On Wednesday evening, Randolph County citizens had an opportunity to give their input to shape an arts and culture plan for East Central Indiana. The session took place at the Towne Square Community Centre in Winchester. Randolph County was the final stop of Indiana’s 92 counties as a part of the READI 2.0 Redevelopment and Art Initiative.
The Indiana Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI) was launched in 2021, with the purpose of promoting strategic investments to position Indiana as a magnet for talent and economic growth statewide. That initial $500 million program engaged 17 regions spanning all 92 counties, with stakeholders proposing more than 350 READI projects in 2022 alone, all focused on three key areas: Quality of Life, Quality of Place and Quality of Opportunity. READI’s initial investment has attracted over $12 billion of additional committed investment to date. After the proven success of READI 1.0, then Governor Eric J. Holcomb made an expansion of the program a priority in his 2023 Next Level Agenda, and the Indiana General Assembly approved another $500 million for READI 2.0.
The Arts and Culture Initiative seeks to engage with residents and communities across boundaries of creative disciplines, geography and demographics to unleash a regional creative transformation through capacity building, investment in public art and cultural amenities accessible to the entire community. Substantial investment in art, culture and creativity is needed to complement the other quality of place investments the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and its local partners are making each day. The IEDC proposed a targeted investment strategy that builds a critical mass of authentic, bold, artistic and cultural assets with a long-term plan for their maintenance and expansion.
Sara Peterson of Sara Peterson Consulting led the event on behalf of the East Central Indiana Regional Partnership. The ECIRP which encompasses Blackford, Delaware, Fayette, Grant, Henry, Jay, Randolph, and Wayne counties, has received $35 million in funding from Indiana’s Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI), the second highest allotment in round two.
This allocation represents a remarkable $20 million (133%) increase in support for regional economic development initiatives compared to the first round. Funding from READI promises to fuel transformative growth and opportunity across communities in the region.
These sessions across the state were the first step in transforming communities by focussing on art and how it improves the quality of life in many ways. Art takes many forms from paintings and murals, to music, movies, and theater, even food. The arts have been proven to have many positive effects on mental health, and they can be used as a way to draw visitors into the community where they will likely visit local businesses while in the area.
The session began by identifying assets within each community. Randolph County has two cities, Winchester, and Union City as well as several smaller towns such as Modoc, Losantville, Lynn, Ridgeville, Saratoga, Parker City, and Farmland. The program hopes to identify the assets in each community and build upon those to improve the quality of life and bring in visitors to help drive the local economy.
It was unfortunate that those who took part only represented the communities of Winchester and Union City.
“Unfortunately we are missing a big piece of the puzzle here,” said Union City Mayor, Chad Spence.
Spence stated that he would like to see Randolph County build upon its rich history, and use that in a contemporary way to inform the younger citizens of the county about its past and increase their interest and as a way to draw in visitors who might see a piece of art, such as a mural, that interests them and stop to learn more about it.
A bus or train that could travel around the county to each community in the county teaching visitors about them was also an idea envisioned by the group.
Among the assets were a rich history, and several outdoor venues with free music concerts. Brad Younts, who has recently returned to Randolph County after spending time in Boston, New York, and Chicago, also noted that he is working on creating a local theater group in Randolph County.
Guests were also asked to think big and envision what could be 10 years from now. Some of the ideas mentioned included performance centers for all sorts of performances from movies and plays to concerts. A museum that could feature the works of many talented local artists. A center similar to the Arts Place that is in Jay and Blackford Counties that could offer classes to young and old who are interested in art and music.
Now Peterson and the others who helped to organize the sessions will collect the information from the sessions in each county and try to create a plan as to how best to distribute their available funding to build upon the assets that were identified and use that foundation to move towards the dreams envisioned at the sessions.
As Mayor Spence put it, “The possibilities are endless.”