Arts & Culture

First Baptist Church organizes choir

The First Baptist chorus is the first documented vocal group in the city.

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First theatrical production

A traveling theatrical group presents the first theatrical production on New Year’s Eve, “The Doctor’s Courtship” and “Jealous Lover.” The performances take place in the dining room of Thomas Carter’s tavern, the Rosebush Tavern.

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Society for Cultivation of Church Music founded

The Society for Cultivation of Church Music becomes the first voluntary organization to promote the arts in Indianapolis.

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Indiana State Library opens

The state library opens with the secretary of state acting as librarian. The General Assembly establishes it to provide library service to the legislature, state government officials, and other governmental personnel.

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Indianapolis Handelian Society performs first concert

The society forms as the city’s first secular music group. It includes singers and instrumental musicians.

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Indiana Historical Society established

Meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana civic leaders organize the society to ensure that the history of the state is preserved and shared.

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First piano arrives in Indianapolis

James Blake presents the piano to his new wife Eliza. She gives small concerts in her home.

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First annual fair of the Marion County Agricultural Society

After forming in June, the Marion County Agriculture Society plans the first Marion County fair, which is held on October 30–31 at the Courthouse Square.

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William Lindsay & Company theatrical performance

The troupe of actors travels from Cincinnati to perform in the first plays to appear in Indianapolis since 1823.

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Second Presbyterian establishes music school

Under pastor Henry Ward Beecher, the church organizes a music school and sponsors a small orchestra to accompany the congregation’s choir.

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Indianapolis Band forms

The band becomes the first secular musical group that performs regularly. It folds in 1845.

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First amateur theatrical group

Called the Indianapolis Thespian Corps, the community theater company first performs Pocahontas by social reformer, author, and Indiana statesman Robert Dale Owen.

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Jacob Cox becomes first art teacher

The painter maintains a studio in the city for over 50 years and is the major figure in the early development of the visual arts in the city.

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Marion County Library forms

The Marion County Library forms as a subscription library under the provisions of the 1816 Indiana constitution. It is housed in the basement of the county courthouse.

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Indianapolis enters the national entertainment circuit

With the completion of the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad, musicians and actors begin coming to the city regularly from other parts of the country to perform.

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Indianapolis Turngemeinde opens

Located on West Washington Street, the Indianapolis Turngemeinde promotes physical fitness, freethought, liberal politics, and German language and culture.

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First Indiana State Fair opens at Military Park

Created as a venue for exchanging ideas to improve agricultural productivity, the state’s first fair runs October 20-22. Around 30,000 people pay admission to see exhibits featuring agricultural products.

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First lecture on Indianapolis history

Nathaniel Bolton, the state librarian, delivers what may have been the first lecture on Indianapolis history. It is not published until 1897.

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Herman Lieber founds the H. Lieber Company

Although Lieber starts the business for stationery and bookbinding, he later includes an art gallery, which becomes important for mounting art exhibitions.

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Maennerchor Singing Society organizes

Seven young German American men who enjoy singing organize the Maennerchor. The group develops into an amateur music society of distinction, influencing the musical culture of Indianapolis.

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First music convention

Professor George Root organizes the four-day event devoted to instruction and performance.

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Ignatius Brown publishes the first history of Indianapolis

Local attorney Ignatius Brown publishes a history of the city, which appears in the 1857 city directory. It was the first historical sketch of Indianapolis.

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Artist Barton S. Hays moves to Indianapolis

Hays, a painter and early photographer, becomes the teacher of nationally known artist William Merritt Chase and painter John W. Love, who founds the city’s first art school.

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First theater opens

The Metropolitan opens as Indianapolis’ first purpose-built theater complete with gallery, vaulted ceilings, and frescoes. It is later renamed the Park.

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Eunice Beecher publishes From Dawn to Daylight

Eunice Beecher, the wife of influential Presbyterian pastor Henry Ward Beecher, sets her autobiographical novel principally in Indianapolis. Her depiction of the city is so unflattering that local schools and libraries ban it.

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First full opera performance

The Handel and Haydn Society organizes the opera production.

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Philarmonic Society forms

Directed by Max Leckner, a pianist and a leader of the Maennerchor German Singing Society, the Philharmonic begins offering weekly concerts.

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Music enters public school curriculum

George Loomis begins teaching public school students music and creates his own teaching manual, Progressive Music Lessons, because no published instructional materials exist.

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Catharine Merrill publishes The Soldier of Indiana in the War for the Union

Governor Oliver P. Morton recruits Merrill to write the history of Indiana’s soldiers in the conflict, considered the most comprehensive history of the state’s military partcipation in the Civil War.

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Maennerchor hosts the National Saengerfest

The North American Saengerbund’s 15th National Saengerfest begins in Indianapolis. It lasts for four days and includes three concerts, a parade, a grand ball, and a picnic.

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Conrad Baker creates the Governors’ Portrait Collection

Governor Baker commissions portraits of Indiana governors. The collection grows to include portraits of nearly all Indiana governors.

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Central School of Music established

Carl Weegman, the first director of the Maennerchor German singing society, organizes the school and operates it until his death in 1900.

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Liederkranz organizes

The merger of the male singing sections of two German secret fraternal organizations, the Druiden Lodge and the Rothmaenner (“Red Men”) creates the Indianapolis Liederkranz.

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Indianapolis Library opens

Located in one room of the high school building at the northeast corner of Pennsylvania and Michigan streets, the library begins with 12,790 volumes ready for 500 registered borrowers.

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Indianapolis Woman’s Club founded

Suffragist May Wright Sewall, along with other socially prominent women, organizes the club to offer women the opportunity to enjoy social interaction and intellectual actvities outside the home.

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Grand Opera House opens

The Grand replaces the Park Theater as the preeminent venue for serious theater and variety acts. It closes in 1964.

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Indianapolis Literary Club organizes

Six men establish the Indianapolis Literary Club . They model the club after the Chicago and Cincinnati men’s literary clubs and the Indianapolis Woman’s Club.

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Indiana School of Art opens

Indiana artists John W. Love and James F. Gookins found the professional art school, which folds in 1879 because of a lack of funding.

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Indianapolis Matinee Musicale founded

Nine young women gather in a parlor to spend a musical afternoon together. They establish the Indianapolis Matinee Musicale, an organization for the study and performance of music.

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Bohe Club forms

After the first Indiana School of Art closes, some of its former students, including painter William Forsyth, create the Bohe Club, short for Bohemian, to pursue sketching and etching.

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Sarah Bolton publishes The Life and Poems of Sarah T. Bolton

Wife of state librarian and publisher of the Indianapolis Gazette Nathaniel Bolton, she describes the early landscape and life of Indiana in her work.

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Painters T. C. Steele and J. Ottis Adams leave to study art in Munich

Herman Lieber, owner of the H. Lieber Company, the Fletcher family of bankers, and others sponsor the artists for study at the Royal Academy of Painting in Munich. William Forsyth follows them there in December 1881.

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English Opera House opens

Hamlet is the theater’s premiere production. The first section of the hotel, constructed around the theater, follows in 1884 and a second section in 1896.

