Indianapolis, IN. 2023-ongoing.
Indy Toxic Heritage is a collaborative project of Indiana University Indianapolis faculty and students, Indy Parks and Recreation, Kheprw Institute, and community-based scholar/activist Kay Hawthorne. We’ve blended storytelling and historical research to create an exhibit and public conversations that recognize environmental damage and advocacy for justice as part of Indianapolis’s citywide heritage.
Community Archive
Community stories and experiences are at the heart of our work. To support that, we’ve created the Indy Toxic Heritage community archive: a crowd-sourced digital repository intended to help document and amplify the perspectives of people living in affected communities so that we can move toward more sustainable and just futures.
Exhibit
The Indy Toxic Heritage exhibit is traveling to locations around the city:
Broad Ripple Park Family Center (June 21-July 13, 2024)
Pride Park Family Center (August 6-17, 2024)
Indiana Water Summit (August 21-22, 2024)
Riverside Park Family Center (September 17-28, 2024)
… with more to come!
Team + Funding
The Indy Toxic Heritage project team includes Aghilah Nadaraj, Ben Clark, Elizabeth Kryder-Reid, Kavita Mahoney, Kay Hawthorne, Laura Holzman, and Terra McFarland, with funding from the IUPUI Center for Translating Research into Practice Charles R. Bantz Community Fellowship Award and Indiana Humanities.
Press Coverage
Enrique Saenz, “Westside reporter Enrique Saenz to speak Sept. 26 about Indy pollution,” Mirror Indy, September 24, 2024.
Jennifer Delgadillo, “13 free art shows to check out in Indianapolis this summer,” Mirror Indy, June 18, 2024.
Tia Broz, “Bantz Community Fellowship project explores environmental justice in Indianapolis,” News at IU, January 18, 2024.