The Indiana Arts Commission announced ten Indiana communities have received training on how to accelerate their arts and culture development and been approved for grant funding through the Creative Convergence program.
Creative Convergence is a program of the Indiana Arts Commission, conducted 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, economic development entities, arts organizations, educational institutions, tourism groups, and other community-focused roles were in attendance.
The two-day Creative Convergence workshop was held on November 21st and 22nd, 2024, in Fishers. The training 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 had the opportunity to 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 received $10,000 in grant funding to support their project.
Out of the ten participating communities, in the local area, Santa Claus has received a grant for its “Hometown Holiday Tree” project. This effort will engage the community to help create a 20-foot Hometown Holiday Tree, displayed near Santa Claus Town Hall, featuring disc ornaments decorated by residents. The tree will also be affixed to a platform with a mobility option for traveling to local events.
Participating communities applied to participate in the program. Applications for the next cohort of the program will open later this year. Communities interested in learning more about participating in the future can contact Eric Ashby, IAC Director of Programs, at eashby@iac.in.gov.
To learn about each of the Creative Convergence Early Action Grant Project visit in.gov/arts/programs-and-services/training/creative-convergence/#tab-824351-2-Fall_2024_Cohort.
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