By developing a more equitable creative economy in which artists of color are celebrated, nurtured, and paid competitively for their work, GANGGANG, Indianapolis’s first cultural startup, is creating positive change that extends beyond the art world.
Through advocacy and programming, GANGGANG husband-and-wife founders Malina Simone Bacon and Alan Bacon have managed to change the game for Black artists in just three years, sparking meaningful discussions about culture and inclusivity in the process. One of their most talked-about initiatives is BUTTER, a fine art fair designed to amplify the value of Black artists by ensuring artists receive 100 percent of proceeds from their artwork sales. The event has become a movement, rebranding Indianapolis as an emerging mecca for multicultural arts.
The Bacons, who married this year, are eager to build on their progress locally. They also want to answer the call from global civic and nonprofit leaders looking to replicate GANGGANG’s success to not only revolutionize their local art scenes but to build more beautiful, equitable cities.
WHY ART IS THE ANSWER
The pair launched GANGGANG in 2020—the year COVID began exasperating inequities and igniting a racial pandemic.
“If 2020 was about what separates people, we know it’s culture and art that brings people together. We decided to start GANGGANG as a way forward,” Alan says.
With an initial seed investment of $250,000, the founders set out to make beauty, equity, and culture the center of Indianapolis by activating the creative economy, advocating for artists and the infrastructure that supports them, and supporting the discovery of new artistic talent. To date, GANGGANG has brokered more than $5 million in artistic engagements thanks to an overwhelmingly positive response from the city and the power of the arts. “Art is not a department. Art is not a luxury. Art is our language,” Malina explains. “We are responsible for taking care of the artists in our society because they are taking care of us.”
The co-founders view art as a tool for storytelling and identity building, a way to heal and challenge mindsets. So, supporting Black artists does more than benefit the creators—it facilitates meaningful discussions and creates more vibrant and inclusive communities.
HEALING WITH BUTTER
One of the ways GANGGANG supports artists is through its annual fine art fair BUTTER. The experience grew from 24 artists and $65,000 in sales in 2021 to 42 artists and more than $250,000 in sales in 2022.
This year’s event was a major success, breaking all previous sales, attendance, advocacy records, and even doubling the average price per artwork sold. BUTTER 2023 hosted 49 artists (29 Indiana-based artists and 20 national artists), four galleries, six curators, plus more than 11,000 guests, resulting in 76 artworks sold, totaling $285,392 in sales for Black artists. These numbers include the sales to four major institutions that acquired eight pieces for permanent collections.
The event—which features food, drink, and music, too—is made possible by support from the city and sponsors, including AES Indiana, JP Morgan Chase, and Newfields. Visit Indy and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) will help GANGGANG track BUTTER’s impact on tourism and economic development. “These organizations are seeing that this is something that’s galvanizing. This is something that’s working. This is equity in action,” Malina explains.
“The most endearing part about the art fair is the collection of people who come to experience it. It’s literally every demographic, every gender, race, ethnicity, and age,” Alan says. “There is this sense of belonging, no matter who you are. It is special to be in a place where you feel culture, not racism.” Alan says it is moving to see children at the event, beholding a microcosm of a better future—the one GANGGANG hopes to contribute to building. Malina describes multiple people coming up to her crying at past years’ experiences. “They would say, ‘thank you for doing this,’ or, ‘I am so proud of my city,” she says.
FIRST INDIANAPOLIS; NEXT THE WORLD
Since GANGGANG started, the founders have observed a significant increase in jobs for artists as well as more investment in the arts in Indianapolis. Recently, the IEDC engaged GANGGANG for a partnership with the goal of lifting the voice and impact of Indiana’s creative economy and helping people realize the state’s arts and culture scene deserves recognition, right along with its motorsports and manufacturing capabilities.
“There are so many things that are different since we launched GANGGANG,” Alan says. “It’s not just our work. I mean, it’s an entire city of artists who are dreaming, see futures, and have tactics, shows, exhibitions, and listening sessions.” Another sweeping implication, they say, is that Indianapolis now takes a “cultural approach to city development.” Local government officials often seek input from GANGGANG as they plan and build to ensure they are keeping people and the arts at the center of the city. The interest GANGGANG is receiving from large nonprofit organizations, major corporations, sports teams, and cultural institutions is heartening, as well.
“We have the attention of the world’s largest philanthropic institutions. They are giving us early dollars to study our approach because our model has global implications,” Malina says.
Alan agrees: “We have what seems like a mustard seed that’s going to move some mountains pretty soon as it relates to social justice and equity in this country.”