Spirit & Place, IU Indianapolis

Spirit & Place Festival Exhibits
2023-10-31 - 2023-11-11, 2023-11-01 - 2023-11-12, 2023-11-02 - 2023-11-13, 2023-11-03 - 2023-11-14, 2023-11-04 - 2023-11-15, 2023-11-05 - 2023-11-16, 2023-11-06 - 2023-11-17, 2023-11-07 - 2023-11-18 and 2 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

Spirit & Place Festival Opening Night
2023-11-02 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Indiana/Indianapolis) | 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.

FACING GRIEF: Nourishing Ourselves and Others Through Loss
2023-11-03 13:30 - 15:00 | Phoenix Theater Cultural Center, 705 N. Illinois Street, Indianapolis, IN, United States
The Nov. 5 performance at 4pm will have live captioning to a screen.
The Nov. 7 performance at 7pm will has ASL interpretation.
All other accommodation requests should be made by Oct. 20.
Many of us don’t know what to say or do when a loved one experiences profound grief. Through live theatrical enactments of various scenarios, audiences are invited to practice reacting to loss and supporting those they love.
Our brains are wired for survival, not loss, creating significant challenges in the aftermath of profound grief. FACING GRIEF, a presentation of The Sapphire Theatre’s award-winning PICTURE THIS® applied theatre programming, engages improvisational actors to act out brief scenarios. Staying in character, they “break the fourth wall” for an interactive talk back with the audience at the crisis point of each scene. Society and the community can do better for those who are hurting. Theatre can help show the way by allowing participants to practice how to have hard conversations, hold space, and listen. Musicians, interfaith ministers, educators, counselors and other subject matter experts will help facilitate this event.
FACING GRIEF will also be performed twice on November 5 at Unity Indianapolis. The 11:30am performance will follow a specially-themed worship service (10am) that all are welcome to attend! A second performance is scheduled for 4pm. FACING GRIEF will be performed a final time on Nov. 7 at the Phoenix Theatre. If interested in these other performances, please return to the event calendar and register for those dates/times.
Questions? Contact 317-966-7529 or andrea@sapphiretheatre.com
Event Partners: Sapphire Theatre Co.; Phoenix Theatre Cultural Center; Unity of Indianapolis; Jon Swanson, PhD.; Deandra Dycus; and Congregation Beth-El Zedeck.
Event Registration: Registration requested by Nov. 3, but walk-ins are welcome as space permits. Registration link forthcoming.
Audience Note: This program is focused on people who are seeking to better support loved ones experiencing profound bereavement. However, those currently grieving are welcome to attend – care is being shown to create an emotionally safe space. Additionally, the November 3 gather will include a post-event reception.

Sovereign Sustenance: Indigenous Food Sovereignty Talk and Cooking Demo
2023-11-03 14:30 - 16:30 | Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, 500 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN, 46204, United States
Chef, educator, and founder of Indigikitchen Mariah Gladstone (Blackfeet/Cherokee) will talk about the meaning and significance of Indigenous food sovereignty and conduct a cooking demonstration with Indigenous recipes, which attendees will have a chance to sample. Attendees will then learn about local Indigenous food sovereignty efforts from Felica Ahasteen-Bryant, the Director of the Native American Educational and Cultural Center (NAECC) at Purdue University and Dani Tippmann, the Community Food Program Director for the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma.
Hybrid event with live-stream option!
Questions? Contact 317-275-1377 or museumprograms@eiteljorg.com.
Event Partners: Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art and Purdue University Native American Educational and Cultural Center.
Event Registration: Registration requested by Nov. 1. Walk-in guests are welcome while seating remains. A live-stream link will be posted on the Eiteljorg website and social media for those who are not able to attend in-person.

