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The IMA Asian Art Society (AAS) Records document the efforts of the AAS to help grow the IMA’s Asian art collection through donations and funding acquisitions. It also details the Society’s efforts to interest and educate members and the public about Asian art through lectures, speakers, and trips.

The IMA Alliance Records document the philanthropic efforts of the Alliance of the Indianapolis Museum of Art over the course of more than 50 years, through multiple retail initiatives, events like the Fine Arts Ball, and other activities. As a collection of original records produced by the Alliance, it chronicles the history and inner-workings of one of the most prolific fundraising groups in the United States. The collection has been organized into eight series described below.

The Garo Antreasian Study Collection was originally contained in four boxes, and was comprised primarily of original or xerox copies of published material. All publications were transferred to the IMA's Stout Reference Library to be cataloged individually as part of the "Garo Antreasian Study Collection." Archival material remained in the IMA Archives. Archival material includes Garo Antreasian's research notes, exhibition/workshop ephemera, correspondence, a John Herron Art School curriculum binder, and three mounted photographs. Sent with a letter from Bob Evermon of Cranbrook Academy of Art were test prints with annotations, which have been housed in OVB folders.

The Floyd Hopper Collection contains scrapbooks compiled by Floyd Hopper, an Indiana painter and printmaker. The scrapbooks contain ephemera from Hopper’s life connected to school, college, and work as an artist. Materials include newspaper clippings, correspondence, awards, photographs, and sketches and drawings. The scope of the material includes many subjects such as West Baden High School, John Herron Art Institute, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Noblesville Casting Iron Company, Indiana Sesquicentennial, among many others. Organizations discussed include the American Artists Professional League, Brown County Art Guild, Conner Prairie Pioneer Settlement, Hamilton County Artists Association, Hoosier Salon, Indiana Artists Club, Kiwanis International, Marian County Art League, and Philadelphia Watercolor Club. A range of miscellaneous items are in the collection, e.g.: Hopper’s artist sketchbook containing inspirational clippings, 1928 Butler University basketball ticket, Walt Disney Productions Pass, 1939 New York World’s Fair ticket, Hopper’s original poetry, special edition prints of Hopper’s work from John Foland’s Remembrances, and a 1976 history of Hamilton County, Indiana, in honor of the United States’ bicentennial celebration.

Every Way Possible: 125 Years of the Indianapolis Museum of Art Research Papers
contain materials relating to the research, writing, editing, and publication of the
book Every Way Possible: 125 Years of the Indianapolis Museum of Art. The
collection’s contents span the existence of the institution known as Newfields (as of
August 2017), from founding in1883 to 2008, the book’s publication year. Former
institution names include: Art Association of Indianapolis, John Herron Art Institute,
and at the time of publication, Indianapolis Museum of Art. The collection includes
notes, research papers (e.g. primary source photocopies, secondary source
photocopies, minimal primary source originals), book drafts, correspondence,
museum ephemera, and other miscellaneous research materials and media. The
project was initiated and facilitated by the Indianapolis Museum of Art in connection
with its 125th anniversary. The book itself was written by freelance writers.

The collection is comprised of press releases, personal statements, correspondence between Elenor Cheney and several writers of art columns for local Indianapolis publications, and black and white photographs of the artist, her works, and installations of those works. Also included are several pieces of exhibition ephemera relating to different art shows and contests Cheney participated in.

The El Tendedero Indiana collection consists of one post-card sized box of community-generated response ballots to survey questions generated by Mayer. The ballots are separated into five subseries corresponding to five questions and further arranged by language (English and Spanish). The collection also includes one folder with printed ephemera and posters generated in advance of El Tendedero events around Indianapolis and an issue of the Indianapolis Recorder featuring a story about Women4Change legislative efforts. The El Tendedero Indiana collection was received with three oversize posters, a promotional t-shirt, and two red cardboard boxes which were used in the collection of community-generated response ballots; these have been (will be) photographed and deaccessioned. The collection also contains 1.8 GB digital material including digital ephemera, promotional material, and events photographs contributed by Women4Change and undated photographic documentation of past El Tendedero installations contributed by Mayer.

The Dorothy Reifel Collection on J. Ottis Adams contains primary source documents and research files about the life and times of Indiana artist J. Ottis Adams, collected by Dorothy Reifel.

The Conservation Records, 1970-2005, contains records regarding the conservation department of the Indianapolis Museum of Art. A large portion of the collection consists of file folders of paper documents and photographs related to conservation efforts involving both art and historical preservation. The collection is comprised of records produced and collected by staff, including Claire Hoevel and Martin J. Radecki. Many of the records were originally housed in binders. When transferred to folders, these records were kept in their original order. Researchers will find information regarding forgery investigations and the GSA Federal Courthouse Murals of value.

The Bret Waller Papers, 1989-2000, document Waller's tenure as director of the Indianapolis Museum of Art during the 1990s. The collection is organized by subject; materials related to collections and exhibitions, and building operations (including strategic planning) make up the bulk of the collection. Also of note are the materials related to the Lila Wallace Reader's Digest Fund initiative that the museum received funding from to increase the diversity of its audience.