Tipton Arts Commission seeks visiting teaching artist, plans public workshops and summer celebration

Mayor Keegan interviewed Anna Trageser, a member of the Tipton Arts Commission, on the Tipton Thrives podcast about the commission’s recent activities and a visiting teaching-artist program the group is organizing.

The commission, established by the Tipton City Council in summer 2024, received funding from the Indiana Arts Commission and used that support to issue an RFPQ seeking a visiting teaching artist, Trageser said. "The Indiana Arts Commission is kind of a similar body to the Tipton Arts Commission, but it focuses on the whole state of Indiana," Trageser said.

Trageser described the commission as a five-member volunteer group charged with stewarding Tipton’s public-art collection and fostering local creative activity. She said the commission participated in a Creative Convergence workshop, run in collaboration with regional arts partners and Ball State, to develop goals that link arts activities to community and economic development.

"We're actually looking for them right now," Trageser said, referring to the selection of a visiting artist. She said the commission expects to announce the selected artist in late spring or early summer and that the artist will return to Tipton multiple times to lead workshops and public events.

Mayor Keegan noted the RFPQ is public and urged local artists to apply. "We've got the RFPQ, right, out there looking for an artist. So if you are a local artist, wanna participate in this, certainly reach out," Keegan said.

Planned activities include free, publicly available workshops at the public library, paid or volunteer workshops with local groups, and a community celebration intended for late summer to showcase the visiting artist’s work and the community’s creations. Trageser said the commission is casting a wide net, advertising through regional arts networks, an arts federation in Lafayette and an arts council in Indianapolis.

Both speakers framed the effort as long-term community development rather than a one-off project. Trageser tied arts programming to place-making: murals, sculptures and performances give residents opportunities to engage locally and can contribute to economic vibrancy by making the city more attractive to current and prospective residents.

Trageser encouraged local people to “keep making” and to participate whether they are artists or newcomers to creative activities. Keegan said the city will publicize opportunities as the visiting-artist schedule and events are finalized.

The discussion on the podcast was informational; no formal city votes or ordinances were announced on the episode.