Julie Goodman: Here’s why arts and sports team up in Indianapolis

In 1995, former Indiana Pacer Rik Smits turned out for a publicity stunt when construction got underway at the Indianapolis Artsgarden, the iconic glass-and-steel downtown cultural destination owned and operated by the Arts Council of Indianapolis. Wearing his blue and gold warm-up suit, Smits symbolically signed the first steel beam before it was hoisted into place by crane. He was exactly as tall as the beam: 7 feet, 4 inches.

Our staff at the Arts Council thought about that moment as we worked with the Indiana Sports Corp. to offer the Artsgarden as an official media hub for the 2021 Men’s Basketball Tournament. The partnership between arts and sports enjoys a long history in Indianapolis and is central to the Arts Council’s origin story.

In 1987, the city sanctioned the creation of our agency to administer public funding to not-for-profit arts and cultural organizations to support their participation in the Pan Am Games. And we’ve been winning teammates ever since—from the Super Bowl XLVI mural project, when artists created 46 murals in 2012 to brighten up the city, to the iconic “Welcome Race Fans” tradition, where original artworks are commissioned to become banners and signs to greet Indianapolis 500 fans.

That story continues this month, as nearly 600 visual artists, musicians, dancers, spoken-word artists and other creative-industry professionals have been employed to turn downtown into a sidewalk art gallery and outdoor cultural corridor connecting game sites to a showcase of 50 artworks and more than 250 live performances. The Arts Council and its partners—Indiana Sports Corp., Indianapolis Cultural Trail, Downtown Indy Inc., Visit Indy, the Indianapolis International Airport, GangGang, and 60 on Center—are excited that this collection of experiences, tagged as #SWISHIndy, will allow our city’s talented creatives to reconnect with local audiences after a long intermission, while engaging on a national stage as well.

And thanks to the generosity of Lilly Endowment, we were able to engage and pay many more artists than would have been possible without their support—especially critical now, as nearly 100% of artists we have surveyed have experienced devastating losses due to the 30,000-plus event cancellations and venue closures caused by the pandemic. Many have struggled to pay for food, housing and health care costs. Yet, despite these massive challenges, artists, and arts and culture organizations, have been relentless in their commitment to keep us connected and inspired.

In March 2020, the Arts Council launched the #IndyKeepsCreating campaign to reflect the resilience and innovation that was evident from the earliest days of the shutdown. A year later, it’s amazing and inspiring to look back on what artists, and arts and culture organizations have accomplished—sewing protective gowns for health care workers, painting murals to advocate for racial justice, promoting public health and safety, delivering art kits to children, helping residents register to vote, designing virtual and in-real-life experiences for us to safely enjoy, and so much more.

Annually in central Indiana, more than 70 not-for-profit arts and culture organizations connect, educate and entertain 8 million residents and visitors and generate more than $440 million in economic impact. Together, as outlined in our #IndyKeepsCreating Pledge, our sector is united in serving our community in safe, equitable, innovative and collaborative ways as we work toward the reopening of all our arts and cultural organizations in 2021.

And Indy’s commitment to these priorities is on full display in March. Indianapolis understands that there is no recovery without creativity. Central Indiana is committed to “Restart with Art” and we’re grateful to all who are working to demonstrate this. Indy is truly “made for this moment,” and by teaming up with artists and our arts and culture scene, we’re able to show the world just what we’re made of.

Julie Goodman is the CEO and president of the Arts Council of Indianapolis, the arts advocacy and services agency for central Indiana whose mission is to foster meaningful engagement in the arts by nurturing a culture where artists and arts organizations can thrive.