Howdy dear reader,

I have to say — I’m genuinely excited to see the READI 2.0 LEI Arts & Culture project applications finally being accepted. It’s been a long road to get here. Tim George of Pathemy Strategies and I spent most of last year deep in two regional studies, one for the Central Indiana Regional Development Authority and one for the Our Southern Indiana RDA) sitting with mayors, economic developers, artists, venue owners, university leaders, founders — listening, mapping, challenging assumptions, and trying to solve for the big picture of what it would actually take to make Indiana a true hot-bed for creatives.

Those conversations were some of the most encouraging I’ve had in years. Smart people. Hard questions. A shared recognition that talent alone isn’t enough — we need infrastructure, capital alignment, and policy that understands how creative industries actually function.

That’s why this moment feels significant. It’s not just a funding portal opening. It’s a structural opportunity. A chance to move from study to execution. If you haven’t read your region’s study, yet, you definitely should, especially if you’re thinking about applying for the funding. (Studies can be found on the READI website, Resources→ Region Plans)

And while we’re on the topic of moving from talent to structure, I’m excited to be moderating a panel this Friday at the Collegiate Entrepreneurial Summit at 16 Tech: From Talent to Revenue: How Creative Entrepreneurs Build Sustainable Income. We’re getting practical — pricing, repeat income, ownership, intellectual property, contracts. No romanticizing creative work. Just the mechanics of building something that lasts.

Because whether we’re talking about regional capital strategy or a student launching a creative business, the underlying question is the same: can creativity generate durable value?

I personally believe it can! Onward!

— Polina Osherov

Indiana rarely directs state-level economic development dollars toward arts and culture at this scale. Even more rarely does it allow those dollars to fund systems, workforce pipelines, and long-term capacity.

The $65 million Arts & Culture allocation within READI 2.0 represents more than a capital opportunity. It is a structural test of whether creative industries will be treated — and will operate — as part of Indiana’s economic base.

This moment invites ecosystem-level thinking: coordinated regional networks, shared infrastructure, sustainable workforce pathways, and durable alignment with economic development strategy.

The UK just launched a formal R&D Strategy for the Creative and Cultural Economy through UK Research and Innovation, backing it with roughly £500 million in coordinated investment — spanning research, creative technology, commercialization, infrastructure, and regional cluster development. The UK treats its £124 billion creative sector as industrial strategy, aligning workforce, IP policy, AI-era innovation, and capital under one growth framework.

Now, to be clear — the UK is a national government. Indiana is a state. The scale is different. The levers are different. But the posture is instructive.

The Irish government just approved a new Basic Income for the Arts scheme, providing €325 per week to 2,000 artists for three years, backed by €18.27 million in Budget 2026. The previous pilot — a large-scale randomized control trial — showed measurable gains in output, wellbeing, and economic return, with a reported €1.39 societal return for every €1 invested.

Pattern and Katz, Sapper & Miller (KSM) are launching a four-part Creative Economy Panel Series beginning March 3 with a focused conversation on adaptive reuse.

Across Indiana, we see the same tension: vacant or underutilized Main Street buildings sitting idle while housing demand rises and small businesses struggle to find viable space. Adaptive reuse is not aesthetic nostalgia. It is an economic development strategy.

This first panel brings together Dax Norton (Bargersville), Jenell Fairman (Westfield), Max Engling (U.S. Sen. Jim Banks’ office), and Jeremy Stephenson (1820 Ventures), moderated by Marlon Webb of KSM. The conversation will move beyond theory into mechanics: zoning barriers, financing structures, regional alignment, and how tools like the RESIDE Act intersect with local revitalization.

If we are serious about treating creativity as infrastructure, we have to understand how deals actually get done. How buildings move from vacancy to mixed-use. How policy shapes feasibility. How housing, entrepreneurship, and cultural vitality reinforce one another.

The March 3 session kicks off a four-part series, with additional panels on April 28, June 11, and September 1.

If you care about how capital, policy, and place intersect, this is the room to be in.

P.S. Thank you to our fellow champions of the creative economy!