Artists At Work Indianapolis
Artists At Work is a national workforce resilience program that values artists as workers, invests in communities and leverages culture for social impact.
In partnership with Herbert Simon Family Foundation and CICF, Artists At Work Indianapolis will be a 15-month project, offering five local artists 12 months of salary ($32,500) and full health benefits to work within communities in and around Indianapolis on a range of cross-sector issues including, but not limited to, mental health, antiracism, environmental justice and climate resiliency, substance abuse recovery and youth welfare.
Artist At Work participants will bring their skills and creative thinking to five local social-impact organizations, with community connections facilitated by Herbert Simon Family Foundation and CICF as a lead regional partner. These cross-sector partnerships, led by the five local artists selected through an open call process by an advisory council working with the foundation, will focus on serving and activating the local community through artistic and civic engagement projects.
Examples of public-facing programming and projects may include:
- multi-generational storytelling and oral history projects
- mural projects capturing the history and identity of communities in Indianapolis
- creating safe and creative gathering spaces for the neighborhood’s youth
In addition to a 12-month salary and health and retirement benefits, participating artists will:
- benefit from long-term partnerships within their local community
- take part in ongoing professional development workshops on workforce sustainability topics, including:
- fundraising as an independent artist
- overall financial wellness and budgeting
- social media, public relations and marketing
- trauma-informed practice and self-care for artists
TIMELINE
Important Dates
|
IMPORTANT DATE |
ACTION |
| September 6, 2023 | Application window opens. |
| October 13, 2023 | Completed applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. |
| December 2023 | Artists selected and notified |
| Dec. 2023 - Jan. 2024 | Artist select partner organizations |
| March 2024 | 12-month term begins |
eligibility
All applicants must:
- Require full-time employment (not a tenured artist)
- Have, or are interested in, developing a social practice. Examples include:
- anti-racism
- justice reform
- sustainability
- equitable development, health, economy
- homelessness and housing
- child welfare
- immigration
- Have the capacity to engage in a full-time (30+ hours per week) employment role that involves significant time commitment and project development within their community.
- Reside in Central Indiana (Marion, Boone, Hamilton, Madison, Hancock, Shelby, Johnson, Morgan, or Hendricks counties).
- Be at least 18 years old.
The program will prioritize artists identifying as one or more of the following: BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, women, or persons with disabilities.
Please review FAQs on Artists At Work Indianapolis for more details.