Some may find it hard to believe, but the art and culture sector provides more money to Indiana’s economy than agriculture and forestry.
On Friday, City Planner Justin Taylor and Warsaw Public Arts Commission (WPAC) Chair Suzie Light requested the Board of Public Works and Safety accept a $10,000 Creative Convergence Early Action Grant agreement from the Indiana Arts Commission (IAC) to support a $32,500 project being undertaken by the WPAC.
The agreement is between the city and IAC, Taylor said. The WPAC is raising the additional funds needed for the project.
“So, we were very fortunate. Mayor Thallemer has been a strong advocate at the state for public arts, and Indiana Arts Commission chose Warsaw as one of five communities to participate in a two-day workshop for creative convergence. As a result of our participation, we were awarded this $10,000 grant,” Light explained. “We had to develop a plan on how we would convene the community to participate in art.”
Their first step is doing a communitywide survey, which can be found on WPAC’s Facebook page. Light said they have about 100 responses already.
“We’re gathering data. That data is going to be reviewed by the commission, as well as some collaborative partners, and through the information we gather, we’re going to do a national call to artists to participate and bring to us their idea for how they would bring the community together to create art - whether that is permanent art or temporary art, we don’t know yet because we don’t have all the data collected,” she said.
Next summer/fall, she said they will “engage our community in a creative convergence to create art, and that’s why we have this wonderful art opportunity. And thank you, Mayor, for being a strong advocate for public art in our community.”
Light said art improves quality of life, quality of place and quality of opportunity.
Thallemer said when they attended the workshop, they learned everything Light told the Board Friday and “the fact that there’s a real economic driver to art and public art.”
Light said the arts and culture sector contributed $8.6 billion to Indiana’s economy and that’s more than agriculture and forestry, which contributed $6.3 billion.
“When I heard that statistic, I said, out loud, ‘No way!’ And the Ball State folks who have these statistics said, ‘Yes! That is an actual fact,’” she recalled. “Arts and culture contribute more to Indiana’s economy than agriculture and forestry, and even if you wrap up utilities in that, arts and culture contribute more.”
Light said when she went down to the workshop, at first she thought of art as paintings and sculpture. “They broadened our horizon to think about jewelry making, craft beer making, videography, photography, dance, music. It is huge, and we are working hard to create a vibrant arts culture in our community,” she said.
Thallemer said the city started with WPAC seven years ago as an outgrowth of the Seward Johnson statue display that the city has had twice downtown.
“What we’ve learned along the way is - we’ve involved Wagon Wheel and Lakeland Arts and schools - how much of a community impact this has. But more importantly, this has to broaden from a city group,” he said. The eventual goal is to develop an arts commission for the entire community.
Thallemer noted that the city still has some sculptures that still need to get placed. Former Kosciusko Community Hospital (now Lutheran Kosciusko Hospital) CEO Milton Holmgrain donated seven of his sculptures in late 2022 as he was moving out of the area. Thallemer said those sculptures are being reconditioned, places for them will be found and then the public will start seeing them pop up.
“This group has been extremely hard workers ... I sit back and watch them do this wonderful work and we’re really moving,” Thallemer said of the WPAC.
Councilwoman and Board of Works member Quance said she took the survey and thought it was important to emphasize that, “These are opportunities that even the average person, even if you don’t have a creative bone in your body, could participate in. It’s not like we’re going after something that you’re going to sit and look at. This is for people to do and be involved in, and I’m excited about that aspect of it,” she said.
Light said that their collaborative partners that they’re bringing together represent many facets of the community. “So we have people representing aging, different abilities, youth. I’m pretty excited about it,” she stated.
Quance made the motion to approve the request and her motion passed 3-0.