Spirit & Place, IU Indianapolis

Celebrating and Remembering Family: Día de los Muertos
2022-11-04 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Indiana/Indianapolis) | Bartholomew Co. Public Library – Outdoor Plaza, 536 5th St., Columbus, IN, 47201, United States
This bilingual celebration explores the cultural, spiritual, and intergenerational significance of Día de los Muertos. Author Selene Dávila will share El esqueleto que ama bailar (The Skeleton that Loves to Dance) and families will be invited to participate in art-making activities.
This event will be a bilingual story time that will engage child and parent participants across languages with the cultural, intergenerational, and spiritual significance of Día de los Muertos through multiple senses: a local author’s story, a felt storyboard visualizing a family alter, a craft to honor a deceased loved one, and the traditional holiday bone bread. Selene Dávila, a Columbus parent-author will share the meaning behind the holiday’s traditions in reading her story, El esqueleto que ama bailar, The Skeleton that Loves to Dance. Additional bilingual books authored by Columbus parents and sharing Latinx culture will be on display.
This event is geared toward PreK-6 youth, families, parents, and educators of all backgrounds. The storytelling portion of this event will be conducted live at the library and will also be livestreamed on the Bartholomew County Public Library’s Facebook page. In-person attendance is necessary to participate in the other activities.
A partnership between IUPUC Division of Education; Bartholomew Co. Public Library; Family School Partners; Cultural Learning Center, Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp.; and Bartholomew Co. Literacy Taskforce.
Contact the event organizers at (812) 348-7244 or lbliu@iu.edu.
Walk-ins welcome, but registration is encouraged by Nov. 3.
Register below.
Image Credit: The Skeleton that Loves to Dance by Selene Davila

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.

CANCELLED Reviving a Forgotten Freetown: Mobilizing Family History to Protect Communities
2022-11-12 08:00 - 11:00 | Central Library – Center for Black Literature & Culture, 40 E. St. Clair St., Indianapolis, IN, 46204, United States
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED. WE ARE SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE.
During this half-day workshop, we will explore how the small African American community of Norwood was able to mobilize their family history to protect their community from unwelcome change. This hands-on program will allow us to help participants organize their family stories into community histories using newly developed “archival kits.” Intergenerational (12+) but younger children welcome.
Learn about the history of the Norwood, a neighborhood on the southeast side of Indianapolis, founded in the 1860s with the arrival of soldiers who had served in the 28th U.S. Colored Troops during the American Civil War. Ongoing historical research and the creation of community archives are helping preserve this unique cultural asset and this workshop aims to help participants gain the skills in preserving their own family and community histories.
The workshop will consist of a history lesson on Norwood followed by hands-on activities in which participants will discover the best methods for building their own archives to tell their own stories on their own terms using newly developed take-home archival kits. By creating new histories that allow historically marginalized communities to be centered, the workshop aims to uplift people by creating a space where they can define themselves and feel the embodied sense of pride and community that this recognition gives.
Designed as an intergenerational gathering, this event is great for elders, parents, and youth age 12+. But if you have younger children, please bring them with you! WE will have adapted materials available for them to explore. More details will be shared after registration, but attendees should plan to bring family photos, documents, and other materials with them to analyze.
Partnership between Norwood Community Archives, Center for Africana Studies & Culture, and Center for Black Literature & Culture.
Contact event organizers at 317-777-5020 or norwoodcommunityarchives@gmail.com.
Seating limited to 10 families (2—4 people per group). RSVP by Oct. 25.
Register below.
Image Courtesy: Norwood Community Archives. Penick-Meyers Family Collection, Ms Flinora Frazier

Spirit & Place Festival Opening Night
2023-11-02 14:00 - 16:00 | Global Village Welcome Center, 4233 Lafayette Rd., Indianapolis, IN, 46254, United States
Nourish your sense of community by joining Spirit & Place as it kicks off the 28th annual Spirit & Place Festival with the tantalizing flavors of an opening night reception, engaging exhibits, and family-friendly activities. Walk-in guests welcome!
Smell and sample delicious cuisine from area restaurants while viewing community-curated exhibits celebrating the myriad of cultures who call the west side of Indianapolis home. You can also learn how food and faith intersect through a poster exhibit commissioned by Spirit & Place and participate in creative, hands-on family-friendly activities.
Registration will open in September and is requested by Nov. 2, but walk-ins are welcome. Questions? Contact us at 317-274-2462 or festival@iupui.edu.

