INDIANAPOLIS — There is a call-out for Hoosier artists.
The New York-based "Artists At Work" initiative is expanding its reach into Indianapolis. The campaign aims to put artists back to work and pay them.
Indiana is the latest state included on the list of places "Artists At Work" is hoping to support creative minds and talent.
Nadine Goellner serves as managing director for the program.
She says the aim of "Artists At Work" is to provide artists a living wage salary and health benefits for a period of one year, while also pairing them with local social service organizations.
"Artists At Work" is teaming up with Indianapolis-based "Herb Simon Family Foundation" to provide the funding for five local artists, amounting to roughly $32,500, in addition to health benefits and resources needed for their craft.
Each artist will team up with a local non-profit organization and all they need to do is create and collaborate.
The artists will be tasked with two goals.
"To continue to make the art that they make in whatever discipline they work in," Goellner said. "But also for them to lend their creative thinking and their problem solving skills to the mission of a local community organization."
The president of the Herb Simon Family Foundation, Rachel M. Simon, hopes this program inspires community stakeholders to invest in local artists and creative minds.
"Additionally what I love is this cross-sector collaboration between artists and non-profits," Simon said. "I think the value of that will hopefully show to other businesses and other organizations the value of incorporating artists and creatives through paid opportunities in their work."
The "Artists At Work" program started in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The inspiration came from the "Works Progress Administration" program model from the great depression.
This new initiative aimed help artists continue working during the economic crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today, the program is expanding.
"Artists At Work" has raised $4 million and supported more than 62 artists in ten states, according to the program's website.
Indiana marks the eleventh state to have the initiative.
The deadline for artists to apply is Friday, Oct. 13.
The selected artists will be announced in February and will begin work in March.
To learn more about the initiative and to apply, check out the Central Indiana Community Foundation website.
