Seeking distinction Nickel Plate Arts has a new name: Noblesville Creates

Editor's note: This story was originally published in October. We are republishing it as part of our look back at the top stories of the year.

What was once distinct is now dizzying. The unique has become ubiquitous. The playful played out.

Such is the fate of the Nickel Plate moniker for places in Fishers.

The name is attached to so many things, in fact, one of the first organizations to bear it is dropping Nickel Plate from its title altogether.

Henceforth, Nickel Plate Arts will be named Noblesville Creates.

The reason: it’s too confusing, especially for a Noblesville business.

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“There are many things in this region that have the words ‘Nickel Plate,’ in them, and many of them have led our guests to show up in the wrong location looking for our programs,” Arts Director Ailithir McGill said in a news release.

Nickel Plate Arts opened in 2012, shortly before Fishers named its downtown the Nickel Plate District. Since then, billions of dollars have been invested in downtown businesses, apartments, homes, and cultural attractions, with developers and the city often naming them after the abandoned Nickel Plate Road rail line.

They include attractions such as the Nickel Plate Trail and the Nickel Plate Amphitheater and developments like Nickel Plate Station.

Nickel Plate Arts was named with an eye toward creating an arts trail that would follow the rail line from Fishers to Noblesville, Cicero to Arcadia, and Atlanta to Tipton, said Lydia Cheesman, a marketing consultant with Coverdale Consulting.

Expansion Nickel Plate Arts plans move to Noblesville's historic Lacy Building in 'match made in heaven'

The plan never panned out but the then-distinctive name remained, even as it became more associated locally with all things Fishers.

Nickel Plate Arts, however, represents artists from Central Indiana and is the regional arts partner of the Indiana Arts Commission. The city of Noblesville is also a major partner and the name change will recognize the bond.

“Our new brand, Noblesville Creates, truly embraces all art forms and arts partnerships while also highlighting the City of Noblesville, which has been and continues to be our largest supporter and a haven for artists for decades,” McGill said.

In the meantime, the Fishers arts community and Nickel Plate Arts are both branching out and expanding.

Fishers is building a $22.6 million Fishers Arts and Municipal Complex at 116th Street and Municipal Drive, a three-story building that will place art and city business under one roof. The first floor of the building will have a theater space that can seat up to 330 people and rooms for exhibits, classes, workshops and meetings.

Nickel Plate Arts has moved exhibits into the historic, 135-year-old Lacy Building on the Noblesville’s town square. The former Kirk’s Hardware, at 848 Logan St. was converted to artist studios and workspaces. The organization's headquarters is at 107 S. 8th St., Noblesville, in the historic Judge Stone House.

The Noblesville Creates name will have a full roll-out in 2024.

Call IndyStar reporter John Tuohy at (317) 444-6418. Follow on X/Twitter and Facebook.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Seeking distinction, Nickel Plate Arts takes new name: Noblesville Creates