Create Indy Grants Announced

Arts for Learning is one of seven organizations to receive grants in this second round of funding

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett has announced the second round of grant recipients from the Create Indy initiative. Winners include seven projects focusing on music, food and beverage. This round of grants total more than $50,000 and range from $5,000 to $10,000 for each project.

“We are proud to provide critical assistance to projects within our community that shine a light on our diverse culture, while also uplifting emerging Indianapolis artists,” said Mayor Hogsett.  “Music, food, and the arts are essential components of a thriving, well-rounded community, and through this second round of awards, we are able to highlight and support creators and their endeavors that would not necessarily qualify for traditional funding sources.”

Grant recipients include:

• Eduardo Luna – “Musica del Midwest” – As an independent music producer, Eduardo Luna plans to create a bilingual music series featuring Latin American musicians from across the Midwest.  Luna will work with existing music collectives and individual bands and artists to bring six unique concerts to the near westside of Indianapolis. 
• Danicia Malone – “The Brown & Green Food Salons” – The Brown & Green Food Salons will be a series of healthy eating seminars with a culminating Brown & Green Food Festival that features clean eating options from culturally competent wellness practitioners. The series will host weekly salons open to all that encourage and showcase how everyone can incorporate simple practices with their local resources.
• Arts for Learning, IN – “The Sunshine Series” – The Sunshine Series was specifically designed for the residents and surrounding community of 16 Park and Kennedy King Park. Planned for this October, the project will offer Saturday morning music performances and hands-on art programming for local families, with the intent of bringing the community together. 
• Nicole O’Neal – “Woo Grl Festival” – Woo Grl Festival is a music fest based in Indianapolis that is dedicated to highlighting women and underrepresented performers in the Indiana music community. The festival aims to build a more inclusive and informed music community by showcasing and celebrating the unique voices of diversity. The inaugural Woo Grl Festival was held on Saturday, April 20, 2019. 
• The Indy Convergence – “Near West Rara” – The Indy Convergence will collaborate with Christamore House, Haughville Strong, Fonseca Theatre Company, IUPUI Office of Community Engagement, and the Near West Livability Committee to host the second annual Near West Rara this August.  Inspired by Indy Convergence’s partnership with two Haitian community centers, Rara is a Haitian street party where communities come together to celebrate life. 
• Morning Brown, Inc. – “Opera…From a Sistah’s Point of View” – On April 26, world-renowned operatic soprano and Indianapolis native Angela Brown presented “Opera…From a Sistah’s Point of View,” an awe-inspiring musical performance aimed at creating a fresh awareness of the ethnic, geographic, and socio-economic diversity that exists in opera plots and characters. Educational and explanatory narratives were interspersed with musical selections to break down cultural barriers and dispel the myths of opera. 
• Keith Paschall II – “All317Hiphop” – The All317Hiphop music curation project will help spur investment in indie music by introducing local hip hop to a wider audience in Central Indiana through an awareness campaign. The campaign will feature a diverse group of leading Indy hip hop and R&B artists as brand ambassadors and storytellers, and will also direct fans to a curated series of hip hop and R&B playlists available on all popular music streaming sites today. This project will further build on the demand for local hip hop experiences like the popular Chreece Hip Hop Festival in Fountain Square.