(INDIANAPOLIS)Â Today, the Indiana Arts Commission announced it has awarded five Indiana communities with early action grants to implement creative community development projects designed to enhance quality of life and grow local economies. Bedford, Dillsboro, Monticello, Valparaiso, and Warsaw are receiving grant funding through phase two of the pilot program Creative Convergence, which was offered this spring in partnership with the Indiana Communities Institute at Ball State University.
The Creative Convergence pilot is an outgrowth of a research study released by ICI in 2022. “Planning with Arts & Culture†examined how Indiana municipalities were utilizing local arts and culture in their community and economic strategies. Key amongst the findings was the expressed need for support in identifying and leveraging the creative sector to improve quality of life for all.
In phase one, participating community teams composed of government, economic development, and creative sector representatives attended a two-day training delivered by Indiana Communities Institute focused on topics such as understanding the positive impacts of arts and creativity on communities, quality of place as a talent attraction and retention tool, local economy diversification, community asset and needs identification, and community engagement.
The Indiana Communities Institute (ICI) brings together top research and outreach activities to assist communities as they strive to improve life experiences for residents, businesses, and visitors.
 “The involvement of the Indiana Communities Institute was critical to the Creative Convergence pilot.†said Miah Michaelsen, Executive Director of the IAC. “The ICI is recognized statewide for the quality of their community and economic development training programs, and their partnership was invaluable in ensuring that both the creative sector and Indiana communities had access to the latest in quality of life and local economies research.â€
“The Indiana Communities Institute has long advocated for place-based, people-focused investments to ensure stronger and more sustainable communities,†said Brian Blackford, Director of Program Development and Training for the ICI. “We are excited to continue working with the Indiana Arts Commission to further explore the impact that arts and culture can have in all areas of the state.â€
As a result of the pilot training and grant funding, the five communities will gain experience in how to embed arts and creativity in community and economic planning and development, how to work collaboratively across sectors, and how to effectively engage their community in addressing an identified need or opportunity through an intervention focused in creativity.
The five pilot Creative Convergence communities and their projects are as follows:
Bedford will address a lack of opportunity to experience visual arts in their community by repurposing Little Free Libraries as little free art galleries and installing a permanent public art exhibit case downtown. They will also offer creative programming in the community to cultivate and deepen interest in the arts.
Dillsboro strives to create a vibrant and active town center through Dillsboro Arts, which will renovate an underutilized area in a current facility to become the multipurpose Dillsboro Arts Creator Space. The space will then be filled with a robust schedule of learning experiences and public performances in all arts disciplines.
Monticello, through its Monticello Arts Beat, will create an artistic gateway designed to be welcoming and inclusive to residents and visitors and serve as first in a series of wayfinding arts installations around the community.
Valparaiso will be working with the Valparaiso Creative Council (VCC) to launch an artist needs assessment through a series of focus groups to ensure the direct needs of artists are being met by projects of the City and VCC. The VCC will utilize this information to conduct a follow-up project to support them.
Warsaw, through its Warsaw Public Arts Commission (WPAC), will engage in a project to communicate the economic and community value and impact of the arts and creativity in Warsaw through an education and awareness campaign. The WPAC will leverage this project to encourage additional investments and creative output in the community.
At the end of the pilot period, the IAC and Indiana Communities Institute will assess community outcomes for a planned formal rollout of the program in 2024.
