This was more than an art event.
Instead, it has been a cultural sea change.
Since it was founded in 2021, the BUTTER Fine Art Fair has become an integral part of the Indianapolis art scene and a beacon for what equity in the art world can look like. Not only has it highlighted Black artistic excellence, but injected an energy into the entire Indy community that has gained international attention.
And its creators know that so much more is possible.
“I’m very intentional on not calling BUTTER an event; this is very much a test toward an equitable city. this is a programatic tactic towards a larger hypothesis,” said Malina Simone Bacon, co-founder of GANGGANG and BUTTER Fine Art Fair. “We are not bringing people together to have a great time only. This isn’t just a social event. We have created a legitimate fine art fair for the Midwest, for Indiana.”
This year’s art fair will be the biggest edition yet, showcasing the contemporary work of more than 50 Black visual artists from Indiana and across the country, including ten Los Angeles-based artists. Scheduled from Aug. 29 to Sept. 1, the fair returns to the historic Stutz factory building in downtown Indianapolis with new exhibition hall, an expanded retail experience and a wealth of surprise activations designed to keep attendees engaged and inspired.
But at the heart of BUTTER is advocating for the care and economic viability of artists, building new models for equity in the arts on a national scale and maximizing the earnings of Black visual artists.
“You can have a vision, you can have a plan, and you may think that you know what people need. But once you have that buy-in, it’s this extra confirmation that this wasn’t just a cool idea — it was necessary,” said Deonna Craig, BUTTER Fine Art Fair director.
BUTTER was launched in the aftermath of the pandemic by GANGGANG, an Indianapolis creative advocacy agency. The goal of the group centered around culture, equity and beauty.
An art fair emerged as the ideal vehicle for that vision.
“Initially, we saw a gap, and saw where creatives could stand in the gap and use their skill set and their passion to not only revive Indianapolis after COVID, but to get artists to see that Indianapolis had a strong foundation for their career trajectory,” Craig said.
Organizers created a a multi-day fine art fair that featured artwork made by Black visual artists from Indiana and across the country. But more than simply an arts event, BUTTER would serve as a new model for economic justice in the arts — focused on selling or loaning 100% of the exhibiting artwork while giving all of the proceeds to the artists.
“BUTTER Fine Art Fair is an experiment for testing the new model for equity in the art industry and testing a model for equity for Indianapolis,” Simone Bacon said. “This is about introducing infrastructure into the art sector — it’s less about, here is another platform for artists to show their work, and more about creating a context that is worthy of showing the artists’ work, and we’re trying to sell those artworks for the artists.”
That opening year, about 3,500 people attended BUTTER, though the fair garnered attention from all over the United States. Major national publications such as Ebony, Forbes and The New York Times featured its unique approach and dedication to equity.
In its three year run, the fair has welcomed more than 32,000 people. Artists have sold a combined total of $749,000 worth of artwork, and 19 works of art by participating artists have been acquired by major institutions such as the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields and the Indiana State Museum.
“I’ve been able to see it grow from what it does for artists and our careers, and so many my friends and colleagues have quit their jobs and made art their full-time careers, because the collector base is growing. There are so many different opportunities,” Craig said.
This year’s BUTTER will hopefully add to its tremendous growth.
Fifty local and national artists are slated to take part, a blend of established artists and emerging talents. The work of this year’s exhibiting artists have been featured on the cover of TIME, at Disney’s D-23 Expo, and in solo exhibitions at Indianapolis’ most historic landmarks and community centers, including the Madam Walker Legacy Center and the Harrison Center.
Organizers have attracted a contingency of powerful and renowned artists from Los Angeles to take part: April Bey, Asari Aibangbee, Autumn Breon, Chris “Rocket” Descartes, Cortney Herron, Isis Dua, Mary Harris, Natou Fall, Rebekah Gaillard and Tumi Adeleye.
Outside the scope of artwork, the four-day BUTTER will be a celebration of Black creativity, from music to food. Organizers have partnered with the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis for programming. They’ve brought back Collectors’ Club, an intimate, mentor-based effort helping people to build intentional and ambitious personal art collections.
A special car show will take over the Stutz, while pop-up activations will offer surprises throughout the weekend.
The fair will also include a new outdoor Performance Stage on 10th Street, providing an live music and performance arts experiences, including sounds curated by DJ MetroGnome and The Testimony Service on Sunday. MELT, a 21-and-over multi-sensory, after-hours dance party curated by Nigel Long, will take place downtown Aug. 31 after BUTTER.
“There’s this anticipation factor. Because we have this history of experiencing this before, there’s this expectation of — what I’m going to wear, who am I going to see, what artists are going to be debuted? What new artwork will there be,” Craig said. “Then once you’re here, you can see and you can feel and you can taste art.
“… All of your senses are engaged when you’re at BUTTER.”
Tickets to BUTTER are now on sale online. General admission tickets are $40, which includes unlimited access to the fair on Aug. 30 and 31 and Sept. Preview Night tickets for Aug. 29 are $150 and include general admission with weekend return access.
Students under 18 are encouraged to attend the Friday, Saturday and Sunday sessions of the fair for free, with no registration required, thanks to the partnership with the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.
“That partnership ensures there is more kid-friendly things at the fair, because we want to make sure we’re not only touching the kids at heart — our adult friends — that day, but we want to touch the next generation too. We want to show them that art is the future,” Craig said.
IF YOU GO
BUTTER
What: A multi-day fine art fair that features artwork made by Black visual artists from Indiana and across the country. The fair serves as a new model for economic justice in the arts, aiming to sell or loan 100% of the exhibiting artworks, giving 100% of the proceeds to the artists.
When: Aug. 29-Sept. 1
Where: The Stutz, 1060 N. Capitol St., Indianapolis
Schedule:
Aug. 29: Preview Night, 6-8 p.m.
Aug. 30: Opening Day, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Aug. 31: BUTTER Day 2, 11 a.m. -10 p.m.; MELT, 9 p.m. -1 a.m.
Sept. 1: BUTTER Day 3,11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Tickets: $40 general admission Aug. 30 and 31, and Sept. 1. Preview Night tickets $150.
Information: butterartfair.com
