026! If you would like to sponsor a 2026 Gallery Talk, please reach out to Executive Director Bill Firstenberger at bfirstenberger@ruthmere.org or (574) 264-0330 (ext. 105).

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• Gallery Talk- 175 Years of Railroad in Elkhart

  • When
    01 Jul 2026
  •  
    11:00 AM
  • Location
    Beardsley Discovery Center
  • Spaces left
    48

  Register

  Steve Barton, Volunteer at the National Central Railroad Museum, and Steve Dinehart, Staff member at the National Central Railroad Museum, will present a Gallery Talk entitled "175 Years of Railroads in Elkhart", on Wednesday, July 1 at 11 am at the Beardsley Discovery Center. 

  

  This Gallery Talk is sponsored by Beth Hall. Thank you!
  

  Gallery Talks feature a twenty-minute discussion on an object/artwork within the Ruthmere collection or a person or event in local history. Our Gallery Talks are free and open to the public. 

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• Gallery Talk- Edvard Grieg

  • When
    03 Sep 2026
  •  
    11:00 AM
  • Location
    Beardsley Discovery Center
  • Spaces left
    50

  Register

  Tehillah Moses, Program Educator at Ruthmere, will present a Gallery Talk entitled "Edvard Grieg", on Thursday, September 3rd at 11 am at the Beardsley Discovery Center. 

  
  

  This Gallery Talk is sponsored by Ann Wroblewski! Thank you!
  

  Gallery Talks feature a twenty-minute discussion on an object/artwork within the Ruthmere collection or a person or event in local history. Our Gallery Talks are free and open to the public. 

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• Gallery Talk- Mrs. B: Cara Jean Baldwin and Elkhart County

  • When
    05 Nov 2026
  •  
    11:00 AM
  • Location
    Beardsley Discovery Center
  • Spaces left
    50

  Wade Mayberry, retired architect, will present a Gallery Talk entitled "Mrs. B: Cara Jean Baldwin and Elkhart County", on Thursday, November 5th at 11 am at the Beardsley Discovery Center. From 1963 to 1988 Mrs. Chauncey Baldwin transformed the county’s relationship to its natural resources and history, creating parks and museums.  The talk will discuss her dynamic personality and legacy within our community.

  Image courtesy of the Elkhart County Historical Society

  Gallery Talks feature a twenty-minute discussion on an object/artwork within the Ruthmere collection or a person or event in local history. Our Gallery Talks are free and open to the public. 

  This Gallery Talk is sponsored by Brenda and Michael Tudor

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