Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis Art Center celebrates 90 years of inspiring people to think more creatively
INDIANAPOLIS — With more than 1,000 classes to choose from, it’s difficult for Mark Williams to pick a favorite.
“There are so many options that I personally still have not yet tried,” Williams said.
Williams is the president and CEO of the Indianapolis Art Center, an organization that’s been helping Hoosiers think more creatively for 90 years. But even Williams is finding new ways to grow his creativity.
“I recently went into the woods studio and made a charcuterie board for my wife,” Williams said. “I’m pretty proud I still have all my fingers.”
Creating pride and a sense of ownership is what the Indy Art Center is all about.
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“Every time that comes out at home, it’s a story,” Williams said. “It’s a memory and it cost me far less than going to Crate and Barrel or Target. I think people appreciate those little things that add human value to life.”
And it’s nearly impossible to put a value on the impact the Indy Art Center has in central Indiana.
“What we’re really doing is not just arts education,” Williams said. “It is not just creative place making and quality of life, we are squarely in the business of economic development.”
Williams says that while most people don’t think of art as a means of economic development, it’s the skills behind the craft that truly unlock an individual’s potential.
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“The things that the arts export, curiosity, creativity and imagination, those are the core problem solving skills that every hiring manager is looking for,” Williams said. “Those cannot be taught. They’ve got to be nurtured and nurtured through the arts.”
It’s a mission the Indy Art Center is working to spread throughout the community with youth, senior and veteran outreach programs.
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“Making sure there’s accessibility to the arts is critical to the health of the community and to the health of workforce development,” Williams said. “It’s a critically important role that we play in engaging youth and steering them towards pathways of critical and creative thinking. We’re getting them off social media [and] we’re engaging and stimulating the brain, mind, and the imagination.”
It’s engagement in the arts that’s reaching more than 200,000 people every year, according to Williams.
“We’re playing a small role in inspiring people to think more creatively,” Williams said.
Click here for a complete list of classes available at the Indianapolis Art Center.
Indianapolis, IN
Katherine Legge Will Attempt to Make History With Indianapolis 500, NASCAR Double in Same Day
Katherine Legge will look to make motorsports history this month by competing in IndyCar and NASCAR Cup Series races on the same day.
According to ESPN, Legge’s BRANDed Management announced Wednesday that she intends to race in the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on May 24, which is a feat known in racing as “the double.”
The double has been attempted 10 times by five different drivers, but Legge would be the first woman to do so if she pulls it off.
Speaking to USA Today‘s Mitchell Northam regarding her ambitious plan, Legge said, “It’s another groundbreaking thing that I can showcase to the world really that, if you set your mind to things, you can do anything, and you can do things that maybe you never even dreamt of before.”
Legge, who is a 45-year-old motorsports veteran from England, has competed in the Indy 500 four times, and she has run in eight NASCAR Cup Series races over the past two seasons.
Her best Indy 500 finish to date was 22nd in 2012, while her best result in a NASCAR Cup Series race was 17th last season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Kyle Larson was the most recent driver to run the double, doing so last season. He previously attempted it in 2024, but a rain delay during the Indy 500 caused him to miss the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
John Andretti, Robby Gordon, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch and Larson have all run the double, but the only driver to ever complete every lap of both races in the same day was Stewart in 2001.
No driver running the double has ever won a race as part of it. Stewart’s finishes of sixth in the Indy 500 and third in the Coca-Cola 600 in 2001 are the best results in the double to date.
Regardless of where she finishes, Legge will etch her name in motorsports history forever if she is merely able to qualify for and compete in both the 2026 Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600.
INDIANAPOLIS — Opening day for the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 featured six hours of practice around the famed 2.5-mile oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Noblesville native Conor Daly finished among the top three on the speed charts, recording a best lap of 225.838 mph.
Daly returns for his 13th Indianapolis 500 start, driving the No. 23 Chevrolet for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. The race marks the team’s lone IndyCar entry of the season, and Daly’s first Indy 500 appearance since spending 2025 as a full-time driver for Juncos Hollinger Racing, where he finished 18th in the championship standings.
“Just a good Day 1,” Daly said. “I’m very happy with the mechanical balance in the car right now.”
Much of the early session consisted of single-car runs, with pack drafting not becoming common until later in the afternoon. Even then, traffic remained manageable, and the day unfolded without major interruptions.
Despite limited drafting throughout most of the session, Daly said he was pleased with the early feel of the car and believes the team has a clear direction moving forward.
“We definitely know what we want to do for tomorrow,” Daly said. “We identified a couple things that we want to reevaluate tomorrow.”
Wind conditions also became a major factor throughout the paddock, adding another layer of challenge for drivers trying to find consistency.
“The wind is really making things interesting,” Daly said. “It seems like the last couple of years that’s changed the race a lot.”
Still, the opening day remained relatively clean despite the high speeds and steady track activity. The only significant issue came for defending Indianapolis 500 winner Alex Palou, who spent much of the session in the garage after reporting a problem in the rear of his car.
Palou returned to the track in the closing minutes and quickly jumped to the top of the speed charts, posting the fastest lap of the day at 225.937 mph.
Jessica Garcete is an IndyStar sports reporter. Get IndyStar’s motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to the YouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.
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