The First Five Years
Indianapolis Cultural Development Commission 2002 - 2006 Accomplishments
What is culture? And what does it mean to a city? In my view, it may come down to a couple of stories.
What is culture?
During this past holiday season, the parents of a colleague were visiting from a small town in northeastern Indiana. As my colleague drove them around the city, his mom and dad remarked about how different the city had become. “There’s more cultural stuff going on,” they told him. They’d heard about the expansion at the Indianapolis Museum of Art and the new cultural districts, and they were eager to make some stops. Another acquaintance recently shared a story about taking her teenage children downtown for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s Yuletide Celebration. Her suburban teens were particularly interested in the “Signs” installations by Julian Opie. They talked about how Opie’s colorful and brightly lit artworks made downtown Indy livelier on a gloomy day, and how the artist’s representations of people walking, swimming and dancing helped them relate to the city, each other, and the people on the street. The art got the family talking, and I’d like to think it helped those teenagers see their world — and their city — in a new light. I hope they’ll think twice about what Indy has to offer when they’re deciding where to live and work after college.
These are the kinds of stories we hoped we’d be telling when the Indianapolis Cultural Development Commission was created five years ago. They — and many other stories — are what we envisioned when we set out to enhance and promote a cultural community in Indianapolis. It’s incredibly rewarding to see the fruits of so many people’s efforts create the kinds of results that merit these stories.
Mayor Bart Peterson
Cultural tourism
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A place for culture page 7
Art for everyone page 9
By the numbers page 11 Fuel for growth page 13
An engaged audience page 15
Cultural convergence page 17
Thriving together page 19
“Male Tourist” “Female Tourist” by Tom Otterness
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CULTURAL TOURISM
Stimulate increased local goal cultural participation by residents. Strengthen Indianapolis and Central Indiana as a goal unique cultural destination to attract new tourists. CLEAR GOALS goal
It wasn’t exactly a buzzword in the Indianapolis community when the Indianapolis Cultural Development Commission was launched in late 2001. Even without the fancy name, Indianapolis had been reaping the benefits of cultural tourism for years. Visitors came to town and enjoyed the city’s museums, festivals, theaters, galleries and other attractions and events. But what put Indianapolis on the cultural tourism map? The collaborations that followed the Commission’s launch.
Cultural Tourism
FOCUSED EFFORTS
Build a sustainable infrastructure to support cultural development.
goal
In short, the Commission supports and encourages an environment where arts and culture flourish.
Public art exhibitions: The city’s first major public art exhibitions, “Tom Otterness in Indianapolis” and “Julian Opie: Signs.” Special programs: The inaugural Public Art Great Ideas Competition, which began during this period, as did the poetry on the buses program, “Shared Voices Shared Spaces,” in partnership with IndyGo and the Picture Windows project. Increased attention: The Indianapolis 2005 cultural convergence, which resulted in increased attendance at many of the city’s major attractions and artistic infusion at major sporting events that attracted national and international audiences.
The Commission’s work wouldn’t be possible without generous financial support from the Lilly Endowment and the Capital Improvement Board, as well as financial and in-kind support from the Commission’s partner organizations and numerous other organizations and businesses.
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Top 20 list of the most creative regions in the United States
To maximize impact, the Commission concentrates its efforts on four key program areas: cultural districts, public art, fasttrack funding and public awareness. Here’s an overview of the Commission’s major accomplishments during its first five years. New cultural districts: The development and marketing of six cultural districts.
To make that happen, it takes collaboration. First, the Commission’s nine members and three advisors help guide the city’s overall cultural direction. Next, three partner organizations — the Arts Council of Indianapolis, Indianapolis Downtown Inc. (IDI) and the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association (ICVA) — and the city of Indianapolis provide countless hours of time and talent to manage programs. Finally, the city’s civic organizations and community stakeholders work together with the Commission to help spread the word about the city’s vibrant cultural scene.
