AMP Bloomington 2026 had some real highlights this year, including a video that premiered at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater on Wednesday night. Bloomington overflows with creative people: musicians, artists, designers, filmmakers, and performers, and the city is layering in spaces and support that help turn projects into lasting careers. That idea sits at the center of the Uplands Regional Creative Economy Commons, a $7 million effort built from a $3 million READI 2.0 Arts & Culture grant through the state and more than $4 million in local and regional support. The plan connects places along the B-Line Trail so creative work can move from spark to show through a coordinated set of spaces.
At Switchyard Park, upgrades add lighting, sound, fencing, and welcome shade, with Indiana University committing funding for annual arts and cultural programming. Crowds already gather here for concerts, performances, and big events, and the new infrastructure expands what can happen. Up the B-Line, the Secretly Group warehouse on Hillside Drive is transforming into a 10,000-square-foot production hub managed by Constellation Stage & Screen, with space for set rehearsal, fabrication, equipment, costumes, music, theater, performance, and creative production. In the Trades District, the Showers Administration Building becomes a creative incubator offering affordable studios and workspaces, places to meet collaborators, develop ideas, find mentors, and learn practical business skills.
Indiana University Bloomington leads the partnership with Regional Opportunity Initiatives, the City of Bloomington, Constellation Stage & Screen, Girls Rock Bloomington, Secretly, the Eurton Opportunity Fund, IU Innovates, and Amplify Bloomington. The guiding belief feels familiar here: a musician is an entrepreneur, a filmmaker is an entrepreneur, and so are designers and performers, so spaces, peers, and practical support line up like they do for any startup founder. Daily life often looks like a morning writing session in a small studio, an afternoon bike on the B-Line to a rehearsal at the Hillside hub, then an evening set under lights at Switchyard Park. Coffee shops double as meeting rooms, the Buskirk-Chumley fills on weeknights, and the Showers building hums with people shipping projects, trading feedback, and setting real goals. A walkable string of venues and workspaces links the making, sharing, and growing of creative work.
