BUILDING THE BLUEPRINT

Something shifted this year. Ideas turned to action. At our 2025 Indiana Creative Economy Summit held October 13–14 at the Fishers Art Center, conversations didn’t just orbit the “why” of the creative economy, discussions drilled into the “how.” The resulting two days were less like a conference and more like a blueprint for real action.

This year’s theme, Creativity as Infrastructure, came to life through panels, data, and the hopes, frustrations, and solutions voiced by arts leaders, community builders, educators, and entrepreneurs. All shared recognition that, although Indiana has everything we need for success, the supporting systems remain fragmented.

But!! There is plenty of potential and good reasons to hope.

BTW: If you attended this year’s Summit, and have yet to complete our “quality assurance” survey, please do. We’d love to hear from you!

(Summit video recap by Bessiake Vision; Summit photography by Sean Molin)

FEATURED SESSION: CREATIVE PLACEMAKING

The showpiece of 2025 CES was an incredibly honest yet inspiring session with Vince Kadlubek, Co-Founder and Chief Vision Officer of Meow Wolf, and Caitlin Whitington, Executive Director of ArtPrize. Both men steward multi-million-dollar creative enterprises that originated from tiny DIY events, reminding everyone that major movements start with small experiments and relentless iteration. Our guest visionaries had an urgent message for Indiana’s creative class: Don’t wait for permission to think big and act bold.

MAKING DATA WORK FOR CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

One of the Summit’s most talked-about moments was the live demo of the Creative Economy Dashboard by Ty Stratton, a data engineer and former Pattern intern. Designed to visualize Indiana’s creative assets in real time, the tool aims to help leaders make smarter, faster investment decisions. Pattern supported the initial development, but in order to create a truly useful tool—one that utilizes not only a variety of different datasets but also agentic AI—we’ll need partners from all corners to make it happen.

Pattern would love to convene a group of stakeholders from across sectors—arts and culture, economic development, higher education, philanthropy, and beyond—to help move this project forward through thought partnership, data sharing, or financial support. The goal is to democratize access to data, especially around arts and culture, and build a shared tool that could be a game changer for Indiana’s economic future. (Respond to this email if you’re interested in helping us move towards this goal.)

Help us create the best possible data tool for creative sectors by taking our very short survey on this topic! Pretty please?

LESSONS FROM THE FIELD

With thoughtful moderation by Julie Heath (Executive Director, IU Innovates) and Jim Rawlinson (Director, READI), the READI 2.0 Arts & Culture Regional Studies session set the stage for a statewide look at how creativity is being woven into local economic strategies. Julie’s interview with Jim helped frame the background and intent of these studies before a series of consultants and regional development authority leaders shared findings from their regions: South East, Lafayette, Our Southern Indiana, Elkhart–South Bend, North Central, Wabash River, Indiana First, and Southwest Indiana.

The presentations revealed both bright spots and barriers—the need for sustainable funding, stronger cross-sector collaboration, and a shared language for talking about creativity and entrepreneurship. Attendees then quite literally filled the walls with ideas during the interactive playbook session, offering suggestions that will feed into a statewide Creative Economy Playbook compiling best practices, funding models, and success stories from Indiana’s regions.

CASHING IN ON THE ENTERTAINMENT ECONOMY

Another 2025 CES highlight was the Entertainment Economy panel moderated by Marlon Webb (Manager of Government Consulting, KSM), with panelists Chris Cobb (Owner, Bona Fide Live, Nashville), Howie Kaplan (Owner, The Howlin’ Wolf, New Orleans), and Michael Hussain (Good Vibes Media). They explained how cities like Nashville and New Orleans have built thriving entertainment ecosystems using clear policy frameworks, flexible permitting, and consistent advocacy. Howie, in particular, struck a chord: he explained how business discipline and community vision can coexist, “using influence to advance the creative sector, not just your own interests.”

MAIN STREET MOMENTUM

In our closing conversation, Main Street Strategies for Growth, moderator Sara Peterson (Sara Peterson Consulting) led Mayor Richard Strick (Huntington, IN), Alyssa Woolard (Director of Economic Development, City of Plainfield), and Adam Kenney (Chief Programs Officer, Bridgeway Capital) through a practical look at how creative entrepreneurs can anchor downtown revitalization. Adam’s insights, especially how community development finance institutions (CDFIs) investment is key to successful creative businesses, lit up the room. Many attendees named it a top highlight, “incredibly brilliant and vital.”

TWO DAYS, COMMON THEMES

Unifying threads ran through each of our sessions: connection and collaboration. Summit participants repeatedly called for:

• More face time IRL between “money × creatives”

• Shared messaging to advocate as one sector

• A shift in language when talking about creativity and business

• More representation of marginalized voices and POC leadership

• And, as one participant noted, “core wins we can all point to”

Read summaries of all 2025 CES sessions.

For reference, download the incredibly informative Program.

2025 CES ATTENDEES BY INDUSTRY

NATIONAL INDEPENDENT VENUE ALLIANCE TAKES THE LOCAL STAGE

The 2025 National Independent Venue Alliance (NIVA) Live Policy Summit took place immediately after the Creative Economy Summit on October 15 & 16, bringing together venue owners, policymakers, and advocates from across the country for two days of big ideas and lively debate about the future of independent live entertainment. Thanks to some persistent nudging (we at Pattern take a little credit), the NIVA team chose Indy, and HI-FI proved to be the perfect host, setting the tone for a summit both deeply practical and full of heart.

The sessions were anchored by new findings from the State of Live Report, which underscores the scale and urgency of this industry’s impact. Nationally, independent venues contributed $86.2 billion to GDP, supported 908,000 jobs, and generated $19.3 billion in tax revenue, even as 64 percent operated without profitability in 2024. In Indiana, the sector drives $578.9 million in GDP, $1 billion in total output, and supports over 8,000 jobs, proving that live music is far more than nightlife—it’s economic development in action.

Policy conversations focused on the local levers that matter most: zoning, permitting, and nightlife governance. Several cities—including New Orleans, Austin, Nashville, and Philly—shared examples of nightlife offices and entertainment districts that protect and nurture creative spaces amid urban growth.

On a related note, Pattern and a group of Indiana music industry volunteers have been steadily building the Indiana Music Alliance, a statewide platform designed to make it easier for music professionals to find each other, collaborate, and grow. The site, now live at indianamusicalliance.com, focuses on the business side of music—studios, venues, promoters, labels, and service providers—and aims to bring visibility and connection to those who make Indiana’s music scene work. Claim your listing, explore the directory, and share it with your peers.

INSIDE PATTERN

Magazine update

Gentle Readers, PATTERN Volume 28 is experiencing a slight delay. While we were hitting the gas on one of our biggest projects of the year, the magazine itself made a quick pit stop. Not to worry, our Speed City issue is worth the wait and will be fully assembled before the end of the year. (Not a subscriber yet? Now’s a good time to jump in—subscription rates are increasing by $10 on December 1 due to rising production costs and cost of paper.)

That’s it from us for now! Have a great rest of your week!

The Pattern Team 👊 

P.S. Dear funders and sponsors, thank you for believing in the power of creativity!