Image Credit: Shelby McGrady

Making Room at the Table: The Story of the Philadelphia Eleven
2023-11-03 14:30 - 17:30 | Newfields – The Toby, 4000 N. Michigan Rd., Indianapolis, IN, 46226, United States
ASL Upon Request.
Watch The Philadelphia Eleven, a compelling new documentary film about the first women to become Episcopal priests. Join a panel discussion with the filmmaker, two of the Eleven, and some of Indy’s trailblazing female religious leaders.
The film shows how a brave group of women shattered the stained glass ceiling on July 29, 1974, by challenging the very core of patriarchal culture to seek ordination as priests in the Episcopal Church. It is a powerful story of faith and conviction. It is a story for all of us, regardless of faith tradition.
Their story prompts questions such as what does a just and inclusive community look like in practice? How do we break down barriers with grace and remain true to ourselves in the process? How do we, as either the protagonist or as an ally, stand up to institutions that do not allow people to be who they are called to be? How do we practice radical inclusivity?
After the film screening, guests will hear from the filmmaker, Margo Guernsey, as well as two of the “Philadelphia Eleven,” Rev. Dr. Carter Heyward and Rev. Nancy Wittig. Joining them in conversation will be Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, the first Black woman elected diocesan bishop, and Rabbi Sandy Sasso, the first woman to be ordained a rabbi by the Reconstructionist movement. These trailblazing women have each played key roles in making room at the table and in bringing women’s perspectives and leadership to provide spiritual nourishment.
Questions? Contact 317-926-1346 or ktrumancox@trinitychurchindy.org.
Event Partners: Trinity Episcopal Church, Indianapolis; St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Richmond; Christ Church Cathedral; and the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis.
Event Registration: Registration requested by noon on November 3. Walk-ins welcome.
Audience Note: Doors open at 6pm with seating beginning at 6:30pm. Entry to Newfields requires x-ray and bag screening. Please allow extra time for entry. The film screening and parking are free and fully accessible. Food is available at the museum cafe from 6-6:30pm. Please note only packaged food items from the cafe — nothing plated — may be taken into the theater.

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

Spirit-Filled Songs: Christian Worship Music Then & Now
2023-11-04 12:00 - 13:30 | New Joy Lutheran Church, 316 W. 156th St., Westfield, IN, 46074, United States
ASL Interpreted.
Experience a participatory concert of Christian music spanning decades and genres ranging from traditional hymns to South African songs performed by the multi-racial Faithful Friends Band.
Members of the Faithful Friends Band met during a gathering of the Indianapolis Great Banquet – a multi-racial weekend rooted in Christian faith and music. These talented performers invite you to listen and sing along to a selection of praise music ranging from gospel and traditional music to contemporary Christian and South African hymns. Attendees will also learn about the history of the songs – all of which were chosen on how they nourish the spirit – as well as their composers. Explore and experience how music nourishes the human spirit while forming community with others through song!
Questions? Contact 317-691-9670 or rvertner@yahoo.com.
Event Partners: A partnership between churches and congregants of Walk in the Light Christian Church, Traders Point Christian Church, Alive in the Word, Glory to God Christian Church, Little Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, and New Joy Lutheran Church, with support from the Indianapolis Great Banquet.
Event Registration: Registration requested by Nov. 2. Walk-ins welcome! Registration link forthcoming.

Image Credit: Faithful Friends Band

FACING GRIEF: Nourishing Ourselves and Others Through Loss
2023-11-05 06:30 - 08:00 | Unity Indianapolis Church, 907 N. Delaware St., Indianapolis, IN, 46202, United States
The Nov. 5 performance at 4pm will have live captioning to a screen.
The Nov. 7 performance at 7pm will has ASL interpretation.
All other accommodation requests should be made by Oct. 20.
Many of us don’t know what to say or do when a loved one experiences profound grief. Through live theatrical enactments of various scenarios, audiences are invited to practice reacting to loss and supporting those they love.
Our brains are wired for survival, not loss, creating significant challenges in the aftermath of profound grief. FACING GRIEF, a presentation of The Sapphire Theatre’s award-winning PICTURE THIS® applied theatre programming, engages improvisational actors to act out brief scenarios. Staying in character, they “break the fourth wall” for an interactive talk back with the audience at the crisis point of each scene. Society and the community can do better for those who are hurting. Theatre can help show the way by allowing participants to practice how to have hard conversations, hold space, and listen. Musicians, interfaith ministers, educators, counselors and other subject matter experts will help facilitate this event.
FACING GRIEF will also be performed twice on November 5 at Unity Indianapolis. The 11:30am performance will follow a specially-themed worship service (10am) that all are welcome to attend! A second performance is scheduled for 4pm. FACING GRIEF is also being performed on on November 3 and 7 at the Phoenix Theatre. If interested in these other performances, please return to the event calendar and register for those dates/times.
Questions? Contact 317-966-7529 or andrea@sapphiretheatre.com
Event Partners: Sapphire Theatre Co.; Phoenix Theatre Cultural Center; Unity of Indianapolis; Jon Swanson, PhD.; Deandra Dycus; and Congregation Beth-El Zedeck.
Event Registration: Registration requested by Nov. 5, but walk-ins are welcome as space permits. Registration link forthcoming.
Audience Note: This program is focused on people who are seeking to better support loved ones experiencing profound bereavement. However, those currently grieving are welcome to attend – care is being shown to create an emotionally safe space.

