Spirit & Place, IU Indianapolis

Delicious Silence: Cooking, Eating, & Community Care without Saying a Word
2023-11-05 06:30 - 10:00 (America/Indiana/Indianapolis) | Indy’s Kitchen, 2442 Central Ave., Indianapolis, IN, 46205, United States
SOLD OUT.
ASL Upon Request.
Prepare lunch with a group of strangers and eat it together, all in silence. Afterwards, reflect, via facilitated mindful dialogue, on your communal experience and what it means to nourish and be nourished.
Silent practice is a cornerstone of Zen Buddhism. At its heart, Zen meditation practice is returning to ease in the body and ease in breathing, allowing one to turn towards whatever they are experiencing. Participants will experience the effects of living this way for a short time and then reflect on their experience through a facilitated mindful dialogue at the end of the meal. In this way, we hope participants will have the opportunity to explore what it means to nourish and be nourished on many levels, beyond words and concepts, through the collective experience of making a meal and consuming it together in perfect silence.
Questions? Contact 317-296-4540 or hello@indycommunityyoga.org
Event Partners: Indy Community Yoga, The Indianapolis Zen Center, and Indy’s Kitchen.
Event Registration: Registration required by Oct. 20. Due to the nature of this event, we cannot accommodate walk-in guests.
Audience Note: After an orientation to silent practice and kitchen safety (overseen by professional kitchen staff), participants will prepare, consume, and clean up together in silence. Food allergies/sensitivities or accommodations needed to participate in the meal preparation should be communicated the organizers in the registration form.
Donations: Donations are not expected but are warmly accepted to help us cover the costs of fresh ingredients, facility rental, and the labor of a professional kitchen staff person. Those costs evenly divided amongst participants amount to $30 per person. Thank you for any level of support and your sincere participation in Delicious Silence.

Nourish: Testimonies about Food, Family, and Love (Day 1: Film Screening)
2023-11-10 11:00 - 14:00 | Broadway United Methodist Church, 609 E. 29th St., Indianapolis, IN, 46205, United States
A two-day celebration focused on the healing powers of food, community, and spirituality featuring films, food, and testimonies from Black femme creators.
The gathering will take attendees on an immersive visual, sensual, auditory, and spiritual experience in the spirit of honoring how Black femmes have nourished themselves and one another while making an indelible impact on the world.
On Friday, Nov. 10, two films – “In Our Mother’s Gardens” and “Food as Resistance” will be shown. Dinner will be served in between screenings and a discussion about the ways lineage, love, and (unjust) food systems intersect will close the night.
The following day (Nov. 11) will feature music, storytelling, and the culinary arts in a Testimony Service for all! (Think: Moth Radio Hour.) Testimony services have their roots in the Black church tradition as a time where people can take to the altar and tell a story or sing a song that illustrates a triumphant moment in their lives. Attendees will be given writing prompts for their own reflections and will hear from a selection of Black femme speakers before enjoying refreshments.
Doors open at 4pm each day for guests to congregate with each other. Programming begins at 5pm.
Audience Note: While this event is open to people from all faiths or non-faith backgrounds, Black Christian traditions as well as African ancestral practices will be honored.
Questions? Please contact317-413-1239 or TheTestimonyServiceOnline@gmail.com
Event Partners: The Testimony Service and The Center for Religion, Arts, and Culture.
Event Registration: Registration requested by Nov.3, but walk-in guests are welcome!

