KIB Strengthening Indianapolis Through Arts and Cultural Innovation
ANNOUNCEMENT
Contact:
Ashley Haynes, Director of Marketing
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful
317-793-2871
ahaynes@kibi.org
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful Strengthening Indianapolis Through Arts and Cultural Innovation
INDIANAPOLIS (December 10, 2018) - Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. (KIB) has received a grant of $674,520 as part of Lilly Endowment Inc.'s Strengthening Indianapolis Through Arts and Cultural Innovation initiative. KIB is one of 18 organizations receiving grants through this competitive initiative.
With this funding, KIB will partner with the Arts Council of Indianapolis to create public art experiences for both residents and visitors. Indy Art & Seek will feature more than 100 mini-installations of engaging and accessible public art along urban streets, as well as 6 large-scale installations in greenspaces throughout Indianapolis.
An interactive map and mobile application will guide participants through the experience, revealing locations and spaces that may currently have little or no public art. ACI will focus on matching local artists with opportunities to create installations for the project.
"For many years, KIB has worked to bring the beauty and joy of art into neighborhoods. This grant will allow us to work with our partners at the Arts Council to go beyond stand-alone installations and actually create connections, connecting the pieces to one another, and more importantly, connecting one another to art created for and by our neighbors," said Kristina Uland, Sr. Vice President at KIB.
Lilly Endowment launched the initiative in January 2018, inviting Indiana-based charitable organizations to propose ideas that would use the arts to foster community building in Indianapolis. The initiative encouraged organizations to collaborate across diverse sectors, but at least one partnering organization needed to have the promotion of arts and culture as its primary mission. At least one partnering organization needed to be based in Marion County. And Lilly Endowment stipulated that most of a proposed project's activities needed to take place in Marion County.
When the initiative opened, Lilly Endowment planned to make grants totaling $25 million. In total, 26 creative ideas were submitted. Lilly Endowment was so pleased the quality of proposals that it decided to nearly double the total amount of money dedicated to the grants to $48.9 million.
"We were impressed not just by the number of proposals we received but also by the applicants' collaborative spirit, imagination and energetic desire to make Indianapolis a more vibrant and engaging community," said Rob Smith, the Endowment's vice president for community development. "We believe that the projects, including Indy Art & Seek will significantly enhance the quality of life for residents and create compelling new experiences for visitors."
In the next few months, KIB and ACI will select locations and artists for up to 12 pilot installations to be created in early 2019, and also select a technology partner to create the mobile app. All 106 installations will be available to experience by summer 2020.
About Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. (KIB)
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. is a private, nonprofit organization with a mission to engage diverse communities to create vibrant public places, helping people and nature thrive. Annually, KIB works with nearly 20,000 volunteers on nearly 900 community projects. To learn more, visit www.kibi.org or follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @kibiorg.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by three members of the Lilly family (J.K. Lilly Sr. and sons J.K. Jr. and Eli) through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly & Company. The Endowment exists to support causes of community development, education and religion. Lilly Endowment's community development grantmaking is designed to support efforts that enhance the quality of life in Indianapolis and Indiana. Visit lillyendowment.org
###
