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Content paid for by the Fishers Arts Center
Art centers benefit local communities by creating social connections, building community identity, boosting economic development, aiding child development, increasing inclusion, and adding dialogue around health and social issues. The newly opened Fishers Art Center (FAC), located inside the new Fishers Arts & Municipal Complex at 1 Municipal Drive, is a partnership between the Indy Art Center (IAC) and the City of Fishers that seeks to provide art programming and free world-class exhibitions to Fishers residents.
The art center consists of three studios: two 2D flex studios where residents can participate in programming in areas such as drawing, painting, printmaking, digital art and photography, as well as a state-of-the-art ceramic studio with 12 pottery wheels. Programming ranges from summer camps for children to one-time make-and-take experiences and multi-week art explorations.
“We like to refer to what we offer as art adventure or an art experience, rather than a class,” says Mark Williams, president and executive director at the Indy Art Center. “We meet people where they’re at with art, and that’s critical. We’ll have people who come into a program as newbies alongside someone honing a particular skill and doing this for a living. It’s a great equalizer to see your peers working on their projects individually but creating together collectively.”
Michelle O’Hollaren, vice president of education and innovation, says the caliber of art the FAC offers is greater than anything else in Hamilton County. The FAC boasts 20 professional, high-quality teaching artists who execute fall, spring and summer programming for ages 4 to 104.
The FAC also includes exhibition space with two formal galleries. These galleries host art exhibits that rotate quarterly, featuring a diverse range of art. Williams says the art exhibits aren’t just local art. Many will feature national artists, and could be thematic or showcase one artist. He says the exhibits will not be an extension of the Indy Art Center, but rather unique to Fishers and distinctly different, offering a fresh and exciting art experience every time.
“One of the galleries we created was designed intentionally to be future-proof for emerging art experiences such as interactive art, experiential art and projection art,” Williams says. “It’s an enclosable gallery for completely immersive art experiences, and the space on the city hall side is programmed in partnership with the Fishers Arts Council. That gallery has more of a local focus.”
Williams says the IAC and the City of Fishers listened to local residents about the need for a new art center in our vibrant community. He says public input accounted for much of the need and programming. The goal is to bring the community together using art to facilitate programming and events, making each resident feel valued and included in this community-driven initiative.
O’Hollaren says residents can help keep art available to all by donating or joining a tiered membership with dual membership benefits at the FAC and IAC. She says it’s important to provide equitable access to all programming, ensuring that everyone feels welcomed and catered to. Both locations offer veterans’ programming free of charge, senior art outreach programs and scholarship programs.