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Bowen-Merrill and Company reprints James Whitcomb Riley’s first book of poems

Printing the second edition of the Hoosier poet’s The Old Swimmin’-Hole and ‘Leven More Poems launches the Indianapolis publishing firm’s recognition on the national scene.

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Christ Church Cathedral Choir established

First comprised of only men and boys, the choir through the years earns an international reputation for musical excellence.

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Art Association of Indianapolis mounts its first exhibition

Shortly after the organization is incorporated in October, the association holds an exhibition of 453 works by 137 artists. It runs for three weeks at the English Opera House and establishes the Art Association on the city’s cultural scene.

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Indianapolis High School establishes an Art Department

Roda E. Selleck, an artist and educator, begins offering courses in drawing at the high school. The Art Department expands to include other media, as well as art history and appreciation.

Berry Sulgrove publishes History of Indianapolis and Marion County, Indiana

Sulgrove, editor of the Indianapolis Journal, publishes the comprehensive political and biographical narrative.

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German tradesmen found the Indianapolis Saenger Chor

Dedicated to the goals of the labor reform movement in the late 19th century, the tradesmen establish the group to sing songs of solidarity and justice for the working classes.

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Dedication of Tomlinson Hall

The hall, which adjoins the City Market, opens as an important public meeting place with the Grand Army of the Republic Music Festival. The festival raises $5,000 for construction of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on the Circle.

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Western Association of Writers organizes

A group of writers convenes at Plymouth Church to establish the organization and elects Crawfordsville novelist Maurice Thompson president. The association remains active until 1907.

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Construction begins on the Indiana State Soldiers and Sailors Monument

Construction officially begins on the Civil War Memorial using the design submitted by German architect Bruno Schmitz and funds that the General Assembly appropriated for this purpose in 1887.

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Indianapolis joins Cyclorama trend

Located on the north side of Market Street just west of Illinois Street, the Cyclorama building exhibits life-size Civil War murals and later serves as a zoo.

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Indianapolis Propylaeum incorporates

The Propylaeum’s Articles of Association provides that stock is acquired, purchased, and held only by women. The building is to be used for cultural and educational pursuits, particularly for women.

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Precursor to Dramatic Club forms

Young women join the amateur theater group, first known as the Matinee Club. It reorganizes as the Dramatic Club in 1890 with the addition of male members.

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May Music Festival

The event follows the success of an 1886 music festival held for the dedication of Tomlinson Hall. It takes place annually until 1898.

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Work of artist Henry Jackson Lewis appears in the Indianapolis Freeman

Lewis becomes the first African American in the U.S. to work as an editorial illustrator and cartoonist.

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The Grand Opera House uses electric lighting

Following a trend begun in the U.S. in Boston in 1882, the theater becomes the first in the city to use electric lighting, Most theaters switch to electric lighting during the 1890s.

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Local artists establish the Portfolio Club

Mary Lakin Steele, the first wife of painter T. C. Steele, sparks the idea of forming a club to discuss the arts in Indianapolis. It promotes active participation in and support of the arts in all its forms.

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Indianapolis Protective Union organizes

Guy and Domenico Montani, local Italian musicians, help organize the city’s first musicians’ union and the third such union in the country.

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First meeting of the Contemporary Club of Indianapolis

Organized in the home of suffragist May Wright Sewall, the Contemporary Club cultivates intellectual pursuits and explores pressing social issues and concerns.

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Second Indiana School of Art incorporates

The Art Association of Indianapolis incorporates the art school, which T. C. Steele opened in 1889. The school closes in 1897.

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Indiana State Fair opens at new site

The Indiana State Fair opens at its present site at East 38th Street and Fall Creek Parkway with 72 buildings, a mile racetrack, and a 6,000-seat grandstand.

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Joseph Bowles publishes Modern Art

Bowles, an artist and employee of the H. Lieber Company, founds the avant-garde art journal, the first magazine in its field. Hollenbeck Press prints the publication in Indianapolis until 1895.

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Hoosier Group forms

The Central Art Association brings together the works of J. Ottis Adams, William Forsyth, Richard B. Gruelle, Otto Stark, and T. C. Steele in a show in Chicago, titled “Five Hoosier Painters.”

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John Herron bequeaths funds to establish a museum and art school

Herron bequeaths $250,000 to the Art Association of Indianapolis with the stipulation that the funds be used to build a museum and art school bearing his name.

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Local musicians found the Metropolitan School of Music

Four private music teachers establish the school, which merges with the Indiana College of Music and Fine Arts in 1928 and is renamed the Arthur Jordan Conservatory of Music. The conservatory becomes part of Butler University in 1953.

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Das Deutsche Haus opens

Herbert Lieber gives the dedication speech, lauding the structure as the “embodiment of the Americanizing process.” Designed by Bernard Vonnegut, the building becomes the center of German American culture.

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Booth Tarkington publishes The Gentleman from Indiana

The book propels Tarkington, an Indianapolis native, into the national limelight. In Indianapolis, the book is less well received, with residents feeling mocked.

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Southside Turnverein Hall opens

The hall, designed by Vonnegut & Bohn and completed in November 1900, contains a gym bordered by a proscenium stage and a bowling alley. The building serves the group of Turners that broke away from the Socialer Turnverein to form its own organization in 1893.

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John Herron Art Institute opens

Using a bequest left by John Herron, the Art Association of Indianapolis establishes the Institute to operate an art school and museum. The art school opens with 10 pupils and 5 teachers on Talbott Street at T. C. Steele’s former home.

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Indiana Soldiers and Sailors Monument dedication

At the gala event, Civil War general and author Lew Wallace serves as master of ceremonies, and  Hoosier poet James Whitcomb Riley recites a poem that John Philip Sousa transformed into a march.

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Kin Hubbard’s character Abe Martin appears in the Indianapolis News

Hubbard creates the folksy character, who spouts country wisdom, during the 1904 presidential election. The character becomes the basis of Hubbard’s nationally syndicated newspaper column. Books featuring the character begin publication in 1906.

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Meredith Nicholson publishes The House of a Thousand Candles

The Indianapolis author publishes the national bestseller and his most famous novel. The novel is set in Indiana.

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A People’s Concert Association forms

The association organizes low-cost concerts that are accessible to a wider audience.

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George Cottman publishes Indiana Magazine of History

Cottman, a historian, establishes the Indiana Magazine of History and serves as its editor, publisher, printer, and author until the Indiana Historical Society takes it over in 1907.

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First movie theater opens

The city’s first movie theater—the Bijou, a converted vaudeville house—opens on East Washington Street. Bijou shows half-hour films viewed during the lunch hour.

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Indiana State Archives created

Founded as part of the Indiana State Library and housed in the State House, the archives collect and preserve state government records of value.

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May Aufderheide publishes her first ragtime composition

The Indianapolis ragtime pianist-composer publishes “Dusty Rag” in May. She publishes 19 pieces between 1908 and 1912, several of which are financial successes.

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Jacob Piatt Dunn publishes Greater Indianapolis

Dunn’s two-volume work serves as the definitive resource on early Indianapolis history.

