INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Sports Corp has received a $905,000 grant from the Lilly Endowment Inc. to fund initiatives to enhance and promote downtown Indianapolis ahead of and during March Madness.
The grant has two strategic focuses: enhancing the look and feel of downtown Indy to ensure a vibrant, welcoming, and safe and healthy environment amid the COVID-19 pandemic, along with engaging national media and showcasing action in Indy inside and outside of the competition venues.
Indiana Sports Corp, along with the Arts Council of Indianapolis, Downtown Indy, Indiana Humanities, Indianapolis Urban League, Indy Chamber, IndyHub, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Visit Indy, and the Indianapolis Cultural Trail are working closely on the execution and fulfillment of the grant.
The downtown corridors will feature live performances by Indy-based artists of all genres hosted in pop-up outdoor locations in key activation areas downtown. These initiatives will not only enhance Indy during March but pay dividends for months to come as downtown continues to open up and push forward in its recovery.
The effort will highlight Indy’s creative culture, as painters, poets, musicians, dancers, and other artists create experiences for visitors and residents to enjoy throughout downtown’s public spaces. The Arts Council of Indianapolis is working with local art and culture partners to engage more than 300 central Indiana-based artists in paid opportunities. The program will also feature new, temporary artworks that will turn downtown into an outdoor gallery, pop-up performances, and a self-guided tour of murals and other public art. The Arts Council will announce more event details this month. Artists can learn about opportunities here.
Indiana Sports Corp also plans to use a portion of the grant to fund media hubs throughout the city to engage with journalists during their time downtown covering the event. These hubs will be staffed with Indy Advocates and community leaders with the goal of providing a safe environment to conduct interviews, answer questions, and inform media of events and attractions that Indy is offering from Selection Sunday to the conclusion of the Final Four.