INDIANAPOLIS — In an effort to capture the expansion and evolution of the work the Harrison Center for the Arts is doing to serve as a catalyst for renewal in the city of Indianapolis, the nonprofit arts organization, will operate as the Harrison Center effective Nov. 1, 2017. While the Harrison Center is still deeply focused on its commitment to serving artists and building a community among artists and emerging art patrons, the new name and logo is a natural evolution which reflects the center’s expanded breadth of work as it relates to community development and using arts and culture to tell the story of Indy’s urban neighborhoods.
Since its inception in 2001, the Harrison Center for the Arts has evolved not only as a home for galleries and artists’ studios, but has emerged as a fountainhead for community engagement. In 2017 alone, the Harrison Center worked to elevate stories of long term residents and businesses in areas where gentrification was a concern with noteworthy projects including producing PreEnactIndy, the nation’s first PreEnactment Theater. Additionally, artists celebrated the 60-year-old Cheatham and Moore Barbershop in Butler-Tarkington, part of the Maple Crossing Great Places 2020 initiative, with the creation of a music video called “Barbershop a Blessing.” The Harrison Gallery was enhanced with the addition of the “Speck-tacular” descending table and artists thrived as Alicia Zanoni was honored with a Beckmann Emerging Artist Fellowship by the Arts Council of Indianapolis and songwriter residencies allowed local musicians and TeenWorks youth to write over 20 songs about urban Indy in 2017.
The rebrand comes shortly after it was announced the center will be working in tandem with the City of Indianapolis to engage the Monon16 community through its Lift Indy: Monon16 campaign to connect diverse neighbors through public art, commissioned songs and new videos.
For more information on the Harrison Center, please visit www.harrisoncenter.org.