Spirit & Place, IU Indianapolis

Will You See the Real Me?
2022-11-04 13:00 - 17:00 (America/Indiana/Indianapolis) | Lost Dog Gallery, 1040 E. New York St., Indianapolis, IN, 46202, United States
Exhibit showcasing the work of two fiber art guilds and their creativity to express the stories and identities of individuals leaving incarceration, fighting homelessness, aging out of foster care, and facing other challenges.
We make a lot of assumptions about people. Depending on their personal backgrounds, economic status, gender expression, skin color, and even life struggles, we can unfairly label people and limit their options and opportunities in life. Let’s challenge ourselves to see the whole person based on how they identify for themselves outside of society’s labels.
Working with adults who have been previously incarcerated, struggled with homelessness, or have been in the foster system, fiber artists with INFiber and the Akoma Ntoso Modern Quilt Guild of Central Indiana have partnered with Trusted Mentors to create a dynamic exhibit – including an interactive “in-progress” component exhibit goers can add to – inspired by the stories and self-expression of those too often marginalized and stigmatized by society’s labels.
Upon entering the exhibit, attendees will be asked to respond to an art quilt and words about the difficulties the members of Trusted Mentors have faced. These thoughts can be written on ribbons and attached to the art quilt. Each piece in the exhibit will be inspired from key words and ideas from the mentees about their true selves. These thoughts will be included in the descriptions. As attendees exit the exhibit, they will be asked to again put words on ribbons and attach to another art quilt, but this time the words will be based on what they have seen in the art, expressive of the way those represented really see themselves.
The exhibit will be open for viewing at the Lost Dog Gallery on the following days:
Friday, Nov. 4: 5-9pm (opening reception)
Saturday, Nov. 5: 2-5 pm
Thursday, Nov. 10: 5-7pm
Friday, Nov. 11: 5-7pm
Saturday, Nov. 12: 2-5pm
A partnership between INfiber, Akoma Ntoso Modern Quilt Guild of Central Indiana, and Trusted Mentors.
Contact event organizers at 317-274-2462 or lostdoggallery@gmail.com
Walk-ins welcome! Registrations for the Nov. 4 reception are encouraged by Nov. 3.
Register below.

Between Society and Self/Entre la Sociedad y uno Mismo
2022-11-04 14:30 - 16:30 | Christ Church Cathedral, 125 Monument Circle, Indianapolis, IN, United States
What happens when you leave behind everything that created your sense of identity and start over? How do you explore and express those feelings? When words fail, art steps in to help. Share in the stories of Christ Church Cathedral’s immigrant congregants through visual and performing arts.
When leaving behind the touchstones of family and culture, immigrants are challenged to forge a new identity in their adopted home, blending past with present. Second generation immigrants who do not have the same connection to “home,” must also bridge the expectations of older generations with the expectations of their new culture.
Understandably, this can be hard to articulate to someone unfamiliar with the experience. Art has a way of expressing thoughts and feelings that are hard to put into words. This gathering will showcase art and music created by Hispanic immigrants who call Christ Church Cathedral their spiritual home.
This event is bilingual, presented in English and Spanish and features performing arts group Coro Latinoamericano among others.
A partnership between Christ Church Cathedral, Arte Mexicano de Indiana, and LUNA Language Services.
Event organizer contact info: 317-636-4577 or info@cccindy.org.
Register below.
Courtesy Elise Schrock, Christ Church Cathedral

