Fifty central Indiana creatives were each awarded $12,000 to pursue activities that will bring rest, inspiration and energy through the Indy Arts Council’s Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship grant, funded by Lilly Endowment Inc.
“This year saw a record-breaking 332 applications—a 41% increase from previous years,” said Nikki Kirk, Director of Community Impact & Strategic Investment at Indy Arts Council. “These fellows stood out because they expressed a deep need for personal renewal and presented thoughtful, intentional plans for their well-being.”
2022 – 2023 Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship grantee Clare Longendyke learns traditional Balinese music in Bali.
2023 – 2023 Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship grantee, Deonna Craig, in Egypt.
The Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship was first launched by the Indy Arts Council and Lilly Endowment Inc. in the late 1990s to help rejuvenate and retain Indianapolis’s creative talent. Nearly twenty-five years later, the program has contributed more than $5 million to the local arts community, supporting over 500 professionals across music, dance, theater, literature, visual arts, and arts administration. In 2024, the fellowship was expanded from forty to fifty awards, with the individual award amount raised from $10,000 to $12,000.
“The Indy Arts Council is incredibly proud to support our city’s creatives through the Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship,” Kirk added. “Each fellow has the freedom to choose renewal activities that resonate with them personally to support their mental health and creative wellbeing.”
The fellowship emphasizes personal, creative, or professional renewal, with the aim that supporting the well-being of individual creatives will benefit the entire community. Similar to an academic sabbatical, the fellowship seeks to refresh and inspire arts administrators and artists, fostering a thriving and resilient arts ecosystem in Indianapolis.
| Aprili | Literature |
| Kaila Austin | Visual Arts |
| Jodie Bailey | Multidisciplinary |
| Iryna Bondar | Multidisciplinary |
| Boxx The Artist | Visual Arts |
| Kelvin Burzon | Multidisciplinary |
| *Shawn Causey | Visual Arts |
| Daniel Del Real | Arts Administration, Global Village Welcome Center |
| Diana Ensign | Literature |
| Corey Ewing | Multidisciplinary |
| Richard “Sleepy” Floyd | Music |
| Krystle Ford | Arts Administration, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra |
| Randi Frye | Multidisciplinary |
| Mike Griffey | Arts Administration, Newfields |
| Korie Griggs | Multidisciplinary |
| *Scott Grow | Visual Arts |
| Joy Hernandez | Visual Arts |
| Dawn Holder | Visual Arts |
| Martina Jackson | Media Arts |
| Clockwork Janz | Arts Administration, Arts for Learning |
| Jennasen | Music |
| Nicholas Johnson | Arts Administration, Jordan College of the Arts at Butler University |
| Parisa Kay | Fashion Design |
| Lasana D. Kazembe | Literature |
| Nasreen Khan | Visual Arts |
| Britnee King | Arts Administration, The Cabaret |
| Chandra Lynch | Media Arts |
| Katie McDermitt | Music |
| Brandon Meeks | Music |
| Brandi Metzger | Multidisciplinary |
| Stephanie Nugent | Visual Arts |
| Orna | Arts Administration, Herron School of Art + Design |
| Vanessa R. Owens | Dance |
| Gabrielle Patterson | Multidisciplinary |
| Greg Potter | Visual Arts |
| Rachel Eliza Reynolds | Literature |
| Rebecca Robinson | Visual Arts |
| Beverly Roche | Theatre |
| Rebekah C. Ryan | Arts Administration, The Eiteljorg Museum |
| PsyWrn Simone | Music |
| Tim Stephenson | Arts Administration, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra |
| Sylvia Thomas | Multidisciplinary |
| Joshua A. Thompson | Music |
| Veronica Vela | Arts Administration, Newfields |
| Michelle Walkey-Thornburg | Visual Arts |
| Kevin James Wilson | Visual Arts |
| Michelle Winkelman | Arts Administration, Herron School of Art + Design |
| David Wright | Multidisciplinary |
| Januarie York | Multidisciplinary |
| Melodie Yvonne | Multidisciplinary |
*denotes second time awardee
The 2024-2025 Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship review panelists included: Leslie Appleget, Sarah Dhobhany, Malia’Kekia Nicolini, Ida Balderrama-Trudell and Jordan Sanford. The review panel is composed of non-local artists and arts administrators representing diverse artistic disciplines and lived experiences.