The word is spreading, and people are taking note. Richard Florida, author of “The Rise of the Creative Class,” named Indianapolis on his Top 20 list of the most creative regions in the United States in 2003, and Monster.com named Indy one of the “10 best places to live” in 2004. In 2005 and 2006, American Style magazine named Indianapolis one of the top 25 cities for the arts in cities with populations of more than 500,000. Media stories about the city’s cultural scene have appeared nationwide. And Indianapolis attractions have seen record-high attendance numbers.
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The four main goals in the Commission’s initial plan remain its focus today.
In its first five years, the Commission has made a significant impact on Indianapolis’ economy and quality of life, while strengthening the city’s reputation as a world-class cultural destination.
Eiteljorg Museum
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Maximize the cultural experience for existing event visitors.
Financial support: A total of 128 organizations and individuals received $787,848 in grants.
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One of the 10 best places to live
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Top 25 cities for the arts in cities with populations of more than 500,000
“Bryan Plays Guitar” by Julian Opie
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SIX CULTURAL DISTRICTS districts became a reality because of the cooperation and collaboration among many partners and individuals.
Indianapolis has rich pockets of authentic culture thriving in neighborhoods throughout the city. These areas have unique galleries, inspiring museums, local shops and restaurants, engaging recreation, lively performance venues and captivating public art. To fully leverage these assets, the Commission created the cultural districts program to support development efforts in specific neighborhoods.
PLANNING EACH DISTRICT The first step to creating the districts was planning them and then implementing those plans. IDI did this by collaborating with more than 480 district stakeholders through electronic communications and public meetings. It also produced and distributed a brochure for each district, highlighting the district plan.
ESTABLISHING AN IDENTITY It was important that each district have a unique identity and reinforce that identity through logos, signage and other materials. So IDI collaborated with its stakeholders to develop eye-catching identity toolkits to market and promote each district, including logos, standard messages, signature photography and materials designed to help the districts highlight their unique benefits. Businesses and organizations in each district use the identities on their signage, brochures and advertising.
The Commission held public workshops and forums with a wide cross-section of community representatives from each district to get input about the districts and their assets. More than 300 grassroots stakeholders were involved in creating a vision, key strategies and priorities for each district, focusing on its arts and cultural amenities. Fountain Square Theatre
A place for culture
Indianapolis Downtown Inc. administers the cultural districts program, which the Commission funds. The six distinct cultural
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“Viewfinders” by Eric Nordgulen
Each district also has its own Web site and its own permanent information kiosks located on the sidewalks at high-traffic points in each district.
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GETTING THE WORD OUT
In 2006, new way-finding signage was installed in and leading to all of the districts. There are three types of signage. One type is located outside the district showing how to get there, a second marks entry and exit points in the district, and a third consists of pedestal kiosks and district directories at key pedestrian points in the district.
PROMOTING DEVELOPMENT
After all this work was done, the focus turned to informing the public. To that end, in 2005 and 2006 IDI printed and distributed 100,000 copies of the Cultural District Guide, a comprehensive resource book describing each district and its cultural events and attractions. In 2006, IDI developed and executed with the Districts Marketing Task Force a multimedia marketing campaign valued at more than $750,000, leveraging more than $2 for every $1 of seed money. The campaign
included a radio/interactive promotion in partnership with Emmis Communications that returned $6.73 for every $1 invested by the Commission, Web site enhancements that resulted in a 100 percent increase in hits on the district Web sites and more than 183 media stories, with a total value of more than $2 million. The 2006 campaign built on one started in 2005 that included promotional TV spots showcasing signature cultural district events and a print advertising campaign that enabled more than 30 small businesses, theaters and art galleries in the cultural districts to reach more than 300,000 readers of INtake.
