Singing Winds

Theodore Clement "T.C." Steele was one of the most celebrated American Impressionist painters of his time. Singing Winds: The Life and Works of T.C. Steele looks at the life and works of the great Hoosier Impressionist—from his hardscrabble youth, to his journey through some of the major art centers of Europe, to his return to his native Indiana, where he captured the subtle beauty of the Midwestern landscapes.

Born on a farm in tiny Gosport, Indiana, T.C. Steele's father died when he was a young teen, which during the Civil War era would have meant a life of hard labor on the farm for most helping to support their families. But Steele's journey was a most unusual one—from early art and music classes that his mother insisted he take to a surprising opportunity to travel to some of the world's top art schools in Europe.

Eventually Steele returned to his native Hoosier state and began a remarkable career in portrait painting, and, most famously, as one of the nation's premier landscape painters at a time when the genre was only just beginning to take root across the United States. At the pinnacle of his career, Steele was celebrated as one of the leading plein air artists in America.

Two-time Grammy Award winner Sylvia McNair narrates the documentary. An opera soprano, classical recitalist, and recording artist with more than 70 albums to her name, McNair's work also includes several critically-acclaimed albums in the Broadway and cabaret genres.