Columbia City Connect received a grant to help bring to life the 2025 Steam Roller Party, a performance featured during First Fridays: Arts on the Square on Friday, Sept. 5. Photo provided by Columbia City Connect.

Press Release

COLUMBIA CITY — Columbia City Connect recently announced that it has been selected as a recipient of an Arts Project Support grant from the Indiana Arts Commission.

The APS program provides up to $4,000 to support public-facing, short-term arts projects such as exhibitions, performances, or festivals, without requiring matching funds. IAC’s mission is to foster creativity, strengthen communities and make the arts accessible to all Hoosiers.

This grant will help bring to life the 2025 Steam Roller Party, a live-printmaking performance featured during First Fridays: Arts on the Square on Friday, Sept. 5. At the Steam Roller Party, selected artists Kassie Woodworth, Leah Hopkins, Jennifer Romano, and Jeff Anderson will carve their designs into woodblocks, which are then inked and covered with canvas. A real steam roller will roll over them to create bold, oversized prints right before your eyes. It’s an amazing art spectacle that turns downtown into an open-air creative studio.

In addition to the Steam Roller Party, Arts on the Square will feature a community canvas in Thomas Marshall Plaza where attendees can help paint a collaborative mural. Attendees can also browse the Arts on the Square Market, a dedicated space for local artists to showcase their work. Some have even hinted at “a little something fun” in store. And as always, an amazing lineup of vendors, downtown businesses open late, a rocking band and all the fun you’ve come to expect from First Fridays.

“We’re thrilled to have been awarded this APS grant,” said Niki Keister, executive director at Columbia City Connect. “It allows us to bring unique arts experiences like the Steam Roller Party to our downtown, fostering creativity and community spirit.”