CELEBRATE THE INDY 500. SPEED UP SUPPORT FOR INDY ARTISTS.
Add the spirit of the Indy 500 to your home or office with a limited-edition, fine art print of your favorite Welcome Race Fans sign. To make the “month of August” extra special, the Arts Council and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will soon be selling $150 giclée prints of the iconic signs from the last five years at shop.ims.com. (Stay tuned for details!) You will also be able to buy posters of the new Welcome Race Fans signs for $10 each, or collect all five for $25.
Proceeds will benefit the artists who created these original artworks, and also support Phase II of the Indy Arts & Culture COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund to help ensure that #IndyKeepsCreating.
Welcome Race Fans, a partnership between the Arts Council and the IMS, started in 2016 to mark the 100th running of the Indy 500. That year, 33 artists were commissioned to create original signs to welcome visitors and celebrate the history and excitement of Indianapolis racing culture. Since then, a total of 52 artists have made unique signs using their own styles, materials, and processes–from salvaged metals and poplar to colored pencils on paper or acrylic paint on canvas. Traditionally, these signs have been printed as posters or banners and displayed throughout the city during the month of May.
While many traditions have changed this year, the city’s passion to “welcome race fans” is still strong, whether they watch the race at the IMS or live on NBC at home. To celebrate the 104th running of the Indy 500, on Aug. 23, five artists created new Welcome Race Fans signs for 2020. The featured artists are Becky Hochhalter; Martin Kuntz; Josh Betsey; Jingo de la Rosa; and Joy Hernandez.
The 46 Welcome Race Fans artists participating in the fundraiser will receive a flat licensing fee and 10% of the sales of prints of their artwork (after printing/shipping costs). The remainder of the proceeds will help replenish the Indy Arts & Culture COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund, which awarded 950 rapid-response $500 grants from March through May to support arts and cultural workers who suffered sudden, severe income losses caused by venue closures and events cancellations due to COVID-19.
That need for financial support has grown stronger, according to June 2020 survey of more than 1,400 creatives statewide conducted by the Arts Council and the Indiana Arts Commission, and 25 of the IAC’s regional partners. Nearly 100% of creatives have been significantly impacted by COVID-19, and are in critical need of financial support for basic living expenses including housing, childcare costs, health insurance, and food. Creatives are looking for support through contracts, project commissions, gigs, and other paid opportunities. Learn more at indykeepscreating.org.
Image: Becky Hochhalter, 2020.