Buzz & Flutter: Cultivating, Creating, & Caring for our Pollinators
2023-11-04 08:00 - 10:30 | Garfield Park Arts Center – Main Gallery, 2432 Conservatory Dr., Indianapolis, IN, United States
ASL Interpretation Onsite.
Make art while also learning from community gardeners, beekeepers, and even chefs on how we can all work to sustain and nourish our pollinator friends – bees and butterflies!
Art-making activities, learning opportunities, honey-tasting, and exhibits will be featured at this dynamic all-ages, family-friendly event featuring:

An exhibition featuring images based on gardening, bees, and butterflies created by local artists including Ivy Tech Community College art students
Art-making activities
Info tables on beekeeping and hive management
Honey tasting!
Honey-themed recipe station hosted by Chef Thom England/Ivy Tech Culinary Program
Lessons on how to prep seeds to “winter over”
And more!

Can’t make it to the event? Check out an online edition of the art exhibit here: (LINK FORTHCOMING)
Questions? Contact (317) 916-7832 or srobertson99@ivytech.edu
Event Partners: Ivy Tech Community College Central Indiana including the Culinary, Early Childhood Education, English, Fine Arts and Hospitality programs and Garfield Park Arts Center.
Event Registration: Registration is appreciated by November 3, but walk-ins are welcome! (Registration link forthcoming.)

Eastern Black Swallowtail Courtesy of Renee Rule

Growing Gratitude: Celebrate, Connect, and Care for Creation
2024-11-02 09:00 - 10:30 | Friedens United Church of Christ, 8300 S. Meridian St., Indianapolis, 46217, United States
ASL & Spanish Language Interpreted.
ASL assistance provided by IUI’s Program in American Sign Language (ASL) and English Interpreting

Join in a joyful celebration to show our deep appreciation and connection with each other and Mother Earth. Listen and share stories and songs. Dance, breathe, move, create, and even cook in an expression of gratitude for the earth, skies, seas, and all living creatures.
Children, teens, and their families will enjoy a story with IndyPL library staff and also have an opportunity for creative expression and acts of service or advocacy with our event partners. Activities might include listening to and/or participating in songs, dance, artwork, planting seeds or harvesting from the gardens outside of the church. Attendees might make a refrigerator sign or discover cooking ideas to help prevent food waste. Families might even make treats for animals, engage in yoga, make a craft out of recyclable materials, write a thank you letter to the earth or an advocacy letter to an elected official.
Questions?: Contact 317-709-5857 or pastorsarah.friedensucc@outlook.com.
Event Organizers: A partnership between Friedens United Church of Christ with Conscious Caring Community and Metamorphosis Friends, Perry Meridian Middle School Choir, Persimmon Herb School, Earth Charter Indiana, West Perry Library, Audubon Society, Community Food Box Project, Leo’s Plants and Love, and Soul Food Project’s Youth Grow Indy Team.
Registration: Walk-in guests are welcome, but registration is appreciated at https://forms.gle/TcXEy2QkPDjivzJq6.
Growing Gratitude

Adventures in Gratitude
2024-11-02 11:00 - 13:00 | Irvington Presbyterian Church, 55 Johnson Ave., Indianapolis, 46219, United States
Discovering new ways to express “thanks” can be an exciting adventure! This self-directed open-house event for all ages invites us to experience gratitude for small things and the big things using our bodies, minds, voices, and spirits.
This event recognizes gratitude is not just something we feel, but something we do—and it is something that multiplies when we share it with others. Join us and expand your toolbox for “doing” gratitude!
Upon arrival guests will receive a map containing descriptions of the event spaces open for exploration. Singing, moving, writing, visual art, and meditation—explore it all for as long (or little) as you wish! Each person or family group is invited to choose what calls to them. For example, creating gratitude-focused lyrics for simple call and response songs, writing or drawing a thank-you note, expressing thanks in movement, or sitting in peaceful quiet.
Questions?: Contact 317-682-4946 or info@indianapoliswomenschorus.org.
Event Organizers: A partnership between Indianapolis Women’s Chorus, Irvington Arts Collective, and Irvington Presbyterian Church.
Registration: Walk-in guests are welcome, but registration greatly appreciated. Use the blue button below to register.

