City of Bloomington Awards $76,000 to 47 Local Arts Projects

The City of Bloomington has awarded $76,000 in Arts Project Grants to a variety of artists, arts organizations, and community groups. The recipients of the Arts Project Grants will use their funding to produce public arts programming that enriches Bloomington’s vibrant cultural scene. Award amounts range up to $3,000, with most recipients receiving partial funding.

Projects awarded as part of the 2026 Arts Project grant cycle embody the dynamic, artistic spirit of Bloomington, celebrate and support its local artists, and provide more opportunities for Bloomington residents and visitors to experience the arts.

Awarded projects include

• The 2026 Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration presented by the FAR Center for Contemporary Arts 
• Redbud Book’s community play reading series featuring local playwrights
• Babel Theatre’s “Urban Circles” participatory and storytelling performance and workshop series. 
• The creation and public presentation of new music by Tortilla Jackson, a Latin soul ensemble led by artist Nicholas Najera, developed through community engagement across rural Indiana
• We’re Crankie Fest - a community scroll art festival by the artist group We’re Crankie.
• The production of the CHAKCHAK Languages and Cultures Foundation’s Volga-Finno-Ugric cultural performance series and digital documentation for broad access.
• The production of the “Road Trips” live music performance series by art Joan Hawkins

Of the total amount awarded, $31,000 was provided by the Bloomington Urban Enterprise Association. The remaining funds come from the City’s 2026 General Fund. All proposed projects were evaluated based on their level of artistic quality, community impact, and organizational capacity. 

“We appreciate how engaged the Bloomington community has been throughout the grant cycle, and we are inspired by the many creative ideas and connections that have emerged,” said BAC Chair Nada Abdelrahim. “This process shows just how much the arts matter to our city and our community. The BAC is dedicated to supporting both new and ongoing projects because we believe strong support for the arts keeps Bloomington thriving.”

2026 BAC Arts Project Grant Recipients

• Artists for Climate Awareness
• Babel Theater Project
• Blockhouse Bar LLC
• Bloomington Chamber Singers, INC
• Bloomington High School South Band Booster Assoc.        
• BloomingtonPoetry Slam INC
• Buffy Prom Bloomington
• CHAKCHAK Languages and Cultures Foundation
• Cicada Cinema Inc
• Daniel Cueto
• Daria Antipova
• Erica Isaacson
• FAR Center for Contemporary Arts
• Fourth Wall LLC
• H.C. Brenner
• Hannah Ross Scott
• Hoosier Jazz Inc.
• Hoosier Original Music Association
• Indiana Heritage Quilt Show
• Inner Freak Out! Artist Group
• Jewish Theatre Bloomington Inc
• Joan Hawkins
• KateLyons
• Landon Shane Greene
• Lok Yau Lois Leong
• Madison Young
• Margie Minka Wiltz
• Maureen Langley
• Maxwell Fertik
• Mother Hubbard's Cupboard
• Nicholas Daniel Najera
• Off Night Productions Company
• Park Ridge East Neighborhood Association
• Redbud Books
• Reimagining Opera for Kids
• Retained Image Collective
• Sculpture Trails Inc.
• Sounds From the Black Hole Artist Group
• Southern Indiana Wind Ensemble
• Stages Bloomington Company
• Sylvester Makobi
• Taylor Joel Woodward
• The Bloomington Project School
• Urban Deer Record Co.
• We're Crankie
• Writers Guild at Bloomington, Inc.
• YOUnique Studio

The BAC will host two more grant cycles in 2026. The Artistic Advancement Cycle, which provides funds to support the professional career advancement of artists living and working in Bloomington, is open through August 10. The Operations Cycle, which provides funds to support operational costs for 501(c)3 organizations with arts-centered missions and Bloomington-based impact, will be open from Aug. 17   to  Sept. 24. More information about both grant cycles is available at bloomington.in.gov/arts/grants.