Powerful Storytelling, Films, and Interactive Events Part of 2019 Spirit & Place Festival Starting Nov. 2

(INDIANAPOLIS) – The 2019 Spirit & Place Festival will celebrate, explore, challenge and reflect on the meaning behind revolution and evolution, creating the unique theme of R/Evolution on Nov. 1-10. Exploring the idea of change in the world, whether it’s sudden and abrupt, or gradual and unfolding, this year’s festival offers the public a chance to share in experiences that build community. 

Now in its 24th year, the Spirit & Place Festival continues to be Indianapolis’ largest collaborative festival that uses the arts, religion, and humanities as tools for shaping individual and community life through 10 days of events designed with community partners, individuals and congregations.

There will be 32 unique events this year that will take place across Indianapolis and feature a variety of presenters, speakers, and performers. This year’s festival includes many events centered around panel-style discussions over powerful topics. These discussions are intended to spark conversation and explore current and historical events that are relevant to citizens of Central Indiana.

Visit the website at www.spiritandplace.org for the full festival lineup, including these interactive events below:


EVENT INFO:

Saturday, November 2, 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Spirited Chase

Presented by WFYI Public Media and its Mystery Partners

WFYI Public Media 1630 N. Meridian St.

Cost: $9

Spirited Chase is a unique event offering participants the opportunity to renew their spirit through discovering new people and places in our community. Each mystery partner organization has been selected based on their connection to the transformation of our city and the individuals who live in it. At each mystery destination, participants will engage in a brief interactive program as they learn about the many ways these people, places, and programs are affecting change and transforming, evolving, and revolutionizing our community.  

Saturday, November 2, 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Super Universal Shape Shifters

Presented by Ivy Tech Community College – Indianapolis, Ivy Tech Student Life & Development Indianapolis, and Dances of Universal Peace Indianapolis

Ivy Tech Community College IFC Illinois Fall Creek Center2535 N. Capitol Ave.

Join us for a come-and-go, family-friendly community event that will stoke positive energy in the universe! Bring your love of music and dance to create sacred symbols of the universe. 

Sunday, November 3, 12 p.m. — Sunday, November 10, 6 p.m.

ArtTroop: Transformance

Presented by the Indianapolis Art Center and local artist-veterans

Indianapolis Art Center – 820 E. 67th St.

View works of art that express the evolution, change, and growth of local artist/veterans.

Sunday, November 3, 1 p.m. until 4 p.m.

Restorations & Requiems: Finding Strength through Music, Art & Faith
Presented by Central Christian Church and Allisonville Christian Church

Central Christian Church Sanctuary & Fellowship Hall 701 N. Delaware St.

Explore how art and music can help heal the soul through a performance of John Rutter’s Requiem, a visual art show, and a discussion panel. 

Monday, November 4, 6:30 p.m. until 8 p.m.

Remember 1968: Society, Higher Education, and Activism

Presented by IUPUI School of Education, IUPUI Africana Studies Program and Olaniyan Scholars Program, IUPUI Museum Studies Program, and Center for Black Literature & Culture

Central Library Center for Black Literature and Culture 40 E. St. Clair St.

Life Magazine referenced 1968 as “the year that changed the world.” Hear from Dr. Jakobi Williams at this opening night reception for the exhibit “Remember 1968” to learn how college students shaped this revolutionary year and how campuses across the nation continue to grapple with its legacy. 

Monday, November 4, 7:30 p.m. until 9 p.m.

Antisemitism: The Evolution of the Longest Hatred

Presented by Congregation Beth-El Zedeck and the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library

Congregation Beth-El Zedeck – 600 W. 70th St.

Historian Deborah Lipstadt, an internationally-renowned expert on the Holocaust, will address the evolution of antisemitism as a paradigm for other forms of bigotry and hate.

Tuesday, November 5, 6 p.m. until 8 p.m.

A Faith Leader & a Scientist Walk into a Bar: Using Improv to Talk about Science and Faith

Presented by IUPUI/IU School of Medicine Communicating Science Program; The DaVinci Pursuit; Center for Interfaith Cooperation; March for Science Indiana; and IU Consortium for the Study of Religion, Ethics, and Society. 

Books & Brews South Indy – 3808 S. Shelby St.

Let’s talk science and religion over coffee or a beer! Using theatrical improvisation techniques, you’ll be given the chance to take on the persona of a scientist, faith leader, or “everyday person” and then practice empathy-rooted communication strategies.

Wednesday, November 6, 5:30 p.m. until 8 p.m.

Stuck

Presented by the Indianapolis Film Project, Spades Park Branch Library, Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library, Big Car Collaborative, and Bluebeard Restaurant

Spades Park Library – 1801 Nowland Ave.

