Spirit & Place, IU Indianapolis

Growing Gratitude: Celebrate, Connect, and Care for Creation
2024-11-02 09:00 - 10:30 (America/Indiana/Indianapolis) | 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.

Balsa Wood, a play by Lou Harry
2024-11-02 11:00 - 13:00, 2024-11-02 15:00 - 17:00 | Super Tortas, 2641 W. Michigan St., Indianapolis, 46222, United States
On the road away from rather than toward anything, Robin finds refuge in the home of Carrie, an iconoclast with an open heart and an open door, who provides a place—without judgment—for human strays. An audience-inclusive discussion about unspoken gratitude will follow the performance.
Intimately staged for a limited number of audience members at each performance, Balsa Wood centers on characters struggling with their pasts and finding connection with those who, on the surface, are different from themselves. Yes, it has intense moments, but it also has humor and provides a chance to see through the surfaces of those who seem unfamiliar.
In a post-performance discussion, audience members are invited to become part of an open discussion about unspoken gratitude and people they’ve known or witnessed who have done something for others without expectation or acknowledgement.
Dates & Times: Saturday, Nov. 2 at 3PM & 7PM and Sunday, Nov. 3 at 3PM.
Questions?: Contact 317-990-1698 or caitlin@indyconvergence.org.
Event Organizers: A play by Lou Harry produced by Indy Convergence.
Registration: Limited seating. Tickets $15 in advance/$20 at the door. Use the blue button below to register.

Spirit & Place Festival Exhibits
2024-11-02 - 2024-11-13, 2024-11-03 - 2024-11-14, 2024-11-04 - 2024-11-15, 2024-11-05 - 2024-11-16, 2024-11-06 - 2024-11-17, 2024-11-07 - 2024-11-18, 2024-11-08 - 2024-11-19
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

Awe: A Spirit & Place Festival Book Discussion
2024-11-03 07:00 - 08:15 | MTI School of Knowledge, 4950 W. 34th Street, Indianapolis, 46205, United States
Ahead of this year’s Public Conversation, take a deep dive into Dacher Keltner’s book Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How it Can Transform Your Life. Join us for a cross-cultural, multi-generational dialogue as we explore how we might tap into the power of everyday awe. Book club-style conversation led by Dr. David Craig and artist Rachel Hellmann.
Dacher Keltner has spent his career studying emotions such happiness, gratitude, and awe. His research, and the research of others, shows how messy human emotions are, in fact, messy for a reason. Humans evolved a complex range of emotions — including gratitude and awe — to help us find connections that exist between our individual selves and our communities. As Keltner writes in The Gratitude Project, “Gratitude depends on the humble dependence on others.” And, in Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How it Can Transform Your Life, he writes, “Awe enables us to see the systems underlying the wonders of life and locate ourselves in relation to them.” This discussion invites attendees to explore these connections.
Questions?: Contact 317-274-2426 or festival@iu.edu.
Event Organizers: A partnership between IU Indianapolis Department of Religious Studies, Senior Academy of IU Indianapolis, and Indianapolis Muslim Community Association.
Registration: Register by using the blue button below.

The Cultural Construction of Gratitude
2024-11-03 08:30 - 10:00 | Congregation Beth-El Zedeck, 600 W. 70th Street, Indianapolis, 46260, United States
While the act of gratitude is universal, its expression is based on cultural norms. Our event invites you to learn about and explore how different cultures express gratitude through interactive vignettes and meaningful conversation.
“Gratitude” seems simple enough, but when you layer in different cultural interpretations, it becomes far more nuanced than one might expect. A politeness learned from an early age in one cultural setting may be seen as rudeness in another. In three short vignettes, audience members will experience scenes from different cultures illustrating various ways gratitude may be expressed. At one point the scene will freeze and a narrator will invite the audience into the scene, first by asking what they saw then by engaging the various actors (who will remain in character) in dialogue. The audience will have an opportunity to experience how different communities view gratitude and its expression while building their own cultural competencies.
Questions?: Contact 317-531-6299 or gkelley@bez613.org.
Event Organizers: A partnership between Congregation Beth-El Zedeck, IU Indianapolis Department of World Languages and Cultures, and Alley Theatre Company.
Registration: Walk-in guests are welcome, but registration is encouraged. Use the blue button below.

