Marshall County prepares to launch arts entrepreneurship program with state grant
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A new program aimed at helping local artists turn their creative work into viable businesses is set to launch next year, thanks to a state grant awarded to the Marshall County Economic Development Corp. (MCEDC) in partnership with Heartland Art Center and the Indiana Small Business Development Center (ISBDC).
The $14,100 award is part of the Indiana Economic Development Corp.’s Community Collaboration Fund, which distributed more than $925,000 to 28 community-led projects statewide to boost entrepreneurship through education, connection and support services.
Locally, the funds will support the development of the Marshall County Arts Entrepreneurship Program, an eight-week initiative offering workshops, peer support, business advising and an end-of-program exhibition.
“The goal is to pull in artists who have an intent to create a profitable business from what they do,” said Hannah Ollen, entrepreneurial ecosystem navigator with the ISBDC. “We’re going to focus more on intent for each artist, as opposed to experience level.”
Ollen noted that the program is a response to data from the Indiana Arts Commission’s 2024 Artist Needs Assessment, which identified a strong demand among artist-entrepreneurs in the region for local investment, financial education and business training. While many identified as entrepreneurs, most had never heard of or used services from the Indiana Small Business Development Center.
“We saw a need that we could meet in the north central region,” Ollen said. “So we approached Marshall County about putting together a proposal for the Community Collaboration Fund, which is how the program is being funded.”
Ollen talks about what artist-entrepreneurs can expect from the program.
The curriculum, currently in development, is expected to be finalized in October. The program will begin in February 2026 and will run through March. About 15 participants will be selected through a competitive application process.
In addition to workshops, each participant will be paired with a business advisor, take part in peer groups and receive a mini-grant to support either their exhibition work or broader business goals.
“Even though this is an entrepreneurship program, it’s still important for us to spend time on creative development,” Ollen said. “How far can each artist push themselves to find a market fit without losing what drew them to create in the first place? That is the million dollar question and that’s what we want to focus on.”
All classes and meetings will be held at Heartland Art Center in Plymouth, where the final exhibition will also take place. The program is open to residents of Marshall, St. Joseph, Elkhart, Fulton and Stark counties, though organizers expect most applicants to be based in Marshall County.
“Anna Kietzman, an artist herself and president of Heartland Art Center, is a really knowledgeable resource to help us actually develop the program,” Ollen added. “Making sure that we’re making something that is going to fit with the Marshall County community and meet their needs.”
Greg Hildebrand, CEO of the Marshall County Economic Development Corp., said the initiative reflects a broader strategy to build out the county’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and strengthen its creative economy.
“This will be the first program that we will have developed and delivered in conjunction with Heartland Galleries,” Hildebrand said. “We look forward to improving the entrepreneurial ecosystem locally and working collaboratively with the greater South Bend – Elkhart region.”
The arts entrepreneurship initiative is part of a larger vision for a future entrepreneurial hub in Marshall County, built with proceeds from earlier manufacturing center developments in Argos and Plymouth.
“We will use the funds from the Regional Cities Grant to build out our space at the Heartland Gallery to provide a dynamic resource for area entrepreneurs of all types,” Hildebrand said. “We will have additional office space for programs like ISBDC, SBA, enFocus, South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership and others to have a space to work here and collaborate with the local community.”
Hildebrand said the creative sector plays a vital role in the region’s economic landscape, leading MCEDCs desire to strengthen the success of local artists while drawing new talent to the area by equipping them with the tools to grow as entrepreneurs.
“Creative is just another way of saying innovative. The communities and industry of tomorrow are looking for innovators to be the next generation of manufacturing leaders,” Hildebrand added. “Part of our mission is to improve the entrepreneurial capacity of the county and to prepare the communities for the industrial progression of the future.”
The new art entrepreneurship program signals growth for not just artists within the region but for the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem, as Marshall County positions itself as a hub for innovation, creativity and small business development.
Applications for the arts program are expected to open later this fall.