Byakula: Nourishing Others from Congo to Indy
2023-11-05 09:00 - 11:00 | Northminster Presbyterian Church, 1660 Kessler Blvd. East Dr., Indianapolis, IN, 46220, United States
“Byakula” is the Congolese word for nourishment, and you are invited to join in an afternoon of learning, listening, fellowship, and a taste of Congo!
Representatives from Exodus Refugee Immigration will share insights into the process of identifying and helping to relocate refugees from around the world to Indianapolis. They will delve into the history and current situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and highlight ways in which local congregations, such as Northminster Presbyterian, support the work welcoming and supporting refugees. Most importantly, the Lutumika family – mother, Salima and daughter, Helene – will share stories from their time in Congo and Burundi while showcasing and tasting foods that are important to their sense of identity, culture, and family bonds.
Questions? Contact 317-251-9489 or office@northminster-indy.org
Event Partners: Northminster Presbyterian Church and Exodus Refugee Immigration.
Event Registration: Registration requested by Friday, Nov. 3. Walk-ins are welcome as space permits!

FACING GRIEF: Nourishing Ourselves and Others Through Loss
2023-11-05 11:00 - 12:30 | Unity Indianapolis Church, 907 N. Delaware St., Indianapolis, IN, 46202, United States
The Nov. 5 performance at 4pm will have live captioning to a screen.
The Nov. 7 performance at 7pm will has ASL interpretation.
All other accommodation requests should be made by Oct. 20.
Many of us don’t know what to say or do when a loved one experiences profound grief. Through live theatrical enactments of various scenarios, audiences are invited to practice reacting to loss and supporting those they love.
Our brains are wired for survival, not loss, creating significant challenges in the aftermath of profound grief. FACING GRIEF, a presentation of The Sapphire Theatre’s award-winning PICTURE THIS® applied theatre programming, engages improvisational actors to act out brief scenarios. Staying in character, they “break the fourth wall” for an interactive talk back with the audience at the crisis point of each scene. Society and the community can do better for those who are hurting. Theatre can help show the way by allowing participants to practice how to have hard conversations, hold space, and listen. Musicians, interfaith ministers, educators, counselors and other subject matter experts will help facilitate this event.
FACING GRIEF will also be performed twice on November 5 at Unity Indianapolis. The 11:30am performance will follow a specially-themed worship service (10am) that all are welcome to attend! A second performance is scheduled for 4pm. FACING GRIEF is also being performed on on November 3 and 7 at the Phoenix Theatre. If interested in these other performances, please return to the event calendar and register for those dates/times.
Questions? Contact 317-966-7529 or andrea@sapphiretheatre.com
Event Partners: Sapphire Theatre Co.; Phoenix Theatre Cultural Center; Unity of Indianapolis; Jon Swanson, PhD.; Deandra Dycus; and Congregation Beth-El Zedeck.
Event Registration: Registration requested by Nov. 5, but walk-ins are welcome as space permits. Registration link forthcoming
Audience Note: This program is focused on people who are seeking to better support loved ones experiencing profound bereavement. However, those currently grieving are welcome to attend – care is being shown to create an emotionally safe space.

