INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Black Expo, Inc. recently announced its purchase of the Crossroads Bible College Building on the east side of Indianapolis to relocate its headquarters and house programming for its new Performing Arts Academy. The 43,000+ square feet building, located at 601 N. Shortridge Rd., will house music production, dance, videography and photography studios that will be used by youth that participate in its Performing Arts Academy and local arts organizations.
“Over the last few years, our board and staff have discussed ways that we can help improve the academic outcomes for our youth and transform our community. After hearing from the youth that we serve and seeing last year’s I-Step results that showed less than 25 percent of African American 3rd – 8th graders and only 1 out of 10 African American 10th graders in Indiana passed, it confirmed that we needed to make a significant investment in our youth,” said IBE President and CEO Tanya Bell. “We are excited to help train our youth in the arts but the ultimate goal is to utilize the arts to enhance their academic and economic outcomes, and we will do so through the provision of academic supports,” added Bell.
The Performing Arts Academy provides music production, acting, videography, photography and dance training to youth between the ages of 13 and 19. The program currently serves approximately 100 youth while more than 30 remain on a waiting list. Classes are taught at the current IBE headquarters on North Meridian and at the Legacy Center on the Arsenal Tech campus. IBE anticipates serving more than 300 youth in this program in its first year. IBE plans to utilize its relationship with celebrity entertainers to provide master classes and to set its program apart from others throughout the country.
The new headquarters is located about 3 miles from where IBE has been providing wrap-around services to youth residents in Beechwood Garden and Hawthorne Place public housing on the east side of Indianapolis. According to Bell, “the location of the new headquarters will help IBE better serve youth residents that are in need of its services.”
Indiana Black Expo was founded in 1970 in Indianapolis and organizes the largest ethnic-cultural event in the U.S., Indiana Black Expo Summer Celebration. In addition, the organization hosts the Circle City Classic, a two day event held the first weekend in October, and celebrates the athletic and educational achievements of historically black colleges. Both events are held in downtown Indianapolis.
IBE plans to spend $4 million to renovate the building in phases over the course of several years. IBE will provide programming out of the building by July and plans to relocate its entire staff after this year’s Summer Celebration.
