The Butter Fine Art Fair has closed its doors for 2024, after a successful run that saw an intersection of culture, community, and unadulterated talent take center stage. The fair, an Indianapolis-based brainchild of creative agency GangGang, has not only served as a platform for Black visual artists to showcase their work but also championed economic justice in the arts by forgoing traditional commission models; according to WISH-TV, the fair allows artists to keep 100% of their sales proceeds.

Drawing in a diverse array of attendees and participants, with over 60 artists from throughout the globe, the event featured everything from painting to spoken word and live performances this Labor Day weekend in the iconic Stutz Building. Since its inception just three years ago, more than 32,000 people have graced the fair with their presence and nearly $750,000 worth of art has exchanged hands directly from artist to buyer, as Indy Arts reports.

Artists like Shane Fitzgerald Young, known professionally as “Fitz,” are emblematic of the transformative impact the fair has on the creators it celebrates; "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 told WISH-TV in an interview, articulating the profound personal significance of being part of a movement, it's reshaping the local art scene's dynamics.

This year's iteration, while notable for its diverse array of art, was also marked by a shared feeling of inspiration and community as attendees, young and old, came together to consume and celebrate Black art in a collective experience that was nothing short of uplifting, in a statement by Butter's Director Deonna Craig, she expressed this sentiment by noting, "I've seen so many smiles, I've seen kids running and having the time of their lives," and “Sometimes I just stand in the middle of the street and just watch because it seems like it can be over so fast," this she shared with WTHR.