
The exhibit, “Floyd Gahman: A Hoosier’s Art Returns Home” will be on display in the Anna & Harlan Hubbard Gallery June 26-July 30, 2020. The Friends of the Frankfort Library will host a reception on Sat., July 18, 1-3 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. For safety reasons, please wear a mask and keep a 6ft distance from others in the gallery. We have created a Virtual Exhibit for those who cannot visit the library at this time.
Floyd Gahman, a true son of Indiana, brought his Hoosier values with him during a lifetime of public service and artistic accomplishment. His early life on the family farm in Craigville, Indiana gave him fundamental skills at working with his hands. Joined with genuine artistic talent and determination, he achieved the ultimate recognition for an American artist: election to the National Academy of Design. At the time of his election, membership was limited to just 400 members across the country, making this an outstanding honor.
Floyd earned 4 teaching certificates from Valparaiso University. He taught high school industrial arts in Craigville until the US entered WW1. After serving as a combat pilot in that conflict, he attended Columbia University (BS) and Columbia Teachers College (MS). He was awarded a Tiffany Foundation Fellowship from 1933 to 1936. Gahman served as an art instructor for the Works Public Administration during the Depression. Later, he became a professor of art at Penn State for many years.
Gahman’s paintings are inspired by everyday scenes of life, ranging from construction sites and streetscapes to the tranquility of the natural world. He painted with both oil paint and watercolors. A master wood-crafter, he often made his own frames using reclaimed barn wood.
Floyd returned to Indiana frequently with his wife and daughter. He maintained close relationships with his family and friends here in Indiana.

EXHIBITIONS and COLLECTIONS
Collections
- “Cold Springs Road”, Smithsonian American Art Museum
- “The Quarry”, Mural, Earth and Mineral Science Museum, Penn State University
- “Winter Afternoon”, Newfields ( formerly Indianapolis Museum of Art) Indianapolis, IN
- “Bedrock”, “ Metropolitan Suburbs” Indiana University
Selected Exhibitions
- Allied Artists of America Annual Exhibitions, New York
- Salmagundi Club Annual Exhibitions, New York
- National Academy of Design, Annual Exhibitions, New York
- Hudson Valley Association of Artists Annual Exhibitions, New York
- Academy Artists, Springfield, MA
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