Host Mason King talks with Big Car CEO Jim Walker about the art campus the organization has developed in the neighborhood and how the group is trying to ensure artists aren’t eventually priced out of being there.
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The centerpiece of the project—transforming a 40,000-square-foot former factory into an arts and cultural space—has not begun, but home renovations and greenspace development are underway.
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In the interest of brand clarity and long-range planning, an arts-focused campus in the Garfield Park neighborhood is adopting a new name before opening a 40,000-square-foot multipurpose building in 2026.
The Lilly Endowment is paving the way for the renovation of a 40,000-square-foot vacant factory in the Garfield Park area into artist studios, performance spaces, a public cafe and more.
Approved artists would co-own the renovated homes in the Garfield Park neighborhood and only pay half the cost of the property.
Walker heads Big Car, which he describes as an “art-based, creativity-based not-for-profit that’s focused on community development.” Put simply, it uses art to jump-start neighborhood involvement and development.
The arts-focused Big Car Collaborative, birthed in Fountain Square in 2004 and most recently headquartered at Lafayette Square Mall, has found a permanent place to park on Indianapolis’ south side.