An evening of conversation and film. Join local authors and artists to discuss how evolving threats and fears of the “other” affect art, culture, and community and watch the 1956 film “Storm Center” starring Bette Davis. Food by Bluebeard!

Wednesday, November 6, 6:30—8:30 p.m.

The Power of the Page

Presented by Peace and Justice Studies at Marian University, Art & Design at Marian University, Marian University Writing Center

Marian University Allison Mansion—3200 Cold Spring Rd.

View and learn about how the St. John’s Bible – the first fully illuminated and hand-written Bible created since the Middle Ages—uses its power to shift focus towards women, social justice, and contemporary issues.

Wednesday, November 6, 7 p.m. until 9 p.m.

Backs Against the Wall: A Film Screening & Discussion on the Howard Thurman Story

Presented by the Center for Interfaith Cooperation and Butler University Center for Faith and Vocation. Part of the New View Film Series.

Edison-Duckwall Recital Hall – 4600 Sunset Blvd.

Join in on a documentary film screening of “Backs Against the Wall: The Howard Thurman Story” followed by a riveting discussion and multi-art performance inspired by this influential theologian, poet, mystic, and philosopher of nonviolence.

Thursday, November 7, 6 p.m. until 8pm

Cey More with Art: Art in Cultural R/Evolution

Presented by The Indianapolis Public Library and The Kheprw Institute’s art and cultural assembly, The Build

Central Library Auditorium – 40 E. St. Clair St.

Hear from hip-hop legend Cey Adams, creative director of Def Jam Recordings, and local artists on the revolutionary power of art. Music, art work, and other creative expressions will be showcased throughout the evening.

Thursday, November 7, 7 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.

The Smart Justice Revolution: From Retribution to Rehabilitation and Reintegration

Presented by the ACLU of Indiana, Goodwill – New Beginnings, Newfields, and Public Advocates in Community Reentry (PACE) Indy

Newfields The Toby Theater – 4000 N. Michigan Rd.

Confront the growing need for a revolution in the criminal justice system –a system that has evolved to focus on punishment rather than rehabilitation. Art exhibition and panel discussion featuring criminal justice policy experts, prison ministry workers, and individuals affected by the prison system.  

Thursday, November 7, 7 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.

The Art of Boycott: Speech, Resistance, and Revolution

Presented by American Friends Service Committee, Muslim Youth Collective, VOCAB, Garfield Park Arts Center, and Jewish Voice for Peace – Indiana

Garfield Park Arts Center – 2432 Conservatory Dr.

An exhibition and panel discussion exploring the art, theory, and practice of boycott: how small changes in behavior can drive systemic change and achieve justice.

Saturday, November 9, 1:00 p.m. until 4 p.m.

Herstory: A Prenatal-Postpartum Pop-Up Museum

Presented by IU Fairbanks School of Public Health, Grassroots Maternal and Child Health Leaders, Carriage House East Apartments – A Glick Property, and IUPUI Department of English

Carriage House Apartments East Community Center – 10174 Tinton Ct.

Celebrate and create with grassroots leaders in maternal and child health as they create a pop-up museum aimed to educate on community efforts to improve birth outcomes. This event honors the vital relationship between healthy communities and healthy pregnancies

Saturday, November 9, 6:30 p.m. until 8 p.m.

Solutions & S’mores

Presented by Bellfound Farm and Project Lia

Bellfound Farm Marketplace – 2856 S. Meridian St.

Film screening highlighting the stories of women who have experienced incarceration, followed by small group discussions hosted over s’mores!

Sunday, November 10, 2 p.m. until 4 p.m.

The World We Live(d) In

Presented by JCC Indianapolis, Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council, Dance Kaleidoscope, Indiana Writers Center, and Indianapolis Art Center

JCC Indianapolis – 6701 Hoover Rd.

A juxtaposition of social the justice climate of yesterday and today interpreted through poetry and dance.

About Spirit & Place:

Celebrating the theme of R/Evolution in 2019, Spirit & Place honors the role the arts, humanities and religion play in shaping individual and community life. Through its November festival, people-centered community engagement, and year-round activities, Spirit & Place links people, places, ideas, and organizations to stimulate collaboration, experimentation and conversation. A national model for building civically engaged communities, Spirit & Place is an initiative of The Polis Center, part of the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI. Major partners include Lilly Endowment Inc.; Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation, Inc.; Bohlsen Group; Central Indiana Community Foundation; IUPUI; IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI; The Polis Center at IUPUI; and more than 200 other community partners and donors. For more information, call The Polis Center at (317) 274-2455 or visit www.spiritandplace.org.