Women of IU

Located in the East Lounge—this year’s Summit registration site—the Women of IU Portrait Collection honors women whose contributions transformed residence life, broke racial barriers, advanced research and leadership, and shaped the student experience in ways still felt today.

As Indiana University’s longtime curator of campus art, Sherry Rouse has preserved and managed artwork across all eight IU campuses. Through her curatorial vision and decades of arts leadership—including work with the National Endowment for the Arts—she has helped ensure that the stories of influential women are thoughtfully researched, artistically represented, and permanently embedded into the fabric of campus spaces.

Laurie Burns McRobbie, IU’s eighteenth First Lady and a nationally recognized advocate for women’s leadership and philanthropy, helped initiate the Portrait Collection as part of a broader effort to elevate women’s visibility—including during IU’s Bicentennial Campaign. The collection continues to spark conversations about legacy, representation, and opportunity.

Each portrait represents deep research, intentional storytelling, and collaboration with artists—many of them women—who help bring these legacies to life. Portrait dedications have become emotional community moments, connecting families, alumni, students, and colleagues across generations.

Explore the digital collection.