New Castle’s proposed Robert Indiana Arts & Culture Campus has received a financial boost.
The City of New Castle will receive a $24,500 grant to help pay for the creation of a proposed arts and culture area near the downtown business district. The original funding request was for $50,000.
Indiana Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann announced Monday that the Indiana Office of Tourism Development (IOTD) and Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) awarded seven communities, including New Castle, funding for quality of place initiatives through the Place Based Investment Fund.
“I love that the grant request has been approved. New Castle is experiencing a rebirth, and this project will link that rebirth to world-renowned artist Robert Indiana whose birthplace is here in New Castle,” said Carrie Barrett, executive director of New Castle’s Main Street organization, which led the effort to secure the grant. “This district will connect existing arts and cultural amenities to create a new and transformational resident and visitor experience.”
New Castle Mayor Greg York is pleased at least some monies have been awarded to help move this project forward.
“We only got half of what was asked for, but my thought is a little bit of something is better than a whole lot of nothing,” he said. “I have confidence that Carrie (Barrett) from Main Street New Castle will look at the financing that’s coming in and prioritize what she thinks needs to be done the most and that’s what we’ll work on first. We’re excited about getting any kind of grants to help beautify our downtown. We’re definitely moving in the right direction.”
As part of the effort to revitalize the downtown area, the City of New Castle will be installing an art walk with a replica of Robert Indiana’s famous LOVE sculpture at the forefront of the trail. The path will also include various art and education components, rain gardens, youth sculptures, art pads and other enhancements for the community to enjoy. The campus includes the Arts Park, the Artisan’s Annex and Art Association of Henry County building, New Castle-Henry County Public Library, Murphey Park adjacent to the old armory and the Henry County Historical Society Museum.
Local resident and community advocate Jeff Ray, who has already donated several hours to establishing the arts and culture campus, said he thought it was “great” New Castle is receiving the funds and noted several initial steps have already been taken to bring the idea to fruition.
Those completed steps include painting crosswalks in the area including Robert Indiana crosswalks; placing Robert Indiana Parkway signage; installing bike racks at the Art Center and placing sculptures made from bike frames and bike parts at various locations; planting trees on nearby New Castle Housing Authority’s properties and painting Robert Indiana inspired murals (LOVE, HOPE, HUG, EAT and 1500) in the vicinity of the campus. Ray said plans call for wrapping up the project by the end of this year, if possible.
Barrett said she is excited to move forward on the Robert Indiana Arts and Culture District.
“To date, we’ve relied solely on community and local business for support and funding. It’s exciting to see funding awarded to our community from the state. The momentum that our residents have built up is very exciting!” she said.
The PBIF program is a competitive matching grant program administered as a partnership between IOTD and OCRA that supports community and economic development projects across the state. Initiatives that promote quality of life, improve tourism experiences and develop multi-purpose gathering places are specifically targeted for the grant program. The aim of the program is to provide funding opportunities for unique projects and programs that seek to create jobs and further establish a diverse local, regional and state economy.