Ordinary Joy
2024-11-09 07:00 - 10:00 | Ivy Tech Community College – Lawrence Fairbanks Campus, 9301 E. 59th St., Indianapolis, 46216, United States
This family-friendly event will feature a variety of activities allowing participants to reflect on and explore the joy that can be found in ordinary routines of daily life.
During this come-and-go style/self-directed gathering, families will be engaged with activities ranging from printmaking to collaging, visual poetry, and more! In addition to hands-on art activities, assorted stations exploring “ordinary joys” such as gardening and auto maintenance will be available.
Questions?: Contact 317-916-7853 or bpike4@ivytech.edu.
Event Organizers: A partnership between Ivy Tech Community College Central Indiana, Teachers’ Treasures, and Indy Parks and Recreation.
Registration: Registration is encouraged, but walk-in guests are welcome. Use the blue button below to register.

Walks & Arts
2024-11-09 07:00 - 10:00 | Peace Learning Center at Eagle Creek Park, 6040 DeLong Rd., Indianapolis, 46254, United States
Participate in a guided and reflective walk through scenic Eagle Creek Park followed by creative opportunities to honor and express gratitude including a sound bath, visual art, poetry, and movement.
Upon arrival participants will be led on a gratitude walk through scenic Eagle Creek Park. (Gratitude walks will depart at multiple times during the event’s 3-hour window.) Afterwards, attendees will be invited to express their gratitude with a range of options including writing stations, dance and movement instruction, sound/listening areas, and visual arts. A joyous but reflective event, we recognize some participants may find themselves grateful for the memories of a passed loved one. There will also be a listening circle for anyone dealing with grief. Truly, all are welcome!
Participate in a guided and reflective walk through scenic Eagle Creek Park followed by the below creative programs:

“Moving Through Gratitude” sponsored by ARThentic Arts featuring TaKisha Jones of MpoweredtobE
Sound bath & light yoga with The Yoga Lady
A poetry experience led by Brickstreet Poetry
Visual art with ceramics with Sarah Zuniga, the outreach director of Allisonville Christian Church

Questions?: Contact 317-327-7144 or ajackson@peacelearningcenter.org.
Event Organizers: A partnership between Peace Learning Center, Brick Street Poetry, Allisonville Christian Church, Brooke’s Place, The Yoga Lady, and ARThentic Arts.
Registration: Registration required to receive a complimentary pass into Eagle Creek Park. Use the blue button below to register.

The Nature of Us: Weaving Ourselves into the Natural World
2025-11-08 13:00 - 15:00 | Hornet Park, 5245 Hornet Ave., Beech Grove, 46107, United States
ASL Interpreted
Explore your place in and as part of nature through hands-on activities and thoughtful inquiry. Create your own art and contribute to a collaborative weaving project, both utilizing natural materials. Engage with neighbors in prompted conversations that invite curiosity, reflection, and remembering your place in the natural world.
Step into nature and explore your place within it through hands-on creativity and guided inquiry. At this interactive experience, participants will rotate through stations to engage in thinking routines that spark reflection, collaborate on a community weaving project using natural materials, and create take-home art inspired by the surrounding landscape. Through conversation, observation, and artistic expression, guests of all ages will deepen their curiosity, connect with the natural world, and consider how their presence shapes and is shaped by it.
Questions? Contact 463-241-6090 or darren@beechgrovewellness.com.
Event Organizers: A partnership between Beech Grove Wellness, Beech Grove Parks Foundation, Hornet Park Community Center, and local artist and gardener Lorie Ann Dillbeck-Bagby.
Registration: Click here to register.

The Greencastle Urban Fossil Tour: Discover Ancient Life Around You!
2025-11-08 13:00 - 16:00 | Putnam County Museum, 1105 Jackson St., Greencastle, 46135, United States
Self-Guided Walks: Nov. 7 – 16
Guided Walks & Activities: Saturday, Nov. 8 & 15
Download a self-guided map and daily schedules by clicking here!
Join an all-ages community-wide fossil adventure blending science, nature, and art! Explore Greencastle’s buildings and the DePauw Nature Park on your own with a custom map or participate in a guided tour. Visit Fern Cliff’s vivid green sandstone, make fossil prints and poems, hear from experts, and trade your Paleo Art for a fossil cookie.
The Greencastle Urban Fossil Tour was designed with flexibility in mind!