More Than Words: Nourishing the Myaamia Community through Language and Cultural Revitalization
2023-11-05 12:00 - 13:30 | Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, 500 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN, 46204, United States
ASL Interpreted.
Featuring Daryl Baldwin, founding director of the Myaamia Center, discover the ways language nourishes deep connections to self and community through this interactive presentation on efforts to revitalize indigenous culture and languages.
When we view language as simply a tool for communication, it doesn’t seem so harmful to swap one tool for another or to alter – or discard – the tool altogether. But when we recognize language as a knowledge system and a core component of identity, we see how it connects us to our history and ancestry. Local Native and Indigenous communities know this better than anyone else as they fight to reclaim lost, arguably, stolen language. Language revitalization efforts offer the next generation of speakers the opportunity to better connect with tribal knowledge systems, philosophy, and values, thereby nourishing a new generation’s access to ancestry and identity
Questions? Contact 317-274-2462 or festival@iupui.edu.
Event Partners: IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI linguist student Kayla McVeigh with support from the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art and the following IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI departments, programs, and centers: American Indian and Linguistics Programs; Departments of Philosophy, Anthropology, Religious Studies, English, History, Sociology, and World Languages and Culture; The Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture; IUPUI Arts & Humanities Institute; and the Native American Student Alliance (NASA).
Registration: Registration requested by Nov. 4. Walk-ins welcome while seats remain.

Water into Wine, Bread into Cake: A Musical Feast. Music by Biber and Mozart
2023-11-05 12:00 - 14:00 | Episcopal Church of All Saints, 1559 Central Ave., Indianapolis, IN, 46202, United States
Through classical music, Colette Abel and The Abel Family Quartet share the story of two miracle children: Jesus and Mozart. Come to a musical smorgasbord sure to nourish your soul!
The concert will begin with Heinrich Biber’s Passacaglia for the Feast of the Guardian Angel followed by the Five Joyful Mystery Sonatas. Biber’s Mystery Sonatas are a musical depiction of Jesus’ life that follow the mysteries of the rosary. This important work also illustrates how the traditions of the Austrian baroque period nourished the musical evolution of the Viennese Classical style of which Mozart – something of a miraculous child, himself – is famed. The second half of the concert will, therefore, feature Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante Sextet. Experience and celebrate the Joyful Mysteries & the miracle of Mozart!
Questions? Contact 317-635-2538 or admin@allsaintsindy.org.
Event Partners: A partnership between musician Colette Abel, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and Episcopal Church of All Saints.
Audience Notes: Want to check out the concert program? Click here. You can also learn more about the talented musicians who will be performing by clicking here.
Registration: Registration requested by Nov. 5. Walk-ins welcome, if seating exists.

Image Courtesy of Colette Abel

East & West: Perspectives on Nourishment
2023-11-06 06:00 - 07:30 | IUPUI Campus Center, 420 University Blvd., Indianapolis, IN, 46202, United States
ASL Upon Request.
Explore the root differences between eastern and western philosophies, practices, and traditions related to the idea of “nourishment” for the body and soul in this interactive lecture complete with finger exercises!
When in dialogue with each other, differences between Eastern and Western philosophies can be more clearly understood, but so can similarities and avenues of deeper exploration and appreciation. This event– which includes interactive elements even for virtual attendees! – invites you to explore the ways in which Eastern and Western thought envision and put into practice ideas around “nourishment.” For example, Eastern traditions such as Taoism, Buddhism, and traditional Chinese medicines think of humans as integrated with nature – the body is its own small cosmos. In the historic Western tradition, humans are separated from nature just as the mind is separate from the body. How do these philosophies and practices shape our world today? How can understanding these differences build appreciation for new ways of thinking and doing? Learn from IUPUI professors Dr. Jing Wang and Dr. Tom Davis to consider how ancient wisdoms can be used to tackle modern problems and provide life-long benefits. This is a hybrid event with both in-person and online attendance options.
Questions? Contact 317-691-0263 or jw41@iupui.edu
Event Partners: IU School of Liberal Arts World Languages and Cultures, and Religious Studies Departments at IUPUI; The Church Within; and the Center for Interfaith Cooperation.
Event Registration: Registration requested, but walk-ins are welcome. Please RSVP by Nov. 5 for in-person attendance and 10am on Nov. 6 for Zoom.

