09 Mar In Pursuit of Art
The Fishers Arts Council leads the charge to enrich city culture
“Where there’s culture, there’s commerce. When you have the two, the city will thrive.”
This quote appears on the Fishers Arts Council’s 2016 Operations Plan and at the top of every board meeting agenda. It is the mantra that inspires the organization’s drive to promote and support arts and culture in Fishers, Ind.
For the last two years, the FAC’s board has been diligently working on the framework and strategic plan to accomplish its mission to support, advocate and cultivate arts and cultural opportunities in Fishers that educate, enhance and enrich the lives of the city’s residents.
Most recently, the organization established an Arts Advisory Committee that gives local arts organizations and artists an opportunity to network, collaborate and, through a seat on the FAC board, influence the arts in Fishers. The committee also will alert and advise the board on funding needs for community arts programs, shows and exhibits, and arts infrastructure.
Board president Lisa Sirkin Vielee, a longtime Fishers arts advocate, is leading the charge with a plan in 2016 to continue to raise awareness and seek funds to support community arts programs.
“I think we put together an unbelievable, aggressive plan for 2016,” Vielee says. “I’m proud of what we were able to accomplish in 2015 with a small board and changing structure. Our goal this year is to create new partnerships and diversify funding to help our local arts organizations grow and to infuse more art into our city.”
In 2015, the City of Fishers gave the FAC a grant to help fund public art projects that create vitality in Fishers’ Nickel Plate District. Some of the funds were used to hire performers for the inaugural Arts Crawl last July and for live music performances in the Pocket Park on 116th Street last summer.
Through the grant, the Fishers Arts Council sought out local artists interested in participating in a Hydrophobic Paint project in the Nickel Plate District this spring.
The FAC also received a grant from Noblesville Creates to help support local art projects including“Connections,” an interactive art project created by Fishers artist DeMaris Gaunt. Gaunt is up-cycling the pages of old books into envelopes that contain one of her poems and a handwritten question card that will become an art installation in Fishers.
Her objective is to stimulate interest in the arts by making an intimate connection through the art of poetry and surprise, offering residents and visitors an opportunity to create a portion of the completed installation. Be on the lookout for these envelopes as they begin popping up around Fishers in 2016 so you can express your own inner artist and contribute to the project.
The FAC also curates Art in City Hall, a rotating art gallery featuring artists from Fishers and across the state. Begun in 2012, Art in City Hall is a partnership between the City of Fishers and Fishers Arts Council and is managed by Noblesville Creates. The 2016 season will feature pen and ink, watercolor, textiles, oils, photography and mixed media art. The gallery is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; and Saturday mornings from 9-12 p.m. during the Fishers Farmers Market season.
Get On Board
If you are interested in joining the Board of Directors, contact: lisa@welldonemarketing.com for more information. The board is actively seeking directors with legal and fundraising experience as well as local business owners interested in enhancing Fishers through the arts.
Art in City Hall Exhibits
HSE SENIOR SHOWCASE April 25-May 13 Features artwork from Fishers and Hamilton Southeastern high school senior art students. Celebrate these students and their work during a public reception on Saturday, April 30 from 1-4 pm. http://www.facebook.com/events/870830836375652/