Self-Guided Walks: Pick up a walking tour “fossil map” of downtown Greencastle and the DePauw Nature Park at the Putnam County Museum (1105 N. Jackson St.) or the Putnam County Convention & Visitors Bureau (aka, “Welcome Center,” 12 W. Washington St.). Hours vary but are open most weekdays until 3PM. After touring the area—and noting what you saw—return to the Welcome Center to collect your fossil-shaped cookie!

Saturday Sessions & Guided Walks: On Saturdays, guests and their families can attend interactive presentations at the Putnam County Museum with paleo-artist Janet Panoch (11/8) and geologist Tim Cope (11/15). Activities include fossil rubbings, art displays, short poetry exercises, and optional guided fossil walks in the DePauw Nature Park (1400 W. CR 125 S.). Saturday sessions are from 1 – 4PM. There is a more detailed agenda posted on the registration page.

Special Instructions: Please verify hours for the DePauw Nature Park, Putnam County Museum, and Putnam County Convention & Visitors Bureau before picking up a self-guided walking tour map.
Most areas on the tour are ADA compliant.
Questions? Contact 317-748-8462 or jpanoch@iu.edu.
Event Organizers: A partnership between paleo-artist Janet Panoch, Putnam County Museum, DePauw University, DePauw Geosciences Club, and The Doc’s Inn.
Registration: Click here to register.

Little Seeds: Interfaith Understanding Through the Art of Children’s Literature
2025-11-10 17:00 - 19:00 | Franklin College Student Center, 101 Branigan Blvd., Franklin, 46131, United States
ASL Interpretation provided by IU Indianapolis’s American Sign Language/English Interpreting Program students
Explore nature, spirit, and storytelling at this joyful family-friendly event! Enjoy hands-on activities, kid-friendly snacks, story time with special readers, and a keynote by author Kaitlin Curtice. Designed for families and grownups who still cherish a good picture book.
Explore spirituality and nature through the art of storytelling! Participants will engage with interactive stations hosted by community partners, enjoy story time with special readers, and hear a short keynote from author and storyteller Kaitlin Curtice. Activities include contributing to a collective story, creating artwork, and reflecting on favorite books, all designed to spark curiosity, imagination, and connection across generations. The event concludes with a book signing, ensuring a shared experience for both children and adults.
About Kaitlin Curtice: Kaitlin Curtice is an award-winning author, poet-storyteller, and public speaker. As an enrolled citizen of the Potawatomi nation, Kaitlin writes on the intersections of spirituality and identity and how that shifts throughout our lives. Her children’s books include Spring’s Miracles, Summer’s Magic, and Winter’s Gifts.
Questions? Contact 317-738-8054 or bschmidt@franklincollege.edu.
Event Organizers: A partnership between Franklin College, Johnson County Public Library, and Imagination Library of Johnson County.
Registration: Click here to register.

Voices of the Land: A Day of Connection
2025-11-15 10:00 - 16:00 | Peace Learning Center at Eagle Creek Park, 6040 DeLong Rd., Indianapolis, 46254, United States
Park admission free with registration. Some experiences are timed — registration is encouraged.
Connect with nature through guided hikes, historical building tours, crafts, sound baths, nature journaling, and artistic performances. This family-friendly event offers flexible, hands-on experiences that deepen your relationship with the land and community.
Spend a full day immersed in nature at Peace Learning Center and Eagle Creek Park, exploring the connections between people and the land. Guided hikes, plant and wildlife identification, nature journaling, and hands-on art projects invite participants to engage creatively and mindfully with the outdoors. The day includes performances celebrating cultural heritage, an outdoor sound bath, and reflections from Native American perspectives that honor and give thanks for the land. Families and individuals of all ages are welcome to participate at their own pace, keeping in mind some experiences – like the guided walks – are timed. Details on how to make the most of your visit will be included in the confirmation materials you’ll be emailed upon registration.
Questions? Contact 317-327-7144 or ajackson@peacelearningcenter.org.
Event Organizers: A partnership between Peace Learning Center, Sacred Path Coaching, The Yoga Lady, Arthentic Arts, and James Todd.
Registration: Click here to register.

