INDIANAPOLIS — Big changes are coming to the near south side of Indianapolis in the new year.
The Contemporary Art Museum of Indianapolis (CAMi) expansion is set to open May 1, 2026.
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The cultural campus, located in the Garfield Park and Bean Creek neighborhoods, consists of the CAMi main building, the Tube Gallery (formerly Tube Factory art space), and a public green space and art park.
“We’re looking at CAMi as art in a really broad sense. You get culinary arts, performing arts, you can a concert or a play. It’s also a space where you can have conferences," Executive Director of Big Car Collaborative Jim Walker said.
This $7 million renovation transforms a 125-year-old former dairy barn and industrial space into a 40,000 square foot hub for art, performance, food, sound and creative enterprise.
“When we came here in 2015, before we bought this property, half the houses were vacant. These two factories were vacant," Walker said. “It went from this sort of forgotten, somewhat falling-down houses that were boarded up to this totally different place that’s really vibrant and definitely an anchor for the south side.”
The five-acre campus also includes 18 homes for long-term and visiting resident artists.
One of those artists, Rob Funkhouser, says Big Car has been fundamentally life-changing.
“When they started this affordable housing program, I was able to buy into a situation where, as long as I care to keep working, I know that my housing costs won’t go up," Funkhouser said. “Being able to keep cost of living low and keep costs down allow artists to focus on their medium more often.”
Funkhouser says the CAMi expansion will further enrich the neighborhood he calls home.
“This feels like we’re settling in and growing up a bit," he said.
Garfield Park Neighbors Association President Rich Whitney agrees.
He’s excited for what the expansion will bring in 2026.
“The first ten years for GPNA has been about getting our footing, getting our neighbors involved, having events, connecting with the neighbors. This second phase is really gonna be about economic development, trying to pull people from Bean Creek and Garfield Park together," Whitney said.
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Nico Pennisi is the In Your Community reporter for Downtown Indy. He joined WRTV in October 2022. His passion has always been telling the stories of people who often get overlooked. Share your story ideas and important issues with Nico by emailing him at nico.pennisi@wrtv.com.
