“Indiana’s Nicest Day” is going to feel even nicer this year.
After a year’s absence, the Penrod Arts Fair will again present the best that the arts community has to offer. More than 300 artists from around the country will showcase their work in booths dotting the scenic grounds at Newfields.
With jazz and pop music wafting through the air, people can browse paintings, drawings, photography, ceramics and all kinds of creativity throughout the afternoon.
“We’re all desperate to get back to normal and do the things we want to do, but to us, to have what we call ‘Indiana’s Nicest Day,’ it means so much that we can get together and enjoy a beautiful day with artists, vendors, and walk around and act like normal humans again,” said Bryan Strawbridge, chairman of the sponsorship committee for the Penrod Society, which organizes the art fair.
The Penrod Arts Fair will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Newfields, the campus of the Indianapolis Museum of Art. More than 300 artists are taking part, including Johnson County artists Patti Paris Owens and Chuck Horsman. Five stages are set up for entertainment, roughly 50 artist-related nonprofit organizations will be present to inform about their work and an extensive children’s area keeps the young ones happy.
Being part of the arts fair is an incredible opportunity to display new work to a broad and diverse audience, Paris Owens said.
“Most other art shows in Indiana haven’t taken place this year,” she said. “It’s important to take part in bringing functioning events back. I have a clientele in the area, and it’s the best way to be exposed in Indiana.”
The Penrod Arts Fair was founded in 1967 by a group of volunteers interested in supporting cultural activities and education throughout the Indianapolis area. The name “Penrod” is a reference to a literary character from Indianapolis novelist Booth Tarkington.
All of the money raised by the entirely volunteer Penrod Society goes back to the surrounding area, through grants to organizations dealing with the arts, community engagement and education.
“We provide the fair so people can show their art and the community can come together and have a great day. But in addition to that, we use the fair to generate money so we can give that back to the arts community in central Indiana,” Strawbridge said. “We solicit as many organizations as we can find, raise as much money as we possibly can and try to give that all back.”
As the pandemic closed down much of life in 2020, that funding became even more vital to support the arts. Events and fundraisers were cancelled, leaving organizations staring at steep budget shortfalls.
The Penrod Society was forced to cancel the arts fair as well. But knowing the dire situation many of the groups they support were in, they transitioned to other fundraising methods. They worked with sponsors, vendors and members to raise money for the grants, holding events such as virtual concerts and securing matching funds from sponsors.
“We’re pretty proud that we were able to raise the same amount of money that we would have had we had the fair,” Strawbridge said. “To say it was a challenge would be an understatement, but we made a full allocation process to all of our grantees.”
Through those efforts, the Penrod Society was able to award 66 grants to organizations totaling more than $125,000. Recipients included Central Indiana Performing Arts Center, Heartland Film Festival, Indiana Black Expo, Indiana Repertory Theatre and WFYI Public Media.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana, which serves Johnson County, was able to use a grant to hold several canvas painting activities and recruitment events for its Supportive Mentoring through Art program.
“These events are so important for youth in our program to have another creative outlet and begin to grow their artistic talents, as well as providing an avenue for mentoring relationships to grow together,” said Amy Pomeranz Essley, chief program officer of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana.
Penrod organizers won’t have to worry about taking such drastic steps this year. The arts fair will go on as it traditionally has in the past.
For artists such as Paris Owens, that’s a relief.
“It’s a big deal. All shows were cancelled last year. We ended up going to Florida to do shows in Naples and Sarasota in November, but for the whole year, those were the only shows I was able to do,” she said.
Paris Owens, an abstract multimedia artist from Bargersville, has been taking part in Penrod since 2017. The event has allowed her to sell a number of pieces and make contacts with art lovers throughout the area that proved beneficial throughout the year. Much of her time this year has been spent in art events in Michigan and Illinois, and is signed up for the St. James Art Fair in Louisville in October.
Penrod represents one of the few times this year that she’s had an Indiana show, though her work is being featured in one of the homes included in this year’s Home-A-Rama event at the Aberdeen development in Bargersville.
At Penrod, her booth is situated in the “yellow” section of the art fair.
“I’m finding people are looking for large statement pieces in their homes, with the tall walls and high ceilings,” she said.
While the arts fair is the centerpiece event for the Penrod Society, the organization also hosts an Evening With Penrod event today. The exclusive preview allows attendees to be among the first to purchase art from more than 100 artists, while enjoying food from some of Indy’s finest restaurants and live music.
To have an entire weekend back together, with the arts fair and the Evening with Penrod, is something that the Penrod Society has been thinking about for the year and half.
“We are excited to be back this year in full force to continue our mission of supporting and celebrating the arts,” said Ryan Evans, chairman of the Penrod Arts Fair.
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Penrod Arts Fair
What: A outdoor art fair featuring more than 350 artist exhibitions, food and beverage, performances and activities.
When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday
Where: Newfields, 4000 Michigan Ave., Indianapolis
Admission: $15 advance, $20 at the door
Preview: Evening with Penrod will take place from 6 to 11 p.m. today. Guests will have the chance to be the first to buy art from hundreds of artists taking part in the general art fair, in addition to enjoying premier food and drink. Tickets are $200 per person, or $375 for two.
Information: Penrod.org
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