Spirit & Place Festival Exhibits
2022-11-04 - 2022-11-15, 2022-11-05 - 2022-11-16, 2022-11-06 - 2022-11-17, 2022-11-07 - 2022-11-18, 2022-11-08 - 2022-11-19, 2022-11-09 - 2022-11-20, 2022-11-10 - 2022-11-21, 2022-11-11 - 2022-11-22 and 16 more dates
Image Credit: Marti LaMar by Kaila Austin
An exciting array of exhibits are included in this year’s festival! Information about exhibit hours are below. To check the festival programming tied to the events, return to the Event Page to search for the event. You must register for events separately.
Tearing Down Boxes and Embracing Change
Nov. 4-14, 1-4pm (Tues.-Fri.)
Phoenix Theatre Cultural Center, 705 N. Illinois St.
Monumental Changes: History and Power in Public Art
Nov. 5-17, 10am-5pm (Tues.-Sat.)
Garfield Park Arts Center—Main Gallery, 2432 Conservatory Dr.
The Memory Keepers / Los Guardianes de Memorias
Nov. 4-14, click here to schedule a gallery visit
201 Studio, 201 S. Rural Ave.
The (W)hole in Our Hearts
Nov. 4-12, visit website for hours
Friday, Nov. 5, 5-9pm (First Friday extended hours)
Saturday, Nov. 6, 10am-12pm (Family Day activities)
Nov. 8-12, M-F, 9am-5pm
Circle City Industrial Complex—Stokol Gallery & Hallways, 1125 Brookside Ave.
Introduction to Black Hue-manity: Imagining Blackness Then and Now
Nov. 8-11. Public hours vary.
Eskenazi Fine Arts Center, 1410 Indiana Ave.
We Are the Change We’ve Been Waiting For
Nov. 10, 5:30-8:30pm
Indiana Interchurch Center, 1100 W. 42nd St.
Changing Direction: The Evolution of Treatment at Indiana’s State Psychiatric Hospitals
Nov. 4-14
Online Exhibit

Weaving the Web: Circling into Community
2022-11-05 08:00 - 10:00 | Garfield Park Arts Center – Main Gallery, 2432 Conservatory Dr., Indianapolis, IN, United States
During this all-ages event, guests will explore interactive arts activities designed to help the community look past differences and discover commonalities.
View the Ivy Tech student-created exhibit, “I Am Unique,” while engaging in art activities designed to help participants draw connections between their similarities and the importance of creating interconnected and supportive environments where both unique identities can shine and collective identities can flourish.
During this all-ages event, guests will explore interactive arts activities such as constructing a life size poem, making improvisational music, and working together to create a massive web of colorful ribbons. There will also be printmaking, button making, and coloring stations.
Both GPAC and Ivy Tech will host virtual versions of the exhibitions on their websites.
A partnership between Ivy Tech Community College, Central Region including Early Childhood Education and Fine Arts; Garfield Park Arts Center; and Trinity Haven Indy.
Contact event organizers at 317-327-7135 or GPAC@indy.gov.
Walk-ins welcome! This event is “come-and-go” style, but registrations are requested to help the event organizers prep enough supplies.
Register below.

Looking Forward: Black Indianapolis Artists Imagine the Future
2022-11-05 13:30 - 14:30 | Herron School of Art + Design – Eskenazi Hall, Basile Auditorium, 735 W. New York St., Indianapolis, IN, 46202, United States
This exhibit and panel discussion address the long-lasting impact of African American enslavement on our shared history and sense of identity. These offerings provide a space to delve into complicated histories by focusing on Indianapolis artists and how identity creates the context for telling stories.
Artwork in the exhibition Past is Present: Black Artists Respond to the Complicated Histories of Slavery comes from contemporary African American artists addressing the legacies and impacts of slavery and the 160-year-fight to receive equal rights and acknowledgement for their contributions to our collective culture. By featuring works of both nationally renowned and local artists paired with primary source documents from the Indiana Historical Society, Indiana State Museum, and others, this exhibit and panel discussion will help attendees see how slavery has shaped not only our nation, but our neighbors, friends, and communities.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Doors to the galleries will open at 3pm to give visitors an opportunity to meet with the artists, curators, and participants for an informal tour of the exhibit. This panel for Looking Forward: Black Indianapolis Artists Imagine the Future features moderator Kaila Austin, Campus and Community Engagement Coordinator for the exhibit; Curator Dr. Jonathan Square, Assistant Professor of Visual Culture at the Parson’s School of Design; and local artists Shamira Wilson, Matt Cooper, and Lobyn Hamilton.
A partnership between IU Herron School of Art and Design at IUPUI, Center for Africana Studies and Culture at IUPUI, and IUPUI Senior Academy.
Contact event organizers at 317-274-2462 or ktaustin@indiana.edu.
Walk-ins welcome!