Of course, you can’t build signs and Web sites without financial resources, so the Commission awarded $313,750 to the districts for strategic enhancements, including gateways, public art and signage. IDI then secured $507,750 in additional resources through new partnerships with Indiana’s Quality of Place initiative, Sallie Mae and Massachusetts Avenue Development Corporation. And, to attract retailers and other businesses to the districts, it started commercial real estate programs that included customized real estate materials and broker outreach. In 2006, the Districts Real Estate Working Group’s work attracted several new restaurants, shops and other noticeable enhancements throughout the districts.
The Commission
identified five cultural districts in 2003
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The Commission identifies one additional cultural district in 2004 for a total of 6
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IDI prints and distributes thousands of copies of the Cultural District Guide in 2005 and 2006
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PUBLIC ART
HELD COMPETITIONS
The Commission believes art should be a visible and tangible part of the city’s public spaces. Public art makes a city more inspiring to live in and visit. Public art can be anything from sculptures, murals and memorials to art that’s integrated into a streetscape including benches, tree guards and other pieces of architecture and infrastructure.
billboard series and large-scale sculptures to a poetry-on-buses program and an abandoned windows effort. In addition, it has allocated more than $275,000 to public art projects organized and managed by other entities, which in turn leveraged hundreds of thousands of dollars already raised to support these projects. Here’s a sampling of the program’s accomplishments.
In 2003, with funding from the Commission, the Arts Council of Indianapolis developed Indianapolis’ first master plan for public art to enhance the appearance of the community through artwork and artist involvement. It was the first time Indianapolis had taken a holistic look at the community’s public art inventory and potential.
HOSTED MAJOR EXHIBITIONS
Prior to the development of Public Art Indianapolis, the Arts Council gathered input through more than 150 one-on-one interviews with individual artists, gallery owners, art scholars and civic leaders. Educational forums on why art should be a public policy issue attracted hundreds of people.
DePew Fountain
The city’s first major public art exhibition, “Tom Otterness in Indianapolis,” received wide public praise. It generated more than 230 media stories locally and nationally. And more than 25,000 people picked up maps that showed the locations of each sculpture. “Julian Opie: Signs,” the first international public art exhibition in Indianapolis, was the first citywide project to be totally conceptualized by the Arts Council on behalf of Indianapolis officials, with six of the 11 installations debuting in Indianapolis. In addition, video pods and education guides were produced to enhance viewers’ experience of the art.
Public Art Indianapolis is funded by the Commission and managed by the Arts Council of Indianapolis. By 2004, the program was ready to implement portions of the master plan. Public Art Indianapolis has produced or supported projects ranging from a
Art for everyone “Speak/Spoken” by Patrick Manning
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Master plan for public art developed by Arts Council of Indianapolis
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The city’s inaugural Great Ideas Competition in 2004 attracted more than 70 Indiana artists. The 10 finalists each received $1,000 to conceptualize, design and involve their community in the development of their “great idea,” and two winning projects wowed the community with their innovative approaches to art in public spaces. The winning projects were “Speak/Spoken” by Patrick Manning and “Charting Pogue’s Run” by Sean Derry. In 2006, a public poetry competition elicited 277 works by 126 writers. Fifty poems and pieces of prose by 39 Indiana writers were published as part of the project. In addition to a kickoff event with live spoken-word readings on the buses, each of those 50 works appeared on the inside of every large IndyGo bus in circulation for one year.
BROUGHT ART OUTSIDE Through the Indianapolis 2005 effort, the Commission projected the works of 30 local artists onto buildings downtown, at the Indianapolis International Airport and at the Pyramids on the city’s northwest side. It also supported a project organized by the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) “Untitled (for Jeff)” by Felix Gonzales-Torres, featuring the image of an outstretched hand, on six art institutions and 12 billboards around the city and on the façade of the IMA. At the same time, the IMA debuted its newly renovated 25,000-square-foot contemporary
Major public art projects funded
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“Untitled (for Jeff)” by Felix Gonzales-Torres
art galleries. Public Art Indianapolis also enhanced empty downtown storefronts by adding site-specific artwork by Indianapolis artists as part of the ongoing Picture Windows Project.
