Change – personal and societal – has the power to bring us together and divide us. Hear from spoken word artists, writers, and community leaders on what it means to wrestle with and accept the consequences of change. New and profound communal bonds are often formed as we grow into an embrace our true identities. […]

Watch the short film "When We Were Syrian: Early Lebanese in Indianapolis" here. Watch a debut performance of the film, “When We Were Syrian: Early Lebanese in Indianapolis,” and learn more about the forgotten past of Arab Indianapolis. “When We Were Syrian” is a deeply moving autobiographical short film that reveals a past overlooked in […]

WATCH A RECORDING OF THIS EVENT HERE. What do the Bible, Torah, Qur’an, and sacred music say about change? How do we hold space for grief and still find opportunities for joy and growth? We seek common experiences in different traditions through panel discussion and song. Sacred texts in the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim traditions […]

Watch a recording of this event here. Community stakeholders will join in a panel discussion to talk about how they are incorporating equity, diversity and inclusion into their work and making Johnson County a more inclusive community. This event brings leaders from Johnson County’s public school, higher education, and health care systems together to talk […]

Through cooking demonstrations and more, explore why romanticized versions of Thanksgiving are harmful to Native Peoples and how you can incorporate indigenized alternatives into your celebration. November is Native American Heritage Month as well as the month many Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. The Eiteljorg and its partners invite you to explore ways of honoring Indigenous people […]

Good history doesn’t always make for good drama. Share your feelings about the best (and worst) portrayals of the past on screen through clips and conversation with our panel of local filmmakers and historians. What happens when Hollywood defines how we think about history? Can we create an historically accurate film without taking dramatic license? […]

TO WATCH A RECORDING OF THIS EVENT, CLICK HERE. TO LISTEN TO A FOLLOW-UP INTERVIEW ON WFYI'S "ALL IN," CLICK HERE. Climate change is real, and the danger is urgent. Can religion contribute to meaningful change, or are the main solutions political? Join Peter Thuesen, author of Tornado God, as we discuss one of the […]

The power of images is strong and enduring. Depictions of African peoples and blackness have changed over time and influence contemporary thinking and action. Since the Enlightenment, Black humanity has been routinely attacked, ridiculed, and questioned, and altogether denied. However, this was not always the case. This multimedia exhibit featuring images, video, and historical testimony […]

WATCH OPENING REMARKS & SMALL GROUP REPORT OUTS HERE. Go on a journey through the last 100 years of IPS’s past to dispel urban myths and uncover hidden stories around race and racism, religion, gender, ethnicity, geography, and politics. After a brief presentation on IPS’s history, participants will be divided into small groups and given […]

Watch a recording of this event here. Go on a journey into the mind to explore the possibility of relief of suffering and spiritual growth through psychedelic-assisted therapy. A universal change we all must face is death. For some, anticipation of this change brings significant distress. New research shows that guided psychedelic-assisted therapy might ease […]

Transform a mindset of "that's terrible" into "I can be the change!" after hearing from grassroots activists and learning practical action steps for social change. Beginning with a panel discussion featuring local activists followed by small group discussions, participants will explore clear, easy-to-understand strategies they can use to confront challenges they see in the world. […]

Join a team of educators and families to consider what equity and inclusion means for schools and communities as they emerge from the COVID-19 global pandemic. Using the Mmogo method – an indigenous gathering method from South Africa that uses visuals and artifacts to anchor dialogue – attendees are invited to consider the experiences and […]

WATCH A RECORDING OF THE EVENT BY CLICKING HERE. Hear poems from Sikh and Muslim artists and reflect on how poetic imagery can be a meaningful tool in helping us make sense of societal change. In 2020, Franklin College hosted its first Interfaith Understanding through the Arts event during the Spirit & Place Festival. This […]

Three local community activists—Phyllis Boyd, Elizabeth Wallin, and Andy Beck—talk with community member Martin Coleman about maintaining a moral vision when working for social change challenges the ideals motivating that very work. When our ideals lead us to unlikely alliances, opportunities laden with unintended consequences, or interpersonal conflict, how does our understanding of our moral […]

In this interactive session, IU professor Richard Gunderman takes us on a journey through the history of eugenics in Indiana and society’s misguided efforts to change human nature through science. Eugenics may be defined as the effort to improve human life by controlling patterns of human reproduction—the idea that undesirable traits could be “bred out” […]

Change is a central element to the avant-garde Japanese dance form of Butoh and dancer Vangeline presents original work that asks audiences to see Butoh as a way to transmute the pain and discord of societal shifts into art Butoh is an avant-garde art form born during the height of the Japanese Counterculture Movement of […]

Spirited Chase is an on-the-go opportunity to discover new places. Participants will travel to several mystery destinations and explore how each organization creates change our community. Spirited Chase is a unique experience that offers participants the opportunity to renew their spirit through discovering new people and places in the community. During the “chase” participants are […]

Explore resistance to change in social and political hierarchies of the U.S. through three films—including “Antebellum”(2020)—a panel discussion, and community conversations. This event—a film festival featuring “Antebellum,” “Sankofa,” and “Harriett”– asks the public to consider how much the United States has changed in the 400 years since the arrival of the first enslaved Africans and […]

EVENT CANCELLED AS OF 10/28/21 Join us on a musical, theatrical, spoken word journey exploring personal and community transformation through holistic arts engagement. We are each on a journey towards wholeness - individually, and within our communities. Join us to experience the possibility of change through the transformative power of community arts, with performances and […]

Change is a central element to the avant-garde Japanese dance form of Butoh and dancer Vangeline presents original work that asks audiences to see Butoh as a way to transmute the pain and discord of societal shifts into art Butoh is an avant-garde art form born during the height of the Japanese Counterculture Movement of […]

Explore the potential effects of climate chaos on our children’s future through writing, dance, and music inspired by the evocative artwork of Edith Vonnegut, Kurt Vonnegut’s daughter. If chaos is fast and uncontrollable change, then how much longer do we have before “climate change” becomes “climate chaos?” This event combines the visual arts with literature, […]

Watch a recording of this event here. As the U.S. grapples with demographic changes and calls for a racial reckoning, Robert P. Jones, author of White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity (2020), will engage in a moderated conversation with Christian Theological Seminary Dean of Faculty Leah Gunning Francis (Ferguson and […]