We are so excited to share our conversation with Dan Lechleiter, who served as chairman of the Penrod Arts Fair this year. We sat down with Dan to learn more about the annual event, how they’re celebrating 50 years, and the work of the Penrod Society.
IndyHub: Well, first of all– Happy Birthday to Penrod! As you celebrate half a century, what sticks out for you most about the historical significance of 50 years?
Dan Lechleiter: What’s exciting about 50 years is that it represents a significant amount of time during which a group of volunteers have been working together to achieve a common goal, which hasn’t changed since the beginning. The mission is still relevant to our community now, which is to support arts, cultural, and educational organizations and activities throughout Indianapolis. It’s so important in a time like today, when many governmental entities are cutting arts funding.
IH: Give us a bit of history for Penrod. How would you encapsulate the last 50 years– thinking specifically about how the event has grown and evolved?
DL: It’s grown to become an all-encompassing event that takes over the IMA grounds each year. The IMA has been an outstanding partner, allowing us to essentially take over the entire campus for a day. We bring in thousands of people each year and have been so grateful for their continued support over the last 50 years.
IH: Penrod is such a vital presence in Indianapolis for so many arts organizations in town. What significant achievements has Penrod made to the arts community over the years?
DL: Over the years, we have made many gifts and contributions to support specific projects around the city. A more notable recent example would be our support for Eskenazi’s art therapy program. This includes everything from helping to fund the restoration of old pieces by noted Indiana artist, T.C. Steele, to hang around campus to funding programming and therapy for patients and their families. Penrod doesn’t just support ‘traditional’ arts organizations. We like to look towards those who are enhancing the arts in their own way in Central Indiana.
IH: Penrod has a unique organizational structure– tell us a bit about it, along with your role as Fair Chair.
DL: The best part, in my view, is that it’s an all-volunteer organization. It’s also worth mentioning that we’re an all-male organization. Charles Venable, CEO of the IMA has said, ‘You won’t find an organization like Penrod in other cities.’ There are similarities, sure, but they are few and far between. Each year, our members nominate men who are doing great things in the Indy community, which is the pool from which we select our new members.
Fair Chairman typically falls to a member who has been involved anywhere from 8-11 years. Typically, they’ve had experience on many or all of our major committees–traffic and parking, gates, arrangements, and sponsorship. You sort of rotate through the committees over the years and then if you’re tapped for Chairman, you have to decide if the commitment fits within your plan for the upcoming years, since it’s such a time-consuming thing. The Chairman then transitions to serve as the President of the Society the next year.
IH: So, tell us more about the difference between the Society and the Fair-planning committees.
DL: The Society itself, while somewhat involved with the Fair, has an entirely different focus. We’re a 501c3 that allocates grants to arts organizations around the city. A big chunk of that does go back to the IMA for their willingness to let us host Penrod on their campus. But other grants make up between $100,000- $150,000 each year. Depending on the application, we’ll give away at least $1,000 per grant but often more. The whole purpose is to redistribute our funds to the greater arts community. It’s a thoughtful process that we take a lot of pride in.
IH: What would you say this experience and engagement has done for you both professionally and personally?
DL: That’s interesting to think about! I remember when I first got involved with Penrod, I had heard of the Society but didn’t really know a lot about it. I had just moved back from Chicago after finishing Law School and was nominated by a friend. As I learned more, I just thought it was a really cool thing to be a part of. It’s been a source of some really great long-term personal and family friends. Professionally, you’re connected to a great group of guys who are all working for companies around the city. We don’t really do anything to facilitate networking, but it’s a natural byproduct of who we are and what we do.
IH: Looking towards the future, what is your vision for Penrod?
DL: We have a few things in the hopper that we decided not to pull the trigger on this year since it was the 50th and there were other significant things happening. Hopefully next year we will be launching a Penrod app for more engagement. We’re also making sure that we stay up to date on the IMA’s master plan and the work they are doing to enhance their campus. As the IMA grows and changes, so does the Fair!
