The Indiana Arts Commission announced that ten Indiana communities have received training and grant funding through the Creative Convergence program. Conducted in partnership with the Indiana Communities Institute at Ball State University's Miller College of Business, Creative Convergence was launched in 2023 and consists of a two-day training workshop and an Early Action Grant Program. Teams of community members representing local government, economic development entities, arts organizations, educational institutions, tourism groups, and other community-focused roles participated in the program.
The Creative Convergence workshop was held on March 31 and April 1, 2026, in Fishers. Community teams learned how to embed arts and creativity in community and economic planning and solutions, how to work collaboratively across sectors, and how to effectively engage with community.
Following the training workshop, communities had the opportunity to apply for a Creative Convergence Early Action grant designed to allow communities to apply the learnings from the workshop to a project that benefits creatives and the community. Each community received $5,000 in grant funding to support their project. Communities also had the opportunity to leverage additional local and public support through the CreatINg Places program from the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority and Patronicity.
In Fayette County, The Whitewater Valley Arts Association, the Whitewater Valley Railroad, Fayette County Tourism, and Discover Connersville are collaborating to transform a 40-foot rail coach into a vibrant, traveling art gallery - creating a cultural landmark on tracks that blends industrial heritage with contemporary creativity.
In Wakarusa, the Creative Convergence grant will be utilized to transform Wakarusa's existing quilt garden lot into a welcoming downtown public space featuring creative landscaping, seating, live music, and local art exhibits. The Quilt Garden Patio will enhance the town's car cruise-ins, farmers markets, festivals, and outdoor events by providing a new gathering and entertainment hub.
The complete list of participating communities, and their projects, are as follows:
- Bluffton - Art in the Heart of Bluffton
- Fayette - Art on the Rail
- Fort Wayne - Mosaic Market
- Huntington - HuntingtonGO
- Lafayette - Greater Lafayette's Inaugural Amelia Earhart Festival
- North Willow Farms - Daubenspeck 20th Anniversary Road Mural
- Riverside - Riverside Cultural District
- Rochester - Art Mobile
- Union County - Stairway to Creativity
- Wakarusa - Quilt Garden Patio
Read about each of the Creative Convergence Early Action Grant Projects.
Participating communities applied to participate in the program. Communities with interest in learning more about participating in the future should contact Anne Johansson, IAC Community Services Program Manager, at ajohansson@iac.in.gov.