Decay Devils is expanding its footprint in Northwest Indiana, and two grants will help get their work done.
The Gary-based nonprofit announced on Wednesday that it received two grants totaling $13,000 to help with regional preservation and public arts. The Legacy Foundation provided a $10,000 Transform Lake County grant and Indiana Humanities gave the organization a $3,000 Historic Preservation grant.
Tyrell Anderson, president of Decay Devils, said the money will be used to help create “NWI Landmarks and Arts: A Regional Guide to Northwest Indiana’s Art and Historic Landmarks.” The project will document public art and historic sites throughout the region, including in Gary, East Chicago, Hammond, Michigan City and Whiting.
“We started this during COVID,” Anderson said. “We thought it would be a great idea to bring the project back to get people outside and make some kind of activity.”
The group hasn’t yet picked which landmarks will be highlighted in the guide, Anderson said, and they’re going to meet with community partners while they prepare the guide.
“There’s a few places that are iconic, but we don’t want to go in as an outsider and just say, ‘Hey, what’s special about this area?’” Anderson said. “We’re going to look to have conversations with those interested parties in January. … We want to reach out to different entities and see who shows interest, feedback and input.”
The first Decay Devils guide focused on Gary, Anderson said, so it was important for the organization to branch out to all of Northwest Indiana this time. Anderson believes Decay Devils has momentum to continue their work regionally, and he wants to capitalize on it.
With the Legacy Foundation’s grant, Decay Devils will use the money to help create printed and digital guides, host tours and activate public art and historic sites through community engagement.
Kelly Anoe, president and CEO of the Legacy Foundation, said the organization has helped Decay Devils several times throughout the years.
“I’ve always really admired their commitment and dedication,” Anoe said. “The projects they create are innovative, and it brings people into what they’re doing. They engage residents, and they create opportunities for people to think about public spaces, historic preservation and the unique assets we have in Northwest Indiana.”
The Legacy Foundation has two cycles for the Transform Lake County grants, Anoe said, which help organizations create economic growth and community engagement. Grant awards vary up to $35,000, Anoe said, but the average is $10,000.
Anoe is excited to see what Decay Devils do with their upcoming guide project, especially because it’s broadening their scope beyond Gary.
“We have a lot of treasures and stories here that should be celebrated and shared,” Anoe said. “I think this project really brings attention to what people can see and do and places they can go here in Northwest Indiana.”
George Hanlin, director of grants for Indiana Humanities, said Decay Devils has received about five grants from the organization throughout the years. Hanlin is excited to see what Decay Devils does with Indiana Humanities’ grant for the guide project.
Indiana Humanities also works with Indiana Landmarks to provide grants to organizations statewide, Hanlin said.
“These projects often take a lot of money,” Hanlin said. “The money is really important. There’s a lot more funding available for traditional arts-related programming than there is for humanities. It’s really important for us to have these funds available, so people can do history projects.”
Indiana Humanities’ $3,000 grant will be used for the Michigan City portion of the project, according to Decay Devils, including additional research, interpretive content creation and storytelling.
Michigan City is the only location listed that’s outside Lake County, but Anderson said that Decay Devils might include other organizations later, including Valparaiso.
Hanlin likes that Decay Devils is expanding their program beyond Gary, he said, and he’s excited to see how the guide program brings more people to other areas of Northwest Indiana.
“Just generally speaking, this is a group that gets stuff done, and they work in some pretty challenging circumstances,” Hanlin said. “They’re doing their work to elevate the stories of these places, and I’m always impressed with their work and will take any opportunity to support their efforts.”
mwilkins@chicagotribune.com
