The Arts Council of Indianapolis kicks off Black History Month with a celebration of African-American art and music in Indiana.
For 25 years, Black Indy-based creatives and their communities have looked forward to the February kick-off of Art & Soul at the Indianapolis Artsgarden. Featuring music, dance performances, poetry, visual arts, and more, the experience speaks to the body, but also the soul — it’s like being at a 28-day Black family reunion for the arts.
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 health and safety concerns, we will not be able to gather in person this February. But, 2021 is still a very special year. Check out these 10 reasons to get excited about Art & Soul in 2021.
- To celebrate 25 years of Art & Soul, the Arts Council, with support from the Lilly Endowment, Inc., is teaming up with WISH-TV to present the festival online throughout Black History Month. This means that you’ll be able to watch lots of performances and artist interviews from the comfort of your home! Social media users will also have access to exclusive video mini-features that will be streamed through the WISH-TV and Arts Council of Indianapolis Facebook pages.
- Not a fan of social media? You can watch full performances by the four Featured Artists, 12 musical acts, special programming and interviews, and learn about this year’s artists by visiting the Arts Council’s website, which will be updated with new content every week.
- This year Art & Soul has two restaurant partnerships through Yelp Indy!: Chef Oya’s The Trap and Pa & Ma’s Backyard BBQ to create special Art & Soul takeout meals that people can enjoy while watching Art & Soul performances.
- Featured Artist AshLee Baskin: The vocalist, songwriter, lyricist, poet/spoken word artist, actress, and teaching artist is guided by Nina Simone’s words, “An artist’s duty…is to reflect the times.”
- Featured Artist Matthew Cooper: The self-taught visual artist studied drawing and Africana studies at the IUPUI Herron School of Art and Design. He reads as much as he can about a subject before he re-creates it on canvas: “I want to give life once again to our untold history.”
- Featured Artist Yadin Kol: The self-taught guitarist, singer, and songwriter whose conscious-stirring lyrics come from his southern roots and urban life experiences. His debut EP will be released this year.
- Featured Artist Christopher Pitts: The pianist connects jazz piano traditions with the modern ear through energetic performance, thoughtful collaboration, and aesthetic compositions.
- #ArtSoulIndy. Social media users can follow the hashtag to stay in the know and to share photos and experiences with each other. Even though we can’t all be together, we love that we can find new ways to foster the same feeling of “family time”.
- Lots of Indy Style segments. From music performances, to cooking segments, interviews with Art & Soul movers and shakers, and strolls down memory lane, Indy Style has really cool things prepared for the month of February.
- The celebration of Black History Month will extend beyond February. We prepared an event guide to share all the ways the Indy arts community is coming together to celebrate Black culture in our city. Check it out here!
Art & Soul is one of the most amazing culture seasons in Indy. The Arts Council would like to express our gratitude to Lilly Endowment Inc. for its generous annual support of the event. Even though we won’t be in person this year, we’re excited for the music to begin, and for all the new people we will reach this year!
About the Arts Council of Indianapolis: The Arts Council of Indianapolis fosters meaningful engagement in the arts by nurturing a culture where artists and arts organizations can thrive. Read the Arts Council’s Equity Statement here.
