Indy's biggest Art & Soul celebration is set
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Akili Ni Mali and Brandon Lott are two of this year's Art & Soul featured artists. Photos: Courtesy of Indy Arts Council/Mojo Up Marketing and Media
The 29th annual Art & Soul Celebration is poised to be the biggest Black art bash in the event's history.
Why it matters: The Indy Arts Council's largest public program creates new opportunities for creators of color to show their stuff.
Driving the news: The 2025 Art & Soul schedule dropped Wednesday, including the reveal of the four local artists who will headline this year's class.
- The program has kicked off Black History Month in Indianapolis since 1996, but this year it will transition to a year-round celebration, an expansion made possible by a recently forged partnership with the Madam Walker Legacy Center.
What they're saying: "Now more than ever, we need art, and the voices and stories of the artists who create it," Mariah Ivey, an Art & Soul alumna and program manager at the Madam Walker Legacy Center, said in a statement. "This program and the upcoming showcase will not only highlight their talent, but also offer our community a chance to connect, gain insight, and leave truly inspired."
Zoom in: The Indy Arts Council received a record 87 applications for 2025's Art & Soul featured artist spots.
Here are the four artists who will take center stage in 2025:
Akili Ni Mali: Musician and actor
- Born in California and raised in Indianapolis, Mali is an independent artist with a sound that blends R&B, soul, jazz and pop.
Brandon Lott: Musician
- Lott is an R&B and neo soul artist who began his career in 2014 as a music intern at the Harrison Center while attending Herron High School.
Kierra Ready: Visual artist and illustrator
- Ready is a multidisciplinary artist with a passion for storytelling through visual media whose work is deeply rooted in community and culture.
Monique Burts: Wearable artist
- Burts uses storytelling and performance art to bring her sculptures to life through various unconventional materials.
- Zoom out: Nine local arts and culture nonprofit organizations — Arts for Lawrence, Big Car Collaborative, Brick Street Poetry, the Harrison Center, the Indy Dance Council, Indy Juneteenth, the Madam Walker Legacy Center, The Cabaret and Touba Gardens — also received grants of $1,000 to $2,000 to offer events spotlighting this year's featured artists.
What's next: Throughout February, the Indy Arts Council will highlight the featured artists and promote local Black History Month arts programming, including Ivey's presentation of "Nourishing Well: Black Women and the Poetics of Sacred Space" at Gallery 924 from Feb. 7–March 20.
- The Art & Soul Sundays series kickoff will be at the Indianapolis Artsgarden on March 23.
- Ready will present "From the Inside Out," an Art & Soul Exhibition First Friday opening at Gallery 924, on April 4.
- The Art & Soul Featured Artist Showcase, titled "soul • real • ism," will debut at the Madam Walker Legacy Center on April 11.
- Additional events held in collaboration with the nine organizations awarded grants will be announced later.