Specialties
The Ogle Center is Southern Indiana's center for the performing and visual arts on the campus of Indiana University Southeast in New Albany. Each season, the Ogle Center offers a variety of professional, nationally-touring artists as part of its "The Ogle Center Presents" series. Past artists have included Frankie Avalon, The 5th Dimension, Diane Schuur, Riders In The Sky, King's Singers, Oak Ridge Boys, Janis Ian, George Winston, Birdland Big Band, Vienna Boys Choir, Lee Greenwood, Chuck Mangione, Vonda Shepherd, and many more. The Louisville Orchestra presents four concerts each season at the Ogle Center as part of its Neighborhood Concert Series. The Ogle Center also houses the IU Southeast Music and Theatre departments, presenting numerous student performances, concerts, recitals, musicals, and plays. The Barr Art Gallery showcases artworks by IU Southeast students, faculty, and guest artists, and the Ogle Center is home to the permanent Wonderland Way Art Collection.
History
Established in 1996.
The Paul W. Ogle Cultural and Community Center is named for Indiana native and philanthropist, Paul W. Ogle. Founder of the Silgas Company, Mr. Ogle began a foundation in his name in 1979 to assist with community development and charitable needs.
Early planning for our facility began in 1973 when Indiana University Southeast moved from Jeffersonville to its new campus in New Albany. In 1991 Chancellor Leon Rand launched fund-raising efforts for the Center, deemed to be a cultural focal point for southern Indiana. In 1989, through the generous support of the Paul Ogle Foundation, other foundations, and business and industrial contributions, the efforts of the Chancellor and his team were realized, and the Ogle Center opened its doors to the public on March 19, 1996, with a performance by the Louisville Orchestra. With four diverse indoor theaters, an amphitheater, and an art gallery, the Ogle Center attracts audiences from throughout southern Indiana and the greater Louisville area.