Overview

An experimental creative showcase featuring the 2025-2026 Indianapolis Creative Risk Fund Recipients

The 2026 edition of Risky Business brings together nine artists across music, dance, literary, and visual arts for an experimental creative showcase. Recipients of the Herbert Simon Family Foundation’s Indianapolis Creative Risk Fund, each artist situates themself in a unique personal and creative challenge, unearthing new ways to tell familiar stories, embracing vulnerability, critiquing the status quo, and undertaking risks that are both personal and political. They explore themes and experiences surrounding environmental sustainability, displacement, systemic racism, substance use disorder, disability, and anti-violence through fresh and innovative artmaking approaches, inviting audiences into a contemplative experience that both challenges and inspires.

A program of Herbert Simon Family Foundation, the Indianapolis Creative Risk Fund provides funding to individual artists, artist collectives, and collaborations of individual artists to take creative risks and pursue experimental projects.

About Herbert Simon Family Foundation

Herbert Simon Family Foundation aligns the Herbert Simon family across generations to champion the people and ideas that move Indianapolis and Indiana forward.

How often do you unplug from the digital world and pause to observe the plants, rocks, and animals around you? What Remains is a contemplative reminder that we are surrounded by wonders of the natural world, and these wonders are worth exploring. What Remains is part film and part performance, featuring a silent film created by Katelyn Calhoun of Calhoun Creative Consulting, and set to music co-composed by Forward Motion. Watch stunning visuals fused with adventurous music to thread together a story of nature’s beauty, and our place in it. This project is made possible by the Indianapolis Creative Risk Fund, a program of Herbert Simon Family Foundation.

How often do you unplug from the digital world and pause to observe the plants, rocks, and animals around you? What Remains is a contemplative reminder that we are surrounded by wonders of the natural world, and these wonders are worth exploring. What Remains is part film and part performance, featuring a silent film created by Katelyn Calhoun of Calhoun Creative Consulting, and set to music co-composed by Forward Motion. Watch stunning visuals fused with adventurous music to thread together a story of nature’s beauty, and our place in it. This project is made possible by the Indianapolis Creative Risk Fund, a program of Herbert Simon Family Foundation.

Graphic Scoring (or Graphic Notation) is a process where artwork often includes symbols for musicians - who perform the artwork. This is your chance to come receive a bit of guidance then spend some time creating art - and hear your artwork performed at the end of the session!

Consider how to visualize music. 

Join members of Forward Motion to learn a bit about graphic scoring/notation, and then spend some time creating your own artwork. Before you leave - you'll be able to hear the musicians perform your artwork! Leave feeling calmer and refreshed after creating. 

This program is great for people of all ages.

"It has been far too long since IndyFringe has had a purely musical offering, and its return is a celebration of innovation and joy. This show is a refreshing diversion from other fare." - Plays by John and Wendy

ABOUT THE SHOW:

Sympathetic Resonance takes the audience on a journey of individualism through the exploration of distinct musical styles. This new piece is comprised of 6 miniature acts, each written by a different composer and spotlighting a specific instrumentalist. The overall effect poetically demonstrates the bold uniqueness of each voice through the non-verbal aesthetic of music, and ultimately leads to the realization of how human expressions can be both an individual accomplishment as well as a contribution to the collective.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

For nearly a decade in Indianapolis, Forward Motion has advocated for the creation of new works by presenting innovative performances in a variety of spaces. The ensemble focuses on the performance of new works and free improvisations. Forward Motion’s core instrumentation consists of flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and percussion; the group's activity is fluid and involves many innovative combinations of this core instrumentation. The core members regularly compose for the group bringing about a wide-range of creative expressions.

The original music in this production was composed by Rob Funkhouser, Luke Garrigus, Cat Hoelscher, Logan Purcell, and Amanda S. This production features performers Jennifer Page (flute), Eric Salazar (clarinet), Angela Pulliam (violin), Maya Nojiri (cello), Ashton Vickery (piano), and Corey Denham (percussion).

CA: This production is recommended for all ages.

Hear your art come to life! Graphic scoring is a process where visual descriptions or marks (often abstract), are interpreted by musicians and turned into sound. Patrons in this workshop will be shown examples of graphic scores performed by Forward Motion, a contemporary Indianapolis-based group that performs and produces original compositions. Next, participants will be guided through the creation of their own pieces of visual art. These will be interpreted and performed by Forward Motion during the workshop. Registration begins two weeks prior. Ages 5 and up. 

This program is great for people of all ages.

