Spirit & Place, IU Indianapolis

The Testimony Service Presents: Sol Sessions
2025-11-07 06:30 - 09:00 (America/Indiana/Indianapolis) | Unitarian Universalist Church Indianapolis, 615 W. 43rd St., Indianapolis, 46208, United States
Greet the sun with joyful movement and meditative stillness. This early-morning dance party and sound bath invites you to honor the nature of your body, connect in community, and celebrate a new day with intention. Sol Sessions is a soulful fusion of music, movement, and mindfulness.
Start your day with intention, movement, and music at Sol Sessions, a morning dance party and sound bath experience inspired by nature. Guided by a hip-hop yoga instructor, participants will move to energizing dance/electronica music before immersing in a restorative sound bath led by a reiki practitioner. With light refreshments, coffee, and cocoa on hand, the event blends fellowship, art, and the healing power of nature. Celebrate community, gratitude, and the joy of greeting the sun through dance, meditation, and mindful connection.
Questions? Contact 317-413-1239 or TheTestimonyServiceOnline@gmail.com.
Event Organizers: A partnership between The Testimony Service and Center for Religion, Arts, and Culture at Broadway United Methodist Church.
Registration: Click here to register.

Axolotl: The Regeneration of a Woman’s Heart
2025-11-07 19:00 - 21:00 | MLK Community Center, 40 W. 40th St., Indianapolis, IN, 46205, United States
ASL Interpretation provided by IU Indianapolis’s American Sign Language/English Interpreting Program students
Inspired by nature’s great regenerator—the Axolotl—this evening of original music and spoken word explores trauma, healing, and renewal through the lens of a woman’s heart. Join artist Tamra Rose and authors Eva Williams and Lacey Beatty for an intimate and hope-filled performance that invites us to reflect on nature’s wisdom and our own capacity to heal.
Explore the nature of hope and healing through music, literature, and the axolotl. The axolotl is a salamander that never undergoes the typical metamorphosis into its terrestrial form, remaining water-bound for life. Remarkably, it can regenerate diseased or injured parts of its body—including limbs, brain, and heart. Seen through the lens of womanhood, the axolotl becomes a metaphor for those who have endured trauma yet continue to survive and even flourish—blossoming into the fullness of who they were created to be.
Counseling resources available.
Questions? Contact 317-509-5305 or booktamrarose@gmail.com.
Event Organizers: A partnership between Tamra Rose and My Sister’s Keeper.
Registration: Click here to register.

Voices of the Living Earth: Exploring Nature’s Song Resonating within Us
2025-11-08 17:00 - 18:30 | Indianapolis Art Center, 820 E. 67th St., Indianapollis, 46220, United States
From tree roots to rivers to vocal cords, all life vibrates. Explore the elemental aspects of Nature within us through focused listening, voice, and movement. Guided by choral artists and soundscape ecologists, participants will create a living soundscape that echoes the vibrational song of Nature and spirit.
Experience the sounds of nature and the human voice in a participatory choral exploration. Guided by singers, participants will co–create vocal and bodily sounds inspired by earth, air, water, and fire, culminating in a collective chorus. Reflections and insights from soundscape ecology invite attendees to consider the spiritual, cultural, and ecological dimensions of sound. This immersive event encourages deep listening, improvisation, and quiet contemplation, fostering personal and communal connections to nature’s vast symphony. All are welcome, no previous singing experience needed.
*Weather permitting, this event will begin outdoors and then move inside.
Questions? Contact 317-940-9057 and info@indychoir.org.
Event Organizers: A partnership between Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, Indianapolis Women’s Chorus, Center for Global Soundscapes, and Quiet Parks International.
Registration: Click here to register.

Plant Parenthood: Music by Plants, for Plants - 3 performance times!
2025-11-09 11:00 - 16:30 | Garfield Park Conservatory, 2505 Conservatory Dr., Indianapolis, 46203, United States
Three performance times! (11AM, 1PM, & 3PM) Registration strongly encouraged.
Enjoy a relaxing, multi-sensory concert at Garfield Park Conservatory featuring original music based on plant growth patterns. Wander the gardens, hear each plant’s story in song, and savor snacks inspired by the flora. A celebration for and with plants!
Step into the lush Garfield Park Conservatory for Plant Parenthood, a free ambient jazz concert inspired by the secret rhythms of nature. Each piece in this original suite is based on real patterns of plant growth, turning data into sound and inviting listeners to hear the hidden stories of plants. Surrounded by greenery, guests can stroll, reflect, or simply relax as music, science, and art intertwine. Tasting treats made from featured plants and taking home a zine with stories and scores, audiences will discover new ways to connect with the living world around them.
Questions? Contact 317-345-0176 or clockworkmakesmusic@gmail.com.
Event Organizers: A partnership between Clockwork Music and Garfield Park Conservatory.
Registration:
11AM Performance – click here to register
1PM Performance – click here to register
3PM Performance – click here to register

POSTPONED - 12 Moods of Heaven: A Neo-Soul Food & Jazz Journey through the Great Migration
2025-11-15 17:00 - 19:30 | Witherspoon Presbyterian Church, 3535 W. Kessler Blvd. N. Dr., Indianapolis, IN, 46222, United States
Announcement From Grand Griot Productions (11/11/25):
“After much reflection and with deep regret, the creative team made the difficult decision to delay the production following a recent bereavement and several health-related challenges within the ensemble.” Ticket refunds are available to all patrons and 12 Moods of Heaven hopes to premiere in March 2026. Sign up for the Spirit & Place newsletter to learn when a new date is confirmed.
Limited Capacity. Registration Required | $30/pp
Join us for a multi-sensory culinary and cultural experience exploring the nature of movement—of people, traditions, and food across this nation. Rooted in the Great Migration, this event honors the resilience of Soul Food and the African American diaspora through jazz, spoken word, spiritual reflection, and food samplings.
The art of Soul Food is grounded in nature—the ability to take the miracle of soil and transform it into a feast! It is also rooted in the ability to adapt amid hardship. Constant change is no easy task. Our African American ancestors took scraps and turned them into a living testimony of resilience. Their ingenuity is no fable of “making something out of nothing,” but is a demonstration of their creativity, worth, and lasting impact on American food and artistic culture. Weaving together music, gratitude, and praise to God, this event fuses history, art, faith, and culinary excellence to celebrate all that is nourishing about the very nature of soul food.

Doors open at 4:30 pm
Prelude begins 4:45 pm
Event from 5pm-6:30pm
Talk Back from 6:35-7:30

Questions? Contact 317-531-5752 or email grandgriotpro@gmail.com.
Event Organizers: A partnership between Grand Griot Productions LLC, Witherspoon Presbyterian Church, Chef Oya, Rob Dixon & many more.
Registration: Click here to register.

Nature Meets Spirit: A Walk with Bach, A Pilgrimage with Christ, and a Dance with God
2025-11-16 14:00 - 16:00 | Episcopal Church of All Saints, 1559 Central Ave., Indianapolis, IN, 46202, United States
Journey through music and faith in this Baroque concert featuring works by Buxtehude, Biber, and Bach performed by Colette Abel and friends. Reflect on Christ’s Passion, the nature of pilgrimage, and Bach’s personal walk through grief and spiritual purpose. A moving fusion of music, nature, and spirit.
Questions? Contact 317-635-2538 or music@allsaintsindy.org.
Event Organizers: A partnership between musician Colette Abel, Episcopal Church of All Saints, and Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra.
Registration: Click here.

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
