The nonprofit Columbus Area Arts Council will move next week to a new office at 431 Sixth St. in downtown Columbus.
The move from the first floor of The Commons will give the independent agency more visibility — and it will better facilitate partnerships with nearby agencies such as The Heritage Fund — the Community Foundation of Bartholomew County, the Columbus Indiana Architectural Archives, the Bartholomew County Public Library, Landmark Columbus, the Columbus Area Visitors Center and the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, said Kathryn Armstrong, the arts council’s executive director.
“It will be a good fit for us,” Armstrong said. “What will come of all that (partnership work) is really something for the community to look forward to.”
The Heritage Fund, long a supporter of the local arts scene, owns the office space where the arts council will rent.
Armstrong emphasized that she and her staff are grateful for the city of Columbus support which provided The Commons space since that structure opened in June 2011. She said the arts council and city will continue to work together on a range of efforts.
“It’s time for us to take more of a leadership role in serving the community with arts and cultural programming, as well as being a resource to area artists and arts organizations,” Armstrong said. “That’s what this move ultimately is about.”
She acknowledged that the new location will allow the agency to be more visable than it was in The Commons, a space that few members of the public knew about.
“That’s huge,” she said.
Another big development, Armstrong said, is that the arts council is out of a budget deficit for the first time in four years.
Offices will be closed to the public during the move, Monday through March 9. The office will reopen March 13 at the new location for regular hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday.
Columbus Parks and Recreation Director Mark Jones said the city has made no decision about the future of The Commons office space.
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Address: 431 Sixth St. (as of March 13)
Phone: 812-376-2539
Online: artsincolumbus.org
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