Indiana: A Community Colloquium for Innovation and Growth

This fall, the Indiana Arts Commission (IAC) collaborated with Ball State University’s Building Better Communities office to offer a two-day colloquium on creating dynamic, attractive and economically productive communities. Creating Vibrant Communities through the Arts featured sessions on creating artist live-work communities, establishing cultural districts and developing community arts education centers. In addition to showcasing best practices from Indiana and from around the nation, the colloquium helped participants apply these ideas to their local planning efforts by sharing practical tools and facilitating team planning sessions.

A diverse crowd of 60 attendees participated, representing small to midsize cities and towns, community development offices, convention and visitors bureaus, universities, local arts councils and organizations, art galleries, and established cultural districts. Participants reported that they valued the networking opportunities and the case studies that demonstrated the power of the arts to drive economic development, as well as the opportunity to develop local action plans. The agenda, list of speakers, session materials and presentations are available on-line. For more information, contact IAC Executive Director Lewis C. Ricci, 317-232-1288.