The Arts Council of Indianapolis and Schahet Hotels are pleased to kick off the 2015 arts season with the 29th annual Start with Art luncheon on Sept. 4 at 11:30 am at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, 350 W. Maryland St.
Presented with the additional support of Start with Art Honorary Corporate Chair Morris Maurer, Yvonne Shaheen, and other generous sponsors, Start with Art will bring together hundreds of arts organizations, business, and community leaders in central Indiana to celebrate the new arts season. At this year’s Start with Art, the Arts Council will announce the first two recipients of the $100,000 Transformational Impact Fellowships, funded by a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. Additionally, the Arts Council will unveil a sweeping new arts education initiative, announce the 2015 Beckmann Emerging Artist Fellowships, and present the annual ARTI Awards to deserving businesses and individuals for exemplary support of the arts.
“Start with Art is the Arts Council of Indianapolis’ sole fundraiser and annual celebration of the arts–one of the largest of its kind in the country. Bringing recognition and visibility to the arts is central to the Arts Council’s mission and we are pleased to once again welcome arts supporters to celebrate arts education in our schools. With several major announcements to be made that day, this year’s Start with Art will certainly be one to remember,” said Dave Lawrence, President and CEO of the Arts Council of Indianapolis.
Actor, business owner, entrepreneur, author, and nationally renowned teaching artist Eric Booth is this year’s Start with Art keynote speaker. Booth has served on the faculty of Juilliard, taught at Stanford University, New York University, Tanglewood, The Kennedy Center, and Lincoln Center Institute. He serves as a consultant for many organizations, cities and states, and businesses around the U.S., including seven of the ten largest U.S. orchestras, five national service organizations, and Carnegie Hall.
Booth is the founding director of the Teacher Center of the Leonard Bernstein Center where he currently serves on the board of directors. Capping a long and varied career, Booth has been awarded the 2015 Arts Education Award from Americans for the Arts, the highest award in the field, making him the first teaching artist to receive this award.
Start with Art will feature musical performances by the Red Hot Whiskey Sippers, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and a special performance from Asante Children’s Theatre. The program will also include the announcement of the 2015 ARTI Awards to deserving corporations, donors/volunteers, and arts educators honoring outstanding achievement in support of the arts. The 2015 ARTI Awards were created by Indianapolis clay artist and Creative Renewal Fellow, Jude Odell.
For more information, visit IndyArts.org.