HELPED PEOPLE UNDERSTAND To help make a connection between the people and the art, the Arts Council held informational workshops, hosted a traveling photography exhibit and created a map to help people locate public art throughout the city.
Local artists whose work was projected onto buildings as part of Indianapolis 2005
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Tom Otterness sculptures purchased locally after exhibition
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“The Tree of Knowledge” by Tom Otterness
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Commission launched and organized Planned programs
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By the numbers City’s first public art master plan developed Five cultural districts designated Direct city funding for the arts increased 75 percent over 2000 Grants program started; more than $610,000 dispersed to arts and cultural groups
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Public Art Great Ideas Competition launched Five major public art projects funded Indiana Avenue added as sixth cultural district Identity toolkits developed for each district
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Indianapolis 2005 Big Red Arrow campaign implemented Tom Otterness in Indianapolis public art exhibition Local and regional integrated marketing campaigns launched Cultural districts started commercial real estate programs
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Julian Opie Signs public art exhibition ArtStart Saturday program begun as legacy to Indianapolis 2005 successes Infused five major sporting events and conventions with arts and culture Regional summer ad campaign generated more than $44 million in new visitor spending Directional signage throughout and leading to the six cultural districts installed
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FAST-TRACK FUNDING
The Commission started the Fast-Track Funding Program to provide needed funding for cutting-edge projects in cultural tourism. The grants support projects that strengthen the city’s cultural activity, and the funds are available on a quick-turnaround basis.
produced and have resulted in new business for some of the participating artists. As a result of the book, two of the artists were contacted to provide artwork for an American Society of Interior Designers event at the Indianapolis Home Show, which was a perfect venue for showcasing work to potential art buyers.
With administrative support from the Arts Council of Indianapolis, the Commission has awarded and disbursed more than $750,000 though more than 125 fast-track and collaborative marketing grants between 2003 and 2006 to help strengthen the city’s cultural activity.
Four performing arts organizations — Dance Kaleidoscope, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Indiana Repertory Theatre and Indianapolis Opera — jointly received a $20,000 Collaborative Marketing award to create the “Passport to the Arts” ticket program. They wanted to make it easy for potential audiences, young professionals in particular, to be introduced to the wide array of professional arts performances in Indianapolis. The groups overcame some technology obstacles that had prevented collaborative ticketing in the past and offered a discounted ticket to one performance of all four organizations. In the first four months, more than 130 Passports were sold, and plans were underway to continue the effort for the 2007–2008 season and beyond.
FAST-TRACK GRANTS In 2006, the grants included two categories, Program Development and Collaborative Marketing grants. Both types supported creative and collaborative efforts. Here’s a look at two projects that were funded to attract new opportunities and new audiences.
No Exit
Fuel for growth
The Stutz Artists Association received a $5,000 Program Development grant to create a postcard book featuring 32 of its member artists. Each artist selected one piece to feature on a postcard in the book. The front of each postcard featured an image of the artwork, and the back included biographical and contact information about the artist. The books were beautifully
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Recipients awarded $360,130
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Recipients awarded $99,956
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Recipients awarded $148,487
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Recipients awarded $179,257
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PUBLIC AWARENESS
Spreading the word about Indianapolis’ cultural assets is a major component of achieving the Commission’s goals. The Commission funds communications and marketing efforts aimed at numerous audiences, from community stakeholders and local residents to visitors from near and far.
2006 integrated marketing campaign that included regional TV advertising, radio advertising, radio and online promotions, podcasts, e-mails and public relations. Focal points were five markets: Chicago; Cincinnati; Fort Wayne, Ind.; Champaign, Ill.; and Louisville. Summer and holiday campaigns created $79.8 million in visitor spending from approximately 167,365 trips. The campaign was extremely cost-effective, with a return on investment of $133 for every $1 spent on advertising.
These efforts have included direct communications, media partnerships, videos, hospitality trainings, collateral materials and media relations. Here’s a look back at what was accomplished in the Commission’s first five years.
