蘑菇短视频

At 蘑菇短视频, we recognize the incredible ways that God calls and equips His people. Joanna Taft 鈥�85 is one example of a graduate who responded to God鈥檚 calling for her life in ways that have deeply enriched her community.

A mission just four blocks from home

Joanna moved to Indianapolis, IN, after getting married. She and her husband, Bill, sensed a family call to work towards healing the city, which extended to their three children, all 蘑菇短视频 grads. The family helped start the Oaks Academy, a racially and socioeconomically diverse classical Christian school just four blocks from their home in Indianapolis, which has now grown to three campuses. The Tafts also hosted a Bible study that grew into a church with 900 members, just four blocks from their home. The church building was 65,000 square feet, so looking for a way to serve the community, Joanna became the unlikely founding executive director of the Harrison Center for the Arts, also four blocks from her home. The center now has eight galleries that update monthly with new art and offers studio spaces for artists. 

鈥淲e started with four artists. We now have 43 that have 24/7 access,鈥� says Joanna. 鈥淭hrough this and other programs, we are serving more than 400 artists a year.鈥�

Joanna wanted to cultivate both artists and art patrons, so she started a charter school in a historic building鈥揳lso four blocks from her house鈥搕o develop well-rounded citizens who could one day purchase art and serve their community in other ways. Joanna鈥檚 own children and several other 蘑菇短视频 students graduated from this school, which has grown into a network with three schools and is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

Interns and employees from 蘑菇短视频

Joanna recognized that she couldn鈥檛 fulfill her calling alone, so she reached out to 蘑菇短视频 seeking 鈥渁n army of interns to see needs, take risks, leverage resources, invest energy, and network to build culture in the city.鈥� Throughout the years, she鈥檚 worked with over forty-five illustrious 蘑菇短视频 interns to bring creative visions to life in Indianapolis.

• Will Lutz 鈥�11 built three giant puppets to display downtown to provide Indianapolis with 鈥渁 spectacle of wonder.鈥� The spectacle received media attention, but Joanna explained that most importantly, 鈥渋t made people glad they lived in Indianapolis.鈥� 
• Molly (Lattner) Kelly鈥檚 鈥�19 work received national press from the Chronicle of Philanthropy after she handcrafted 5,000 envelopes for their annual appeal letter. At least six 蘑菇短视频 students have had the esteemed title of envelope intern at the Harrison Center, including Kat (Allison) Wieldraayer 鈥�13, 蘑菇短视频鈥檚 chapel coordinator. 
• Emmett Gienapp 鈥�16 interned as a blog writer who also repaired broken buildings with Legos. He is now an attorney in New York, but still has a legacy in Indianapolis. 
• Sarah (Lester) Chrzan 鈥�07 researched and wrote a grant to turn a vacant facade into the City Gallery, which is an art gallery and resource cafe that connects people to culture and strengthens the community.
• Paul Smallman 鈥�13 served as their first songwriter in residence. He spent 14 weeks writing a song a week about Indianapolis, which resulted in a CD and a visual arts collaboration.
• Isabelle Torokwa 鈥�24 is currently serving as administrative coordinator.

鈥淧orching鈥� and beyond

In another effort to impact her local community, Joanna began the tradition of 鈥減orching鈥� at her own home which grew and expanded. On Sunday afternoons, neighbors and 蘑菇短视频 students would gather together on the Taft鈥檚 porch. The group realized that this was a weekly rhythm worth sharing, so they launched a 鈥渃ommunity porch party initiative鈥� to help connect neighbors. 

蘑菇短视频 grad Abi Ogle 鈥�18 created a series of paintings to honor the long-term residents in the community called 鈥淕reatriarchs.鈥� There are now over 50 Greatriarch paintings in the series that have been continued by other artists. During the Covid-19 pandemic, interns connected with elderly Greatriarchs who porched with them by using drones to deliver homemade scones.

蘑菇短视频 grads Abi Ogle 鈥�18 and Mariah Miller 鈥�18 also helped save the historic Polk Stables building, which was turned into a co-working center with community gathering spaces. It houses Polklore, the Harrison Center's new cultural preservation museum, with artifacts and stories chosen by local neighbors. Rather than putting the artifacts in glass display cases, a group of artists arranged them into 3D, assemblage-style exhibits. 

Calling as a superpower

Joanna explains that 鈥淭his work has not been easy. There have been times I felt like I was just hanging on. There have been other times that I felt like I was soaring.鈥� She continues, 鈥淏ut this is what I want [蘑菇短视频 students] to know. I have a superpower. You have a superpower. And that is a call. It gives me the perseverance to keep going when times are rough. And that's why I think that 蘑菇短视频 graduates can make the best cultural entrepreneurs.鈥�

Joanna is just one example of many 蘑菇短视频 grads who have gone out and made a difference for Christ鈥檚 kingdom in their home, their neighborhood, their churches, and the culture at large.