Virtual opportunity also available by registering here.
Event: Saturday, Nov. 5, 5:30-6:30pm
Exhibit: Sept. 28, 2022—Jan. 15, 2023, 12-5pm
Matthew Cooper. DNA No. 28, 2022. Oil and paper on canvas. 36 x 24 in.

Holy Sparks: Celebration the Feminine in Spirituality and Faith
2022-11-07 13:30 - 15:30 | Indiana Interchurch Center, 1100 W. 42nd St., Indianapolis, IN, United States
After viewing the exhibit, “Holy Sparks: Celebrating 50 Years of Women Rabbinate,” guests are invited to explore the feminine influences on religious traditions and faith journeys by hearing from a panel of diverse religious leaders as well as a poet, sculptor, and musician.
Too often, people are not as aware of the deep and profound feminine influence of their faith formation and faith journeys because of the patriarchal nature of religion in general. This emphasizes the feminine through music, art, sculpture, spoken word, and food.
Using the “Holy Sparks” art exhibit as a backdrop, this event encourages attendees to contemplate and identify the feminine influence on their faith formation and faith journey. Stories from sacred texts will be shared along with stories from individuals that identify, recognize, honor, and celebrate the stories of women, how they have shaped faith practices, communities, and individual faith journeys.
Panel speakers include moderator Katherine Tyler Scott (Managing Principal Ki ThoughtBridge), Rabbi Sandy Sasso (Rabbi Emeritus, Congregation Beth-El Zedeck), Dr. Anita Joshi (Hindu Temple of Central Indiana Board), and Reverend Dr. Marilyn Gill (Executive Director of Indiana Christian Leadership Conference). Featured artists include Deepha R. Maturi (poet), D. Del Reverda-Jennings (sculptor), and Dena El Saffar (musician).
A partnership between Center for Interfaith Cooperation, Congregation Beth-El Zedeck, and JCC-Indianapolis.
Contact the event organizers at 317-318-5304 or charlie@centerforinterfaithcooperation.org.
Walk-ins welcome, but registrations is strongly encouraged by Nov. 7.
Register below.
EXHIBIT DATES: Nov. 1 – 30
Image courtesy of Sonia Benjamin, Heller Museum at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion

HIV Modernization: Ending the Stigma of People Living with HIV
2022-11-09 12:30 - 15:00 | Phoenix Theater Cultural Center, 705 N. Illinois Street, Indianapolis, IN, United States
Through an art exhibit and panel discussion, learn how people living with HIV and their allies are working to end HIV stigma by modernizing Indiana’s outdated HIV criminal laws.
People living with HIV often face stigma and discrimination related to Indiana laws that criminalize them due to their positive HIV status. This event features speakers living with HIV who are working to end HIV criminalization through legislative change, activism, art, and community support.
A visual art show featuring Indy-based artist Contonnia Turner, Jr. and photographer/digital artist Todd Fuqua will provide a backdrop for the discussion. Contonnia Turner, Jr. is a talented young Black Hoosier with multiple layers of intersecting identity who creates artwork that reflects who he is physically, mentally, and spiritually. Todd Fuqua is an Indianapolis-based artivist (activism through art) who started a social movement called CelebrateUU, building on the concept of HIV Undetectable=Untransmittable (U=U).
Explore the exhibit and interact informally with artists beginning at 5:30. The Talk will begin at 6:15 moderated by Terrell Parker and will include HIV Modernization Movement Chair Dr. Carrie Foote, and Co-Chair Mark Anthony Hughes. The Phoenix bar will be open, and snacks will be provided.
A partnership between Phoenix Theatre Cultural Center and HIV Modernization Movement Indiana.
Contact the event organizers at 317-635-7529 or cmacy@phoenixtheatre.org.
Walk-ins welcome, but registration is strongly encouraged by Nov. 9.
Register below.
EXHIBIT DATES: Nov. 3-13.