Image Courtesy of The Testimony Service

How to Eat with Tuning Forks
2023-11-11 07:00 - 09:00 | Garfield Park Arts Center – Main Gallery, 2432 Conservatory Dr., Indianapolis, IN, United States
Collectively create a soundscape by eating lunch in front of microphones, banging on kitchen percussion, and talking about the foods that nourish you.
Here’s the deal: Bring your own lunch to the Garfield Park Arts Center, but make sure it’s a meal that balances both your need for nourishment and convenience. You’ll then be invited to chew, crunch, munch, gobble – you know, eat! – in front of microphones while also considering what it is about this meal that nourishes you (however you define “nourish!”) and meets your need for convenience. A live musician playing ambient chords along with some “kitchen percussion” will play in the background with the sounds of eating, story sharing, and music blending together into a recorded soundscape.
Questions? Contact 317-345-0176 or clockworkmakesmusic@gmail.com.
Event Partners: Clockwork Music, Arts with a Purpose, and Garfield Park Arts Center.
Audience Note: If you are not comfortable being in front of a microphone helping to make improvisational music, tables and chairs will be set to the side … but we really encourage you to make some totally unique art with us! While this can be a come-and-go style event, here’s what will be going on when:
12 – Doors open
12:15 – Introduction, tutorial on reading a graphic score
12: 20- Write your own Lunch Story, talking with a neighbor is encouraged
12:30(ish) – Lunch is self-served (bring your own!). Eat and create this soundscape together.
1:30 – Mingling
2:00 – Doors close
Event Registration: Registration requested by Nov. 11. Walk-ins welcome.

Image/Logo Credit: Ankh Productions

Nourish: Testimonies about Food, Family, and Love (Day 2: Testimony Service)
2023-11-11 11:00 - 14:00 | IN
A two-day celebration focused on the healing powers of food, community, and spirituality featuring films, food, and testimonies from Black femme creators.
The gathering will take attendees on an immersive visual, sensual, auditory, and spiritual experience in the spirit of honoring how Black femmes have nourished themselves and one another while making an indelible impact on the world. On Friday, Nov. 10, two films – “In Our Mother’s Gardens” and “Food as Resistance” will be shown. Dinner will be served in between screenings and a discussion about the ways lineage, love, and (unjust) food systems intersect will close the night.
The following day (Nov. 11) will feature music, storytelling, and the culinary arts in a Testimony Service for all! (Think: Moth Radio Hour.) Testimony services have their roots in the Black church tradition as a time where people can take to the altar and tell a story or sing a song that illustrates a triumphant moment in their lives. Attendees will be given writing prompts for their own reflections and will hear from a selection of Black femme speakers before enjoying refreshments.
Doors open at 4pm with programming beginning at 5pm.
Audience Note: While this event is open to people from all faiths or non-faith backgrounds, Black Christian traditions as well as African ancestral practices will be honored.
Questions? Contact 317-413-1239 or TheTestimonyServiceOnline@gmail.com.
Event Partners: The Testimony Service and The Center for Religion, Arts, and Culture.
Event Registration: Registration requested by Nov. 3, but walk-in guests are welcome.

Image Courtesy of The Testimony Service

Forest Bathing to Nourish the Mind, Body, & Soul
2023-11-12 08:00 - 09:30 | Crown Hill Cemetery – Waiting Station, 3402 Boulevard Pl., Indianapolis, IN, 46208, United States
SOLD OUT. Please contact event organizers to inquire about a waitlist.

ASL Upon Request by Oct. 27.
Enjoy a 60-minute guided walk through Crown Hill Cemetery’s Arboretum that will nourish an appreciation for the benefits of nature.
“Forest bathing” promotes interaction between humans and wooded spaces, which is deeply needed in a culture that too often sees nature as a commodity to be bought, sold, transformed, and used. Studies have shown the health benefits of being in nature – it can lower blood pressure, calm heart rates, and reduce levels of harmful hormones all while helping individuals form stronger connections to their communities. Led by a guide certified by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs, this event invites you to listen to nature, savor the sounds and smells of the outdoors, and be mindful of the ways nature can nourish the mind, body, and soul.
Questions? Contact 317-920-2644 or jrdinius@crownhill.org.
Event Partners: Crown Hill Heritage Foundation, Indiana DNR—Division of Forestry, and Wanderwood Studio.
Event Registration: Due limited space, registration is required. Walk-in guests cannot be accommodated.
