Investing in the Arts Is Essential to Telling Indianapolis’ Story
In an Indianapolis Recorder op-ed, Ahmed Young highlights the powerful role the arts play in our city's vitality.
Art is storytelling in its most authentic form. Through a song, painting, poem, performance, or shared creative space, art communicates what people have lived, loved, lost, and imagined in ways that facts and slogans cannot.
That kind of storytelling is essential to the human experience. It helps us understand where we have been, make sense of where we are, and imagine what could come next. It is also critical to a city’s success. Cities thrive when people can see themselves in a shared story, better understand their neighbors, and feel connected to a common future.
On Sept. 20, Newfields launched Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys. The exhibition, a 134-piece collection that showcases influential Black artists, offers a compelling example of storytelling through art. The featured artists explore identity, critique society, and encourage conversation with their work. The art is displayed at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, creating an opportunity for our community to engage with diverse perspectives and human experiences.
A city’s identity cannot be reduced to a skyline, slogan, or major event. Its truest story comes from its people and communities: the histories they carry, the experiences they share, and the art they create.
Read the full op-ed in the Indianapolis Recorder.
Photo: Pulse Dance Theatre performs at Indy Arts Council’s 2026 Start with Art.
Credit: Mike Lee Productions