As part of an ongoing effort to bring some new sculpture and energy into ArtsPark, we were thrilled to learn that we have been awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, specifically an Art Works grant for an artist residency and community engagement series that will take place this coming October.

As part of this unique residency, the artist must engage the community in the creation of the work, while at the same time producing something with aesthetic merit. The Art Center ran a national call for proposals and narrowed the field down to ten finalists. A panel was conducted to review these finalists and we are pleased to introduce Kansas City, Missouri artist Beth Nybeck as our NEA resident.

In the months leading up to the residency, Nybeck and the Art Center will have over 6,000 interactions with individuals to ask them “what have you discovered?” The participants will write a one-sentence answer on a pre-cut piece of UV resistant, blue-tinted Plexiglas with a paint marker. These tiles will be attached to a raindrop shaped structure some 19 feet wide, 12 feet tall, and six feet deep during Nybeck’s residency October 13-19. The result will be a glimpse into the lives of over 6,000 people transformed into a beautiful sculpture that will be near the Monon Trail in ArtsPark for the next three to five years.

We look forward to working with the community and Nybeck to realize this wonderful opportunity. Those of you who attended our annual Open House may have participated in the first tile gathering project. If not, stay tuned for ways to participate and add your answer to the question “What have you discovered?” This is an exciting step towards reinvigorating ArtsPark and we are confident that there will be more sculptures and projects on their way.

If you have any questions about this project or would like to schedule a group participation please contact Kyle at KHerrington@IndplsArtCenter.org.