Indy Arts Council Announces $300K Fundraising Goal Reached at Start with Art Celebration
- Joey Amato
- 24 hours ago
- 2 min read
The Indy Arts Council has achieved its $300K fundraising goal for their annual Start with Art event held August 21 at the Indiana Roof Ballroom. Since 1987, Start with Art has kicked off the fall arts season in Indianapolis and celebrated the artists and arts organizations whose creative talents shape our world-class city. Nearly 1,000 arts, business, and community leaders gathered to support the Indy Arts Council’s vision of a creative life for all.
This year’s sold-out event, which supports the work Indy Arts Council does to champion arts and culture, featured:
70 sponsors and table hosts
8 performances and activations featuring 20+ artists
$15K+ raised to match the $15K Efroymson Family Fund grant
$300K total funds raised
6 organizations/individuals recognized with an ARTI Award
“For 38 years, we’ve had this beautiful tradition in our city of artists, organizations and community partners coming together to celebrate the new season and reflect on the impact of arts and culture in our community,” said Judith B. Thomas, Indy Arts Council president & CEO.
“We are thrilled to report that we achieved this year’s Start with Art revenue goal, which included exceeding our $15K matching grant from the Efroymson Family Fund.”
2025 ARTI Award winners - The ARTI Awards honor people and organizations who are advancing equity and innovation in Indianapolis arts and culture. The awards are presented each year at Start with Art by Indy Arts Council with generous support from the Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF).
Jessica Dunn a.k.a. Sesseka, an Indianapolis-based artist specializing in animation and illusion, was chosen to create this year’s ARTI awards. The video she created for the award, titled Silent Symphony, showcases Indiana’s biodiversity through the season.
The 2025 winners include:
Cultural Entrepreneur: Indy Dance Council
Neighborhood Impact: Mike Graves of BRIDGE Collective and The Murphy Arts Center
Artist / Activist: Danicia Monét Malone of Rokh
Corporate Leadership: Herbert Simon Family Foundation
Community Partnerships: IF Theatre and Flanner House | Flanner Fringe Lab
Christel DeHaan Lifetime Achievement: Iris Rosa
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