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Public Programs

Check out all of the opportunities for entertainment, learning, and family fun at Ruthmere for the year.

Upcoming Ruthmere events

    • 29 Jan 2026
    • 07 May 2026
    • 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.  

    • 02 Apr 2026
    • 11:00 AM
    • Beardsley Discovery Center
    • 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

    • 04 Apr 2026
    • 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
    • Ruthmere
    • 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.

    • 08 May 2026
    • 11:00 AM
    • Beardsley Discovery Center
    • 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).

(574)-264-0330

(888)-287-7696


The Beardsley Discovery Center

819 N. Main St., Elkhart, IN 46514

The Havilah Beardsley House:

102 W. Beardsley Ave., Elkhart, IN 46514

Ruthmere/Mailing Address:

302 E. Beardsley Ave., Elkhart, IN 46514

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