Ona B. Talbot establishes her Fine Arts Association

Ona Bryant Talbot begins her own organization aimed at bringing internationally known music artists to Indianapolis audiences.

Murat Temple adds theater

The Shuberts, important U.S. professional theater owners and operators, lease the theater from 1910 to 1930 and bring in a variety of events and shows, including Broadway musicals. It serves as a home for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra from 1930 to 1962 and is renamed Old National Theatre in 2014.

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First Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra forms

The orchestra, composed primarily of German musicians, produces seven seasons of concerts. It folds in November 1917 because of World War I, anti-German sentiment.

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Publication of A Hoosier Chronicle

A Hoosier Chronicle,  a novel written by Indianapolis author Meredith Nicholson, explores politics and society in central Indiana, particularly Indianapolis, in the early 20th century.

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Booth Tarkington publishes Penrod stories

Tarkington bases his juvenile Penrod stories upon his own experiences growing up in Indianapolis. First serialized in magazines in 1913, the stories are collected and published in book form and followed by two other collections.

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Little Theatre Society of Indiana forms

Founded as the first community theater in the city, it becomes known as Civic Theatre of Indianapolis in 1929 and then Booth Tarkington Civic Theater when it moves to Carmel in 2011.

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City Hospital mural project

St. Margaret’s Hospital Guild provides funding to beautify City Hospital’s new Burdsall Unit. Sixteen Indiana artists create large-scale murals to cover the units’ interior walls.

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Free summer concerts begin at Indianapolis parks

The Indianapolis Parks Department starts its annual free summer concert series at Garfield Park.

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Indianapolis Foundation promotes humanities

The publicly supported philanthropic institution is created to promote the welfare of residents of Indianapolis including human services, education, libraries, arts and culture, and community development.

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John Barton Gruelle receives patent for Raggedy Ann doll

Former cartoonist John Barton Gruelle patents his Raggedy Ann doll. Three years later, he publishes Raggedy Ann Stories, followed by a Raggedy Andy volume.

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Riley Day observed nationwide

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Franklin K. Lane calls for the national observance of poet James Whitcomb Riley’s birthday. Locally, the full day of events celebrating Riley includes national dignitaries and literary figures,

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Circle Theatre opens

Led by A. L. Block and Robert Lieber, investors contribute over $500,000 to build a new theater. Circle Theatre opens as Indianapolis’ first building constructed specifically for feature-length motion pictures.

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Centennial Jubilee

The Centennial Jubilee for the state is held October 2-15 in Indianapolis. The city hosts expositions, parades, athletic contests, concerts, drama and dance programs, and commemorative addresses by politicians, including President Woodrow Wilson.

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Local artists establish Indiana Artists Club

Forty-six prominent artists, including T. C. Steele, Carl Graf, and Marie Goth, found the club. It sponsors statewide exhibitions, lectures, demonstrations, and workshops.

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Indiana adopts Paul Hadley’s state flag design

After winning the top prize in the Indiana Daughters of the American Revolution-sponsored juried flag competition held for the state’s centennial in 1916, Hadley’s design becomes the official state flag.

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Central Library opens

The new building, constructed on St. Clair Street between Meridian and Pennsylvania streets, becomes the anchor of the library system.

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Booth Tarkington wins first Pulitzer Prize

The Indianapolis author wins the prize for the Magnificent Ambersons, set in the thinly disguised Indianapolis Woodruff Place neighborhood. He wins a second Pulitzer in 1922 with his novel Alice Adams, also based on life in the city.

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Slovenian National Home opens

The club serves as the center of Slovene community activities.

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Local African Americans establish the Indianapolis Music Promoters Club

A branch of the National Association of Negro Musicians, the club works to identify and to develop the musical talent of young African Americans.

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City celebrates centennial

The centennial celebration takes place June 5-10. Festivities begin with a mass meeting at Tomlinson Hall. Other events include musical performances, a street parade, a pageant, and a riverboat display.

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Premiere of Shuffle Along, a musical

Indianapolis native Noble Sissle writes and produces the musical with three other musicians. It marks the revival of African  American folk humor, jazz dance, and Ragtime.

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James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home dedicated

The James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home on Lockerbie Street opens as a fundraiser for the construction of Riley Hospital for Children.

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Mary Stewart Carey founds The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis

Carey and several other civic leaders found the museum in the Propylaeum’s carriage house. Children and their families donate to its collections.

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Indiana Historical Commission establishes the Indiana Historical Bureau

The Indiana Historical Bureau promotes the study of Indiana history by providing resources to aid citizens in learning about the state and its people.

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Janet Flanner begins writing for the New Yorker Magazine

A member of the interwar period “Lost Generation” Paris group of authors, the Indianapolis native begins her 50-year career writing for the New Yorker with the appearance of her first semi-monthly “Letter from Paris.”

Indianapolis native performs at the Metropolitan Opera

Ruth Page, a ballet dancer, makes her Metropolitan Opera debut in Smetana’s The Bartered Bride. She most likely is the first Indianapolis native to appear on the Metropolitan Opera stage. As a choreographer, she pioneers the use of American themes in the Russian-dominated field.

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Indiana World War Memorial cornerstone laid

General John J. Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe during World War I, attends the event and lays the memorial’s cornerstone.

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Indiana Theatre opens

The state-of-the-art movie palace is the largest in the state. It also includes the Roof Ballroom, where some of the most famous musicians of the big band era perform, including Tommy Dorsey, Louis Armstrong, and Cab Calloway.

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First Irvington Halloween Festival

Irvington holds its first Halloween festival, celebrating the holiday with a costume parade and contest, decorated streets and storefronts, and a street dance.

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Walker Theatre initial opening

Completed eight years after the death of Madam C. J. Walker, the finished segments of the theatre building open during Christmas week. The entire building opens in August 1928 during the annual Madam Walker Convention.

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Jazz musicians Francis Blackwell and Leroy Carr record as a duo

The duo’s first recording, “How Long, How Long Blues,” sells hundreds of thousands of copies and establishes the pair as innovators in the newly emerging urban blues style.

First Irvington Group exhibitions

A colony of Irvington artists begins holding exhibitions featuring their works along with lectures, gallery talks, and art demonstrations. It takes place annually until 1937.

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Apollo Theatre wires for sound

Following the release of the first talkie, The Jazz Singer, in 1927, the Apollo Theatre installs the first permanent movie sound equipment in the city and shows its first regular sound feature. By 1930, most major movie theaters are wired for sound.

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Bronze statue added to steps of Indiana World War Memorial

Pro Patria, the 25-foot-tall, seven-ton statue, is created by New York artist Henry Herring. The work is reputed to be the largest sculptured bronze casting made in America at the time.

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Nancy McCann Martens establishes Marten’s Concerts

Martens creates the company to help local music artists and to bring a steady stream of classical music and dance performers to Indianapolis.

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra performs first concert

Ferdinand Schaefer begins the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and serves as the orchestra’s conductor until the 1937–1938 season. The first concert takes place at Shortridge High School.

