[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-535503059.jpg?w=1024″]<\/p>\n
\n\tThe foundation established by Robert Indiana to preserve his legacy is selling the artist\u2019s longtime home on the Maine island of Vinalhaven, despite instructions in his will that the property be transformed into an art space open to the public.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe Star of Hope Foundation, as the foundation is called, listed this week Indiana\u2019s former home, a rambling 19th-century Odd Fellows lodge known as the Star of Hope, for $1.4 million, according to the\u00a0New York Times<\/em>. A second building Indiana owned, a few doors away,\u00a0is being offered\u00a0for $210,000.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tIndiana, best known for his \u201cLOVE\u201d series, with its iconic tilted O, moved to Vinalhaven in 1978 and spent the next 40 years living in the Star of Hope, a local landmark overlooking the island\u2019s harbor. He died\u00a0in 2018\u00a0at age 89.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tIndiana had specific plans for the building after his death. His will directed that the Star of Hope be restored \u201cto museum quality\u201d and used as an art environment open to the public for visits, classes and lectures and for the preservation and exhibition of his collection, according to the\u00a0Times<\/em>. The artist had established the Star of Hope Foundation to preserve his legacy, and the organization inherited his estate after his death.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tThe foundation initially began working toward that goal, stabilizing and partly renovating the aging building. Now, however, it says its mission would be better served by getting out of the property-management business and putting its resources directly toward artists and arts organizations in Maine.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThese properties are not our purpose \u2014 supporting artists is,\u201d Carole Martin, the foundation\u2019s managing director, told the\u00a0Times<\/em>. \u201cSelling these properties allows us to convert those assets into philanthropic capital and put resources directly into Maine\u2019s arts community.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe decision has drawn criticism from people who say selling Indiana\u2019s home runs counter to the artist\u2019s wishes. Kevin Lipson, a partner at Venable, the law firm that represented Indiana\u2019s estate in litigation, called the decision \u201ca remarkable repudiation of Robert Indiana\u2019s testamentary intent\u201d in an interview with the\u00a0Times<\/em>, adding that Indiana \u201cwanted and expected a museum of some sort on Vinalhaven and that apparently is not in the cards.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tMarjorie Stratton, Vinalhaven\u2019s town manager, who knew Indiana, also questioned the decision. Speaking in a personal capacity, she told the\u00a0Times<\/em>\u00a0that Indiana had discussed using the building for art, education, and research and providing space where young people could work and learn about art.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt just makes me sad that this foundation doesn\u2019t seem to be following through with what he told me he wanted that to be,\u201d Stratton said.<\/p>\n \n\tThe Star of Hope was in rough shape by the time Indiana died. Its paint was peeling, clapboards were rotting, and a tarp covered a leaking roof, according to the\u00a0Times<\/em>. The foundation subsequently addressed some of these concerns, repairing its Mansard roof and restoring its windows and doors. But photographs accompanying\u00a0the current listing\u00a0show an interior still in various states of disrepair, including peeling paint, exposed framing and lath.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tThe foundation said the building continues to present structural and regulatory problems and described selling it as a practical way to redirect its resources.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWe are one of many organizations trying to solve a hard problem \u2014 how to bring new life to a building that has sat empty for years,\u201d Martin told the\u00a0Times<\/em>, adding that selling the property while investing directly in local artists and organizations was \u201cthe most honest path forward.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tNot everyone on Vinalhaven opposes the move. Elaine Crossman, who also knew Indiana and owns a motel and art gallery on the town\u2019s Main Street, told the\u00a0Times<\/em>\u00a0that the renovation appeared to have become an expensive quagmire. She hopes a new owner might return the building to active use, including reopening its first-floor storefronts.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI\u2019m optimistic that this is actually a really positive move,\u201d Crossman said. \u201cMy hope would be that this is a big step in the right direction for that group to be able to do some positive work in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n [analyse_source url=”https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/art-news\/news\/robert-indiana-star-of-hope-home-vinalhaven-sale-1234796242\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-535503059.jpg?w=1024″] The foundation established by Robert Indiana to preserve his legacy is selling the artist\u2019s longtime home on the Maine island of Vinalhaven, despite instructions in his will that the property be transformed into an art space open to the public. The Star of Hope Foundation, as the foundation is called, listed this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[61,226],"class_list":["post-2117395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-artnews-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2117395","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2117395"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2117395\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2117395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2117395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2117395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}