INDIANAPOLIS — Anthony Radford, the founder of The Indianapolis Public Library’s annual Meet the Artist exhibit and gala, a retired Library employee, and a current member of The Indianapolis Public Library’s African American History Committee advisory board, was awarded the Christel DeHaan Lifetime Achievement Award from the Indy Arts Council.
The Christel DeHaan Lifetime Achievement Award is one of six ARTI Awards, which celebrate individuals working to advance equity and innovation in the arts.
Anthony Radford is a mixed-media artist, curator, and art instructor. He grew up on the east side of Indianapolis and started working for the Indianapolis Public Library at the age of 19.
Later, Radford proposed the idea of an art show featuring Black artists to the African American History Committee, which creates educational and cultural programming, services, and collections that benefit the community while highlighting the diverse accomplishments and heritage of African Americans. They entrusted him with organizing the event, which has since grown annually to attract more than 1,000 guests each year, and sometimes as many as 2,350. Meet the Artists continues to provide Black artists, poets, dancers, authors, and musicians with a platform to celebrate creative culture.
