Cultured (2004)
Based on the billboards that litter our highways, a traveler passing through Northwest Indiana might conclude that the arts and recreation in the region consist of little more than exotic dancing and fireworks. In fact, however, Northwest Indiana abounds with creatively talented individuals, a burgeoning arts community, multiple performance venues and diverse natural landscapes. These combined assets offer a tremendous range of cultural, recreational and educational activities for residents and tourists alike. Furthermore, our local assets are enhanced by the region’s proximity to world-class venues in Chicago. For these reasons, this category out-performs all others in this report and should be viewed as an essential component in marketing Northwest Indiana to the wider world. Indeed, these kinds of assets are now being recognized as critical to a high quality of life. Richard Florida, for instance, has identified the arts and culture as critical components to economic development.
Indeed, the arts stand at the core of a dramatic re-branding of the region that is now underway. Using the recently re-animated South Shore poster series, cities, towns, institutions and organizations throughout Northwest Indiana are beginning to understand the place in which we’re located as the “South Shore.” The poster series reflects key elements in our collective rethinking of the region, most importantly, Lake Michigan and the Indiana Dunes, a tradition of world-class industry and manufacturing, our connections to the City of Chicago and the arts.
The ongoing development of the arts and various forms of recreation in Northwest Indiana is fully consistent with the assets-based focus that is described in the introduction to this report. Yet, how do we measure performance with respect to the arts and recreation? Counting events, patrons, visitors and financial returns does not work very well. With respect to the arts, quality is at least as important as quantity. Further, the events and activities that comprise the arts and various forms of recreation are incommensurate in many respects. How does one compare a casino to a play? Does one new ball field equal a well-established, community-based festival? Alas, beauty lies in the eye of the beholder and sports allegiances defy explanation. (Have you ever tried to reason with a Cub fan?)
11.1 Arts
At the state level, the Indiana Arts Commission (IAC) administers public dollars for program funding of the arts locally. In 2003, area organizations applying for IAC grants received $309,757, down 7.7% from 2002, but up 4% from 2001. Over the same three-year period, three local artists were funded $1,000 each for their independent art projects.
Table 133: Dollars of Publicly Funded Grants distributed to
| Organizations (2003) | |
|---|---|
| Year | $ |
| 2003 2002 2001 Source: IndianaArts.org | 309,757 321,734 296,879 |
According to the United Way’s State of Giving Report, there are 105 non-profit organizations in Lake County focused on the arts, culture and humanities. In 2003, this category’s median revenue was of $33,044, a 87% decline over a two-year period. In 1998, the median revenue for organizations in this category was $256,478.
Here are the highlights of the vibrant arts and culture-related opportunities in our community:
Art Centers
The Center for Visual and Performing Arts in Munster, The Lubezneck Center for the Arts in Michigan City and the Valparaiso University Center for the Arts provide year-round visual and performing arts programming from concerts to exhibits.
Symphony
The Northwest Indiana Symphony Society, in its 64th season, sponsors the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra, the Northwest Indiana Youth Orchestra and the Northwest Indiana Symphony Chorus, which perform classical, pop and family concerts at the Star Plaza Theatre. Celebrating its 31st season, the LaPorte County Symphony Orchestra produced six major concerts in 2003, three in Michigan City and three in LaPorte.
Live Theatre
The Community Theater Guild of Valparaiso, the Footlight Players of Michigan City, the Memorial Opera Company of Valparaiso, the Genesis Guild of Hammond, the Theater at the Center production company of Munster, the West Side Theatre and other local companies conduct plays year-round in a number of excellent venues. In Michigan City, the Canterbury Theater’s summer schedule attracts actors from all over the country and its winter arts series offers a diverse program ranging from bluegrass to opera.
Music
The Star Theatre Plaza is a premier, 3,400 seat Chicagoland venue, attracting international and national performers of various genres. Taltree Arboretum and Gardens in Valparaiso hosts an eclectic music series called “Music under the Stars” and “Sunday Sounds” from May to October. The Guy Foreman Amphitheater in Michigan City also offers ten band concerts through the summer months.
Cultural Festivals
Over the course of the summer, barely a week goes by without a community festival of one kind or another. Indeed, it seems that nothing goes uncelebrated in Northwest Indiana, including pierogies in Whiting, popcorn in Valparaiso, flight and air power in Gary, Dorothy and Toto in Chesterton, pork in Kouts, and beer at LaPorte County’s Oktoberfest, which, by the way, is celebrated from August 29 through September 1 at the LaPorte County Fair.
Public Lectures
The Sinai Forum in Michigan city has hosted a world-class lecture series on a broad range of topics for over 50 years.
11.1 Recreation
Recreation activities, in particular, have emerged as a key component of our economy. The economic impact of the region’s five casino boats was noted in section 3.0. In 2003, over 1.9 million individuals visited the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. The newly-constructed Steel Yard – the home of the South Shore Railcats baseball team – is viewed as a economic anchor for the City of Gary. Our focus here, however, is more on the aesthetic and entertainment value that these events and activities provide than it is on their economic return.
