01 May Indiana Arts Commission’s Common Vision Spurs Action
Bob Burnett is Regional Services Director for the Indiana Arts Commission, a Premium Level sponsor of Noblesville Creates. He works with people, organizations and municipalities in Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Marion and Shelby counties to help carry out the IAC’s mission to positively impact the cultural, economic and educational climate of Indiana. Burnett and IAC do this by providing responsible leadership for and public stewardship of artistic resources for the State’s citizens and communities. At Noblesville Creates, we see eye to eye with the IAC’s vision, in which the arts are everywhere, everyday, for everyone in Indiana. Burnett shares his insights on our partnership and the arts.
Bob Burnett: The Indiana Arts Commission is pleased to support Noblesville Creates because of their ability to provide direct access to the creative process to the people in the Hamilton County area. Because IAC funding is derived from tax dollars, the decision to fund Noblesville Creates comes from volunteer panels made up of civic-minded individuals who recognize the arts as part of a dynamic community.
NPArts: How is your support of NPArts driven by a desire to make lasting changes in your community, not just today but into the future?
Burnett: Any dollars granted by the Indiana Arts Commission are an investment in Indiana’s future. Whether it is a one-time event such as a concert or performance or a space where artists and community members can gather to share ideas about how to resolve civic issues, community engagement is at the heart of IAC financial support.
Recognizing the arts as integral and essential to the lives of individuals is a commitment to the expanding health and vitality of all communities.
NPArts: If you could snap your fingers and change something about the arts in your community or the world, what would you change and why?
Burnett: That the scales that blind most people would fall away and that the many ways in which the creative process is a part of their everyday lives and that the arts need to be valued and supported as the means of connecting our culture and our heritage to the future.
NPArts: How has your experience with the Noblesville Creates brand benefited the Indiana Arts Commission?
Burnett: NPArts embodies the vision that the IAC has for all Hoosiers, easy access to the arts and to the creative process. It doesn’t get much better than that.
