INDIANAPOLIS — The Penrod Arts Fair, one of the largest annual events in Indianapolis, is officially canceled.
The Penrod Society announced Tuesday the "Somerset CPAs and Advisors' 54th Penrod Arts Fair" was officially canceled and would not be rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Penrod Arts Fair is a single-day event filled with live entertainment, food, art and activities. It was originally scheduled to take place at Newfields on September 12.
"The difficult decision to cancel is driven by our responsibility to protect the health and safety of the thousands of patrons, artists, and volunteers that attend our fair annually, in light of the lingering impact of COVID-19, and related health and safety uncertainties," the Penrod Society's announcement read.
Although the Penrod Society believes artists and entertainers need more help in this moment "than ever before," they also say a festival during the coronavirus pandemic would be irresponsible.
"While we believe that art and culture – and the work of promoting art and culture – in our community is more essential today than ever before, we do not believe it is responsible or productive to present our events as we have in the past, which includes convening a large crowd of people, transported by shuttles, in close proximity to each other, our volunteers, and our artists," the release read.
The Penrod Society has teamed up with the Indiana Jazz Foundation to help raise $100,000 for local musicians impacted by the pandemic shutdown.
But, the non-profit organization is looking to do more for local artists and plans to find alternative ways to support the arts community.
To learn more about the Penrod Society, visit www.penrod.org.
