OUR WoRK oN THE FAR EASTSIDE

Fun Fleet at Spanish Oaks apartments, summer 2013

IG CAR COllABORATIVE is an artist-led nonprofit organization based in Indianapolis thatbrings art to people and people to art.We use creative placemaking, design, social practice art, and public programming to help invigorate shared places, encourage creativity and social interaction, and strengthen communities.
This document highlights Big Cars work on the Far Eastside, an area with higher-thanaverage crime rates, limited walkability, and food desert conditions. The neighborhood has a Quality of Life plan addressing youth empowerment, aesthetics, economic development and more. With a generous matching grant from The Glick Fund, Big Car was invited to do creative community building on the Far Eastside in late 2012. We explored and photographed the space, began attending community meetings, and worked to identify its assets and its challenges. What follows is an outline of Big Cars approach to creative placemaking/ community building, and our past and future work for the Far Eastside. See last page for a map of this area and key sites.

While we work as embedded artists at the table for citywide initiatives, we most often focus hyper-locally as active collaborators in these neighborhoods: LAFAYETTE SQUARE (where Service Center, our demonstration space and workshop is located) DOWNTOWN (where we are part of teams working to better utilize public spaces) FAR EAsTsIdE (a neglected suburban area on the eastern edge of the city where our project leader for that neighborhood lives) NEAR SOUTHsIdE (an asset-rich area where four of our staff artists live and where Big Car started in 2004)

615 N. Alabama #119 | Indianapolis, IN 46204 | www.bigcar.org

OUR MULTI-PHASE APPRoACH

(We are currently in Phase 2 in the Far Eastside) PHAsE 1 E X pl O R I N G A N d l E A R N I N G Get to know the place: Best case is the artists leading the work live in the area. Even if we do before projects start we repeatedly drive, bike, and walk the area; photograph and map it; attend existing meetings and events; research history, demographics, and other data. Connect and communicate: We meet with and survey residents, stakeholders and other potential collaborators; listen to and note their larger, abstract wishes. PHAsE 2 G I V I N G A N d d E M O N s T R AT I N G Offering the gift of good design: As a way to begin our relationship in a positive way, we start to give the neighborhood gifts of graphic design, marketing support, documentation, and other skills we have to offer. Participate in planning, visioning, and organizing: Once were part of the neighborhoods leadership team, we contribute to the planning process with input and ideas and as project managers, grant writers, fundraisers, communicators, community organizers, and artists skilled at public engagement. Intervention and demonstration: Using tools of tactical urbanism, we help the neighborhood see (and show others) how their ideas have moved from abstract to concrete. And how future, long-term projects may or may not work.
Galeria Magnifica in Superior Market

An important aspect of the demonstration phase is creating bonds between people by doing physical work together. This builds trust and connections that simply meeting and talking can never build. PHAsE 3 M A K I N G A N d S U s TA I N I N G Doing the work: We collaborate with residents, stakeholders, local and out-oftown artists, and other cultural partners to maintain and develop successful projects and programs all dedicated to the goal of using art and culture to help build a stronger community from within. Evaluation and revision: Part of all three phases, we work with our collaborators (neighbors and partners) and examine whats working and whats not and revise the approach along the way. All projects and programs remain flexible and organic.

615 N. Alabama #119 | Indianapolis, IN 46204 | www.bigcar.org

OUR WoRK oN THE FAR EASTSIDE

Past, present and future

A walkability intervention for Far Eastside Family Fun Day

PA s T
Hosted with the neighborhoods leadership group an area bus tour of assets and challenges for stakeholders and potential partners and funders Completed a weekly summer mobile art program that took teaching artists to apartment complexes for pop-up art making in tandem with the public librarys bookmobile Designed posters and T-shirts (and sponsored shirt printing) for the neighborhoods 2013 Family Fun Day Created outdoor games and hosted a creativity station at Family Fun Day Installed temporary crosswalks, landscaped desire paths through vacant lots and installed temporary seating as part of a walkability demonstration connecting a commercial area to a nearby apartment complex and high school Launched an after school art program for youth that travelled between two apartment complexes in the area Established the neighborhoods first art galler y (Galeria Magnifica) inside a Hispanic grocer y. This is also the citys first ongoing bilingual galler y. It focuses on art connected to the neighborhood (about it, created by residents there, etc.)

Exploring ways to work directly with schools in the neighborhood on socially engaged art projects, including Day Book a way to share student narratives and creativity as a method for empowerment Participating in the planning process for the Purple Line bus rapid transit on 38th Street Planning for weekly summer mobile art program that takes teaching artists in a dedicated vehicle to apartment complexes in tandem with the public librarys bookmobile Working with the neighborhood to creatively improve bus stops for riders

FUTURE
Conducting a citizen asset survey to identify and mobilize the skills and interests of residents Bring in Montreal street artist Peter Gibson to complete and facilitate intersection and street paintings, including working with neighborhood volunteers Create an artist-in-residence program for the area, focusing on work with our mobile program and Galeria Magnifica Help bring better bus stop seating, engaging art experiences, and other creative placemaking projects to outdoor areas Travel our mobile DoSeum around the neighborhood on a regular basis, making stops outside of schools, grocery stores and other busy areas, providing creative fun for people who speak English and Spanish Create a neighborhood publication that is shared broadly with residents Distributing windowsill gardening kits to residents

PREsENT
Reaching out to the City to advocate for safer streets for walking and biking including requests for crosswalks, signals, and protected bike lanes Planning a walking program to using the Walk Your City signage platform to encourage neighbors to walk and bike more

615 N. Alabama #119 | Indianapolis, IN 46204 | www.bigcar.org

THE FAR EASTSIDE

Acitve area outlined in green
N

E. 56th St.

PE

ND

LET

ON

PIK

E
N. Mitthoefer Rd. N. County Line Rd. E

M
N. German Church Rd.

E. 46th St. N. Post Rd.

L J
E. 42nd St.

K C

465

N. Franklin Rd.

38TH ST.
Q

D B F E

RU

N
E. 30th St.

70

A . Community Alliance of the Far Eastside (CAFE) B . Francis Bellamy Elementary School & Bellamy Park c . Francis Scott Key School 103

d . Raintree Shopping Center (Los Compadres) & John Marshall High School E . Amber Woods Apts. F . Finish Line HQ & Celadon Trucking G.German Church & Bel East Park

H .Hindu Temple Central Indiana & Andrew J. Brown Academy I . Spanish Oaks Apts. J . Glick Nature Preserve K . Meadowlark Village & Postbrook Apts. l . Little League Baseball Central Regional HQ

M .Winding Ridge Golf Club N .Veterans Memorial Park O .Indian Creek Commons p . MaMas House Korean Restaurant Q . Dubarry Park

615 N. Alabama #119 | Indianapolis, IN 46204 | www.bigcar.org