Established in 2002, the Indianapolis Downtown Artists and Dealers Association, or IDADA as it was commonly known, was a 501(c)(6) nonprofit with a mission to promote art, artists, and art dealers within a 20-block square of the center of the city.
Created in response to Mayor ’s Cultural Tourism Initiative of 2002, IDADA gave local artists a voice in the city’s changing cultural landscape. A fully volunteer organization, the governing board met monthly and was comprised of IDADA members who represented a cross-section of artistic disciplines and business concerns. From 2004 until 2017, IDADA hosted the longest-running monthly gallery tour in central Indiana—the IDADA First Friday Art Tour. First Friday was immensely popular and dynamic. It constantly changed and expanded into new venues on a regular basis. The event started off as a gallery-sponsored trolley tour with buses but evolved into a self-guided tour.
In addition to the First Friday Tour, IDADA hosted several other arts-related activities, including the First-In-Line art exhibition, an artist registry and member’s website, an ethics advisory council, and Turf. In 2006, IDADA was recognized by Newsweekly with a Cultural Vision Award.
After achieving many of its original goals and acknowledging the changing demographics of the local art scene, IDADA ceased operations on December 31, 2017. Although IDADA dissolved, First Friday continues to flourish, bringing people of all ages to galleries and pop-up spaces in areas beyond the traditional First Friday cultural destinations and is free and open to the public.
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