Another Look at Innovation in Indiana

About three months ago, I posted an article about the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) and its innovative CreatINg Places program. In partnership with Patronicity, IHCDA started CreatINg Places to provide matching grants for community projects that run successful crowdfunding campaigns. The program targets public space projects that improve local quality of life.

In my last article I looked at three projects that were funded and implemented thanks to the CreatINg Places program, and how they collectively showed the impact of the program across the state of Indiana.

Last month I hit the road again with Carmen Lethig and Brett Roberts of IHCDA to visit three more completed projects. And just like the last trip, all three projects turned out to be major hits in their communities!

Providing Equal Access to the Water

The first stop of the day was in Cicero, for its Accessible Kayak and Canoe Launch. One side of the launch offers traditional access for kayaks and canoes, but on the other side, a special bench with adjustable seats allows people with mobility challenges to easily get into their water craft and head out onto the reservoir like everyone else.

The idea for the launch came from a five year master plan Cicero completed in 2017. The Morse Reservoir is a significant attraction for both residents and visitors, but access to the water was limited. So, Cicero looked toCreatINg Places as an opportunity to grant better access to the reservoir for people of all abilities, a decision that turned out to be very popular, given that people started using the launch before work was technically completed. The launch has been so popular that the town is now considering offering kayak and canoe rentals nearby. But according to Shae Kmicikewycz, Cicero’s Community Development Coordinator, the the best use of the launch so far has been by patients of the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana (RHI). Every year the hospital hosts a two-day event on Morse for its patients and having this available to them for the first time was very meaningful to the patients and to everyone involved in the project.

On the left side of the launch, users with limited mobility to can adjust sliding seats to get into their kayaks or canoes much easier (as Cicero Parks and Rec Superintendent Charlie Cambre demonstrates in the top right photo), while other users can take advantage of a more traditional launch experience on the right side.

Upgrading an Alley Leads to Engaging Teens

The second stop of the day was in downtown Tipton, to see the #loveTiptonAlley. The idea for the alley originally came from the Main Street Association and its Economic Vitality Committee. After receiving a Downtown Enhancement grant from another Indiana state agency, the committee wanted a project that would continue development momentum, and the idea of turning a rarely-used alley into a pedestrian-friendly gathering space seemed perfect.

According to project coordinator Nate Kring, after a successful CreatINg Places campaign the alley has become the hangout spot of the town, especially for local teens. After high school students helped create the campaign video and later painted some of the window murals along one alley wall, many are now using the space to put on their own concerts and other events that draw large crowds. According to Kring, “this is something that is new to Tipton. In the past, it was difficult to engage and gain participation from the younger generation, however, the Alley project has completely changed this issue.”

The Tipton Alley combines multiple perspectives on public art, ranging from a banner showing local history (top right), to made-for-Instagram mural (bottom left) to a series of murals painted by local students.

Creating a Home for Arts and Innovation

We ended our August trip in Anderson, at the newly opened A Town Center, a community art center in the heart of the downtown district. If I’m being honest, this is one of my favorite CreatINg Places projects, because the crowdfunding campaign allowed a team of volunteers to turn an empty retail space into a beautiful multi-use venue. The main focus of the center is to provide free studio space to artists in exchanging for their time and efforts helping with community events or other engagement efforts. But, art work and art classes aren’t the only ways the space is being used; a “Movies that Matter” series is planned for the near future, a yoga instructor asked if she could teach yoga/12 step recovery classes, and the space is already a popular destination during First Friday events.

For the A Town Center team, it’s been exciting to see the community reaction to the space throughout the campaign (which doubled it’s original goal) and the opening of the space. According to Sonia Caldwell, one of the team leads, “people have been approaching us constantly to tell us about their own art or someone they know in the community who is an artist. Anderson has not been viewed as having art and culture in the past. Our space is attracting people who can help us change that about our city.” What a great success!

These photos were actually taken a few weeks before this trip, at the well-attended A Town Center Grant Opening.

Final Thoughts on Success

I keep mentioning the subject, but how exactly do we define success for our projects? Is it number of donors? How far over their crowdfunding goal they go? How popular a project is once it is complete? For individual project, I believe all of these things are a part of what defines success. And adding these measurements together from all projects provides several ways to measure success for the entire CreatINg Places program.

But one of my favorite ways of measuring the program’s success is by the variety of projects CreatINg Places supports across the state. IHCDA and Patronicity were very strategic when we created the grant parameters, making sure to allow for a wide variety of projects as unique as the communities and organizations that lead them. A list of example projects that might be eligible is provided, but at the end of that list is “other;” this was very intentional, to allow Indiana communities to define for themselves what “good” public space projects look like. If a project team can prove that the project is wanted by the community, by running a successful crowdfunding campaign that engages many donors, that’s all IHCDA wants to see in order to support a project.

The result of this is a variety of projects that range in price from $5,000 to hundreds of thousands of dollars, and have been as broad as boat launches to art centers, parks to community gardens, and even reclaimed space in-between two highways. The fact that one program is able to support projects of various types, at different cost levels, implemented by a range of applicant types means success to me and I’m honored to be a part of it here in Indiana.

Here in Indiana we’re excited to see even more projects get completed in the coming months. Keep an eye on this blog for more posts about what we see and the stories we hear from the Hoosier state, along with our programs in other states and cities.

If you’re interested in learning more about CreatINg Places, or any of the Patronicity programs, or if you’re wondering what it takes to get something like this started in your own state or community, please reach out to me at veronica@patronicity.com.

Indiana has joined a growing list of states (MI and MA) and other partners (BMSF and SVN) who want to support great community-based projects. If you’d like to join that list we’d love to hear from you!