Big Car Collaborative is preparing to open applications for the next round of Power Plant Grants (PPG) — and this year, Hoosier artists outside of Indianapolis are eligible.
The PPG program, which is supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts’ Regional Regranting Program, has previously awarded five $12,000 grants to Indy-based visual artists each year to support independent, public facing visual art projects that “encourage experimentation, creative risk-taking, and collaboration,” according to a press release. This year, the program is expanding its reach to include visual artists living and working across the state of Indiana.
“Expanding the Power Plant Grant to reach artists across the state reflects the fund’s commitment to bolstering artists and strengthening their relationships to Indiana’s diverse communities,” Khadija Nia Adell, program officer of the Regional Regranting Program at the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, said in a statement. “This expansion ensures that visual artists in every corner of Indiana — from urban centers to rural communities — have access to resources that allow them to sustain and grow their practice.”
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Since joining the Regional Regranting Program in 2020, the PPG program has awarded $300,000 to Indianapolis-based artists.
Beginning Aug. 17, the 2026 cycle of the PPG program will accept applications from a broad range of contemporary visual artists working across disciplines — including painting, drawing, sculpture, book art, ceramics, fiber, printmaking, digital and media works, film, video, photography, performance art, sound art, social practice and hybrid or interdisciplinary work.
Applicants must be at least 21 years old, live in Indiana and not currently a full-time student to be considered eligible. Teams and collaborations are also eligible, but nonprofit organizations and artist-run spaces are not. Previous grantees may apply only after completing their funded project and submitting all required final reports, according to a press release.
Eligible artists may submit applications through Nov. 20, after which, Big Car will host virtual and in-person informational sessions throughout the state, including Fort Wayne, Bloomington and at CAMi in Indianapolis, according to a press release.
“There are very strong artists outside Indianapolis who fell outside our eligibility boundary,” Shauta Marsh, director and chief curator of the Contemporary Art Museum of Indianapolis (CAMi) and PPG program lead, said in a statement. “At a moment when public arts funding across Indiana is under significant strain, expanding statewide feels like a necessary next step for the program.”
The 2026 grant applications will be judged by a jury panel made of up “four distinguished voices from across Indiana’s and the Midwest’s contemporary arts landscape,” according to a press release. Judges include:Elliot Josephine Leila Reichert, curator of Contemporary Art at the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art at Indiana University Bloomington; Sidney Mori Garrett, director of programs at 3Arts in Chicago; Tim Parsley, program director for Studio Art and associate professor of Studio Art (Painting and Drawing) at the University of Saint Francis, Division of Creative Arts in Fort Wayne, Indiana; and Quinn Tailor an Indianapolis-based textile artist, educator, community leader and past Power Plant Grant recipient.
Grant recipients of the 2026 PPG cycle will be announced publicly in December. For more information regarding eligibility, information session dates, application materials or additional program information, visit powerplantgrant.org.
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 has a bachelor's in journalism from The Ohio State University. She is a former IndyStar Pulliam Fellow, and has previously worked for Indy Maven, The Lantern, and CityScene Media Group. In her free time, Chloe enjoys live theatre, reading, baking and keeping her plants alive.
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