Our Building

Located in north Broad Ripple Village, along the banks of the White River, lies the state-of-the-art Indianapolis Art Center. The facility opened on May 31, 1996 and designed by world-renowned architect and Indianapolis native Michael Graves.

Phase I (east half) began in October 1994 and was completed in late August 1995. The west half was completed in May 1996. The building's overall area exceeds 40,000 square feet. The Art Center is located on seven acres of green bordered on the north by the White River and surrounded by 100 acres of city trail ways and parkland.

The building consists of two sections joined by the Churchman-Fehsenfeld Studio. The west half contains the octagonal-shaped Ruth Lilly library with a gas fireplace, administrative offices for our 26-person staff, the Stan & Sandy Hurt conference room, a studio prep and storage area, studios for painting and drawing classes, a printmaking studio, a photography studio and a 12-station computer graphics studio. The east half contains studios for woodworking, glassblowing, ceramics, metalsmithing, steel and stone sculpture and benchwork.

The exterior of the building is peach, red ochre and blue and serves as a landmark for Broad Ripple Village and North College Avenue. In 2005, ArtsPark, a 12-acre sculpture garden and park, was completed and opened to the public. In the summer of 2007 ARTSPARK expanded to include a sensory path, canoe launch and additional permanent sculptures.

There are eight exhibition spaces including the Churchman-Fehsenfeld, Clowes and Hurt galleries. The 224-seat Frank M. Basile Auditorium, the Riverfront Amphitheatre, and the Basile Studio Shop. Entrance to the Art Center is free, so patrons can roam the building and grounds at anytime.