"It has been far too long since IndyFringe has had a purely musical offering, and its return is a celebration of innovation and joy. This show is a refreshing diversion from other fare." - Plays by John and Wendy

ABOUT THE SHOW:

Sympathetic Resonance takes the audience on a journey of individualism through the exploration of distinct musical styles. This new piece is comprised of 6 miniature acts, each written by a different composer and spotlighting a specific instrumentalist. The overall effect poetically demonstrates the bold uniqueness of each voice through the non-verbal aesthetic of music, and ultimately leads to the realization of how human expressions can be both an individual accomplishment as well as a contribution to the collective.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

For nearly a decade in Indianapolis, Forward Motion has advocated for the creation of new works by presenting innovative performances in a variety of spaces. The ensemble focuses on the performance of new works and free improvisations. Forward Motion’s core instrumentation consists of flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and percussion; the group's activity is fluid and involves many innovative combinations of this core instrumentation. The core members regularly compose for the group bringing about a wide-range of creative expressions.

The original music in this production was composed by Rob Funkhouser, Luke Garrigus, Cat Hoelscher, Logan Purcell, and Amanda S. This production features performers Jennifer Page (flute), Eric Salazar (clarinet), Angela Pulliam (violin), Maya Nojiri (cello), Ashton Vickery (piano), and Corey Denham (percussion).

CA: This production is recommended for all ages.

"It has been far too long since IndyFringe has had a purely musical offering, and its return is a celebration of innovation and joy. This show is a refreshing diversion from other fare." - Plays by John and Wendy

ABOUT THE SHOW:

Sympathetic Resonance takes the audience on a journey of individualism through the exploration of distinct musical styles. This new piece is comprised of 6 miniature acts, each written by a different composer and spotlighting a specific instrumentalist. The overall effect poetically demonstrates the bold uniqueness of each voice through the non-verbal aesthetic of music, and ultimately leads to the realization of how human expressions can be both an individual accomplishment as well as a contribution to the collective.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

For nearly a decade in Indianapolis, Forward Motion has advocated for the creation of new works by presenting innovative performances in a variety of spaces. The ensemble focuses on the performance of new works and free improvisations. Forward Motion’s core instrumentation consists of flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and percussion; the group's activity is fluid and involves many innovative combinations of this core instrumentation. The core members regularly compose for the group bringing about a wide-range of creative expressions.

The original music in this production was composed by Rob Funkhouser, Luke Garrigus, Cat Hoelscher, Logan Purcell, and Amanda S. This production features performers Jennifer Page (flute), Eric Salazar (clarinet), Angela Pulliam (violin), Maya Nojiri (cello), Ashton Vickery (piano), and Corey Denham (percussion).

CA: This production is recommended for all ages.

Graphic Scoring (or Graphic Notation) is a process where artwork often includes symbols for musicians - who perform the artwork. This is your chance to come receive a bit of guidance then spend some time creating art - and hear your artwork performed at the end of the session!

Consider how to visualize music. 

Join members of Forward Motion to learn a bit about graphic scoring/notation, and then spend some time creating your own artwork. Before you leave - you'll be able to hear the musicians perform your artwork! Leave feeling calmer and refreshed after creating. 

This program is great for people of all ages.

Benefic Chamber Music Camp is an intensive learning experience designed to enhance the chamber music and collaborative skills of string, wind, french horn, piano, and organ students from high school through first years of college.

Students are instructed by artists and teachers of international renown, with extensive experience and expertise as educators, chamber musicians, and as members of major symphony orchestras.
Camp roster includes faculty and guest artists from the University of Cincinnati and Ball State University, Indiana University, Michigan State University, and the Indianapolis and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestras.

Graphic Scoring (or Graphic Notation) is a process where artwork often includes symbols for musicians - who perform the artwork. This is your chance to come receive a bit of guidance then spend some time creating art - and hear your artwork performed at the end of the session!

Consider how to visualize music. 

Join members of Forward Motion to learn a bit about graphic scoring/notation, and then spend some time creating your own artwork. Before you leave - you'll be able to hear the musicians perform your artwork! Leave feeling calmer and refreshed after creating. 

This program is great for people of all ages.

Graphic Scoring (or Graphic Notation) is a process where artwork often includes symbols for musicians - who perform the artwork. This is your chance to come receive a bit of guidance then spend some time creating art - and hear your artwork performed at the end of the session!

Consider how to visualize music. 

Join members of Forward Motion to learn a bit about graphic scoring/notation, and then spend some time creating your own artwork. Before you leave - you'll be able to hear the musicians perform your artwork! Leave feeling calmer and refreshed after creating. 

This program is great for people of all ages.

Graphic Scoring (or Graphic Notation) is a process where artwork often includes symbols for musicians - who perform the artwork. This is your chance to come receive a bit of guidance then spend some time creating art - and hear your artwork performed at the end of the session!

Consider how to visualize music. 

Join members of Forward Motion to learn a bit about graphic scoring/notation, and then spend some time creating your own artwork. Before you leave - you'll be able to hear the musicians perform your artwork! Leave feeling calmer and refreshed after creating. 

This program is great for people of all ages.

Sound Ecologies Chamber Orchestra performs world premieres under the direction of Elliott Lentz

Indiana Historical Society - Basile Theatre.

Doors open at 6:30pm.