Arts and Culture

Broadening arts and cultural opportunities with Indiana communities

The arts and humanities are a critical part of a community, contributing to our understanding of the human experience. Through our partnership with the IU Arts & Humanities Council, the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design, and more than a dozen departments and programs, rural residents are crafting their own narratives and reimagining a creative horizon that is both individually and collectively fulfilling.

You can collaborate with us to create:

  • K-12 arts educational experiences
  • Arts and cultural planning and development
  • Musical, dance, and theatrical performances
  • Murals and placemaking installations
  • Creative writing programs
  • Artist residencies
  • Film screenings and workshops

Project spotlights

Through a partnership with the IU School of Art, Architecture, and Design's ServeDesign Center, we're working with rural communities on public art installations to bring life to once-unused spaces.

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In collaboration with the Indiana Center for Rural Engagement and funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, Traditional Arts Indiana created a 76-page guide to traditional arts for older adults in south-central Indiana and beyond.

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Through the rural artist residency program, campus artists join partnering rural communities for residencies where they practice their craft, lead community workshops, teach at public schools, host open studio hours, and participate in local exhibits.

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The Jacobs School of Music Community Engagement Initiative engages faculty and students in meaningful arts engagement in rural communities through collaborative music programming, projects, and performances.

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Arts and Culture Guide

Featured resource

Create the foundation for cultural development, assess your assets, and move forward with goals to develop arts and culture initiatives.

Download the guide
The CAV Book

Featured resource

The CAV Book is a guidebook for therapeutic artmaking for military-connected populations.

Order a copy

Resource directory

Featured resource

Discover webinars, podcasts, reports, and other arts and culture resources to inform community and university efforts.

Explore the directory

Campus connections

Traditional Arts Indiana coordinates a rotating network of exhibits at libraries, offers apprenticeships and fellowships, and more throughout Hoosier communities.

Seven galleries. Thousands of works of art. Explore collections within the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art online.

Create thriving rural communities with us