Indianapolis Art Center’s largest and longest-running fundraiser is back this May.
The 53rd annual OneAmerica Financial Broad Ripple Art Fair returns May 17-18 at the Indy Art Center. Throughout the weekend, attendees are invited to enjoy live music, interactive art demonstrations, make-it-take-it classes and more than 150 local and national exhibiting artists, according to Shannon Bennett, vice president of events and exhibitions.
“It’s just got this familiarity to it that is welcoming and inviting,” Bennett said. “The Indy Art Center itself is so welcoming and interesting and intriguing on so many different levels … When you can come to the Indy Art Center and experience all of these artists on the grounds and walk around and just see so much creativity going on, it’s just very special.”
Going on 53 years strong, the Broad Ripple Art Fair has become a staple of the Indianapolis arts community and a platform for emerging artists, such as Indianapolis-based ceramicist Essence Jones.
Jones has worked with clay on and off for the last 10 years but only “made the plunge” to hone her craft for the last two and a half years. The idea of functional pottery for daily use inspires her work. Jones focuses on the color and functionality of items like bowls and coffee mugs.
“It does sound simple,” Jones said. “I like to focus on this stuff because there’s something about a ball of clay going from a wheel to a kiln to your kitchen table to be used every day.”
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Jones, who graduated from the Herron School of Art + Design, said she still uses mugs she made in the eighth grade. Having a piece she can look forward to grabbing during her morning routine “just kind of sets my day.”
This year marks Jones’ first time vending at the Broad Ripple Art Fair; however, she tested the waters by exhibiting during the Indy Art Center’s Winter Art Sale. Having attended the fair as a guest in previous years, Jones said she is excited to meet other artists in the area and join in the tradition of the fair.
“You definitely see a different variety of art that I’ve never even thought of,” Jones said. “And while some people may be selling the same thing, or showing the same thing, each piece is different, and specific to the artists.”
Honoring the longstanding tradition of the event, the theme of this year’s fair — “Building Community Through Art” — aligns with the Indianapolis Arts Center’s capital campaign to raise $8.8 million to fund improvements to the building, studios, programs and campus, Bennett said.
The auditorium has already felt those improvements, complete with a new projector unit and screen. In fact, for the first time in Broad Ripple Art Fair history, short films from Heartland and the Indianapolis Black Documentary Film Festival will be screened in the auditorium.
In addition to the variety of exhibiting artists, the Indianapolis Jazz Foundation is curating a lineup of live entertainment throughout the weekend, including performances from Bashiri Asad, Tad Robinson, Goldie, Son de Esquina, Phelps Connection, Cathy Morris and The Doo.
All proceeds from ticket sales and vendor fees go directly back into the Indy Arts Center, funding essential programs and exhibitions to “maintain that community art center feel” and keep programs free year-round, Bennett said.
“There are people that have been going to the fair for years and years and years … I grew up from Broad Ripple and I know I’ve been going to the fair since I was four years old, and that was almost 40 years ago,” Bennett said. “It’s just a tradition. Every year, you just go to the Broad Ripple Art Fair.”
The 53rd Broad Ripple Arts Fair is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 17-18 at the Indianapolis Arts Center. Tickets are $20 at the gate (cashless). The preview party, which features 36 artists and food and entertainment from the Jazz Kitchen, takes place from 6-8 p.m. on May 16. Tickets are $150 and include admission for the weekend as well. For more information, visit indyartcenter.org/braf.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
Chloe McGowan is the Arts & Culture Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Columbus, OH, Chloe graduated with a degree in journalism from The Ohio State University. She is a former IndyStar Pulliam Fellow, and her previous work includes freelancing for Indy Maven, Assistant Arts & Life Editor for The Lantern, and editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Chloe enjoys covering all things arts and culture — from local music, visual art, dance, theater and film, as well as minority-owned businesses. In her free time, Chloe enjoys reading, cooking and keeping her plants alive.
