A 100 acre art and nature park in Indianapolis will receive 10-million dollars from the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation.
The 10-year grant announced Wednesday for the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park at Newfields will help maximize use of the reserve, which is one of the largest art and nature parks in the country.
"The grant funding for the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park at Newfields will go toward improved infrastructure and upgrades, says Claire Fiddian-Green, president and CEO of the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation."
The funding will support amenities such as bike paths and walking trails to better connect the park to the Central Canal Towpath and Newfields’ upper campus; additional parking, security and restrooms to build visitor capacity; and creation of an endowment for art maintenance and commissions to enhance appeal. It also will fund ecological upgrades, including a pollinator meadow and erosion control.
This grant builds on $15 million in previous gifts from the Foundation to launch the park in honor of Virginia B. Fairbanks. She is the late wife of local radio broadcasting pioneer Richard M. Fairbanks, who started his namesake Foundation and served as its President until his death in 2000. Mr. Fairbanks was also a Life Trustee and served on the Board of the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields.
Construction to upgrade the park will begin in 2019 and is expected to last through 2025.
