Show notes
On today's show I sat down with Tom Askey, fair chair of the 2026 Penrod Arts Fair, and Ryan Stephens, 2025 fair chair and current president of the board, to discuss the nearly 60-year Penrod Arts Fair at Newfields, founded as a fundraiser to help build the Indianapolis Museum of Art and now the country's largest single-day art fair. They explain how the 100% volunteer-run organization recruits members under 30, runs a juried selection process for roughly 1,000 artists (about 50% from out of state and all 50 states represented over time), hosts five stages with hundreds of performers alongside food vendors, and welcomes approximately 20,000 patrons annually. Penrod has given nearly $5 million in grants and recently awarded over $315,000 across 90+ organizations, supporting efforts like Riley Art Therapy and school music programs. They also discuss the Legacy Fund for transformational public art projects, including the Gavin sculpture and an inventory of Broad Ripple public art. Visit https://www.penrod.org/arts-fair/#tickets to learn more about the Penrod Arts Fair on Sept. 12. If you like this episode and want to hear more Get IN. episodes where I interview Hoosiers making a difference, visit getindiana.com/podcast. You are going to learn about: - The History of Penrod - Penrod's Grant Program and Legacy Fund for Public Art - The 2026 Penrod Arts Fair Thank you to our partners: Greek's Pizzeria Rohrman Automotive Group Check out these great clips from the show: 00:00 Art Gives Cities Soul 01:11 Meet Penrod Leaders 02:13 How Penrod Began 04:20 Why It Endured 05:01 Scale of the Fair 06:51 Volunteer Engine 10:09 Artists Nationwide 11:31 Art Sales and Fees 13:05 Why Art Matters 16:58 Grant Impact Stories 21:50 What to Expect at Penrod 24:55 Why Join Before 30 25:48 Volunteer Leadership Lessons 27:44 Fair Day War Stories 28:23 Fair Day Impact 28:53 Traffic and Parking Fixes 30:21 Volunteering Beyond Your Day Job 31:21 Where Penrod Gets Its Name 32:19 Legacy Fund Big Projects 34:45 Why Public Art Matters 41:46 Why Indiana Home 43:00 Tell City First Visit 45:00 Hidden Gems Picks 47:01 Favorite Indiana Memories 50:10 Penrod Dates and Tickets Get IN. is brought to you by our friends at Sweetwater. Whether you are looking to start a podcast or level up your current show you need to hit them up.