Ohio Co. Resident Receives Indiana Arts Homecoming Scholarship

The 2019 Indiana Arts Homecoming event happened October 23-25.

 Kendal Miller, executive director of the Ohio County Convention, Tourism and Visitors Commission in Rising Sun was awarded a grant to attend the 2019 Indiana Arts Homecoming in Indianapolis recently. Submitted photo.

(Ohio Co., Ind.) - The Ohio County Convention, Tourism and Visitor Commission Executive Director, Kendal Miller, received a scholarship from the Indiana Arts Commission. 

This scholarship, including complimentary registration and travel/accommodations, gave Miller the opportunity to travel to the 2019 Indiana Arts Homecoming event on October 23-25 at the Indiana Historical Society in Indianapolis.

These scholarships are sponsored by the Indiana Arts Commission, Arts Midwest, the Regional Opportunities Initiatives, Inc. and an anonymous donor.

People awarded this scholarship were based on priority of diversity, emerging leadership, and rural access.

“Indiana Homecoming was one of the most unique conferences of any that I’ve attended. There were phenomenal presenters and ideas over the course of the event,” said Miller, a first-time attendee.

The Indiana Arts Homecoming theme included exploring inclusion, diversity and equality. 

The Indiana Arts Homecoming event began with bus tours featuring public art and a Black History and Heritage Tour. A variety of sessions featured shaping and encouraging partnerships, community events, placemaking, and arts development.

Miller explains, “'Art' or 'the arts' is often misinterpreted as 'only' being a painting or sketch and not thought of as a tool to grow creative placemaking or the promotion of tourism. As an example, the 'Decay Devils' of Gary, Indiana, encourages partnerships and community by-in for historic preservation projects that encourages tourism through renovation."

Region 9 was represented by staff and artists in Batesville, Columbus, Dillsboro, Greensburg, and Versailles. People across Indiana and neighboring states also attended.

Kendal came back from this event with new "out-of- the-box concepts" and Networking connections, including organizations offering grant opportunities, that could possibly be utilized for Ohio County.