Six Teams to Improve Economic Resilience of Creative Small Businesses Around the State
Together with the Indiana Small Business Development Center (Indiana SBDC), Minerva Financial Arts, and the Indiana Arts Commission (IAC), six teams will improve the economic resilience of creative small businesses in their community with the IAC’s signature On-Ramp Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator (On-Ramp).
On-Ramp is an award-winning program designed to educate artists in ten key areas of entrepreneurship and finance and to provide ongoing mentorship and support to participants. A recent study has shown alumni of the program have been more resilient as entrepreneurs compared to artists across the nation. They have retained more of their savings in the midst of the pandemic and are actively managing and tracking expenses, identifying new allies and partners, and adjusting their business plans.
Local teams:
- Floyd County led by the Carnegie Center for Arts and History. Team members include Al Gorman, Don Lopp, Julie Leidner, Melissa Merida, Brigid Morrissey, and Laura Wilkins.
- Greater Lafayette led by the Tippecanoe Arts Federation. Team members include Lauren Curry, Tetia Lee, Elaine Grogan Luttrull, Chris Mack, and Anna Tragesser.
- Marion led by the Marion Design Co. Team members include Tashema Davis, Eric Marshall, Wendy Puffer, and Henrik Soderstrom.
- Northeast Indiana led by Pathfinder Services and the Huntington Arts and Entrepreneurial Center. Team members include Katrina Mitten and Katy Strass.
- Northwest Indiana led by South Shore Arts. Team members include Kelly Anoe, Micah Bornstein, Donna Catalano, Dale Cooper, Lorri Feldt, Sam Love, Gretchen Sipp, and Jason Williams.
- South Central Indiana led by Indiana University’s Center for Community and Rural Engagement. Team members include Gnat Bowden, Andrew Gerber, Andreas Ioannides, Amy Oelsner, Gerard Pannekoek, Kara Schmidt, and Bill Spencer-Pierce.
The teams selected were chosen based their demonstrated commitment to the commensurate time and focus to training and planning. Additionally, priority was given to teams with strong connections with BIPOC communities, rural communities, or underrepresented groups or regions. Each team has a strong vision for how their community will benefit by supporting artists and shows a willingness to leverage additional resources in supporting this unique group of local entrepreneurs.
Artists interested in participating in On-Ramp should click here for more information.