A racecar-free email . . . in my inbox, in May?

Right now y’all are catching us in the few quiet days between our spring and summer intern classes. It’s a magical time of, well, meetings. Like a lot of meetings amid all the sh*t we need to take care of.

Speaking of sh*t, you can keep a secret, right?

Don’t tell Polina you heard it here, but we’re working on a total brand overhaul as a companion piece to our new strategic plan. We’ve seen it, and we’re over-the-moon obsessed. Keep an eye out for changes here and there over the coming months.

Anyway, enough about us.

You know mutual funds*? We know, it’s a terrible pick-up line, but stay with us. Some of these funds fall under "Impact Investing"—these kinds of mutual funds let people invest in organizations doing good for the world, without the risk of putting all their money toward one company.

How is this relevant to us?

Places like Upstart Co-Lab are making Impact Investing mutual funds for the creative economy. Needless to say, we're a big fan of this idea! The best part of all this is not only are these funds proving to be good for the creative economy, they also have a lot of promise for the investor's financial return. And this is only the beginning!

Want to learn more about what this could mean for the creative economy? Read more about Upstart Co-Lab's creative economy funds here.

*Mutual fund: an investment fund that pools money from many investors and splits that investment equally between a diverse range of stocks, bonds, and more.

What’s Happening At PATTERN

• We recently welcomed Midwest Leak editor Le’Deana Brown into our studio and she KILLED IT modeling for us and in an exclusive interview. Wish you were there to witness her badassery? Want to be a part of the events that produce stories such as this one?

  • Sign up for our May digital cover experience here! We’ll be sitting down with Jenn Schimmelpfennig, founder and president of Pivot Marketing, the geniuses behind the branding for BUTTER Art Fair.

• Madeline MacKinnon, founder of Frida’s Flowers, is in the (Stutz) building! She is one of our new artists-in-residence as part of our SPACE Program. This accomplished florist channels the bold, vibrant spirit of Frida Kahlo through floral arrangement in an artistic way. Her clients have included the IRT, Newfields, NBA All-Star 2024, LUSH Cosmetics, GANGGANG, and more!

• Look, it sucks that Vol 25 is running late, but that means you still have time to subscribe to get the best deal on Vol 25 / Vol 26!

Interested in advertising space that sees thousands of local supporters? Contact [email protected] for more information!

Experience

The city with free IndyGo passes—The Indy Arts Council is providing free 10-Trip IndyGo bus passes to Central Indiana artists of any discipline every 30 days while supplies last.

The HI-FI Annex—Like live music? Community? Good vibes? You’ll definitely want to check out HI-FI’s unique outdoor summer venue in Fountain Square! Check out their new promotional video to see it for yourself!

Learn

Adobe Photoshop basics—This event takes place at Central Library on May 11 at 2:30 pm. Gain hands-on experience editing images and photos while learning the basic tools you need.

Apply

To the DeHaan Artist of Distinction Award (DADA)—If you’re a contemporary visual artist wanting to take risks, you’re in luck. The DADA offers grants of up to $10,000 for Indiana artists who have been creating contemporary visual art for five years or more. Deadline: May 12, 2024

To The Elaine Food Art Proposals—Calling all artists looking to give back to their community, this opportunity is for you. The Elaine is a neighborhood food & clothing pantry seeking food-related art to print on vinyl decals. All artwork will be considered a donation to The Elaine. Deadline: July 31, 2024

To the Blu-Sky Artist Award—Are you a visual artist seeking financial assistance? Ten Moir Gallery is offering $500 and a published interview to eligible amateur and professional artists. Deadline: July 31, 2024

For a $10,000 grant for your small business from Verizon—When you join Verizon Small Business Digital Ready, you’ll get access to free courses, events, and the opportunity to apply for a $10,000 grant (after completing two online courses). If you’re a small business owner over the age of 18, this opportunity is for you. Deadline: June 28, 2024

Stay Connected

And Before You Go . . .

Okay, you caught us. We couldn’t resist the 500 completely. Just humor us!

P.S. We love these guys!