Nourishing Our Spirits: an interfaith dinner with Center for Interfaith Cooperation
2023-11-06 12:00 - 14:00 | Indiana Interchurch Center – Krannert Hall, 1100 W. 42nd St., Indianapolis, IN, 46208, United States
SOLD OUT
Enjoy conversation over dinner with members from across Indianapolis’ faith communities on the ways food rituals and practices sustain faith.
Hindu, Jewish, Pagan, Sikh, and Sufi prayers and reflective practices will be offered by local faith leaders as well as information on the historical and cultural significance of these practices. Dinner will follow and, with the aid of dialogue cards and table facilitators, attendees will be invited to share their own reflections on history, culture, food, and faith. Digital booklets of recipes, prayers, and reflections will keep attendees engaged after the event.
Questions? Contact 317-268-5300 or josih@indycic.org.
Event Partners: Center for Interfaith Cooperation, Sufi Ruhaniat International, Indiana Pagan Community Outreach and Dialogue, Hindu Temple of Central Indiana, Sikh Satsang Indianapolis, and Congregation Beth-El Zedeck.
Event Registration: Due to a seating limit of 50 guests, registration is required by October 30.

Indy Community Voices: Storytelling for Tenants’ Empowerment
2023-11-06 12:00 - 15:00 | The Amp at 16 Tech, 1220 Waterway Blvd., Indianapolis, IN, 46202, United States
Housing is a basic human need. This event invites communities in Indy to share their experiences and envision paths for affordable housing stability, which is central to human and community nourishment.
Please join us to share and listen to stories and experiences around rental housing and building communities in Indianapolis. Stories have power as they bring people together to build community through shared experiences. Using multiple art forms and other means of expression, this event highlights the centrality of stories for creating spaces of community nourishment and empowerment. Attendees to this event will be encouraged to share their stories verbally, through art and audio, before hearing from panelists who will share their stories, experiences, and struggles related to rental housing in Indianapolis. Attendees will also be able to consult with housing attorneys and the City of Indianapolis Tenant Navigators.
Questions? Contact 434-242-1012 or indyhousingproject@gmail.com.
Event Partners: Indy Community Voices Podcast; Patricia Basile, assistant professor in the IU College of Arts and Sciences Department of Geography in Bloomington; Andy Beck, community designer with the Learning Tree, equitable development consultant; Greater Indianapolis Multifaith Alliance (GIMA); and Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership (INHP).
Event Registration: Registration requested by Nov. 5 (button below). Walk-ins welcome.
Audience Note: Doors open at 5pm with food and activities. Panel remarks will begin at 6pm.

Image Credit: Wildstyle Paschall

FACING GRIEF: Nourishing Ourselves and Others Through Loss
2023-11-07 14:00 - 15:30 | Phoenix Theater Cultural Center, 705 N. Illinois Street, Indianapolis, IN, United States
The Nov. 5 performance at 4pm will have live captioning to a screen.
The Nov. 7 performance at 7pm will has ASL interpretation.
All other accommodation requests should be made by Oct. 20.
Many of us don’t know what to say or do when a loved one experiences profound grief. Through live theatrical enactments and original music, audiences are invited to practice reacting to loss and supporting those they love.
Our brains are wired for survival, not loss, creating significant challenges in the aftermath of profound grief. FACING GRIEF, a presentation of The Sapphire Theatre’s award-winning PICTURE THIS® applied theatre programming, engages improvisational actors to act out brief scenarios. Staying in character, they “break the fourth wall” for an interactive talk back with the audience at the crisis point of each scene. Society and the community can do better for those who are hurting. Theatre can help show the way by allowing participants to practice how to have hard conversations, hold space, and listen. Musicians, interfaith ministers, educators, counselors and other subject matter experts will help facilitate this event.
FACING GRIEF will also be performed twice on November 5 at Unity Indianapolis. The 11:30am performance will follow a specially-themed worship service (10am) that all are welcome to attend! A second performance is scheduled for 4pm. FACING GRIEF is also being performed on on November 3 at the Phoenix Theatre. If interested in these other performances, please return to the event calendar and register for those dates/times.
Questions? Contact 317-966-7529 or andrea@sapphiretheatre.com
Event Partners: Sapphire Theatre Co.; Phoenix Theatre Cultural Center; Unity of Indianapolis; Jon Swanson, PhD.; Deandra Dycus; and Congregation Beth-El Zedeck.
Event Registration: Registration requested by Nov. 5, but walk-ins are welcome as space permits. Registration link forthcoming.
Audience Note: This program is focused on people who are seeking to better support loved ones experiencing profound bereavement. However, those currently grieving are welcome to attend – care is being shown to create an emotionally safe space.

