Indy Arts Council is committed to working with the arts and cultural community to cultivate a sector that serves, celebrates, and values every resident of Indianapolis. We envision a city where engagement in the arts is not pre-determined by socio-economic status, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.

We see a robust and successful arts and cultural community as a city where:

• All artists, creative workers, audiences, and students have full access to the robust creative arts resources of our community and in which their varied histories, voices, and life experiences are honored.
• Equitable access to arts funding and programs for all arts organizations and artists is expected and delivered.
• Funding and programs unite arts organizations and artists with diverse populations in our community to nurture a community where every resident sees themselves as belonging, learning, and participating in the arts sector.

We believe these closely held tenets will sustain “A Creative Life for All”.

Indy Arts Council acknowledges that our offices, Gallery 924, and the Indianapolis Artsgarden are located on the traditional homelands of Native people who were removed unjustly and that we and those in our community are the beneficiaries of that removal. The land on which we operate and gather is the occupied and contested territory of the Miami, Potawatomi, the Delaware, the Shawnee, the Peoria, and the Kickapoo Nations.

We recognize that our privilege of working and serving communities on this land is only possible through the losses endured by these Indigenous tribes, many of whom still have a strong and enduring presence here in Indiana. We strive to honor the land they have stewarded for generations by cultivating “A Creative Life for All”.

We also recognize our responsibility to uplift Indigenous artists, voices, and communities to create a space where everyone’s histories and experiences are heard and respected.