“Sports are the heart of
Indianapolis–and arts
and culture are its soul.”
If you’ve admired the mural of writer Kurt Vonnegut on Mass Ave, enjoyed the Art & Soul festival, hit Gallery 924 for First Friday, or participated in programs offered by the 85 organizations supported by the City of Indianapolis Annual Grants Program, then you’ve interacted with our work.
The Arts Council was founded after the Pan Am Games in 1987, when 40 local arts organizations worked together to produce 200 events for an international audience. We’ve since continued to innovate–thinking about what’s next, while responding to the immediate needs of our community.
– Julie Goodman,
President & CEO, Indy Arts Council
We lead during times
of crisis.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we launched the #IndyKeepsCreating campaign and raised $16 million to help artists and arts organizations. When the 2008 recession closed Indy art galleries, we opened Gallery 924 to support local artists.
We play well with sports.
When the entire 2021 NCAA men’s basketball tournament came to town, fans were welcomed by 600+ central Indiana artists and performers during “Swish.” Here’s the New York Times story.
Pamela Bliss painted the Kurt Vonnegut mural on Mass Ave was part of the 46 by 46 mural project during Super Bowl XLVI.
We work to retain
Indy’s creatives.
More than 500 artists and performers have received Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship grants since 1999 to travel, explore and recharge–and bring that inspiration back to Indy.
We nurture emerging talent.
Since 1996, the Art & Soul festival has helped launch the careers of Black emerging artists. To train student journalists and increase arts & culture news coverage, we established the Arts Journalism Fellowship Program in 2015 with local media partners.