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Ferguson Brothers builds jazz club empire

Denver and Sea Ferguson, African American leaders in the jazz and entertainment scene, open the Trianon Ballroom at 244 West Vermont Street, followed by the Cotton Club, also on Vermont Street, in 1933. In 1937, they open the Royal Palm Gardens and Sunset Terrace Ballroom on Indiana Avenue.

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Faculty shake up at Herron

Painter and educator, Donald Mattison becomes the head of Herron and replaces many of the faculty members to boost the school’s national reputation.

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First Italian Street Festival

Members of Holy Rosary Catholic parish create the event to celebrate Italian heritage, raise funds, and increase church membership.

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Eli Lilly purchases Conner House

The pharmaceutical entrepreneur and philanthropist purchases the William Conner house in Hamilton County to preserve the site where state capital commissioners first met in 1820 and to recreate pioneer Indiana for the visiting public.

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Printmaker Evelynne Bernloehr Mess Daily founds the Indiana Society of Printmakers

The Society of Printmakers is the first outlet for the work of artists of the genre in the state.

Indianapolis Art League forms

Ten women form the Indianapolis Art Students’ League with commercial artist and fine arts painter William F. Kaeser as their first teacher. The organization incorporates in 1938 and changes its name to Indianapolis Arts Center in 1996.

Dedication of the Indiana State Library and Historical Building

Designed by Indianapolis-based architecture firm Pierre & Wright, the building is the first permanent home of the Indiana State Library, Indiana Historical Bureau, and Indiana Historical Society.

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Lilly Endowment, Inc. founded

Pharmaceutical executives J. K. Lilly Sr., Eli Lilly, and J. K. Lilly Jr. establish the foundation that provides support to many arts and culture organizations. Its gifts to such institutions as the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and the Children’s Museum help build their reputations on a national scale.

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Mural installation at the Indianapolis post office

Grant Wright Christian paints Early and Present Day Indianapolis Life and Mail—Transportation and Delivery as part of a Works Progress Administration project.

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Sunset Terrace opens

Entertainment entrepreneur Denver Ferguson opens Indiana Avenue’s Sunset Terrace that attracts some of the nation’s most prominent Black performers.

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The Hampton family of jazz musicians moves to Indianapolis

After a successful engagement at the Sunset Ballroom on Indiana Avenue, the family moves to Indianapolis and establishes a jazz family dynasty that includes the Hampton Family Band and the Hampton Sisters (Virtue, Aletra, Carmelita, and Dawn).

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Indianapolis Symphonic Choir debuts

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Vogue theater opens in Broad Ripple

The upscale theater opens with much fanfare, attracting 28 Hollywood stars. In 1977, the space is remodeled into a nightclub and music venue.

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Philharmonic Orchestra of Indianapolis founded

Former Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra percussionist Herman H. Rinne establishes the ensemble as a community orchestra.

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City’s first drive-in theater, the Pendleton Pike, opens

Located in the Lawrence Township district, the drive-in can accommodate 500 cars. The theater opens with two showtimes of That’s Right, You’re Wrong.

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Hoosier Salon moves to Indianapolis

The annual art exhibition moves from Chicago to Indianapolis and is held at William H. Block Company.

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Ensemble Music Society organizes to encourage public presentations of chamber music

Amateur violinist Leonard Strauss and a core of local music enthusiasts presents the society’s first concert on April 12, 1944, with the Musical Art Quartet. The concert attracts nearly 500 attendees.

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Starlight Musicals debut performance

A production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance, staged at Garfield Park, marks the beginning of Starlight Musicals.

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Jazz trumpeter J. J. Johnson tours with Count Basie

National legend Basie recognizes Johnson’s talent, and the trumpeter, who honed his skills at Indiana Avenue clubs, spends a year touring and recording with the jazz musician’s band.

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Eli Lilly makes first gifts of Chinese art to the Indianapolis Museum of Art

The pharmaceutical entrepreneur and philanthropist makes additional gifts of Chinese art to the museum through 1961. The Lilly collection, one of the most significant of its kind, forms the core of the museum’s Asian collections.

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James Franklin Baskett receives Academy Award

Baskett, an Indianapolis native, is awarded an honorary Oscar for his controversial portrayal of Uncle Remus in Song of the South.

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L. S. Ayres iconic cherub statue debuts

David Kresz Rubins, a sculptor and faculty member at the Herron School of Art, creates the 3-foot-tall bronze sculpture. Ayres employees place it on the building’s clock the day before Thanksgiving, sparking a new tradition.

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The Clowes Fund established

Philanthropists George and Edith Clowes create the fund to support education and the literary, performing, and visual arts.

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Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Pops series premiers

The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s new programming featuring light semiclassic and popular music debuts at the Indiana Theatre Roof Ballroom

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The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra ranks top in nation

The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra is listed in the top 10 of the nation’s orchestras.

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Theatre group establishes Avondale Playhouse

The summer stock theater contracts nationally recognized stage and screen personalities to headline casts composed largely of local talent.

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Joseph Hayes publishes The Desperate Hours

The Indianapolis native’s thriller novel is well received and adapted into both a play and a film a year later.

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Holcomb Observatory and Planetarium dedicated

Indiana architect Robert Frost Daggett serves as architect for the building on the Butler University campus, which houses the largest telescope in Indiana.

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Volunteer group establishes Footlite Musicals

The all-volunteer nonprofit organization produces musicals and other programs to provide education and training to nonprofessionals in the theater.

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Starlight Musicals finds permanent home

The open-air Hilton U. Brown Theatre located on the south side of the Butler Bowl becomes the permanent home of Starlight Musicals. The theater remains in operation until 1993.

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Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum opens

Tony Hulman, the track’s owner, creates the museum along with Karl Kizer, who becomes its first director, to house the Speedway Hall of Fame and a collection of vintage racing cars.

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Emmett Brown establishes photography studio

Brown works for the Indianapolis Recorder, documenting African American life in the city.

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First Talbot Street Art Fair

A group of students from the Herron School of Art initiate the first Talbot Street Art Fair, located in the Herron-Morton Place neighborhood.

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1444 Gallery opens on the Old Northside

A nonprofit group of artists and art patrons organize the gallery to encourage the development of contemporary art and design in the city.

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Historian publishes The Negro in Indiana before 1900

Emma Lou Thornbrough’s book sets the standard for histories of the Black experience in northern states.

First 500 Festival

Four civic-minded individuals create the first 500 Festival in just 60 days, which includes a parade, ball, and square dance. This community-led endeavor celebrates sports, health, and education.

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Eastgate Mile of Art

The Eastside Art Center organizes the art show, which is likely the first in the nation to take place in a shopping mall.

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Jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery releases first album

Montgomery makes a name for himself while playing in clubs on Indiana Avenue. He records his first album with brothers Monk and Buddy on the Riverside record label.

Jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard records debut album

Blue Note record company signs Hubbard for his debut album, Open Sesame. During the next year, he releases three more recordings—“Goin’ Up,” “Hub Cap,” and “Ready for Freddie.”

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Liberty Fund founded

Created by Pierre Frist Goodrich, the fund emphasizes liberal education and the “Great Books” tradition. It publishes scholarly and accessible editions of classic works.

