On Monday, Indiana Governor Mike Braun’s office announced the awards for the LEI Arts and Culture Initiative.
The READI 2.0 Arts & Culture Initiative, supported by Lilly Endowment Inc., allocates $65 million to the state’s creative economy – a first-of-its-kind, statewide initiative to advance regional creative transformation by investing in public art, cultural amenities and the creative economy.
Northeast Indiana received six awards for a total of $10.6 million dollars, adjusted to 17% of the total available funds. Our region was awarded the second most projects in total, the second most dollars in total, and the second most dollars per capita.
“To take part and lead this program, which has been over a year in the making, has been a truly eye-opening experience. Learning how this economic sector works and impacts our region has been one of the great joys I’ve had working for this region. We had six winners out of 42 applicants,” Jacob Ihrie, NEI Senior Director of Regional Initiatives and Executive Director of the Regional Development Authority, said. “The emotions are always mixed between the elation of being a part of those projects’ stories, while my heart goes out to the 36 projects that didn’t receive funding this round. This engagement will surely grow into more wonderful partnerships. However, none of this would be possible without our partnership with Arts United, who helped convene, consult, and champion this region.”
The six awarded projects in Northeast Indiana include:
- The City of Bluffton will install a permanent 3D projection-mapping system in its downtown, transforming a historic building façade into a dynamic platform for digital art, storytelling, and community programming.
- PBS Fort Wayne’s Arts (260) is a portfolio of media productions, cultural storytelling, and workforce development programs that elevate the arts in Northeast Indiana.
- The Surack City Theatre & Pearl Arts Creative Talent Academy Program is expanding to meet Northeast Indiana’s growing need for skilled talent in music technology, stage production, and live event operations.
- The Canal Street Artist Collective in Wabash is a transformative arts and culture project designed to strengthen Northeast Indiana’s creative economy through talent retention, workforce development, placemaking, and cultural tourism.
- The University of Saint Francis is launching a workforce-driven music technology collaborative that will engage rural high schools, regional arts partners, and the arts industry to create a workforce pipeline with upskilling opportunities for the Northeast Indiana region.
- Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts in Warsaw is launching a transformative capital improvement and programming expansion project at its historic campus to improve theatre and conservatory facilities and expand arts education through full implementation of the Artist-in-Residence and Broadway 360 pilot programs and the addition of a vocal instruction track.
