Black Expo Purchases Crossroads Bible College Building

Indiana Black Expo, Inc. says it will relocate its headquarters to the Crossroads Bible College Building on the east side of Indianapolis. The organization recently purchased the more than 43,000-square-foot building and will use the space for programming of its new Performing Arts Academy.

The new building will house music production, dance, videography and photography studios that will be used by youth that participate in the Performing Arts Academy and local arts organizations.

“Over the last few years, our board and staff have discussed ways that we can help improve the academic outcomes for our youth and transform our community. After hearing from the youth that we serve and seeing last year’s I-Step results that showed less than 25% of African American 3rd – 8th graders and only 1 out of 10 African American 10th graders in Indiana passed, it confirmed that we needed to make a significant investment in our youth,” said IBE President & Chief Executive Officer Tanya Bell in a news release. “We are excited to help train our youth in the arts but the ultimate goal is to utilize the arts to enhance their academic and economic outcomes, and we will do so through the provision of academic supports.”

IBE said it will spend $4 million to renovate the building in the next several years. IBE will provide programming out of the building by July and plans to relocate its entire staff this summer.