Local arts non-profit may face closure due to lack of funding

Indigo Wings has struggled to gain attention from Madison community and may close this fall. (Photo courtesy of Indigo Wings)

A Madison arts organization that offers a safe space for artists with disabilities may face closure in the fall due to lack of funding and local customers.

Indigo Wings is a small non-profit designed to help artists with disabilities create and sell original work, fostering financial and vocational independence in individuals while providing a welcoming community. 

Kathleen Johnson, founder and CEO of the non-profit, set out to create Indigo Wings after recognizing the artistic talents in her own children with disabilities as well as their struggles to fit in at school or in normal social settings. 

“The idea was to found a creative place where people could express their talent and supplement their part-time job or other source of income.” Johnson said. “A lot of people with disabilities live at or below the poverty line. Unemployment is incredibly high among people with disabilities.”

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities in 2015 was 10.7 percent, twice that of people without disabilities.  

Indigo Wings opened last August and is struggling to remain self-funded in its first year, a problem that plagues many small non-profits in the beginning who are not yet eligible for grants.

According to Johnson, the biggest issue the organization faces is lack of attention from the wider Madison community.

“We haven’t had any trouble finding artists,” Johnson said. “We’ve had a hard time getting customers  in to buy their art, and I think a lot of people just don’t know we are here.”

Indigo Wings currently works with 19 artists who live with disabilities such as autism, PTSD and mental health issues. Johnson’s organization provides them with a studio to create all genres of art from painting and sculpting to crafting jewelry and making birdhouses. 

In addition to the working studio, Indigo Wings has a gallery where the artists can sell their work to the public. Seventy percent of the sales go to the artist and 30 percent helps pay for rent and utilities.

“The goal right now is just to provide these artists with the opportunity to express themselves, learn something new and help them make ends meet,” Johnson said. “It might not be much, but our community needs art. We have such a need for more beauty and acceptance.” 

Johnson hopes Indigo Wings can sustain itself until March so that it will be eligible to apply for grants and receive more consistent funding to expand its  mission.

“I’ve met so many amazing and talented people through this,” Johnson said. “This started off as a service to help our kids, but it’s gotten so much bigger and we want to do so much more.”

Located at 4601 Monona Drive, the Indigo Wings gallery is open from 11am to 4pm Monday through Saturday.