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Volunteer group establishes Indiana Landmarks

Founded as Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, Indiana Landmarks grows from an all-volunteer group, which includes Eli Lilly, Calvin Hamilton, and H. Roll McLaughlin, to become the largest, nonprofit statewide preservation organization in the U.S.

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Filipino immigrants found Barangay Club of Indiana, Inc.

A group of Filipino students and professionals interested in promoting the arts and culture of their country of origin form the club.

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Young Audiences Arts for Learning establishes affiliate group in Indianapolis

Arts for Learning, a community-based arts education program, educates school-age children about the arts. It is the largest and oldest provider of professional arts programs for children in Indiana.

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Marion County Historical Society founded

Community leaders and local historians establish the society to collect and preserve local history materials, mark historic sites, and promote the preservation of historic structures in Indianapolis.

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Clowes Memorial Hall opens

Compared to New York City’s Lincoln Center, Clowes Hall provides a world-class venue for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra until 1984 and hosts a variety of musical performances, including traveling Broadway shows.

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Volunteers establish Irvington Historical Society

The Irvington Historical Society is created to document and collect the history of the east side neighborhood.

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Eli Lilly gifts Earlham College Conner Prairie

Lilly makes Earlham College the owner of the living history museum. Earlham operates the farm and opens it up to school groups, clubs, and historical organizations.

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Indianapolis Zoological Society establishes city’s first zoo

The effort to establish a zoo, initiated 20 years earlier by newspaper columnist Lowell Nussbaum, finally succeeds. The zoo is located in Washington Park on East 30th Street.

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Beatles perform in Indianapolis

The Beatles play two shows at the Indiana State Fair, one at 6 p.m. in the Coliseum and the second at 9:30 in the Grandstand.

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Christ Church Cathedral hosts first annual Strawberry Festival

The Cathedral Women of Christ Church Cathedral organizes the Strawberry Festival to raise funds for charity. The women sell 100 homemade strawberry shortcakes during the festival, selling out in two hours.

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Janet Flanner wins National Book Award

The Indianapolis native and author earns the National Book Award for Arts and Letters for Paris Journals, 1944-1965.

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Hooks Historical Drug Store Museum opens

Located in the Indiana State Fairgrounds, the museum opens as part of Hook’s Drug Stores’ commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Indiana’s admission to the Union.

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Indianapolis Early Music established

First known as the Festival Music Society, the group promotes early classical music through educational opportunities and performances. The organization holds its first Early Music Festival in 1967.

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Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission forms

The commission is a government agency that functions in cooperation with the City of Indianapolis to preserve both the character and fabric of historically significant areas and structures in Marion County.

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First Christmas at the Zoo

The Indianapolis Zoo becomes the first zoo in the U.S to initiate a holiday event featuring light shows and family activities.

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Indiana State Museum opens

Previously housed in various locations, including a basement, the museum finally has its own building—the renovated former Indianapolis City Hall at Alabama and Ohio streets.

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Herron School of Art and Museum split

The Herron School of Art becomes part of Indiana University, and the Art Association of Indianapolis makes plans to move the museum to Oldfields, the former estate of J. K. Lilly Jr. The Art Association becomes the Indianapolis Museum of Art in 1969.

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First Penrod Arts Fair

The Penrod Society, established earlier this same year, holds its first art fair. The fair goes on to become one of the largest single-day arts fairs in the country.

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David Baker establishes Jazz Studies program at Indiana University

An Indianapolis native, trombonist, and composer, Baker establishes one of the first jazz studies programs at an American university. It becomes a highly respected and internationally recognized academic jazz program.

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Fine Arts Society established

Eli Lilly and Company research scientist Norbert Neuss, along with other Lilly colleagues, forms a corporation to broadcast classical music to the radio listeners of Indianapolis. It becomes known as Classical Music Indy in 2013.

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Etheridge Knight publishes Poems From Prison

In his first book, Knight focuses on his experiences in the Indiana State Prison after his arrest for robbery. It establishes him as a poet of the national Black Arts Movement, in which artists embrace and celebrate their African American heritage.

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India Association of Indianapolis organizes

Established by the first Indian families that come to the city, the India Association of Indianapolis promotes the cultural activities of India, fosters cultural exchange, and carries out educational and charitable activities.

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Indiana Arts Commission begins operations

The Indiana General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts funds the statewide arts agency that provides leadership for the public stewardship of artistic resources for all the state’s citizens.

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Indiana Medical History Museum incorporates

Housed in the Old Pathology Building at Central State Hospital, the museum preserves the building and collects artifacts related to the history of medicine.

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Kurt Vonnegut publishes Slaughterhouse-Five

Vonnegut, an Indianapolis native, suddenly becomes famous with the release of his anti-war book, based on his experience in surviving the firebombing of Dresden during World War II. The book becomes a bestseller and instant classic.

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Mari Evans publishes I Am a Black Woman

In the poetry collection, Evans asserts the role of Black women in creating African American culture and instilling resiliency in the community.

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Dan Wakefield publishes Going All the Way

The novel explores the narrow-minded and confining attitudes of Indianapolis during the 1950s. Despite being poorly received in Indianapolis, it quickly climbs the bestseller list.

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Indianapolis Museum of Art opens at new location

The institution, formerly known as the Herron Art Museum, opens at Oldfields, the former estate of J. K. Lilly Jr., with the new Krannert Pavilion.

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Sunshine Promotions founded

Dave Lucas and Joe Halderman establish Sunshine Promotions to promote local rock concerts in Indiana. The company later builds Deer Creek Music Center, now Ruoff Music Center, a 20,000-capacity amphitheater in Hamilton County.

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El Centro Hispano/The Hispanic Center opens

The Hispano-American Association, responding to the needs of the city’s Hispanic population, opens El Centro Hispano/The Hispanic Center with funding and support from the government and several churches.

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Year-long sesquicentennial celebration begins

Celebrations to mark the 150th anniversary of the city’s founding begin in January and continue throughout 1971. Mayor Richard G. Lugar launches the festivities at an evening performance of “We Celebrate Our City,” based on Edward Leary’s narrative history.

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First Broad Ripple Art Fair

The Indianapolis Art Center and the Broad Ripple Village Association cosponsor the event to highlight the work of local artists. Approximately 100 artists participate in the first fair.

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Indiana Black Expo begins

The annual exposition holds its inaugural event, a one-day gathering, at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. It aims to highlight the talents and achievements of African Americans and identify and address their challenges.

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Edyvean Repertory Theatre incorporates

In residence at the Christian Theological Seminary, it is the only seminary-sponsored community theater in the U.S. It remains in operation until 2002.

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Indiana Convention Center opens

The Indiana Convention Center increases the city’s capacity to host large meetings and events for the tourism industry. It helps revitalize downtown Indianapolis and sets the city on a path to become a major convention site.   

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Mayor Lugar establishes International Center of Indianapolis

The need for interpreters and translators for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Conference of Mayors in 1973 sparks the formation of the International Center. It later grows to provide services to local ethnic groups.

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K. P. Singh Designs created

Well-known as a community leader, Indian immigrant K. P. Singh establishes his business to market his hand-drawn drawings and prints of Indianapolis landmarks and other buildings across the world. His artwork is featured in many public and private collections.

