The Southwest Indiana Regional Development Authority (SWIRDA) has unveiled its first Regional Arts & Culture Strategic Plan, establishing a unified roadmap to enhance quality of place, elevate cultural identity, and build a stronger regional arts economy across Gibson, Posey, Vanderburgh, and Warrick counties.
The plan was created over the past year in collaboration with the Indiana Arts Commission, local governments, arts organizations, venues, education partners, and community leaders. Strategies in the plan were guided by extensive stakeholder feedback, demographic research, and market analysis. Development of the plan was funded through a READI 2.0 Arts Initiative grant from the Lilly Endowment and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.
The plan highlights the region’s cultural strengths while addressing key areas for improvement — including the need for more coordinated promotion, expanded public art, sustainable long-term funding, and increased access to arts experiences for residents and visitors.
“The Regional Arts and Culture Plan is a tool for sustainable growth in the arts in Gibson, Posey, Vanderburgh, and Warrick counties,” said Josh Armstrong, Chief Economic Development Officer for the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership (E-REP). “Investments such as performance space, public arts, and even festival venues are supported by feedback from the arts community, as well as consumer and travel data indicating a high probability of long-term success. The suggestions in the plan were then benchmarked against other communities across the Midwest.”
The plan emphasizes several core regional priorities, including:
- A bold arts and culture vision that leverages the region’s riverfront, historic assets, and strong creative workforce.
- Centralized promotion and marketing, ensuring residents and visitors can easily discover events and creative opportunities across all four counties.
- Expansion of public art and placemaking initiatives that strengthen regional identity and community pride, especially a midsize live performance venue and a festival grounds.
- Sustainable funding strategies to support long-term growth, collaboration, and programming.
- Alignment with major regional initiatives, including the Ohio River Vision & Strategic Plan and ongoing tourism development efforts.
Armstrong added, “We look forward to working with local governments, arts organizations, and private business owners to advance the types of projects outlined in the plan.”
The Evansville Regional Arts & Culture Strategic Plan is available at evansvilleregion.com under the Community Vision here: https://www.evansvilleregion.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/IEDC-Approved-Evansville-Region-Arts-Culture-Plan-10-29-12-whdb.pdf