Julia, et. al. -
Perhaps the "Midwest" is that region which lies between the Mississippi River
and the Rocky Mountain foothills, and the specific regions of the Midwest can
be determined by more artifical boundaries.  As a southerner by birth, my
education was begun in northeast, continued in southwest and then followed by
professional move to Michigan and then Iowa and then Illinois.  You know, I
always felt I was in Midwest in MI,IA,&IL.  But I never felt, or as a curator
seeking artists about me, wanted to be constrained by mileage boundaries.
 With Canada to the North and the high plains of the western states to the
South, why not start with Kansas/Missouri and go northward to North
Dakota/Wisconsin?  Indianapolis is certainly a big part.  But the Ohio River
seems to start the trend towards S.E. region.  What do others think?