Balsa Wood, a play by Lou Harry
2024-11-03 10:00 - 12:00 | Super Tortas, 2641 W. Michigan St., Indianapolis, 46222, United States
On the road away from rather than toward anything, Robin finds refuge in the home of Carrie, an iconoclast with an open heart and an open door, who provides a place—without judgment—for human strays. An audience-inclusive discussion about unspoken gratitude will follow the performance.
Intimately staged for a limited number of audience members at each performance, Balsa Wood centers on characters struggling with their pasts and finding connection with those who, on the surface, are different from themselves. Yes, it has intense moments, but it also has humor and provides a chance to see through the surfaces of those who seem unfamiliar.
In a post-performance discussion, audience members are invited to become part of an open discussion about unspoken gratitude and people they’ve known or witnessed who have done something for others without expectation or acknowledgement.
Dates & Times: Saturday, Nov. 2 at 3PM & 7PM and Sunday, Nov. 3 at 3PM.
Questions?: Contact 317-990-1698 or caitlin@indyconvergence.org.
Event Organizers: A play by Lou Harry produced by Indy Convergence.
Tickets/Registration: Limited seating. Tickets $15 in advance & $20 at the door. Use the blue button below to register.

A Blessing, not a Burden with Alex Kor and Graham Honaker
2024-11-03 11:00 - 12:30 | Arthur M Glick JCC – Laikin Auditorium, 6701 Hoover Rd., Indianapolis, IN, United States
ASL provided by students in IUI’s Program in American Sign Language (ASL) and English Interpreting
By all accounts, Dr. Alex Kor’s life has been a miracle. The son of two Holocaust survivors, including the Mengel twin Eva Kor, Alex will discuss his book A Blessing, Not a Burden. Co-author Graham Honaker and Troy Fears of CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center join the discussion.
Eva Kor, Alex Kor’s mother, was known for her controversial choice to forgive the Nazis. She did not forgive them on behalf of anyone but herself, and her choice to forgive was a way of giving herself peace and freedom from anger. During this event, Alex Kor will explore what it was like being raised by two Holocaust survivors who also experienced immigration to the United States, continued antisemitism, and post-traumatic stress. Through it all, Alex has retained a deep sense of gratitude for his upbringing and life’s journey.
Questions?: Contact 317-715-9240 or carnett@jccindy.org.
Event Organizers: A partnership between JCC Indianapolis, CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center, and Hooverwood Living.
Registration: Registration is encouraged. Use the blue button below.
Book Cover Courtesy of Pediment Publishing.

Image Courtesy of Pediment Publishing

Heiliger Dankgesang: Notes of Gratitude. Music by Biber, Clark, Haydn, and Beethoven
2024-11-03 12:00 - 14:00 | Episcopal Church of All Saints, 1559 Central Ave., Indianapolis, IN, 46202, United States
Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra (ICO) musicians Alfred and Colette Abel will be joined by their children Benjamin and Clara for an afternoon of masterworks expressing gratitude through music. Join us in giving thanks for this sacred space, transcendent music, and life’s gifts.
Heiliger Dankgesang: Notes of Thanks is an exploration of gratitude through music by the Abel Family Quartet.
The cornerstone of the program is Beethoven’s String Quartet op. 132, of which the transcendent middle movement, “Holy Hymn of Thanksgiving” stands as the heart of the work. Written in the final years of his life, Beethoven grapples with his own mortality, ultimately finding joy and gratitude for the gifts of life and the return to health after a life-threatening illness. Complimenting this, the program will also include works by Biber, Haydn’s “Emperor” variations, and Richard Auldon Clark’s “Mabon.”
Questions? Contact 317-635-2538 or admin@allsaintsindy.org.
Event Organizers: A partnership between musician Colette Abel, Episcopal Church of All Saints, and Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra.
Registration: Registration is encouraged. Use the blue “registration” button below.
About The Artists: Alfred Abel, violin, is Concertmaster of the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra, Assistant Principal Second Violin of the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Instructor of Violin and Viola at Wabash College, and Conductor of the Wabash College Orchestra. Violinist, Benjamin Abel, is a dynamic chamber musician championing works by living composers and is pursuing a doctorate at The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Clara Abel, cellist, made her New York concerto debut in 2015 and later received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Juilliard studying under Joel Krosnick and Phoebe Carrai. Colette Abel, viola and violin, is a founding member of the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and Principal Violist of the Marion Philharmonic, recently named Orchestra Indiana. She has performed throughout the Midwest and East Coast with Trio Amabile, the Abel Family String Quartet, and Cosmopolitan Chamber Players.

