Spirit & Place, IU Indianapolis

Spirit & Place Festival Exhibits
2022-12-07 - 2022-12-18, 2022-12-06 - 2022-12-17, 2022-12-05 - 2022-12-16, 2022-12-04 - 2022-12-15, 2022-12-03 - 2022-12-14, 2022-12-02 - 2022-12-13, 2022-12-01 - 2022-12-12, 2022-11-30 - 2022-12-11 and 18 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

Powerful Conversations on Race (Nov. 2022 - "Exterminate the Brutes")
2022-11-20 10:00 - 12:15 (America/Indiana/Indianapolis)
Powerful Conversations on Race [PCR] is a monthly community dialogue series exploring topics around race and racism and the resulting impact.
Powerful Conversations on Race is a way for us to get comfortable talking about uncomfortable histories and is, therefore, rooted in historical documents and subject matter.
This IS NOT a lecture or book club, but a space for community to come together and dive deeply into a variety of topics concerning race. This is an immersive experience. As such, we’ll spend a considerable amount of time in small groups to dialogue with each other about these topics.
All dialogues are virtual and occur on Eastern Standard Time / Eastern Daylight Time.
Registration ends at 12noon on the day of the event. A Zoom link is sent prior to the event start time.
**NEW INFORMATION**
The November 2022 dialogue will be about 15 minutes longer. We will watch and discuss part 1 of the documentary Exterminate All the Brutes, which dives into the historical context of white supremacy and whiteness. The documentary is 1 hr. long followed by 1 hr. of dialogue.

27th Annual Spirit & Place Festival Public Conversation: American Identity
2022-11-13 11:30 - 13:00
How have the ways in which Americans identify been shaped by race, religion, region, and gender? What other forces have shaped our individual and collective sense of identity? Can we even speak of a singular “American identity?”
This year’s Public Conversation invites historian Kathleen Belew (Bring the War Home: The White Power Movement and Paramilitary America and co-editor and contributor to A Field Guide to White Supremacy), religious studies scholar Stephen Prothero (Religion Matters: An Introduction to the World’s Religions), and former White House staffer (2013-16) and co-founding partner of Culture House Media, Carri Twigg, to engage in a moderated conversation where we will examine how Americans identify and what role the arts, humanities, and religion can play in helping cultivate a shared sense of identity during divisive times. (VIRTUAL EVENT.)
Presented by Spirit & Place and The Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture at IUPUI. This program has been made possible through a grant from Indiana Humanities in cooperation with the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Contact Spirit & Place at 317-274-2462 or festival@iupui.edu.
RSVP by noon on November 13 to receive the Zoom link. The webinar link and login instructions will be sent 48hrs and again 2hrs ahead of the event. Read the entire email from Eventbrite to locate the link.
*The Public Conversation will be recorded, but only available upon request for 30 days following the event. “Live” attendance during the webinar on Nov. 13 is strongly encouraged!
Register below.

Kathleen Belew

Carri Twigg

Stephen Prothero

Blue Like Me: Identity Exploration with Siona Benjamin and Rabbi Sandy Sasso
2022-11-13 09:00 - 11:00 | Arthur M Glick JCC – Laikin Auditorium, 6701 Hoover Rd., Indianapolis, IN, United States
Through performance art, conversation, and Q&A, attendees will explore sacred stories of identity, challenge, and transformation during this creative and thought-provoking event featuring Indian Jewish artist Siona Benjamin and Rabbi Sandy Sasso.
Centering the sacred storytelling of the midrash, Siona Benjamin – a trans-cultural Jewish artist who grew up in Hindu and Muslim societies while educated in Catholic and Zoroastrian schools – will, along with Rabbi Sasso and dancers from Phoenix rising, explore how sacred narratives link one’s identity to larger communal traditions and understanding.
The speakers and performers at this event have each had to create their own narratives to break down barriers in order to reach their high levels of achievement. Together, they will examine the sacred responsibility of holy storytelling and will teach the audience how they can create sacred stories for themselves.
A partnership between JCC Indianapolis, Congregation Beth-El Zedeck, and Center for Interfaith Cooperation. This event is also part of the JCC’s 24th Ann Katz Festival of Books.
Event organizer contact info: (317) 715-9233 or lrothenberg@jccindy.org.
Walk-ins welcome, space permitting. Registration is still encouraged by Nov. 13.
Register below.
Image Credit: Siona Benjamin

The Sisters Are Alright Weekend: A Celebration of the Black Femme Experience - "Centering Sisters: Loud & Unapologetic"
2022-11-12 14:00 - 15:30 | Madam Walker Legacy Center, 617 Indiana Ave., Indianapolis, IN, 46202, United States
Through live letter readings and community discussion, The Sisters Are Alright Weekend: A Celebration of the Black Femme Experience amplifies how Black women identify their true selves separate from poisoned narrative. Two gatherings, two venues, one awesome time! ($10 per person/per show.)
For centuries, Black American women have been forced to reckon with negative stereotypes rooted in misogynoir. The indefatigable Mammy; the aggressive Sapphire; the wanton Jezebel; and thoughtlessly procreating Matriarch influence how Black women are seen by society and how they see themselves, disconnecting them from authenticity. Activist Audre Lorde said, “If I didn’t define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people’s fantasies for me and eaten alive.” This is the spirit of The Sisters Are Alright Weekend: A Celebration of the Black Femme Experience, where participants see what happens when Black women have the freedom to identify their authentic selves–sharing joys, fears and laughter–apart from demonizing stereotype.
Two events explore how Black women identify their authentic selves:
On Nov. 11, a powerful roster of Black women, including performers such as Kesha Dixon, Celeste Williams, and Tatjana Rebelle will take the main stage at The District Theatre for “Dear Black Girl Live II,” reading frank, honest and vulnerable letters about the joys and pains of Black girlhood from the book Dear Black Girl: Letters from Your Sisters on Stepping into Your Power by Tamara Winfrey-Harris.
On Nov. 12, festivalgoers are invited to “Centering Sisters: Loud & Unapologetic” at the Madam Walker Legacy Center—a guaranteed raucous panel and audience discussion that tackles topics such as anger, strength and sex.
To purchase tickets, for “Dear Black Girl Live II,” visit indydistricttheatre.com. For tickets to “Centering Sisters: Loud & Unapologetic,” visit madamwalkerlegacycenter.com.
Partnership between Centering Sisters, The District Theatre, and Madam Walker Legacy Center.
Contact event organizers at 219-885-9023 or CenteringSisters@gmail.com.
Walk-in welcome as seating permits, but registration is strongly encouraged by Nov. 11 and/or 12, respectively.
Image Credit: Scott Weber
