Southern Indiana Business Report
BLOOMINGTON – Rural Indiana communities are invited to apply for the 2026 Rural Placemaking Studio, a program that connects Indiana University faculty and students with rural residents looking to enhance their communities through art and design.
The Rural Placemaking Studio is a partnership between the IU ServeDesign Center at the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design and the IU Center for Rural Engagement. The initiative helps rural communities strengthen their quality of place by connecting them with IU faculty and students who specialize in design, placemaking and community arts. Together, they work to identify and build on each community’s unique assets to envision vibrant, welcoming public spaces that can be enjoyed and sustained for generations.
Several communities in the Radius Indiana region have benefited from the collaboration.
Discover Downtown Washington is nearing completion on a downtown Historic Walking Trail, a self-guided tour that will tell the stories behind the downtown’s historic buildings. DDW collaborated with the IU CRE on the project.
“IU CRE has been an incredible partner,” said Amber Warden, Discover Downtown Washington board member and executive director of Daviess County Visitors Bureau. “This project not only preserves our local history but also brings it to life in an engaging, accessible way for residents and visitors alike.
Each stop has a QR code, allowing visitors to learn the history and heritage of Washington.
“By combining technology with storytelling, the trail encourages people to slow down, look up, and truly experience the character of downtown Washington,” Warden said. “The initiative has also sparked renewed interest among property owners and community members, leading to additional conversations about preservation, restoration, and creative reuse of our historic spaces. It’s a great example of how partnerships like the one with IU CRE can inspire long-term impact – blending education, tourism, and community pride to strengthen the heart of our downtown.”
Some past recipients and projects include:
- Paoli Redevelopment Commission to create a parklet in downtown Paoli.
- Community Action Leading Loogootee to add signage to identify downtown buildings with Mesker facades.
- Historic Shoals River District and Martin County Alliance for Economic Growth to add signage on Main Street to promote local businesses.
- Discover Downtown Washington, which will map and design renderings of wayfinding signage to connect people to attractions throughout the cities and towns of Daviess County.
- INergize Linton in Greene County to activate an alley to provide a walking path from First Street to Main Street. The goal is to connect the Linton Public Library and the Carnegie Heritage & Art Center to the downtown business district of Main Street.
- The Pekin Community Betterment Organization in Washington County, which will design a mural on the exterior walls of the shelter house in a local park.
Application deadline is Dec. 18
Applications are open and will close Dec. 18. Those interested in applying can include – but are not limited to – Main Street committees, volunteer groups, chambers of commerce, local government and municipal organizations, federally recognized tribal organizations, nonprofit community organizations, arts organizations, member cooperatives and other resident-led groups. Applications are open to groups and organizations with or without non-profit designation.
The Rural Placemaking Studio is designed for rural communities of 50,000 people or fewer, with preference given to Indiana communities within a roughly 90-mile radius of Bloomington.
The IU Center for Rural Engagement collaborates with the IU ServeDesign Center to select and match communities with tailored services for their projects. The studio will facilitate community feedback sessions, establish a scope of work, and create designs that the community can then implement on a timeline that suits the project.
While the initiative does not include direct funding, Rural Placemaking Studio staff will offer planning guidance, resource support, pre-architectural design services and project development assistance as communities move toward implementation.
More information about the program and how to apply is available at go.iu.edu/ruralplacemakingstudio.