INDIANAPOLIS — More than 30,000 central Indiana arts and culture events were cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19, but there’s reason for local arts lovers to feel optimistic: Nearly 60% of Indianapolis nonprofit arts and culture organizations expect to be open for in-person events by June, and that number will grow to 85% by September, according to a recent survey by the Arts Council of Indianapolis.
This month, audiences can look forward to the openings of new outdoor and indoor venues, the reopenings of existing venues, and a return to some of their favorite experiences and events—reimagined in ways to ensure attendees are safe according to the sector’s #IndyKeepsCreating pledge.
The majority of nonprofit arts and culture openings and reopenings in central Indiana has been supported through the $10 million Indy Arts and Culture Restart & Resilience Fund, administered by the Arts Council and made possible through the generosity of Lilly Endowment, Inc. Since July, the Arts Council has awarded nearly $6.5 million in Restart & Resilience Fund grants to 41 nonprofit arts and culture organizations that are Indiana-based and physically headquartered in Marion County.
Some of the openings include:
• The Indianapolis Art Center has reimagined its popular Broad Ripple Art Fair into Locally Made, a celebration of art, music, brews, and food, in partnership with the IndyJazz Fest, May 15-16.
• Guests can take a seat in District Theatre’s new “hidden urban oasis,” the Outback Theatre in the Alley, for May 16 performances of Listen To Your Mother. Performances will be live-streamed for those who prefer to sit inside the venue.
• Art and fashion have taken over the former Crackers Comedy Club in Broad Ripple. PATTERN has reinvented the space as PARADOX and the first exhibition, Lost in the Mood!, will showcase the works of local photographers. It opens May 21.
• Fonseca Theatre opens its season with Rachel Lynett’s Apologies to Lorraine Hansberry (You Too August Wilson), May 21-30, in its outdoor theater space. It’s the theater’s first production following the 2020 death of its beloved founder, Bryan Fonseca.