About
A history of service
In 1967 a group of twenty two men formed The Penrod Society®. The volunteer organization was designed to support the cultural and educational activities of Indianapolis-area artists, students, and arts organizations. “Penrod” pays homage to Penrod Schoefield, a literary character from Indianapolis novelist Booth Tarkington.
The Society is an Indianapolis-based, all-volunteer, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, whose mission is to support arts, cultural, and educational activities and institutions in Indiana. The Society supports artists, students, arts organizations, and various other not-for-profit organizations whose missions and programming include arts, cultural, and educational activities. At its core, the Society is a fellowship of professionals who work together for the betterment of Indiana.
In addition to launching the Penrod Arts Fair, The Penrod Society® was also instrumental in creating the Economic Club of Indianapolis and the Prelude Awards.
Indiana’s nicest day
The Penrod Arts Fair is known as “Indiana’s Nicest Day.” From its beginning, the Fair, originally dubbed the “Arts Fair at Oldfields,” has been the The Penrod Society’s signature event and most significant fundraiser. The first Fair was a one-day, afternoon event (2p.m. to 7 p.m.) that took place at Oldfields on Saturday, September 9, 1967—the first Saturday after Labor Day. Public admission was $2 (rich in 1967!), and attendees were treated to—or, rather, enticed to attend with—free beer. The event included live music, food and drink, paintings, and other art for sale.
In some ways, little has changed in 57 years. Today, the Penrod Arts Fair is still a one-day event taking place on the Newfields campus every year on the first Saturday after Labor Day, although now the Fair takes place from 9a.m. to 5p.m. In other ways, the Fair has changed dramatically. The Fair is now one of the largest single-day arts fairs in the country., with over 20,000 patrons. The physical footprint of the Fair has grown significantly and now encompasses not only the land of Oldfields (now commonly referred to as the Lilly House), but also most of the other open outdoor spaces to the north and east of the IMA’s main building on the Newfields campus. Proceeds from this one-day celebration provide grants for Indianapolis-area arts and community organizations.
Our mission to serve
The Penrod Society is a volunteer organization, strongly rooted in Indiana.
Specifically, our mission focuses on the cultivation, encouragement and development of public interest in and support of those arts, cultural and educational institutions located in and around Marion County, Indiana, its surrounding counties and the Indiana area in general.
The Penrod Society has a proud history of serving our community.