Musicians rehearse before a performance during the Water into Wine, Bread into Cake; a Musical Feast – a part of the Spirt and Place celebrations
at Episcopal Church of All Saints on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023. (Photo by Wendi Chitwood/Indiana University)

Serene -- NOW!!
2024-11-04 07:00 - 10:30 | St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 100 W. 86th St., Indianapolis, IN, 46260, United States
Step away from fuzzy brains and knotted shoulders and join us to experience an afternoon of centering a sense of gratitude and calm. Engage all your senses and look inward to look outward. Come-and-go style event!
Guests will be welcomed into a largely silent space – at least very quiet! They will be greeted, offered an event map, learn to say please, thank you, hello, and other words via ASL interpreters, and be encouraged to explore ways of finding calm and deep gratitude in a hectic and stress-filled world. As they visit different stations, they will be able to create/color mandalas, read and reflect on passages from sacred texts and literature, be invited to respond to writing prompts for a group poetry creation or personal journaling, and create a gratitude/neighborly chain with Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood tools. Guests may also listen to a curated contemplative playlist, walk a labyrinth, read articles on mental health wellness and gratitude practices, engage in meditation and sun salutations, and learn about ways they can give back to the community. There will be guides at each station, and guests can visit all or one. Each station will be appropriate for children and adults, and many will include take-home tools, too.
Questions?: Contact 317-614-0451 or gstrong@wfyi.org.
Event Organizers: A partnership between WFYI Public Media and St. Luke’s United Methodist Church.
Registration: Walk-in guests are welcome, but registration is appreciated and will open in early October.

A Cinematic Quest for Gratitude Through Grief
2024-11-04 13:00 - 16:00 | Heartland Film, 8950 Otis Ave., Indianapolis, 46216, United States
Enjoy a screening of “The Secret Art of Human Flight” – a film offering both an absurd and poignant reflection on mourning – and then unpack the ways grief and gratitude co-mingle in a community conversation facilitated by Indianapolis Queer Grief Community. All are welcome!
In “The Secret Art of Human Flight” (a 2023 Heartland International Film Festival selection), Ben Grady goes through an extreme mourning process. He discovers a mysterious self-help book on the dark web, written by an enigmatic guru named “Mealworm” who claims to have harnessed the power to fly. The book arrives . . . and so does Mealworm, forcing Ben to navigate his family life, accusations of foul play, and the bizarre rituals laid before him by his new mentor, in the hopes of healing and ultimately achieving human flight.
After the credits roll, audience members are invited to share their thoughts in discussion on grief and gratitude facilitated by Indianapolis Queer Grief Community.
Questions?: Contact 317-464-9405 or info@heartlandfilm.org.
Event Organizers: A partnership between Heartland Film and Indianapolis Queer Grief Community.
Registration: Registration is encouraged. Use the blue button below.