LAUNCHED A REGIONAL CAMPAIGN
BUILT A PHOTO LIBRARY
The Commission helped the city embark on its largest regional campaign in more than a decade, partnering with the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association (ICVA) in 2005 on a $1.85 million integrated marketing effort. The campaign, which reached Chicago; Cincinnati; Fort Wayne, Ind.; Champaign, Ill., and Indianapolis, created 89,000 incremental trips — trips that were not previously planned — to Indy, with those travelers spending more than $42.9 million. The campaign netted $48 of new visitor spending for every $1 spent in advertising. Conner Pairie
An engaged audience
New photography, depicting people interacting with and enjoying Indianapolis cultural venues, was taken throughout 2006 to build a library of top-notch images representing our city. Managed by the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association and funded by the Commission, 52 new images were taken by six local photographers and provided to the partner organizations as well as the featured organizations including the IMA, Indianapolis Zoo, Madame Walker Theatre, Conner Prairie, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Indiana State Museum, Eiteljorg Museum, Massachusetts Avenue and many others.
Building on the success of the 2005 regional campaign, the Commission partnered with ICVA and cultural institutions on a
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FORMED STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS The Commission facilitated an unprecedented partnership with WISH-TV, LIN properties and six cultural organizations with major expansions or exhibits during 2005. The $300,000 investment resulted in an additional $675,000 in promotional elements, news and advertising components. The message local residents saw and heard on TV was that it’s happening here, be proud and participate. The Big Red Arrow played out well locally because people saw it in advertising and then noticed it in front of cultural institutions at times when they had major events and activities.
MADE NEWS The Commission worked with partner organizations to generate hundreds of stories about Indianapolis culture in local, regional and national media, including The New York Times, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, Travel America, AAA Home & Away, Detroit News, Louisville CourierJournal, NBC and ESPN.
In Indianapolis, the Commission worked with local leaders to place opinion pieces in local media about issues related to the city’s culture. A few examples: Dr. Craig Brater, dean of the IU School of Medicine, wrote in the Indianapolis Business Journal about using culture as a recruitment tool for topcaliber medical professionals. Lloyd Wright, general manager of WFYI, encouraged Indianapolis Star readers to visit cultural venues during Turn off the TV Week. And Mayor Bart Peterson wrote in the Star about how grants to the city’s cultural districts help stoke economic development in those areas.
developed culturalindy.org, an interactive Web site for stakeholders. And it produced five “Destination Indy” cultural videos that aired in hotel rooms and on WCTY, the city’s government cable TV station.
REACHED OUT TO VISITORS To help the people who serve visitors increase their knowledge about things to do and places to go, the Commission conducted hospitality training for frontline service staff at hotels, cultural attractions, restaurants, visitor centers and taxi companies across the city.
CONNECTED WITH THE COMMUNITY The Commission connected with the Indianapolis community on several levels and in many ways. It created a Cultural Sampler class at IUPUI to give residents an up-close look at what’s going on in Indianapolis while encouraging people to spread the word to family, friends, neighbors and visitors.
It developed a “Cultural Compass” training manual to use in hospitality training sessions. Monthly event cards highlighting current cultural events were distributed to more than 40 hotels and visitor centers citywide. And two annual Cultural Calendars were developed by the Commission and the Arts Council of Indianapolis to promote the city’s numerous arts and cultural activities. More than 700 arts and cultural events were featured.
It brought information to people via the city’s first mobile visitor center, an electric car called M-Indy (for Mobile Indy), which traveled to festivals and other community events. Online communications supported the Commission’s programs. The ICVA, Arts Council and IDI all created e-communications including podcasts, customized e-mails and Web-based promotions. The Commission
89,000 96,000
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Number of unplanned trips to Indianapolis cultural events as a result of regional marketing campaign
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INDIANAPOLIS 2005
In 2005, Indianapolis experienced a remarkable convergence of cultural offerings, including openings of museums and cultural facilities, landmark anniversaries, important cultural and sporting events and major national conventions. Never before had so many millions of dollars of investments in cultural institutions come to fruition in Indianapolis in the same year. This unique moment in the city’s history was an opportunity to share with the world Indianapolis’ rich culture.
