The Indiana Arts Commission (IAC) recently announced it has awarded a total of $204,000 to 102 creative entrepreneurs to fund arts projects around the state through the agency’s On-Ramp Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator program.
Each funded project will support the pursuit of a clearly defined business goal that also supports the entrepreneur’s community.
“The projects that are taking place around the state are reflective of the diverse talents of Indiana’s creative entrepreneurs,” said Paige Sharp, IAC Deputy Director of Programs. “This fellowship allows On-Ramp participants to grow in their career while strengthening the fabric of their community.”
Read below for more about local artists from Carmel, Fishers and Noblesville.
Kay Bae (Carmel)
Visual Art
“I am Midwest-based creative exploring organic, deeply textured, and delicate beauty while drawing inspiration from Eastern and Western cultures. My creativity is fueled by the beauty of lines, shapes, colors, and space in both the natural and manmade world. Most of my work can be characterized by its linear rhythm, dynamic movement, and use of varied materials that, along with vibrant colors, create bold compositions. Something I find that distinguishes my art is the attention paid to time, color, and methodology. Because of my wide-ranging interests, my work explores a number of mediums including acrylic, oil, watercolor, silk painting, collage, mixed media, drawing, ceramics, jewelry, textiles, sewing, crochet, and felting.”
Janet Chilton (Carmel)
Visual Arts
“Painting is my most successful studio art. While I had my studio at the Stutz in Indianapolis, I painted large-scale, expressive work that drew on my life-long study of color. I also created a series of expressive drawings set to music using Sumi ink and brushes of my own design. Several of my paintings from that era are in private and commercial collections. Currently, I am attempting to bring my skills (maker, educator, community facilitator and small business owner) together to create a practical business model that will sustain me.”
Max Drury (Fishers)
Design
“I am a designer at heart. Whether that means using vector graphics for a logo design, writing drafts for a novel, sculpting board games pieces, paneling comics, or leading creative teams – these are the things that get me excited to learn and work. After hundreds of hours studying the game nights of friends and family, I have been investing time in self-publishing a unique board game. This is the first step in a broader ambition to make a business that reaches young people and their families with meaningful creative content.”
Korie Pickett (Noblesville)
Interdisciplinary
“I describe myself as an overall creative committed to creative movements that save lives. I pursue a lot of different mediums in my creative living journey. I created an online magazine in 2018 called Queen Spirit Magazine that showcased my photography, design, and writing abilities. In 2019, I was able to move the magazine into a print publication. Each issue features creatives that submit their works of poetry, visual arts, storytelling, etc. in order to have an opportunity at being published every quarter.”
About the Program
On-Ramp is a three-day accelerator course for Indiana-based creative entrepreneurs to foster their business skills, followed by a funded fellowship to put the learning into action. According to new research performed by the Indiana Arts Commission and course leader Elaine Grogan-Luttrull of Minerva Financial Arts, individuals from the inaugural cohort developed business knowledge and sustained skills following their participation in the program.
Applications to take part in the 2022 On-Ramp Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator are open through 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022. Click here to learn more.