The City of Fishers was recognized at last week’s Nickel Plate Arts Awards as the Emerging Arts Champion of the Year. This honor is awarded annually to an individual or entity that supports local arts and artists through collaboration, promotional efforts and creativity.
There has been great momentum for advancing art in Fishers in recent years, especially around the Nickel Plate District where public and performance art has popped up. This has ranged from the annual Arts Crawl event, to the rotating banners at The Edge parking garage, to the popular summer concert series at the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater. The newly renovated amphitheater recently held its annual Blues Fest, a two-day event featuring regional and nationally acclaimed artists.
Earlier this month, the City submitted its application to have the Nickel Plate District recognized as a Statewide Cultural District by the Indiana Arts Commission. This application represents many years of careful planning and development throughout all levels of government.
“We are incredibly honored to receive this award from Nickel Plate Arts, especially during this pivotal moment for arts and culture in Fishers,” said Leah McGrath, Deputy Mayor of Community Development for the City of Fishers. “Over the past few months we have accelerated our commitment to community art, with new public artworks like the Blue Rose Junction mural at Handel’s and the Aquarium Surprise signal box at the Pocket Park, along with the proposal to create a Fishers Arts & Culture Commission to facilitate a comprehensive and strategic approach to arts and culture in Fishers. We are dedicated to fostering vibrancy in our community through arts and culture, and appreciate the support from partners such as Nickel Plate Arts and the Fishers Arts Council to help us to do so.”