The Legacies We Hold: A Celebration of Our Ancestral Communities
2024-11-05 13:30 - 15:30 | Madam Walker Legacy Center, 617 Indiana Ave., Indianapolis, IN, 46202, United States
Sharing one’s legacy is one of the biggest forms of gratitude we can display. Explore this act by voicing your appreciation for a loved one, adding to the gratitude garden, or experiencing “Unveiling a Forgotten Legacy” an homage to the Black communities that brought Indiana Avenue to life.
The foundation of this event is the photography exhibition, “Unveiling a Forgotten Legacy” which aims to bring awareness to the Black neighborhoods displaced by IUPUI’s expansion. Not only does the exhibit explore themes of gentrification, redlining, and the value or marginalized voices, it embodies the practice of Ubuntu: “I am because we are.” This event invites all of us to honor our family legacies and stories and welcomes all ages to share gratitude for their ancestors through interactive elements, conversation prompts, and more.
NOTE: Attendees are invited to bring an item representing an ancestor they’d like to share their gratitude for. All ages are welcome to participate in interactive activities, thought-provoking conversation prompts and more.
Questions?: Please contact 317-274-2462 or info@madamwalkerlegacycenter.com.
Event Organizers: A partnership between art activist Zola Lamothe, Madam Walker Legacy Center, and Frida’s Flowers.
Registration: Walk-in guests are welcome, but registration is appreciated. Use the blue button below.
Photo Credit: Zola Lamothe

Notes of Thanks: A Paperless Music Celebration
2024-11-05 14:00 - 15:30 | Green Street Pub, 911 N. Green St., Brownsburg, 46112, United States
It’s Election Day. So, let’s sing! Let’s take a break from the news, cultivate community, and unite your voice in song to foster a sense of gratitude for – and belonging with – one another.
Order some snacks and a drink – it’s a pub, yes, you may order a beer! – and then be present with others on what is sure to be a long night. Offer hospitality and encouragement to each other by working with a music leader to collaborate on the joyous act of making music. It’s okay to feel vulnerable and uncomfortable, but we promise by taking a (low hanging!) risk of singing with strangers you will feel better about the civic bonds we are capable of creating with our friends and neighbors.
Questions?: Contact 815-922-0620 or kendall@churchthatserves.org.
Event Organizers: A partnership between Good Samaritan Episcopal Church and Green Street Pub.
Registration: Walk-ins are welcome! Registration is still encouraged using the blue button below.

Driven by Gratitude
2024-11-06 12:00 - 15:00 | Hendricks Live!, 200 W. Main St., Plainfield, 46168, United States
Meet the artists and enjoy a fiber art exhibit by INfiber inspired by reflections on gratitude from the staff and clients of Sheltering Wings. Be inspired to manifest more gratitude in your life. Come-and-go style gathering.
INfiber, a fiber arts group with a long history in the Spirit & Place Festival, knew they wanted to collaborate with a community partner whose message they could help amplify during the festival’s GRATITUDE year. When they discovered Sheltering Wings, a domestic violence shelter in Hendricks County, was focusing on their own theme of “driven by gratitude,” they knew they had found a perfect match.

Fiber artists began working with Sheltering Wings to thoughtfully gather ideas on gratitude generated by prompts presented to both staff and clients of the agency. This exhibit transforms their words and emotions into fiber art pieces for attendees to consider. Exhibit attendees are invited to find their own inspiration from these pieces and then create a “mini” art piece that the fiber artists will combine with the Sheltering Wings logo to create a larger artwork that will be donated to Sheltering Wings.

Exhibit Dates: Can’t make it out on Nov. 6?
Check out the exhibit from Nov. 1 – Dec. 31
Monday – Friday, 9AM – 5PM
Weekends during events
Questions?: Contact 317-690-3851 or amycoconnell@gmail.com.
Event Organizers: A partnership between INfiber, Sheltering Wings, and Hendricks Live!
Registration: Walk-in guests welcome, but registration is appreciated. Use the blue button below.
Image: Hopeful Days by Ann Luther

Exploring Wellness through Card Making
2024-11-06 12:30 - 14:00 | Phoenix Theater Cultural Center, 705 N. Illinois Street, Indianapolis, IN, United States
ASL Interpreted
Create a thank-you card with the assistance of the Sandra Eskenazi Mental Health Center team. We’ll explore how our design choices echo the reflections we undergo in determining how best to express gratitude toward one another. Open to all ages!
Concrete—and fun — steps we can take to express appreciation can be difficult. Building off the Sandra Eskenazi Mental Health Center’s card-making workshop for patients, guests of all ages, from children to elders, are invited to artistically express their gratitude while reflecting on their design and word choices; colors, styles, and fonts; and how past expressions of gratitude have made them feel.
Questions?: Contact 317-880-4785 or todd.harper@eskenazihealth.edu.
Event Organizers: A partnership between Eskenazi Health and Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre.
Registration: Registration is encourage. Use the blue button below to register.

