Downtown Abounds with Arts & Culture This Holiday Season
It seems as though Downtown is the place to be when it comes to cultural experiences this holiday season! Already known for breathtaking performances like the Fort Wayne Ballet's performance of The Nutcracker, or the Philharmonic's annual Pops concerts, downtown Fort Wayne's venues are booked over the holidays with amazing performances. However, don't be afraid to dive into some new experiences when it comes to downtown arts and culture. Whether you are looking for a contemporary art exhibition, a full sleeve tattoo, or you would like to listen to classical music by a renowned orchestra, there is something for everyone in Downtown Fort Wayne.
Over the last year, there have been a number of developments in Downtown Fort Wayne's arts scene. In the face of the Fort Wayne Museum of Art closing down for a portion of the year due to its renovation and 10,000 square foot addition, many other organizations and previously non-art spaces have become very important. 816 Pint N Slice (816 S. Calhoun) is one such business; while primarily being a (delicious!) pizza shop, it has become a focal point in the local arts and music scene as a venue for performances and exhibitions. Also taking part of the trend of defying the construction obstructions on Calhoun Street, Ryan Hadley Studio, an exclusive tattoo parlor and the Dash In, now with new owners, are making their mark as hubs of Fort Wayne's creative communities. The new Dash In café—keeping many of the familiar foods and great service—has expanded weekend hours (open until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays), plans for additional future improvements, and is gearing up for special events including performances and art exhibitions.
Of course, downtown is also home to traditional arts and performance spaces like the Allen County Public Library’s Jeffrey Krull Gallery, Artlink, the Arts United Center (which houses the Civic Theatre) and many others. Artlink is having an especially active holiday season with two exhibitions and multiple events. "Lots of Little Art", an exhibition hosting artists from the around the nation, will be up until December 2, followed by a very special "7th Regional Award Winners Exhibition", December 11-January 13. The Award Winners show will feature Andrew Lemmon, Wendi Norton, and Joshua Witten, and is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Outside of Artlink's regular exhibitions, the Artlink Holiday Market and Artament—a fundraiser for Cinema Center hosted in Artlink's gallery—are two other holiday draws. This is the perfect time to come downtown and purchase unique, well-designed objects and fine art for your holiday gift giving and support these two incredibly deserving arts organizations.
As far as performances go, Fort Wayne patrons have their work cut out for them with all of the events happening between the holidays! The Fort Wayne Ballet, the Fort Wayne Children's Choir, Fort Wayne Youtheatre and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, just to name a few, will all be performing their seasonal classics like The Nutcracker, and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. The Heartland Chamber Chorale will be performing twice this Christmas season with their “Heartland Sings: Holiday Favorites” performances at the two downtown locations of the ACPL's auditorium and at Plymouth Congregational Church on Berry Street. Heartland Chamber Chorale is a very unique organization in our region being that it is an independent chorale ensemble under the guidance of music director Robert Nance and is composed of 28 auditioned paid professional singers.
No matter what your entertainment or artistic tastes may be, downtown Fort Wayne is the place to be this holiday season!