A few highlights of the thriving recreational outlets within our community are:
The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is a 15,000 acre national park offering hiking, biking, camping and swimming. The Lakeshore extends across the three counties and provides a vast array of educational and opportunities as well. The Indiana Dunes Lakeshore ranks seventh among all of our national parks in native plant diversity.
The Indiana Dunes Environmental Learning Center, located in the former site of Camp Good Fellow in the Dunes, provides teacher training, in-service workshops and overnight, hands-on educational opportunities for children, adults and groups. The Learning Center is quickly evolving into an important cultural and educational asset.
The region enjoys a large number of unique county and municipal parks, including Deep River Park in Lake County, Washington Park in LaPorte County and Sunset Hill Farm County Park in Porter County. The Washington Park Zoo is in the midst of a long-term modernization designed to restore its status as the anchor of the parks system in Michigan City.
Outstanding woodland, wetland and prairie habitats can be found at Taltree Arboretum and Gardens in Valparaiso and the International Friendship Gardens in Michigan City.
An extensive off-road network of bike and pedestrian trails, totaling over 62 miles, has been developed on abandoned rail lines, and 43 miles of extensions are under development. Many of trails across the region will link to each other as well as to trails leading into Illinois and Michigan. For on-road routes, Porter County maintains a 142 mile bikeway system, and LaPorte County recently completed a 420 mile bikeway system with 20 loop rides throughout the county.
The region is home to four public marinas: the Hammond Marina, the Robert A. Patrick Marina, the Portage Public Marina and the Washington Park Marina. Lake Michigan fishing charters are available out of East Chicago, Portage and Michigan City.
Northwest Indiana has two water parks, the Deep River Water Park in Hobart and Splashdown Dunes in Chesterton.
Nearly 40 golf courses now dot the region, many of which are highly regarded by golfers.
Northwest Indiana is home to 13 museums, featuring local cultural history from locomotives to the Wizard of Oz.
Antiquing and shopping can be enjoyed in cities and towns throughout the region, many of which have historic town squares or downtown main streets lined with quaint shops.
Lastly, several of the arts and recreational events noted above are supported by a robust network of sponsoring and supporting organizations and associations. The Convention and Visitors Bureaus of Lake, LaPorte and Porter Counties promote a wide array of activities pertaining both to the arts and recreation. The Northwest Indiana Excellence in Theatre Foundation, Inc. uses an annual awards program to feature the work of local theater companies. Arts curricula of various kind are provided by several of the region’s colleges and universities. The Northern Indiana Arts Association strives to provide “opportunities for artistic expression, education, and cultural appreciation.” Its educational outreach programs serve nearly 5,000 children each year. It also serves Lake, LaPorte and Porter Counties as one of the Indiana Arts Commission’s twelve regional partners. In this role, it provides technical assistance to artists, organizations and others who choose to pursue grants offered by the Indiana Arts Commission.
Grade: B+ Trend: Vibrant
It is entirely appropriate that this indicator be assigned a grade of “B+”, the highest grade assigned in this report. The arts are thriving in Northwest Indiana, albeit under many of our radar scopes. The recreational opportunities that Lake Michigan affords are unique and, quite simply, outstanding. As is noted in section 5.0, positive action is being taken to protect the natural assets that the region enjoys, and a complementary set of other assets are being developed as well.
Goal: Concerned parties and organizations in Northwest Indiana should develop and implement a strategy to enhance the profile of the arts in Northwest Indiana. Although substantial progress in this regard has already been demonstrated, the vibrancy and long-term potential of the arts to contribute to our overall quality of life are not yet fully appreciated by many citizens.
Actions: The achievement of this goal would contribute to all three of the Quality of Life Council’s organizing principles: sustainable economic development, environmental well-being and social equity.
Four additional recommendations follow. 1) As a function of its relationship with the Indiana Arts Commission, the Northern Indiana Arts Association is responsible for the development of a cultural plan for the region. The current plan is currently under revision and expected to be released in 2005. We encourage NIAA to pursue this update in partnership with a broad range of interested parties in the region.
2) In addition, we encourage NIAA, the non-profit sector and the business community to build upon the brand recognition afforded by the South Shore poster series to market themselves as part of an emerging “South Shore” community. This regional marketing strategy will leverage the positive image portrayed in the posters and our proximity to Chicago.
3) We believe that the arts are an essential ingredient in a well-rounded education. Lawmakers are encouraged to fully fund arts and music programs in our public schools. Private funders, including both institutions and individuals, are encouraged to view arts education as a priority.
4) We believe that physical education is essential to a well-rounded education as well. Indeed, it can help prepare a young person for a lifetime of positive recreational activities. Further, the social costs of obesity are staggering and growing. Again, lawmakers and school systems are encouraged to fully fund physical education programs in our public schools.
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