50 Central Indiana creatives awarded $12,000 for the Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship

Fifty central Indiana creatives were each awarded $12,000 to pursue activities that will bring rest, inspiration and energy through the Indy Arts Council’s Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship grant, funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. 

“This year saw a record-breaking 332 applications—a 41% increase from previous years,” said Nikki Kirk, Director of Community Impact & Strategic Investment at Indy Arts Council. “These fellows stood out because they expressed a deep need for personal renewal and presented thoughtful, intentional plans for their well-being.”

The Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship was first launched by the Indy Arts Council and Lilly Endowment Inc. in the late 1990s to help rejuvenate and retain Indianapolis’s creative talent. Nearly twenty-five years later, the program has contributed more than $5 million to the local arts community, supporting over 500 professionals across music, dance, theater, literature, visual arts, and arts administration. In 2024, the fellowship was expanded from forty to fifty awards, with the individual award amount raised from $10,000 to $12,000.

“The Indy Arts Council is incredibly proud to support our city’s creatives through the Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship,” Kirk added. “Each fellow has the freedom to choose renewal activities that resonate with them personally to support their mental health and creative wellbeing.”

The fellowship emphasizes personal, creative, or professional renewal, with the aim that supporting the well-being of individual creatives will benefit the entire community. Similar to an academic sabbatical, the fellowship seeks to refresh and inspire arts administrators and artists, fostering a thriving and resilient arts ecosystem in Indianapolis.