Rooted in Love, Lifted in Strength: The Pettiford-Weaver Story
2023-11-09 13:00 - 14:30 | Eastern Star Church, 5750 E. 30th Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46218, United States
Rooted in Love, Lifted in Strength is a documentary following the Pettiford-Weaver family–descendants of one of the first Black settlements in Indiana. Through faith, family, and fortitude they have nourished one another at family reunions for 100+ consecutive years and celebrated their heritage with ownership of their recently reclaimed historic land.
Fleeing slavery and persecution, Black settlers moved to Grant County, Indiana in the 1840s establishing what would become the Weaver Settlement. The settlement included schools, churches, stores, a horseracing track, and even a home for the elderly. A limited supply of farm land and higher paying city jobs drew people away from the settlement in the 1920s and 30s, but the descendants of this proud self-contained Black community have boasted an annual family reunion since 1919.
Learn more about this amazing family and their history – Indiana’s history! – by viewing a documentary and hearing from descendants of the Pettiford-Weaver family.
Doors open at 6pm for a soul reception with the documentary viewing beginning at 6:30pm. An audience discussion will follow.
Questions? 317-413-0926 or PettifordWeaverLand@gmail.com.
Event Partners: Loving Life Productions, LLC; the Pettiford-Weaver Family; and WFYI Public Media.
Event Registration: Registration requested by Nov. 9. As of 11/7/23, this event is SOLD OUT and cannot guarantee seating.

Image Courtesy Loving Life Productions, LLC and the Pettiford-Weaver Family

Nourishing Words: Feeding the Whole with Poetry and Prose
2023-11-09 13:30 - 15:00 | The Church Within, 1125 Spruce St., Indianapolis, IN, 46203
ASL Upon Request.
Experience the poetry and prose of New York Times bestselling author Cole Arthur Riley alongside young, local BIPOC poets and storytellers as they not only consider but deliver the nourishing power of words.
Featuring bestselling author of This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation, and the Stories that Make Us, Cole Arthur Riley, and other local talent, this event considers and demonstrates both the power of words to nourish us, to feed us, and to empower us to the best, next step in our own lives. In a time when words are used to harm, this event invites you into a deep consideration of the power of words to both nourish us and leave us starved. The speakers gathered will remind those gathered of the power they have at hand with tools no more complex than the words they speak and write.
This gathering will also include an interactive element where performers and attendees will have the opportunity to participate in the creation of an original book at the event. This book will be bound as an original, scanned to be printed in a short run, and presented online.
Questions? Contact 317-683-0829 or thechurchwithin@thechurchwithin.org.
Event Partners: The Church Within, The Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis, The Philippine Cultural Community Center, and The Kneeland Center for Poetry, Inc. with support from Ujamaa Community Bookstore.
Event Registration: Registration requested by November 5. Walk-ins welcome until capacity is reached.