The Testimony Service: Gratitude Tea
2024-11-06 13:00 - 15:00 | Broadway United Methodist Church, 609 E. 29th St., Indianapolis, IN, 46205, United States
Featuring a DIY tea-bar, a sound bath meditation, and curated testimonies from local voices, this event centers on the importance of practicing gratitude and love towards ourselves and the collective.
Whether you are new to the practice of gratitude or looking to deepen your understanding, our Gratitude Tea offers a welcoming space for personal growth and exploration. Indulge your senses at a DIY (herbal) tea bar before a lineup of local speakers share their inspiring stories and insights on the importance of gratitude in cultivating resilience, fostering positive relationships, and enhancing overall well-being. Our gathering will conclude with a rejuvenating sound bath meditation led by experienced practitioners.
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: Limited seating. Registration is strongly encouraged by using the blue button below.
Image Credit: Martina Jackson for Drea & Co.

Gratitude in the Greatest Novel: Anna Karenina
2024-11-06 13:00 - 15:00 | Zionsville Christian Church, 120 N. 9th St., Zionsville, 46077, United States
ASL provided by students in IUI’s Program in American Sign Language (ASL) and English Interpreting
Much is at stake in whether we go through our days feeling resentful or with a sense of gratitude. Fortunately, the “world’s greatest novel” offers deep insights into these matters, deepening our understanding of the many blessings of gratitude and its transformative power in our lives.
Gratitude seems like something we all learn as small children, when our parents tell us to say thank you. In fact, it is a great deal richer and more complex, and it should be a topic of life-long learning. If we lead thankless lives, we suffer, but if we can learn to cultivate our powers of gratitude, going forward with a sense of abundance instead of scarcity, we enrich both our own lives and those of others. This presentation will explore the complexities of gratitude by centering Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina – a book some of dubbed the “world’s greatest novel.” By contrasting the lives of characters who go through life resentfully, feeling they have nothing for which to feel grateful, to those who recognize and savor their many blessings, attendees will be encouraged to follow their own gratitude path.
Questions?: Contact 317-274-2462 or festival@iu.edu.
Event Organizers: A partnership between scholar Dr. Richard Gunderman and Zionsville Christian Church.
Registration: Walk-ins welcome, but registration is encouraged. Register using the blue button below.
Image Credit: Leo Tolstoy by Ivan Kramskoi, 1873

Attitude of Gratitude: Finding Gratitude in Times of Loss
2024-11-07 13:00 - 14:30 | Indiana Interchurch Center – Krannert Hall, 1100 W. 42nd St., Indianapolis, IN, 46208, United States
ASL provided by students in IUI’s Program in American Sign Language (ASL) and English Interpreting
How do you maintain a sense of gratitude during times of loss? Panelists from diverse faith and belief backgrounds, as well as the Threshold Choir, will share their experiences and invite participants to also share.
Sharing from their sacred texts, music, theology, sacred art, photography, and personal lives, panelists will explore what their faith or belief communities have taught them about finding gratitude during times of loss. Created as a reflective and interactive experience, attendees will be given the opportunity to not only ask the panelists questions, but also reflect on select question prompts and listen to (and sing with!) the Threshold Choir.
Panelists in include Indu Vasudevan, writer and guide at the Hindu Temple of Central Indiana; Rev. Dr. Lynn Martin, chaplain and former pastor at Light of the World Christian Church; and Connor Bomar, Client Experience Coordinator at Balanced Alignment Ayurveda and graduate student at Christian Theological Seminary (CTS). Threshold Choir International has over 200 chapters and thousands of singers in several countries with a repertoire of almost 600 songs. Chapters send trios of singers sharing gentle songs of comfort in a cappella harmonies to homes, hospitals, and hospices.
Questions?: Contact 317-268-5300 or deb@indycic.org.
Event Organizers: A partnership between Center for Interfaith Cooperation, Indiana Interchurch Center, Threshold Singers of Indianapolis, and Interfaith Alliance for Mental Wellness.
Registration: Registration is encouraged by using the blue button below.

