New website, same Indy Arts Council.
The Indy Arts Council launched their new website a few months ago and have been rolling out new features ever since. The website, still indyarts.org, aims to increase accessibility through hosting directories, grant opportunities, events and resources all in one place.
The new design is also mobile friendly, so those looking to stop by an art show, discover a new artist or plan a date night downtown can navigate easily on their phones, said Melissa Rowe, director of marketing and communication at Indy Arts Council.
“We talked to our stakeholders, we talked to artists organizations, we talked to the community, people that attend events and (asked) what their preferences are, what their needs are,” Rowe told the Recorder. “Then we went really into designing and developing the site based upon that information.”
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The Indy Arts Council website has featured an artist directory, event guide, public art directory and opportunities page for the last 10 years, however, it was not always easy to navigate, Rowe said. The new events page aims to be a one-stop-shop for all the local happenings in the arts and culture scene of Central Indiana. Anything from concerts to live shows, artists openings and more are added daily; sourced internally by Indy Arts Council staff and through open submission.
The public art directory, which houses more than a thousand works of public art around the city, allows guests to submit new works, jobs and photos for the arts council to review.
“If your organization is looking to hire a creative part of your team, or you have an open call for artists, you can submit all those creative opportunities,” Rowe said. “The cool thing about that too, is we look at the opportunities that people have submitted and that goes out on our bi-weekly artist opportunities newsletter, so that really kind of helps broaden the reach to get that information out to our subscribers.”
The newly designed artist profiles section is customizable, allowing artists to add a longer bio, upload photos and videos of their work and feature any past work, previous client information or gigs they have done, Rowe said.
“With this new site, specifically the artist directory, it gives artists a lot more freedom over their own profiles; to update it,” Rowe said. “Hopefully it just provides a better way for them to connect with new opportunities.”
To apply for a slot in the directory, artists need to fill out an application at indyarts.org.
This summer the Indy Arts Council is bringing back Art & Soul Sundays, a spinoff series of the larger event held during Black History Month in February. The series will feature Penny English, Witherspoon Choir & Friends, Jeremy Larnel Thompson and Brandon Douthitt with Tom Foolery & the Laughing Stock from 3-4 p.m. on select Sundays in the Indianapolis Artsgarden through October.
Also coming up this summer is Alley Sessions at the Cabaret, a free outdoor concert series at Gallery 924, Spark on the Circle and an Etheridge Knight youth poetry workshop on July 20 at Central Library, which Rowe said goes hand in hand with the Arts Council’s Bicentennial Legends Series.
For more information about upcoming events, visit indyarts.org.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
