Spirit & Place, IU Indianapolis

Spirit & Place Festival Info Session (Virtual)
2026-04-21 15:30 - 16:30 (America/Indiana/Indianapolis)
Join us via Zoom in this group information session — open to anyone interested in applying to the 2026 Spirit & Place Festival!
Spirit & Place staff will provide an overview of the Festival, the theme, the application process, selection criteria, collaboration expectations, and funding ideas.
April 21 Info Session (Zoom – 3:30PM)
https://iu.zoom.us/meeting/register/hENCWYoOSUuM0UQcN97FsQ

Revolutionary Religion: How Voluntary Action & Religion Shaped the American Revolution
2026-06-03 18:00 - 20:30 | Herron School of Art + Design – Eskenazi Hall, Basile Auditorium, 735 W. New York St., Indianapolis, IN, 46202, United States
Religion has often been central to revolutionary movements throughout history by serving as the impetus for rebellion, mobilizing and organizing volunteers, and shaping the moral foundations of the revolutionaries themselves. To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, this program invites members of the Central Indiana community to ponder how religion and voluntary action shaped the American Revolution and how these themes reverberate throughout history, even to the current moment.

Through a collaborative event from the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture, Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, Spirit & Place, all a part of Indiana University Indianapolis, as well as WFYI, attendees will hear from some of the foremost scholars on religion’s role in the Revolutionary War as they explore key areas of religion and volunteering, framed through the Faith and Freedom in America screening reel from The American Revolution documentary by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt.

Doors open at 5:30PM
Refreshments will be available at 6PM
Programming begins at 6:30PM

Registration requested at:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/revolutionary-religion-tickets-1988790726600?aff=oddtdtcreator

Big Tent Talks: Living Deliberatively with Existential Despair with Justin McDaniel
2026-08-12 18:00 - 19:30 | Unitarian Universalist Church Indianapolis, 615 W. 43rd St., Indianapolis, 46208, United States
Can sadness, boredom, and existential despair actually deepen our connections to others? Justin McDaniel thinks so.
Join scholar Justin McDaniel, Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Endowed Professor of the Humanities at the University of Pennsylvania, for a public presentation on the nature of connection in an age of distraction, uncertainty, and searching.
McDaniel is known for teaching two of Penn’s most talked-about courses: one explores monastic approaches to living deliberately, while the other invites students to slow down and pay closer attention through the practices of reading and looking. Across his teaching, writing, and research in religious studies and contemplative traditions, he challenges students and audiences alike to wrestle with questions of meaning, purpose, sadness, and what it means to live well. (Which includes time for boredom!)
In Living Deliberately with Existential Despair, McDaniel argues that boredom, uncertainty, and even despair are not merely problems to be solved, but experiences that can deepen our attention to the world and our connection to others. Blending lived experience, storytelling, and big-picture ideas, this Big Tent Talk will explore how practices of reflection, presence, and shared vulnerability can help us cultivate connection, care, and belonging in our everyday lives.
Presented by Spirit & Place with support from Unitarian Universalist Church of Indianapolis and the IU Presidential Arts & Humanities Program. Spirit & Place Big Tent Talks are bold, community-wide conversations that bring nationally recognized thinkers, authors, and spiritual leaders to Indianapolis explore faith, spirituality, and public life.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
