How Volunteers Built America's Largest One-Day Art Fair | Tom Askey and Ryan Stephens, Penrod

On today's show I sat down with Tom Askey, fair chair of the 2026 Penrod Arts Fair, and Ryan Stephens, 2025 fair chair and current president of the board, to discuss the nearly 60-year Penrod Arts Fair at Newfields, founded as a fundraiser to help build the Indianapolis Museum of Art and now the country's largest single-day art fair.

They explain how the 100% volunteer-run organization recruits members under 30, runs a juried selection process for roughly 1,000 artists (about 50% from out of state and all 50 states represented over time), hosts five stages with hundreds of performers alongside food vendors, and welcomes approximately 20,000 patrons annually.

Penrod has given nearly $5 million in grants and recently awarded over $315,000 across 90+ organizations, supporting efforts like Riley Art Therapy and school music programs. They also discuss the Legacy Fund for transformational public art projects, including the Gavin sculpture and an inventory of Broad Ripple public art.

Visit https://www.penrod.org/arts-fair/#tickets to learn more about the Penrod Arts Fair on Sept. 12.

If you like this episode and want to hear more Get IN. episodes where I interview Hoosiers making a difference, visit getindiana.com/podcast.

You are going to learn about:

- The History of Penrod

- Penrod's Grant Program and Legacy Fund for Public Art

- The 2026 Penrod Arts Fair

Thank you to our partners:

Greek's Pizzeria

Rohrman Automotive Group