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Indianapolis, IN – Labor Day in Indianapolis brings clear skies and mild temperatures, offering perfect conditions for outdoor activities. With highs reaching 77°F, today is ideal for barbecues, picnics, or a day at the park. However, as the week progresses, temperatures are expected to rise, reaching the mid-80s by Wednesday and Thursday.

According to the US National Weather Service Indianapolis, temperatures this week are slightly above normal, with the possibility of 90-degree days returning midweek. This brief heatwave comes after a summer that ended with above-average temperatures and slightly below-normal precipitation levels.

Residents are encouraged to take advantage of today’s cooler weather but should prepare for warmer conditions starting Wednesday. It’s a great opportunity to stay hydrated and limit outdoor activities during the hotter parts of the day later this week.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The 2024 Butter Fine Art Fair wrapped up Sunday.

The fair featured over 60 artists from across the world specializing in all mediums. It was created in 2021 by Indianapolis-based creative agency GangGang and is hosted in the Stutz Building. The agency focuses on highlighting Black visual artists.

Since the fair’s birth, over 32,000 people have attended.

Several of the featured artists are from Indianapolis and find the fair to be especially impactful, including acrylic artist Shane Fitzgerald Young. Young is known by the artist name “Fitz” and has been a featured artist at the fair every year.

“It’s kind of like everything that you’ve asked for, you finally get it in real time, but you don’t know the emotions that you’ll be having when you get it,” Fitz said. “being around Black artists, Black stories. The equity, that’s being treated with Black art now is changing in this city and I’m just, I’m grateful, and I’m happy to be a part of it.”

Fitz is also grateful the fair remains commission free, meaning all proceeds go to the artists. Before this year’s fair, nearly $750,000 worth of art had been sold.

“That’s a very rare thing in the art world, to not take commission on pieces, especially when you can set up such an amazing event like this,” Fitz said.

As Fitz sees success this year, he is already thinking about next year and hoping to implement even more organization and structure into his routine.

Last week’s RALLY Innovation Conference brought entrepreneurs and investors from all over the world to Indianapolis. 

Christopher Day, the founder of Elevate Ventures, says the tech-focused conference was a huge step forward for Indianapolis. The event allowed investors to listen to pitches from entrepreneurs. 

Day stressed the importance of investors listening to entrepreneurs and their ideas. “Investors don’t lead the market.” He says when you take egos off the table and figure out what’s best for the company, good things will follow. 

When Day first arrived in Indianapolis, he set out to partner with InnoPower founder Emil Ekiyor. He says he knew instantly that a partnership with Ekiyor and InnoPower would have a major impact.

Ekiyor says Day was willing to listen to new ideas and asked challenging but important questions about the future of diverse voices and minds in Indianapolis tech. “He just brought so much energy into the space,” Ekiyor says. 

As more entrepreneurs bring their companies to Indiana, Ekiyor says there is still work to be done. He wants more women—and minority-owned businesses to join the Indy tech ecosystem. “We can make this place very unique.”

Matt Mindrum, the President/CEO of Indy Chamber, says incredible things are happening in Indiana around the growing tech sector, and the RALLY conference is helping. He says the message about Iny is reaching a wider audience.