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Dance Kaleidoscope forms

The equity dance company brings dance into public schools. The group holds its first concert in 1978.

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The Indiana Historical Society publishes Calvin Fletcher’s diaries

Covering the period from 1817 to 1866, Fletcher’s multi-volume diaries document the early history of the city.

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Indiana Humanities established

The National Endowment for the Humanities collaborates with a group of five Indiana residents to establish the nonprofit to help carry out its work in the Hoosier State.

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Robert Indiana’s Love sculpture moves permanently to the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA)

After coming to Indianapolis for IMA’s opening in 1970, the iconic Robert Indiana sculpture becomes a permanent museum installation.

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Woodruff Place becomes a city Historic District

The subdivision is the first of the city’s neighborhoods to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission approves plans for it to become a protected city historic district in 2001.

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Indiana Repertory Theatre premiers first production

The theater company first resides at the Athenaeum. In 1980, the company moves to its present location, the Indiana Theatre on Washington Street.

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Indianapolis Ballet Theatre established

Indianapolis Ballet Theatre forms as an outgrowth of the Civic Ballet Society of Indianapolis. Initially performing only for Indianapolis Public School audiences, the ballet programs prove successful and expand.

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Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre opens

Beginning as part of a chain of dinner theaters, Beef & Boards becomes a privately owned venue that produces professional Broadway shows and plays featuring its own resident acting company.

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First Indy GreekFest

Holy Trinity parish begins hosting Indy GreekFest, a festival aimed at celebrating and sharing Hellenic heritage and the Orthodox Christian faith.

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Lockerbie Place becomes an official historic district

Lockerbie Place is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission approves plans for the neighborhood to become a protected city historic district in 1987.

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“The Ruins” dedication at Holliday Park

Artist Elmer Taflinger designs the piece to display sculptor Karl Bitter’s “Races of Mankind,” which had been created in 1896 for the St. Paul Building in New York City.

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Crazy Al’s opens

Al Finch establishes the restaurant and music venue on College Avenue in South Broad Ripple. The restaurant has an eccentric vibe and features alternative music, including new wave and punk as well as other genres.

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The Indianapolis Association of Chinese Americans organizes

The association provides a sense of community to the Chinese in the city. It offers opportunities to showcase Chinese culture and heritage and to integrate with American society.

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Benjamin Harrison home opens as museum

Following a complete renovation, the entire home of the Indianapolis U.S. president opens as a house museum with regular hours.

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Conner Prairie dedication

Former Indiana governor Roger D. Branigan presides over dedication of the living history museum’s 1836 pioneer village.

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Helen Whitelowe establishes Soul People Repertory Company

One of the first African American acting companies in Indianapolis, Soul People introduces actors and audiences to theater from a Black perspective.

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Latvian immigrant founds Carmel Symphony Orchestra

Viktors Ziedonis, an immigrant from Daugavpils, Latvia, organizes the ensemble that becomes the orchestra in residence at the Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts in 2011.

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Indianapolis Opera forms

Opera enthusiasts organize the new opera company as a nonprofit corporation. Its first season is limited to a one-night performance of two short works.

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International Festival begins

Under the management of the International Center, the festival begins as part of the nation’s bicentennial. It provides a platform for various ethnic groups to showcase their contributions to the culture, history, and economy of Indiana.

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Local actress Charlotte Kaufman founds Young Actors Theatre

The organization provides classic theater training to children. It is refounded in 2005 with a new focus on “Self-Empowerment Theatre.”

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The Polish Cultural Society of Indiana forms

The Polish Cultural Society of Indiana organizes to heighten awareness of the contributions of residents of Polish descent to Indianapolis and the state.

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The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis becomes the largest in the world

New facilities for the Children’s Museum open with visits from U.S. First Lady Betty Ford and other dignitaries. It includes five floors of exhibit space, the Ruth Allison Lilly Theater, classrooms, and administrative offices.

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Elvis Presley performs his last concert

At Market Square Arena, Presley performs all his hits to a crowd of 18,000 fans. The show receives mixed reviews, and the star takes a break from touring. Presley dies six weeks later.

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The Vogue reopens as a music venue

The Broad Ripple movie theater, which opened in 1938, becomes a successful music venue, featuring local and national bands.

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Indiana Writers Center established

Writer and teacher Jim Powell founds the Indiana Writers Center to support local writers. The organization quickly grows from a small community group into a professional nonprofit organization.

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First Marian Mcfadden Memorial Lecture

The Indianapolis Public Library Foundation establishes the author lecture series to recognize Marian McFadden, director of the Indianapolis Public Library from 1944 to 1955 who left over $150,000 to the library.

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First production of Epilogue Players

The theater group, primarily made up of actors 50 years or older, presents its play in the Ruth Allison Theatre at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.

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The Old Northside becomes an official historic district

The Old Northside is added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission approves plans for the neighborhood to become a protected city historic district in 1979.

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Madam Walker Urban Life Center created

Created as a nonprofit organization, the Madam Walker Urban Life Center, Inc., begins work to save the historic Walker Building from deterioration and demolition.

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Indiana Historical Society publishes Black History News and Notes

The free quarterly newsletter from the Indiana Historical Society includes articles on the political, social, and cultural history of Black people in Indiana.

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P. E. MacAllister founds the MacAllister Award competition

Named for P. E. MacAllister, Indianapolis businessman and philanthropist, the competition brings together young opera singers nationwide to compete in Indianapolis for the largest nonrestricted monetary awards in North America.

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Fletcher Place becomes a protected city historic district

The Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission approves plans for the neighborhood to become a protected city historic district, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

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Chatham Arch becomes an official historic district

Chatham Arch is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission approves plans for Chatham Arch and Massachusetts Avenue to become a protected city historic district in 2006.

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Indiana Opera Theatre emerges from split

The Indiana Opera Theatre forms as a split with Indianapolis Opera, and the nationally recognized MacAllister Awards for aspiring opera singers becomes part of its operations. The company ceases to exist in 2002.

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First FIESTA Indianapolis festival

The first annual festival to celebrate the Latino community is a day-long event that takes place at the Indiana World War Memorial Plaza. It becomes part of La Plaza, Inc. in 2004.

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Freetown Village planning begins

Ophelia Wellington conceptualizes Freetown Village out of her desire to teach African American history. The organization begins as a live-action exhibit in the Indiana State Museum, portraying Black history. Freetown actors later travel the Midwest and recreate Indiana’s post-Civil War Black settlements.

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Indiana Puppetry Guild chartered

The guild is dedicated to educating residents of Indiana about the art of puppetry.

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American Pianists Association move to Indianapolis

Founded in 1979 in New York City, the music fellowship organization moves to Indianapolis because of its central location and affordability.

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Patrick King Contemporary Art gallery opens on Mass Ave

The gallery signals the birth of a contemporary downtown gallery district in Indianapolis. It sparks the growth of commercial art galleries in the area.

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The Wholesale District becomes an official historic district

The Wholesale District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission approves plans for the area to become a protected city historic district in 1990.

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Symphony on the Prairie

The summer, outdoor, annual Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra series debuts at Conner Prairie.

