Kewanna Arts Alliance launches start of public art project after receiving grant

The Kewanna Arts Alliance, with support from the HeARTery, are bringing art and passion back to Kewanna thanks to a recent grant given by the Indiana Arts Commission through their Creative Convergence program. 

The Kewanna Arts Alliance group was first started in March, 2025 by locals who came together in an effort to revive and nurture the artistic spirit of Kewanna. 

Looking to build a strong collaborative community effort and sense of investment for Kewanna, the Kewanna Arts Alliance took its first steps towards their mission by adding flower pots to Kewanna's Main St last April and Christmas trees throughout the town in December. Each flower pot costed around $400, with many of them being donated by Pete and Gail Karas. Donations were also made by Winamac Coil Springs, Kewanna Union Township Fire Department and the Town of Kewanna. 

Several new public events at the HeARTery were also hosted by the Kewanna Arts Alliance throughout the year to highlight the importance of bringing the community together that included a Neighbor's Day event in June, the Hometown Hocus Pocus at the HeARTery in October, and the Once Upon a December Christmas event at the end of the year. 

During the first week of November, 2025, KAA board members attended a two-day Creative Convergence work shop from the Indiana Arts Commission, conducted in partnership with the Indiana Communities Institute at Ball State University's Miller College of Business, which focused on how to embed arts and creativity in a community to effectively engage with locals and build economic planning and solutions. 

Following the training program, the Kewanna Arts Alliance, sponsored by the HeARTery, was one of ten groups highlighting Indiana communities to be given a $5,000 Creative Convergence Early Action grant in support of a community art project in Kewanna. 

A Creative Convergence Team was soon created to help execute plans for the grant and help the group assess the proposed area, procure artists for the project, and pay the designer, marketing and website costs. 

The Kewanna Town Council also recently gave their approval of the project’s location at Logan and Main St intersection, allowing the group to move forward with the next step in the project. The property is currently owned by the town. Kewanna Town Council President Doran Collins said he looks forward to seeing the progress of the project, which he feels will promote growth in the community. 

Having lived in the town his entire life, Collins said he can remember Kewanna being a busy little community that once held two grocery stores, five gas stations, flourishing restaurants and even a movie theater. 

"We agreed on the location of the project because I like what it is doing to get the community going so far. Kewanna needs it. I hope for it to not only improve the community, but also bring community members together. We used to be a tight-knit town and we hope things like this bring back the sense of community around here again. I remember when everybody knew everybody in town. That’s how it was here when I was growing up, so I like where it's going," Collins said. 

The Kewanna Arts Alliance meets on the second Saturday of each month at 9 a.m. the Kewanna Union Township Library, 210 E Main St in Kewanna. During the next meeting on March 14, progress on the project will be presented. 

The Creative Convergence Team Members are scheduled to meet about the project’s design considerations on Sunday, April 12 at 1 p.m. at the HeARTery, 414 E Main St in Kewanna. 

A public engagement with the project will be held at the Kewanna Community Center, 404 E Toner St in Kewanna on Sunday, June 7 at 2 p.m. 

The group says the purpose of the project is to create a heartbeat in Kewanna that can pulse out from the art piece and inspire further growth in the town. 

Kewanna Arts Alliance board member Gail Karas was one of the original founders who helped start both the Kewanna Arts Alliance and Creative Convergence Team for the project. Karas says she’s excited to see how far things have come over the past 12 months. 

"We’ve come a long way over the past year since the group was started and we have moved mountains. Now it’s time for us to create our island" Karas said. 

For more information on how you can get involved or make donations you can contact Karas at 574-835-2992. Progress of the project and future endeavors with the group in Kewanna will be documented and posted to the Kewanna Arts Alliance Facebook page to keep community members updated.