Strong creative communities are built not just through places, but through relationships, conversations, and shared purpose.
Welcome to 3rd Space!
Creativity begins with connection.
3rd Space is a conceptual framework developed by the Marion Arts Commission to bring artists, creatives, and the broader community together through conversation, collaboration, and shared learning. It is not a physical place — it is a space created whenever artists, supporters, patrons, and community partners gather with intention around creativity, culture, and connection.
Before projects take shape, relationships matter. 3rd Space creates room for trust to form, connections to deepen, and ideas to emerge naturally. It is a shared commitment to strengthening Marion’s creative community through relationship and presence.
3rd Space exists in the space between — between art and audience, creativity and commerce, vision and support. It is where relationships form, understanding grows, and trust is built across disciplines and roles. In this shared space, ideas take root naturally, strengthening Marion’s creative ecosystem through connection and collaboration.
The first 3rd Space Artist Mixer brought together artists, creatives, community stakeholders, business owners, and arts supporters from across Marion and Grant County for an evening centered on connection, conversation, and creative community.
Held on January 24, 2026 at the Kennedy Art Center, the gathering created space for people from different backgrounds and disciplines to meet, share ideas, build relationships, and explore the role creativity plays in strengthening our community.
3rd Space is built on the belief that meaningful collaboration begins with connection. More than a networking event, it is an invitation to gather beyond our usual spaces — between work and home, between organization and individual, between idea and action.
Whether you are an artist, entrepreneur, educator, advocate, supporter of the arts, or simply someone who values creative community, 3rd Space welcomes those who believe connection is just as important as creation.
3rd Space
Connection In the Space Between
3rd Space exists in the space between — between home and work, between idea and execution, between creating alone and creating together. It is a shared space where connection begins, relationships form, and creative energy is exchanged.
By centering trust, conversation, and presence, 3rd Space nurtures a creative community where ideas are free to grow naturally and collaboration emerges with intention.
Who It’s For
3rd Space is open to artists and creatives across all disciplines, as well as community partners, supporters, and stakeholders who live or work in the City of Marion or Grant County, Indiana.
If you value connection as much as creation — and believe strong creative communities are built through shared experience, understanding, and mutual support — there is space for you here.
3rd Space gatherings are intentionally simple and welcoming:
Open conversation
Cross-disciplinary connection
Shared learning
No hierarchy, no pressure, no expectations beyond showing up
Each gathering creates room for meaningful relationships to form — relationships that strengthen Marion’s creative ecosystem over time.
What to Expect
3rd Space
Why 3rd Space matters
A thriving arts community is not built through transactions alone. It is built through connection, trust, and mutual support — the kind that grows when people come together with intention.
3rd Space creates the conditions for collaboration to emerge naturally by bringing artists, creatives, and community partners together first as people, not projects.
Join 3rd Space
3rd Space is more than something you attend — it is something you help shape.
Join us and be part of a growing creative community grounded in connection, conversation, and shared purpose.