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Indianapolis debuts the first International Violin Competition

Planning for the first quadrennial competition began in 1980 when Cathedral Arts asked Indiana University violinist and teacher Josef Gingold to be the founding jury president of a violin contest based in Indianapolis.

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Three downtown neighborhoods become official historic districts

Lockefield Gardens, Herron-Morton Place, and Fountain Square are added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission approves plans for Fountain Square and Lockefield Gardens to become protected city historic districts in 1984. Herron-Morton Place follows in 1986.

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Chatterbox begins featuring jazz

Previously a small, Mass Ave bar serving first and third-shift factory workers, it expands to include a stage for jazz performances.

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First Waldo M. and Grace C. Bonderman National Youth Theatre Playwrighting Competition

Dorothy Webb, an IUPUI professor, initiates the competition that becomes known nationally for giving new playwrights opportunities to develop new works of theater for young audiences.

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Phoenix Theatre established

The nonprofit theatre opens under the leadership of founding artistic director Bryan Fonseca. Actors and crew are local residents.

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Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra forms

The orchestra plays its first concerts in the medieval cloister of Trinity Episcopal Church.

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Holy Rosary revives Italian Street Festival

Holy Rosary Catholic Church revives the annual festival, first established in 1934, to celebrate the Italian heritage of its surrounding neighborhood.

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Errol Grandy Day

A benefit concert, featuring 14 leading Indianapolis jazz groups, highlights the day honoring Grandy’s jazz contributions.

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The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) presents premier performance at Hilbert Circle Theatre

ISO performs in the renovated movie palace for the first time. It becomes one of the few U.S. symphonies to own its venue.

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Prelude awards initiated

The awards identify, encourage, and reward Marion County high school students who show great potential in dance, instrumental music, literature, theater, visual arts, and vocal music.

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Slippery Noodle Inn becomes blues venue

Hal Yeagy Jr. transforms the city’s oldest continuously operating bar into a blues venue that gains national recognition.

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Bobbs-Merrill Company ends

The Bobbs-Merrill Company imprint, based in Indianapolis since the mid-19th century, ends with the sales of its backlists to the MacMillan Company.

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Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize established

Ruth Lilly, niece of Eli Lilly, establishes the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, an annual $25,000 award for U.S. poets who warrant extraordinary recognition. The nation’s largest poetry prize is raised to $75,000 in 1993.

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Meshach Taylor lands role in Designing Women

Taylor is cast in his most memorable role as Anthony Bouvier on the long-running CBS comedy series.

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Indianapolis Children’s Choir forms

Performing at civic and cultural events in the city, in addition to its own concert series, the choir becomes one of the most admired youth choral programs in the country.

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Pan American Arts Festival begins

The Pan American Arts Festival, which runs through the Tenth Pan American Games in August 1987, celebrates the arts in the Western hemisphere. The Arts Council of Indianapolis works with nearly 40 local arts organizations to produce 200 events.

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Blues Society formed

The society is founded to promote blues and jazz in Indianapolis.

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Renovated Union Station opens as a historic site and retail center

Preserving the most significant architectural elements, the $30-million restoration focuses on retaining the experience of a station in its conversion to over 100 restaurants and shops.

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IndyBaroque Music forms

The ensemble performs and promotes music of the 17th and 18th centuries using period instruments and historically informed performance practices.

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American Cabaret Theatre comes to Indianapolis

Founded in the 1970s in Connecticut, the theater group moves to Indianapolis and performs at the Hilton Hotel for two seasons before moving into the Athenaeum’s renovated ballroom in 1990.

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The Indiana Historical Society acquires the Bass Photo Collection

The Historical Society’s ownership of the W. H. Bass Photo Company Collection makes available to the public the largest surviving historic collection of photographs of 20th-century Indianapolis.

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The City begins funding the arts

The City of Indianapolis contracts with the newly organized Arts Council of Indianapolis to grant $500,000 to local arts and cultural groups. The grant program becomes one of the Arts Council’s core functions each year.

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Part of Irvington becomes an official historic district

The Irvington Historical District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission approves plans for the neighborhood to become a protected historic city district in 2006.

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Arts Council of Indianapolis incorporates

The Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee organizes the Arts Council of Indianapolis as the city’s arts advocacy agency. It works to strengthen the relationship of the arts to economic development and the business community.

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First Meet the Artists exhibition

Indianapolis Public Library artist-in-residence Anthony Radford organizes the showcase that highlights the works of the city’s top African American visual artists. It becomes an annual event.

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Japanese residents organize the Japan-American Society of Indiana

The cultural and educational organization fosters cultural exchange between Indiana and Japan.

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Theatre on the Square debut performance

Theater director Ron Spencer establishes the theater in Fountain Square to produce plays that address controversial issues. It moves to Massachusetts Avenue in 1993 and becomes known as The District Theatre.

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Indianapolis Zoo relocates along the White River

The Washington Park Zoo closes in November 1987 and by early December, the zoo’s 500 animals are transferred to the new facility in White River State Park.

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Start with Art directory released

The Arts Council of Indianapolis releases its first comprehensive listing of all nonprofit arts and cultural organizations in Marion County.

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Indiana Historical Society publishes Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History

The Indiana Historical Society quarterly history magazine focuses on little-known people and events from Indiana’s past.

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New Augusta becomes a historic district

The Unigov included town is added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission approves the area’s plans to become a protected city historic conservation district in 1999.

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A Profile of the Arts in Indianapolis published

The Arts Council of Indianapolis (ACI) releases a study of arts organizations in the city, carried out immediately after its incorporation in 1987, with the aim of devising a plan to better serve members of the arts community.

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Deer Creek Music Center begins operation

Sunshine Promotions of Indianapolis opens the $12 million Deer Creek Music Center, now Ruoff Music Center, located near Noblesville. The first concert, a benefit event, features gospel singer Sandi Patti, an Anderson, Indiana, native.

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Eiteljorg Museum of American Indian and Western Art opens

Located in White River State Park, the museum showcases Native American art and Western American art. It is named for its founder, Harrison Eiteljorg.

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First ARTI Awards

The Arts Council of Indianapolis awards recognize the support of businesses for the arts.

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Crossroads Performing Arts establishes Indianapolis Men’s Chorus

The chorus gives Central Indiana audiences high-caliber concerts while representing the LGBTQ community.

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The Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation incorporates

The foundation continues the legacy of philanthropist Allen Whitehill Clowes supporting charitable organizations that promote and preserve the arts and humanities.

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Deborah Asante establishes Asante Art Institute

Asante, a storyteller and performance artist, starts the African American children’s theatre, a community-based performing arts group.

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Cottage Home becomes an official historic district

The neighborhood is placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission approves plans for it to become a protected city historic conservation district in 2008.

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First Circle City Pride Festival kicks off

The Pride Festival takes place at Monument Circle. With 3000 attendees at the festival, it becomes the largest event centered on supporting and celebrating the LGBT community.

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New Arts Council of Indianapolis Financial Assistance Program

The Arts Council of Indianapolis launches its technical assistance mini-grant program using funds received through its first National Endowment for the Arts grant award.

