This month ROW celebrates the Indianapolis Art Center (IAC), best known for hosting the annual Broad Ripple Art Fair. IAC has been holding art classes and exhibiting local work since its inception as a Works Progress Administration project in 1934. Its current mission is to inspire creative expression in people of all ages. Executive Director Patrick Flaherty has been engaged with ROW since 2012 and has been Co-Chair of the Central Canal Committee since October of 2018.
In May of this year, ROW granted IAC $15,000 from its Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust White River Fund to install an innovative Demonstration Dye Garden as part of its overall efforts to connect more with the waterway in the center’s own backyard through invasive plant removal to open viewsheds and more.
The Demonstration Dye Garden has already produced natural dyes for use with IAC artists engaged in textile work. This beautiful collaborative piece called Tied Together (pictured) and completed by ArtTroop was made from muslin dyed in natural materials from the garden like marigold and hibiscus.
IAC’s art camps brought 820 young people to the Demonstration Dye Garden this summer as part of their education and interaction with the ArtsPark. In the spring, IAC will feature two 7-week courses called Dyeing with Plants.
ROW is excited for Indianapolis Art Center‘s continued activation of the Demonstration Dye Garden and key spaces along the White River. We can’t wait to see what’s next!