SEI READI Unveils 10-Year Regional Arts & Culture Plan

Anew strategy empowering artists and creative organizations to take a larger role in keeping the region and its communities vibrant and resilient.

(Southeast Indiana) - SEI READI, Inc. is announcing the launch of Southeast Indiana’s 10-year Arts & Culture Plan, a new strategy empowering artists and creative organizations to take a larger role in keeping the region and its communities vibrant and resilient.

Leaders from across Dearborn, Franklin, Ohio, Ripley, Switzerland and Union counties gathered at the Tanglewood in Versailles on December 16, 2025, to celebrate the plan’s completion. Developed through broad-based community engagement and funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc. in coordination with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), the plan’s purpose is to enhance quality of life, strengthen the local economy, and provide an important -- often missing -- piece to community planning: arts and culture. It provides a long-term, strategic roadmap of goals, strategies, and appendices with details and resources to strengthen local identity, foster economic growth, and attract and retain residents.

Rooted in an asset-based, community-driven approach, the new Southeast Indiana Arts & Culture Plan reflects extensive input and collaboration across the region. More than 230 southeastern Indiana residents contributed through workshops, listening sessions, and stakeholder engagement throughout 2024. This inclusive process ensured representation across sectors, communities, and creative disciplines across all six counties.

“Together we are crafting a regional vision where natural beauty meets economic vitality, where educational opportunities pave the way for generational prosperity, and where the dream of affordable living becomes a reality,” said SEI READI Board of Directors President Bill Schirmer. “Arts and culture are central to achieving that vision. They strengthen community identity, drive economic momentum, and help build places where people want to live, work, and create.”

The project was supported in 2024 through Lilly Endowment Inc.’s statewide initiative to accelerate arts and culture planning and investment. This initiative aims to strengthen Indiana’s vibrancy by empowering communities to develop transformational cultural strategies and advance high-impact arts and cultural projects.

The plan document identifies a vision for a region where arts are a thriving, vital force that:

• Spark community and economic vitality,
• Amplify natural assets and regional tourism,
• Foster regional collaboration through local leadership,
• Are central to engaging and empowering the next generation, and
• Where creative placemaking and design have solidified vibrant cultural districts.

Following goals, strategies, ideas, and the toolkit outlined in the plan document, SEI READI, Inc. will begin collaborating with regional partners, local governments, creative organizations, and community stakeholders to prioritize implementation steps and pursue investment opportunities that bring the vision to life.

In January 2024, the State of Indiana announced a $250 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) to strengthen quality-of-place investments statewide. LEI’s Redevelopment & Arts Initiative is designed to revitalize blighted areas while expanding access to arts and cultural opportunities in communities across Indiana. The Southeast Indiana Arts & Culture Plan will serve as the foundational document for the region’s pursuit of these funds.

Under the leadership of Governor Mike Braun and in partnership with the Indiana Arts Commission, the IEDC anticipates awarding Redevelopment & Arts Initiative funding to select projects throughout the state beginning in 2026. For more information on the SEI READI Arts & Culture Plan or to access materials from the Dec. 16 launch event, please refer the region’s website at southeastindiana.org.