Clear messaging: A mobile marketing icon — the Big Red Arrow — was created to point the way to some of the city’s biggest events, making 47 visible stops. High attendance: The Indianapolis Zoo, Broad Ripple Art Fair, Indianapolis Art Center and others had their highest attendance ever. The Indiana State Museum had both its highest one-month and oneweek attendance. And the grand reopening of the Indianapolis Museum of Art attracted twice the number of expected visitors.
While each event was significant on its own, when combined, they provided the platform for Indianapolis to build the city’s cultural and creative reputation. By seizing the moment to celebrate and communicate an unparalleled collection of cultural amenities, the city created and maintained a “buzz” that impacted visitation and participation.
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
Cultural convergence
Cultural events: More than 100 events were infused with local art and culture, and the works of 127 local artists were exhibited in conjunction with Indianapolis 2005 events.
Indianapolis 2005 was billed as a year-long celebration of the city’s identity as a major center for the arts and culture. The “Big Red Arrow” effort was developed to recognize, promote and celebrate this remarkable convergence of events.
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100+ 127 47 Indianapolis 2005 events
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Events visited by the Big Red Arrow mobile icon
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Local artists exhibited during 2005
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COLLABORATIONS Indianapolis Cultural Development Commission Gerald Bepko Indiana University Alpha Blackburn Blackburn & Associates Justice Theodore R. Boehm Indiana Supreme Court (Chair) William Crawford State Representative and Indiana Black Expo Colleen Heeter Indiana Black Expo (Proxy for Commissioner Crawford)
Many significant partnerships helped maximize the Commission’s impact. Funding from the Lilly Endowment and the Capital Improvement Board resulted in numerous new partnerships among the Arts Council of Indianapolis, Indianapolis Downtown Inc. and the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association.
Walter Knabe Walter Knabe Studios
The Commission also has served in the role of a convening force, bringing together likeminded individuals and organizations. Here are some of the partnerships the Commission helped forge in its first five years.
Thriving together
Brian Payne Central Indiana Community Foundation Yvonne Shaheen Diversities Inc. Al Smith Chase
Calendars: Developed comprehensive cultural calendars. In 2006, the Arts Council printed and distributed 40,000 copies, thanks to a partnership with Starbucks.
Visual art: Supported the development of the Indianapolis Downtown Art Dealers Association (IDADA).
Indianapolis Zoo
June McCormack Sallie Mae
Transportation: Facilitated a relationship between IndyGo, the Arts Council of Indianapolis and the cultural community that resulted in the Blue Line Circulator electric buses that link hotels, office buildings, Circle Centre and arts and cultural venues.
Robert F. Bedell Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association (Advisor) Greg Charleston Arts Council of Indianapolis (Advisor)
Music: Convened local musicians and music industry leaders to discuss ways to promote local talent, how to integrate into the cultural districts, issues related to all-ages clubs and improving internal and external communications.
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Tamara Zahn Indianapolis Downtown Inc. (Advisor) Keira Amstutz (Administrator) Jenny Guimont (Director)
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Indianapolis Cultural Development Commission City-County Building, 25th Floor 200 E. Washington St. Indianapolis, IN 46204 317.327.3649 www.culturalindy.com
Partner Organizations: Arts Council of Indianapolis 317.631.3301 www.indyarts.org
Photography Credits: Rob Banayote John Bragg Rich Clark Drew Endicott Kevin Foster Anna Miller Dick Spahr Terry Wieckert
Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association 317.639.4282 www.indy.org Thanks to Commissioner and local artist Walter Knabe for the use of his artwork throughout this piece.
Indianapolis Downtown, Inc. 317.237.2222 www.indydt.com