Bloomington Partnership Expands Artist Workspace and Arts Programming

The City of Bloomington will help create affordable artist studios, expand business-development opportunities for local creatives and bring more regional arts programming to Switchyard Park through a new $7 million regional partnership supporting the creative economy across south-central Indiana.

The effort, known as the Uplands Regional Creative Economy Commons, is anchored by a $3 million READI 2.0 Arts & Culture Initiative grant from the Indiana Economic Development Corp., matched by more than $4 million in local and regional in-kind and financial support. The City of Bloomington is contributing both funding and services to help the initiative succeed, joining IU Research, Regional Opportunity Initiatives, Amplify Bloomington, Constellation Stage & Screen, Girls Rock Bloomington, Secretly Canadian, Eurton Opportunity Fund, and IU Innovates as founding partners.
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The Commons will connect artist workspaces, business training, production facilities and public programming along Bloomington’s B-Line Trail, creating new opportunities for creatives across the 11-county Indiana Uplands region.

The 2022 Trahan Arts Feasibility Study, commissioned by the City of Bloomington and drawing on 470 community survey responses and visits to more than 20 facilities, identified clear priorities: an arts incubator, a centralized communications platform and expanded community programming. The Commons project directly advances each of those recommendations.

As part of the partnership, the City of Bloomington will:

• Create 12 affordable artist studios in the Showers Administration Building at 10th and Morton streets. The City will provide in-kind and financial support to establish studio space in the historic Showers Administration Building, part of the City’s Trades District, giving working artists a stable, accessible and affordable place to create.
  
• Develop creative entrepreneurship training. The City will partner with Amplify Bloomington to design and deliver business-development programming that helps creative entrepreneurs turn their work into sustainable careers and businesses.
  
• Bring more regional arts programming to Switchyard Park. The City will provide in-kind support—including facility access, staffing and event services—to help the park host concerts, performances, markets and community arts events featuring creatives from across the Indiana Uplands.
  
  

"We believe the partnership model behind this project - civic government, higher education, private industry, and nonprofit arts organizations working together through a shared governance structure - offers a strong, replicable framework for communities across Indiana," said Mayor Kerry Thomson. "Bloomington's creative community is one of our greatest economic and cultural assets, and this partnership is about making sure the artists and makers who define this city can afford to stay and build their futures here."

“Indiana University is committed to helping talented people build their futures in Indiana. This investment reflects the vital role that arts and culture play in enriching communities, expanding opportunity and strengthening regional economies,” said Indiana University President Pamela Whitten. “We’re proud to partner with organizations across the Indiana Uplands to create opportunities for artists, entrepreneurs and creative professionals to launch their careers, create jobs and help their communities flourish.”

In addition to the City's contributions, the initiative includes a 10,000-square-foot regional arts production facility at Switchyard Park, and “Uplands Creatives,” a new digital platform connecting artists across the 11-county region with events, grants, and professional development opportunities.

The READI 2.0 grant was awarded to IU Research and runs through December 2028. READI is a $1.25 billion state program investing in community-led projects that improve quality of life, place and opportunity across Indiana. The READI 2.0 Arts & Culture Initiative, supported by Lilly Endowment Inc., allocates $65 million statewide to advance regional creative economies through investments in public art, cultural amenities and creative infrastructure. Indiana University was the only public university in the state to receive a READI 2.0 grant.

For more information about the City of Bloomington's role in the Uplands Regional Creative Economy Commons, contact Paige Sharp at [email protected].  ​