Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
INDIANAPOLIS – Shoals and Washington are among 11 Indiana communities that received training and were approved for grant funding through the Creative Convergence program.
The Indiana Arts Commission announced Wednesday that 11 Indiana cities and towns will receive grants to enhance public art.
Creative Convergence is a program of the Indiana Arts Commission, held in partnership with the Indiana Communities Institute at Ball State University’s Miller College of Business. The program was launched in 2023 and consists of a two-day training workshop and an Early Action Grant Program. Teams of community members representing local government, arts organizations, educational institutions, and other community-focused roles were in attendance.
The two-day Creative Convergence workshop was held in April and focused on how to embed arts and creativity in community and economic planning and solutions, how to work collaboratively across sectors, and how to effectively engage with community.
Following the training program, communities could apply for a Creative Convergence Early Action grant. This grant program is designed to allow communities to apply the learnings from the workshop to a project that benefits creatives and the community. Each community will receive $10,000 in grant funding to support their project.
Amber Warden, community coordinator for the Daviess Economic Development Corporation, said supporting and growing opportunities for art in a community is important to enhancing quality of life.
“We want to support the arts whatever way we can and empower the true artists in our community,” Warden said. “At Daviess County Economic Development Corporation, we’re trying to encourage people to live and work here and to do that, we have to enhance our quality of life and one of the ways to do that is through art.”
Washington’s project has three components, one of them is to establish an arts commission and another is to create a Wall Art Park on a 10-acre site on the west side of the city that has been vacant for many years.
Warden said artists who work in murals and graffiti would be invited to paint the walls. After 30 days, someone can add new art to the panels, creating an ever-changing display of art.
Over in Shoals, the town plans to use art to enhance Overlook Park.
Project details
- Shoals (Martin County), Re-CREATE-ing Overlook Park: Overlook Park on US 50 in Shoals is the last roadside park in Martin County and offers a scenic view of the White River. Visitors can enjoy picnic areas and a shelter house. This park will be used as a welcome center for the town of Shoals by adding a mural, a creative walkway to the shelter house, an information center and an observation deck. By using local creatives to help execute the projects, the Overlook roadside park will help bring awareness to the arts and serve as an outdoor recreational space for residents and visitors.
- Washington (Daviess County), Building Deeper Appreciation for the Arts in Daviess County: Daviess County will deepen appreciation for the arts by providing local schools and the community with professional display materials to exhibit art in a dignified and meaningful way. In addition, a 10-acre Wall Art Park will be established in an under-served area of Washington, to elevate pride and increase engagement in public art. Lastly, as a result of the IAC Creative Convergence process, Washington’s goal will be the establishment of an arts organization in Daviess County.
The complete list of participating communities, and their projects, are as follows:
- Brookville, “Small Town Pics”
- Gas City, “Historical Main Street Tour”
- LaGrange, “LaGrange, INspired”
- Lebanon, “The Lebanon Story Booth”
- Martinville, “Martinsville Public Bench Mural Art”
- Rockport, “The Main Attraction”
- Rockville, “MainStreet Mural on Jefferson”
- Shoals, “Re-CREATE-ing Overlook Park”
- Spencer, “Sweet Owen River Arts Park”
- Union City, “Union City Arts Project Pitch Competition and Delivery”
- Washington, “Building Deeper Appreciation for the Arts in Daviess County”
Participating communities were identified and invited to participate in the program by the Indiana Arts Commission. Communities interested in learning more about participating in the future should contact Lydia Campbell-Maher, IAC Communities Services Manager, at [email protected].