Indiana Arts Commission provides training, funding for 10 communities
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Paying off a series of training events held last year, the Indiana Arts Commission is awarding $10,000 to 10 cities across the state to help connect arts with economic planning.
The initiatives are collectively labeled as Creative Convergence projects. Creative Convergence is run by the Indiana Arts Commission, with help from the Indiana Communities Institute and the Miller College of Business at Ball State University.
The programming stared in November when representatives from towns across the state gathered in Fishers for a two-day workshop on how to pair community-based artistic endeavors with business projects and goals.
From there, the Indiana Arts Commission invited those attendees to apply for the Creative Convergence grants that are meant to “apply the learnings from the workshop,” according to the arts commission.
The grant awardees, each getting $10,000, will use their new funding for a variety of projects. The Creative Convergences range from arts programming funding in Tipton to a massive Christmas Tree display in Santa Claus.
Chesterton Cultural District: Chesterton will establish and designate a Cultural District via town-wide engagement, cross-sector collaboration, and community celebration. A series of community feedback gatherings will provide opportunities for residents and stakeholders to inventory and map our shared cultural assets leading to a district designation via Town Council resolution. The district will then be celebrated and made visible via artist-made markers or signs welcoming creatives, residents, businesses, and visitors.
Michigan City Artist-in-Residence Program: The Michigan City Artist-in-Residence Program (AIR) will serve as a pilot for a regular program in Michigan City. A visual artist will be selected to receive a studio space and a stipend to create work for the time of the residency. In exchange, the artist will open their studio and engage with the public for a determined number of hours per week, giving the public a behind-the-scenes understanding of the artist’s influences, creative process, choice of materials and their professional practices.
Kendallville Imaginuity – Immersive Art Experience: Imaginuity is a community project to bring unique & immersive art to Northeast Indiana. The project will curate art that visitors can interact with through visual/tactile experiences. The goal is to expose the community to a wide range of art, spark new ideas, and embrace the artistic talents that exist in Kendallville. The project also plans to create a public work of art that will be created piece by piece by patrons.
Mount Ayr Beacon for the Arts: Mount Ayr’s vision is to employ a local artist to design bell tower “Beacon for the Arts” for all to see for miles. Mount Ayr will also use a recently restored historic building owned by the community as an exhibit space to host a public art exhibit. The fabrication will require extensive architectural work, artistic replication, and installation. A local, Mount Ayr artist will fabricate the “beacon” to identify the symbolism to be “called to the arts”.
Tipton Teaching Artist in Residence: The Tipton Public Arts Commission (TPAC) will invite youth and older adults to create. Together with a visiting artist in residence, it will build community excitement and curiosity for arts activities with workshops for families, youth engagement, creative community gatherings, and a culminating celebration. These activities will generate input and inspiration for future public art projects and community art opportunities.
Winamac Creative Hub Community Conversations Project: Winamac will engage, educate, and explore opportunities for arts to elevate the quality of life while simultaneously having a positive economic impact. The project will be focused on securing a space for open dialogue, creating awareness through campaign assets, hosting creative workshops to gauge community support, and celebrating the impact of art.
Pendleton Creative Convergence – An Interactive Artistic, Cultural, and Eco Trails Experience: The grant will launch a unique program combining art, culture, and nature through a series of guided walking tours in Falls Park and downtown Pendleton. Creative Convergence will transform trails and historical locations into an interactive corridor featuring dynamic, mobile “totems” where residents and visitors gain artistic and cultural appreciation, environmental awareness, and economic vitality through creative placemaking.
Franklin Artcraft Alley Kites: The Public Arts Commission will commission 180 kites to be hung overhead in the Artcraft Alley. The kites will be hung on a platform originally placed to commemorate the state and city Bicentennial in 2023 and had 200 stars held over the alley. These kites will be in the school and city colors, and will have a very unique blacklight feature that will allow them to glow at night, creating an art installation that shines during the day and night both.
Evansville My Evansville (ME) – Veterans’ Stories, Told Through Art: Through artwork, the ME Project tells the stories of veterans—particularly POW, MIA or KIA—priceless resources vanishing daily. A trained author/journalist will visit VFWs to teach memoir writing and gather veterans’ art, be it plays, poems or paintings. The author will make individual visits (e.g., to nursing homes) for accessibility. The event will end in a traveling exhibition to permanently rest at the VFW. Last, a time capsule will be sealed in the VFW, marked by a public ceremony.
Santa Claus Hometown Holiday Tree: The Santa Claus Arts team will engage the community to help create a 20-foot Hometown Holiday Tree. The tree, displayed near Santa Claus Town Hall, will feature disc ornaments decorated by residents, celebrating the artistic spirit and creativity of the Santa Claus community. The tree will be affixed to a platform with a mobility option to travel to local events. This festive art installation will bring the community together and help launch a larger arts initiative for all of Spencer County.
Applications for the next cohort of Creative Convergence projects will open later this year.