An invitation to partner with the HCA
Click here to support Harrison Center programs.
Grant Thomas accepting 5x5 Indy prize for Color Me Indy
Grant, a 22 year-old recent college graduate and graphic designer from Baltimore arrived in Indy in June of 2015 and began a 48 Hour Residency at the Harrison Center. He walked the city to get to know it and then created a series of illustrations in response. He learned about the upcoming 5x5 Indy ideas competition, he decided to pitch an interactive coloring book project featuring the inspiring urban Indy places he had found. Grant not only won the $10,000 competition, but was offered an exciting job opportunity in his field and has now enthusiastically relocated to our city. When you support the Harrison Center, you join us in connecting people to culture, community and place in Indy. What’s great about Grant’s story is that while we helped him to plug in here, he in turn, through his Color Me Indy project, is connecting others to Indy, too! With your help, we are equipping others to be Indy ambassadors and to enliven our city through the arts. We see it happening every day through the work of —
Ka-Bike-O-Scope by Quincy Owens and Luke Crawley
•HCA studio artists like Quincy Owens, whose public art installations can be seen around town (and now across the country)
Vendors at the first Mother Artist Market
•Erin Huber, who took her Mother Artist Project to the next level with the first annual Mother Artist Market
FoodCon V
•Cultural entrepreneur interns like Sarah Fiege, the Kelley School of Business junior who planned our 5th annual FoodCon
IMAF 2015 coordinator, Evelyn Allee
•High school junior Evelyn Allee, who coordinated the 14th annual Independent Music + Art Festival which enjoyed attendance of over 7000
Luke Tuttle and Brandon Lott
•Musician interns and fellows like Luke Tuttle and Brandon Lott who are producing place-based music that celebrates Indianapolis
The HCA Internship Experience from Harrison Center for the Arts on Vimeo.
•Video interns like Thulani Smith who created a video about our high school interns and his peers who are sharpening their skills at our First Friday openings
Herron High School students
It has been ten years since Herron High School started in the basement of the Harrison Center with 99 freshmen. Today the school has over 765 students. We continue to partner and especially enjoy Summer Academe. This program integrates the arts into academic subjects, incorporating many cultural field trips and training in how to positively impact our city. Over 575 students from 28 different schools were served by Summer Academe in 2015.
Oaks Academy Middle School ribbon cutting ceremony, 16th Street, view of Thirsty Scholar from Penn & Palate
The changing face of East 16th Street has also been exciting to witness. As an anchor of this developing district, the HCA is pleased to partner with new neighbors: the Oaks Academy Middle School, Tinker Street, Penn & Palate, Tinker Coffee and more. Read our City Gallery blog posts to find out more about these neighbors.
Porch Party in Herron Morton Place
We have been encouraged and inspired by the many ways that you have joined in our efforts — by hosting hundreds of Porch Parties and City Suppers throughout the city, attending First Friday openings and buying art. You have partnered with us as vendors, presenters and attendees at events like FoodCon, 5x5 Indy, and the Independent Music + Art Festival.
Harrison Gallery
Our partners this year have included the Arts Council of Indianapolis and the City of Indianapolis, Indiana Arts Commission, Christel DeHaan Family Foundation, Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation, CICF, the Efroymson Family Fund, the Netherleigh Fund, the Divers Family Foundation, the Lilly Endowment, Precision Abrasives, Sun King Brewing and generous people like you. This has enabled us to present 50+ new exhibits over the past year, including solo shows by Justin Vining, Emma Overman, Amy Falstrom and Casey Roberts. In addition, we were able to complete the first phase of a major renovation in our Harrison Gallery through a generous grant from Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation. We hope to complete phase two as funding allows.
HCA studio artist Nathan Foxton
We are seeing how the arts can transform a city. But we need your continued support to keep the momentum going. Will you help us? This year, we are seeking to raise $150,000 for our annual fund and $50,000 for building renovations. A donation to the Harrison Center empowers us to continue building culture in Indianapolis — by continuing our popular gallery openings, offering studio space to local artists, retaining the 16th & Delaware art billboard, and partnering with other local organizations to celebrate the arts. These are exciting times for our neighborhood and our city. We have been thrilled to see so many join our efforts to infuse art into every part of the life of Indianapolis. Please help by making a tax-deductible donation today. For your convenience, donations can be made online here. Thank you for partnering with us.