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National Art Museum of Sport opens in Bank One Tower

Founded in 1959 in New York City, the museum moves to Indianapolis because of the city’s growing reputation as a sports center. It subsequently moves to IUPUI in 1994 before transferring its entire collection to the Children’s Museum in 2018..

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St. Joseph Neighborhood becomes an official historic district

The Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission approves the neighborhood’s plans to become a protected city historic district, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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New Arts Council of Indianapolis strategic plan

The Arts Council releases A Community Cultural Strategic Plan for the Arts in Indianapolis. The strategic plan compares the city’s arts culture and funding with that of 50 of America’s largest cities, showing that Indianapolis ranks in the middle for most categories studied. The plan sets eight long-range goals to increase the stature of the arts in Indianapolis.

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First Balkan Fest

The St. Stephens Bulgarian and S.S. Constantine and Elena Romanian Orthodox Church partner with the St. Nicholas Serbian Orthodox Church to hold the festival that highlights the culture of these Balkan countries. St. Nicholas later sponsors the Serb Fest alone.

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First Biennial American Jazz Piano Competition begins

The American Pianists Association holds the unique competition that spans 13 months every 2 years to find the best aspiring young American jazz pianists.

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Heartland Film Festival holds its inaugural event

Jeff Sparks, then executive director of a children’s home, founds the nonprofit organization to inspire “filmmakers and audiences through the transformative power of film.” Heartland curates and supports a variety of cinema from filmmakers and storytellers from around the world.

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Darryl Pinckney wins award for High Cotton

In his thinly veiled autobiographical novel, Indianapolis native and acclaimed critic Pinkney writes about a young, middle-class Black man growing up in the northern suburbs of Indianapolis in the 1960s. It wins the prestigious Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction.

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Ransom Place becomes an official historic district

Ransom Place is placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission approves plans for the neighborhood to become a protected city historic conservation district in 1998.

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First Indian Market and Festival

The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art holds its first Indian market to build support for and interest in Native American arts and cultures.

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Construction begins on the Michael Graves-designed Indianapolis Arts Center building

With a growing demand for classes, exhibitions, and services, the Indianapolis Arts League builds a new 40,000 square-foot facility in Broad Ripple. The new building opens in 1996, and the League changes its name to the Indianapolis Art Center.

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University of Indianapolis builds Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center

The educational and public arts facility houses the university’s Department of Music and its Department of Art and Design, It includes a 500-seat performance hall named for Ruth Lilly, state-of-the-art rehearsal halls, and art studios.

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Crossroads Performing Arts founds Indianapolis Women’s Chorus

The chorus seeks to present the LGBTQ community in a positive light, promote a spirit of pride, and build bridges of understanding.

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Jazz Kitchen opens

The jazz club and restaurant moves into the former home of Crazy Al’s—a punk and new wave venue. It quickly becomes a hotspot for Indianapolis jazz musicians.

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Groundbreaking for Kennedy-King Landmark for Peace memorial

President Bill Clinton and the families of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy attend the event for the memorial that commemorates the spot where RFK made his famous speech upon hearing the news of MLK’s assassination, April 4, 1968.

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Metropolitan Youth Orchestra incorporates

Incorporation of the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra formalizes the program that Betty Perry initiated to remedy the lack of classical music training for African American youth.

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Indianapolis Firefighters Museum opens

The Museum celebrates and preserves the history and contributions of Central Indiana Fire Departments. The Museum opens in the remodeled Fire Station #2, the oldest remaining fire station building in the city.

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Fayette Street becomes an official historic district

The Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission approves the neighborhood’s plans to become a protected city historic conservation district.

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Baby Face Edmonds wins his first two Grammy Awards

Indianapolis native Kenneth Brian Edmonds wins two Grammy Awards, one for his R&B Song “I’ll Make Love to You” and the other for Male R&B Vocal Performance in “When Can I See You.” He goes on to win his 13th Grammy in 2024 for his work “Snooze” from SZA, tying him with Michael Jackson for most wins.

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Dedication of USS Indianapolis Memorial

It takes decades before survivors of the USS Indianapolis raise enough money to erect a memorial, which is located at the north end of Canal Walk. The dedication takes place on the 50th anniversary of the tragedy.

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Indianapolis Artsgarden opens

The Arts Council of Indianapolis operates the Artsgarden, built with funds from Lilly Endowment, Inc., as a performance and exhibition space.

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Indianapolis Chinese Community Center incorporates

The community center organizes to provide Chinese families in Indianapolis a place for children to learn Chinese language and culture. Its mission includes teaching Chinese to non-Chinese-speaking families and to promote Chinese culture and heritage.

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First Indy Irish Fest

The festival highlights Irish culture and the contributions Irish immigrants have made to the city.

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Indianapolis Jazz Foundation Forms

The organization recognizes the rich jazz history of the city and provides support and resources for individuals and organizations working to promote jazz in the city. The Indy Jazz Fest, established in 1999, becomes its best-known program.

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Spirit & Place Festival launches

The Spirit & Place Festival springs from the Project on Religion and Urban Culture, an initiative of The Polis Center at IUPUI. It brings together the arts, humanities, and religion to frame programs that address issues of concern to Indianapolis. The first festival features a conversation between John Updike, Kurt Vonnegut, and Dan Wakefield at Clowes Hall.

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Indiana Wind Symphony forms

The Indiana Wind Symphony includes wind, brass, and percussion players who are all volunteers, The group becomes one of the original resident ensembles at the Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel in 2011.

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Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre founded

Artistic Director Gregory Hancock establishes the professional theatrical and contemporary ballet company, combining ballet and modern dance with world music into its programming. It becomes the resident dance company of the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel in 2011.

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Monument Circle becomes an official historic district

Monument Circle is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission approves plans for it to become a protected city historic district in 2013.

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Catherine Lucille Moore enters Science Fiction Hall of Fame

The award recognizes the Indianapolis author’s contributions to raise science fiction to a creditable literary field.

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Crispus Attucks museum opens

The Crispus Attucks Museum opens at Crispus Attucks Middle School to raise consciousness about the heritage of the school and African American life and culture.

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Transfer of Clowes Collection of paintings to the Indianapolis Museum of Art

The Clowes Fund begins transferring ownership of the collection of European Masters paintings, valued at $55 million, to the museum.

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City arts funding doubles

Mayor Stephen L. Goldsmith doubles arts funding to $1.5 million, using $750K from the Capital Improvement Board and $750K from the city budget.

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Congressional Medal Of Honor Memorial opens

Designed by Eric Fulford and Anne Reed of Ninebark Studios, the memorial pays tribute to Indiana Medal of Honor recipients, dating to the Civil War. It is located on the north bank of Indiana Central Canal.

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White River Gardens opens

Part of the White River State Park and the Indianapolis Zoo, the gardens showcase more than 16,000 plants, exotic and native. Many species are rare or historic in value.

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First Indy Jazz Fest

The Indianapolis Jazz Foundation establishes the annual Indy Jazz Fest—a community celebration of Indianapolis’ rich jazz legacy. The festival takes place over four days and features a long list of local and national jazz stars.

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