On Saturday, October 1st, River West neighbors and Great Places 2020 — in partnership with Big Car Collaborative and many others listed below — helped celebrate Near West neighborhoods and neighbors with a one-day, community-led, family-focused art and music festival in Haughville. West Michigan Street was transformed into a thriving, connected business and cultural corridor that facilitated opportunities for neighbors and visitors to engage with one another – to share ideas – and to challenge ourselves and the community to re-imagine some currently vacant spaces as areas we can all enjoy.
This was a wonderful opportunity for neighbors who might not have known each other otherwise to work together to create something positive for their neighborhood. Thanks to the success of this small event, several businesses and organizations in the area have continued partnerships without the involvement of Big Car. The excitement of the festival was a catalyst for the neighbors to imagine other changes in the neighborhood, which will ultimately lead to a better quality of life through community collaboration.
See photos from the project in its planning stages here.
See photos from the day of the event here.
This project was made possible thanks to the help with our community partners:
Great Places 2020 – River West
LISC Indianapolis
Hawthorne Neighborhood Association
Haughville Neighborhood Association
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)-Office of Community Engagement
Near West Indys
Westside Community Development Corporation
Indy Convergence
Indianapolis Public Library-Haughville Library Branch
Reconnecting to Our Waterways
Discover Near West Indy
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Deparment
Hoosier Rails and Trails Council
Christamore House Family & Community Center
Kinney Group
Humane Society of Indianapolis
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc.
W/Purpose