The Greencastle Urban Fossil Tour: Discover Ancient Life Around You!
2025-11-15 13:00 - 16:00 | Putnam County Museum, 1105 Jackson St., Greencastle, 46135, United States
Self-Guided Walks: Nov. 7 – 16
Guided Walks & Activities: Saturday, Nov. 8 & 15
Download a self-guided tour map and daily schedule by clicking here!
Join an all-ages community-wide fossil adventure blending science, nature, and art! Explore Greencastle’s buildings and the DePauw Nature Park on your own with a custom map or participate in a guided tour. Visit Fern Cliff’s vivid green sandstone, make fossil prints and poems, hear from experts, and trade your Paleo Art for a fossil cookie.
The Greencastle Urban Fossil Tour was designed with flexibility in mind!

Self-Guided Walks: Pick up a walking tour “fossil map” of downtown Greencastle and the DePauw Nature Park at the Putnam County Museum (1105 N. Jackson St.) or the Putnam County Convention & Visitors Bureau (aka, “Welcome Center,” 12 W. Washington St.). Hours vary but are open most weekdays until 3PM. After touring the area—and noting what you saw—return to the Welcome Center to collect your fossil-shaped cookie!

Saturday Sessions & Guided Walks: On Saturdays, guests and their families can attend interactive presentations at the Putnam County Museum with paleo-artist Janet Panoch (11/8) and geologist Tim Cope (11/15). Activities include fossil rubbings, art displays, short poetry exercises, and optional guided fossil walks in the DePauw Nature Park (1400 W. CR 125 S.). Saturday sessions are from 1 – 4PM with the guided walk beginning at TBA times.

Special Instructions: Please verify hours for the DePauw Nature Park, Putnam County Museum, and Putnam County Convention & Visitors Bureau before picking up a self-guided walking tour map.
Most areas on the tour are ADA compliant.
Questions? Contact 317-748-8462 or jpanoch@iu.edu.
Event Organizers: A partnership between paleo-artist Janet Panoch, Putnam County Museum, DePauw University, DePauw Geosciences Club, and The Doc’s Inn.
Registration: Click here to register.

A Nature Walk Down a Peace Path
2025-11-15 15:00 - 18:00 | Shalom Mennonite Church, 6100 E. 32nd. St., Indianapolis, 46226, United States
ADDRESS CORECTION:
The festival event guide lists an incorrect address. Shalom Mennonite Church is at 6100 E. 32nd St.

Experience the healing nature of the woods through a guided walk and hands-on crafts followed by an evening of poetry, stories, and songs around a campfire. All are welcome to experience nature as a place of peace, connection, and renewal at this come-and-go style event.
Step into the woods for an afternoon of discovery, creativity, and community connection. Guided nature walks along a groomed woodland trail will introduce guests to native trees and plants with moments to pause and consider quotes from poems and scripture. Families are especially welcome—children can join in hands-on craft projects and plant seeds in take-home containers to watch them grow long after the event. As the day winds down, everyone is invited to gather around a campfire for poetry, storytelling, and song—an experience that blends art, reflection, faith, and the healing power of nature.
Questions? Contact 317-549-0577 or office@shalommennonite.com.
Event Organizers: A partnership between Shalom Mennonite Church; Arlington Woods Neighborhood Association; Audubon Gardens Neighborhood Association, Inc.; and Indianapolis Public Library – E. 38th St. Branch.
Event Details:
3 – 5PM – Enjoy the trail and other activities
5 – 6PM – Storytime and campfire programming begins
Rain or shine! Dress appropriately, wear walking shoes – the trail is flat wood chipped and about 500ft long – and bring a lawn chair for the campfire!
Registration: Click here to register.

Connected by NATURE - Spirit & Place Festival 30th Anniversary Celebration!
2025-11-16 16:30 - 18:30 | The Amp at 16 Tech, 1220 Waterway Blvd., Indianapolis, IN, 46202, United States
Celebrate the closing of the 30th annual Spirit & Place Festival with an evening of connection, creativity, and community.
Enjoy a live spoken word invocation by Manón Voice, music by Premium Blend, delicious local food, and hands-on activities inspired by this year’s festival events. Reflect on the NATURE theme through art, music, and shared experiences that nourish both spirit and community. Light snacks included, while supplies last!
Walk-ins welcome, but registration is encouraged.
Questions? Contact 317-274-2462 or festival@iu.edu.
Registration: Click here to register.

Manon Voice & Premium Blend
