Arts & Culture | Forge Your Path - East Central Indiana

Woman looking at car at Fairmount Historical Museum

Arts & Culture in East Central Indiana

Tell us what makes your heart sing and you’ll probably find it in East Central Indiana. We have theatres, museums, concert halls, symphonies, art galleries and more. If you’re looking to support the arts, join in, or simply enjoy a beautiful night out, start your planning here. We’re also the lucky hosts for national tours coming through this region. Be sure to check each performing arts location’s website to see what’s playing upcoming this season.

Ready to see what’s happening? Check out our interactive ECI map.

Museums
Performing Arts
Art

Museums in East Central Indiana

Photo wall of James Dean at the Fairmount Historical Museum in Fairmount, Indiana

James Dean Museum

The James Dean Gallery was established in 1988 in the actor’s hometown and final resting place of Fairmount, Indiana. The collection is housed in a beautifully restored 1903 Victorian home and consists of thousands of items of James Dean memorabilia.

Memorabilia including jerseys, trophies, pendants, and plaques on display at the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame

Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Museum

In Indiana, basketball isn’t simply a game – it’s a tradition, passion, and part of our culture. The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in New Castle celebrates the proud heritage of basketball in our state from its origins in the 1890s to the current season.

Dunkirk Glass Museum in Indiana

Dunkirk Glass Museum

Since the 1980s, the Glass Museum has been sharing Dunkirk’s unique heritage among visitors. The Museum connects visitors to Dunkirk’s past by preserving, interpreting and disseminating local, national and international glassware heritage.

Model T outside the Model T Museum in Richmond, Indiana

Model T Museum

Nestled in the heart of Richmond Indiana’s Depot District, see Model Ts of all shapes and sizes hosted at the world’s largest Model T association. Among the stars are a 1909 touring (one of the very first Ts), a 1912 brass Town Car, a 1925 fire truck, a one-of-a-kind Snowmobile, and a 1931 Pietenpol airplane with a Model T Engine.

The inside of the Levi and Catharine Coffin Interpretive Center in Fountain City, Indiana

Levi and Catherine Coffin State Historic Site

This eight-room home was the third home of Levi and Catharine Coffin in Newport now Fountain City, and it was a safe haven for hundreds of fugitive slaves on their journey to Canada. Levi and Catharine Coffin’s home became known as “The Grand Central Station of the Underground Railroad.” The Levi Coffin Home is a National Historic Landmark and has been named as one of the top 25 historic sites in the nation to visit.

Replicas on display at the Wilbur Wright Museum in Hagerstown, Indiana

Wilbur Wright Birthplace Museum

The birthplace of Wilbur Wright, one of the pioneers of aviation is located in Henry County. Visit the Museum to see a replica 1903 Wright Flyer. Stroll through Main Street for a glimpse into the lives of Wilbur and Orville Wright.

Muncie Children's Museum in Indiana

Muncie Children’s Museum

The Muncie Children’s Museum provides fun through educational and interactive opportunities for children of all ages in a safe and creative environment.

The Catalyst sculpture stands in front of the Minnetrista Center Building at Minnetrista in Muncie, Indiana

Minnetrista

Minnetrista maintains a spacious forty-acre campus which is open to the public and includes beautiful gardens, a nature area, a modern museum facility, historic homes, children’s play areas, and a portion of the White River Greenway. Throughout the year the roster of educational programs, engaging workshops, community events, and interactive exhibits are consistently rotating and changing.

Performing Arts in East Central Indiana

The door of Key Palace Theatre in Red Key, Indiana

Key Palace Theatre

Located in Redkey Indiana, the Key Palace Theatre, a member of the national Blues Foundation, stands as one of the top blues venues in the world. A vintage 220 seat theatre features a large stage, hand-built stone columns, attached restaurant, and plenty of juke-joint atmosphere.

Two actors and an actress onstage during The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe production at the Muncie Civic Theatre in Muncie, Indiana

Muncie Civic Theatre

Local productions of popular plays & musicals, plus kids' programs, in a storied 19th-century venue.

The stage at Cornerstone Center for the Arts in Muncie, Indiana

Cornerstone Center for the Arts

Cornerstone Center for the Arts is headquartered in a historic six-story building, originally used as a Masonic Temple, located on Main Street in downtown Muncie, Indiana. Cornerstone reaches individuals of all races, ages, cultures, socioeconomic levels, and other identities by providing arts programming, offering event rentals, and giving back to the community.

Dance exhibit Marion Community School of the Arts in East Central Indiana

Marion Community School of the Arts

Celebrating more than 20 years of arts education and enrichment, the Marion Community School of the Arts offers over 100 classes, a pre-professional theatre company, a pre-professional dance company, a recreational dance company, a variety of private music lesson, the CSA Arts Academy-a partnership with Marion Community Schools, and the Art Scholars Program, a scholarship program for students needing financial assistance.

Performers take a bow on stage at the Richmond Civic Theatre in Indiana

Civic Hall Performing Arts Center

Civic Hall is a 936 seat performing arts venue owned and operated by Richmond Community Schools. The Proudly Presenting Series was developed to be a part of the cultural landscape improving the quality of life for the region. It is also the home to the Richmond Symphony Orchestra.

Outside of Emens Auditorium at night at Ball State University in Muncie Indiana

Emens Auditorium – Ball State University

Emens Auditorium and Pruis Hall located on the campus of Ball State University presents a diverse array of guest artists, productions, and celebrities of national and international prominence who represent various genres of live performance and entertainment from traditional to the innovative.

Art in East Central Indiana

Richmond Art Museum in Indiana

Richmond Art Museum

RAM is the oldest cultural institution in Wayne County and the second oldest art museum in Indiana. The Richmond Art Museum is the only active public art museum housed within an active public high school in the United States.

Spectators admire art at The Portland Center of Arts Place in Jay County, Indiana

Arts Place Inc.

Originally named the “Portland Society for the Arts,” Arts Place began in 1967 with a small film series. Today it has grown to encompass three unique centers in East Central Indiana and West Central Ohio.

David Owsley Museum of Art at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana

David Owsley Museum of Art

The museum, located on the campus of Ball State University, houses more than 11,000 works of art from six continents representing 5,000 years of civilization.