Sacred Steps: Interfaith Understanding through Dance
2024-11-07 13:30 - 15:30 | Franklin College, Old Main – Custer Theater, 101 Branigan Blvd., Franklin, 46131, United States
Join us for an engaging evening of dance, fellowship, and exploration around how different faiths express gratitude through movement. We hope you learn more about others and yourself through this performance-based event and reception.
Before the performance, enjoy a reception with the artists and local community partners where you’ll also be given a chance to reflect on the role gratitude has had in your life and how it might connect to a spiritual or faith tradition. Following the reception period, at least three dance performances will be featured. Each performance will include a brief narrative from the performers exploring how that group’s faith traditions are expressed and celebrated through dance.
Questions?: Contact 317-738-8140 or hadamingram@franklincollege.edu.
Event Organizers: A partnership between Franklin College and Style Dance Academy.
Registration: Registration strongly encourage. Use the blue button below to register.

Coloring and Conversations
2024-11-08 13:00 - 15:00 | Indiana Interchurch Center – Room 226, 1100 W. 42nd St., Indianapolis, 46208, United States
Cultivate a richer sense of gratitude—whether experiencing happiness or grief—through the mindfulness and creative expression generated through the simple act of coloring.
This 90-minute self-care workshop will introduce participants to practical tools for cultivating gratitude no matter the situation through guided conversation and the creative expression of coloring. Yes, coloring! Join us in this welcoming and accessible gathering that promotes social wellness and connection, grounding, and self-compassion.
Questions?: Contact 317-597-0149 or larona@cwuwonline.org.
Event Organizers: A partnership between Center of Wellness for Urban Women (CWUW), CWUW Sisters Together Walking Club, and CWUW Power of Retreat Program.
Registration: Please register using the blue button below. Limited seating.

Souls of the Seasoned Saints: An Exploration and Exhibition of Aging Bodies
2024-11-08 13:00 - 16:00 | Witherspoon Presbyterian Church, 3535 W. Kessler Blvd. N. Dr., Indianapolis, IN, 46222, United States
Aging bodies have a wealth of knowledge to share with the world – their experiences, courage, triumphs, failures, and redirection. This exhibit highlights seasoned bodies to reclaim and uplift the
narratives and journeys of our elders. Exhibit opens at 6PM with the panel discussion beginning at 7PM.
We only get one body and the journey that body takes is filled with amazing life lessons. Yet, an obsession of appearing young permeates society. This photo exhibition— built around questions such as, “What advice would you give your younger self about the aging journey?”— aims to highlight seasoned bodies (55+) and encourage deep gratitude for the bodies we have. Too often we run away from the idea of getting older. We complain about changes with skin, firmness, attractiveness, and hope to distract the world from our “imperfections.” However, if blessed, we all will age, shift, and change. This opportunity will remind attendees that aging is a gift, one that we are not all fortunate to receive. Join us in a spirit of for the bodies that come before us and the bodies we will one day leave behind.
Exhibit Dates: Can’t make it out on Nov. 8?
Check out the exhibit from Nov. 4 – 10.
Monday – Friday, 10AM – 4PM
Saturday, 10AM – 2PM
*Slightly different times appear in the festival event guide. The times on this webpage are the correct times.
Questions: Contact 317-278-4060 or info@fatnessfiction.com.
Event Organizer: A partnership between Fatness Fiction and Witherspoon Presbyterian Church.
Registration: Walks-in welcome, but registration is encouraged. 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.