Come to the Table: Interfaith Understanding Through the Culinary Arts
2023-11-09 13:30 - 15:30 | Franklin College, Napolitan Student Center – Branigin Room, 101 Branigin Blvd., Franklin, IN, United States
ASL Upon Request by Nov. 1.
Join us for an engaging evening of food, fellowship, and exploration around how different faiths interact with food and spiritually. Enjoy a tasting reception followed by a presentation from Dr. Adrian Miller, award-winning author of Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time.
By providing an opportunity to engage with other faiths around a shared experience – food! – Franklin College and its partners invite attendees to learn about other religions not through doctrine, but through the experience of breaking bread together and sharing stories. Catered dishes from a variety of cultures and religious traditions will be shared as well as stories about the significance of these foods.
Dr. Adrian Miller, executive director of the Colorado Council of Churches and award-winning author of Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time, will give a short presentation followed by a panel discussion featuring local practitioners of a variety of faiths.
Questions? Contact 317-738- 8140 or hadamsingram@franklincollege.edu
Event Partners: Franklin College, Interchurch Food Pantry, and the Center for Interfaith Cooperation.
Event Registration: Registrations requested by November 6.

Nourish: Testimonies about Food, Family, and Love (Day 1: Film Screening)
2023-11-10 11:00 - 14:00 | Broadway United Methodist Church, 609 E. 29th St., Indianapolis, IN, 46205, United States
A two-day celebration focused on the healing powers of food, community, and spirituality featuring films, food, and testimonies from Black femme creators.
The gathering will take attendees on an immersive visual, sensual, auditory, and spiritual experience in the spirit of honoring how Black femmes have nourished themselves and one another while making an indelible impact on the world.
On Friday, Nov. 10, two films – “In Our Mother’s Gardens” and “Food as Resistance” will be shown. Dinner will be served in between screenings and a discussion about the ways lineage, love, and (unjust) food systems intersect will close the night.
The following day (Nov. 11) will feature music, storytelling, and the culinary arts in a Testimony Service for all! (Think: Moth Radio Hour.) Testimony services have their roots in the Black church tradition as a time where people can take to the altar and tell a story or sing a song that illustrates a triumphant moment in their lives. Attendees will be given writing prompts for their own reflections and will hear from a selection of Black femme speakers before enjoying refreshments.
Doors open at 4pm each day for guests to congregate with each other. Programming begins at 5pm.
Audience Note: While this event is open to people from all faiths or non-faith backgrounds, Black Christian traditions as well as African ancestral practices will be honored.
Questions? Please contact317-413-1239 or TheTestimonyServiceOnline@gmail.com
Event Partners: The Testimony Service and The Center for Religion, Arts, and Culture.
Event Registration: Registration requested by Nov.3, but walk-in guests are welcome!

Image Courtesy of The Testimony Service

Nourishing Democracy: Healthy IPS School Board Elections
2023-11-10 13:00 - 16:00 | MLK Community Center, 40 W. 40th St., Indianapolis, IN, 46205, United States
Constitutional republics must be nourished to stay viable. As school board elections offer a microcosm of democracy, what does IPS board history teach us about the democratic process and what citizens can do to nurture their own sense of civic empowerment?
Once regulated to the May Primary, Indianapolis school board elections are now large and expensive early November events. Debate from a plurality of perspectives is needed for a healthy democracy and a vigorous public education system. So is an understanding of local history. In the early 1920s, little to no competition existed in school board races which were ostensibly run by the Citizens School Committee. This is the era that deeply segregated and segmented Indianapolis’s public schools into a caste system. As recent media stories have shown, modern school board elections are being inundated with outside money – and agendas – that threaten to shape public schools in ways the community may not want. Using primary sources and recent news articles, attendees will be divided into working groups to compare and contrast the past to the present in an effort to plan for the future. Visual arts, poetry, and music will further help attendees appreciate the challenges democracy faces while inspiring them to stay engaged and active.
Questions? Contact 317-998-1339 or johnharrisloflin@yahoo.com.
Audience Notes: Doors open at 6pm for guests to interact with the exhibits. Programming begins at 7pm.
Event Partners: Charles E. Loflin & Virginia P. Vornehm-Loflin Center on IPS History, the Black & Latino Policy Institute, Virgil and Sheila Boyd, Wyse Ra, Rev. Dr. Thomas L. Brown, and artists Dr. Monday, Clyde Gaw, and Clockwork Janz.
Event Registration: Registration requested by Nov. 9. Walk-ins welcome!
