The City of Fishers announced Wednesday that it has entered into an operator’s agreement with the Indianapolis Art Center to program and operate the new Fishers Art Center, scheduled to open in June.
Fishers Art Center will be part of the new City Hall & Art Center, located on the site of the former Fishers City Hall at 1 Municipal Drive. The facility has been under construction since fall 2022 after engineering reports deemed City Hall was in dire need of millions of dollars in repairs due to foundational and mechanical failures.
With a large pedestrian breezeway at its center, the three-story Fishers Municipal Complex will dedicate its first floor to the Fishers Art Center, a dynamic arts education facility that’s the first of its kind in Fishers. Fishers Art Center will feature art exhibitions, two art studios, a clay studio, and a flexible theater with multiple configuration options to accommodate performances, meetings, art classes, and events. The upper floors of the complex will serve as a home for city administrative offices.
“The Indianapolis Art Center’s 90 years of experience and expertise make them the perfect partner for this new endeavor,” Mayor Scott Fadness said. “The Fishers Art Center showcases our commitment to nurturing and celebrating arts and creativity in our community. Paired with our new municipal center, this facility will serve as a cornerstone of our Nickel Plate Cultural District – a place for community, collaboration, and discovery.”
“We’re excited to partner with the City of Fishers on what will be one of the few municipal buildings in the country with dedicated space for art making, art exhibitions, and a theater,” Indianapolis Art Center President Mark Williams said. “You can expect to see some best practices exported from our Broad Ripple location along with some Fishers-specific projects that come from Fishers groups and artists.”
Programming at the Fishers Art Center will begin in June with summer camps. Camp registration for children and families is now open at IndyArtCenter.org/Camps. Camps are half day, so campers can enroll in a morning and an afternoon camp, making it a full day of art making. Camps include clay, digital art, drawing and painting, cartoons, and characters, and more. Instructors are trained teaching artists and classes are small, with an instructor and assistant in every camp.
Also beginning this summer, the Fishers Art Center will host two-hour Make It Take It classes and workshops for all ages. The first quarterly art exhibition at the center will also open in June.
To learn more and watch construction videos, visit ThisIsFishers.com/FishersArtCenter.