Imagine what Central Indiana would look and feel like if we practiced 10 days of gratitude? If we collectively reflected, enacted, and demonstrated what it means to give, accept, and center a spirit of appreciation while sharing space with strangers, wrestling with new ideas, and creatively expressing ourselves?

Gratitude plays a role in several of the world’s religions, influences ancient and modern philosophical thought, and finds expression in a range of artistic practices. In November of 2024, Spirit & Place invites you to move beyond cliched interpretations of “thanksgiving” to explore the theme of GRATITUDE in all its depth and meaning.

By asking how our communities and organizations could be different if we foregrounded gratitude, we hope festival applicants will craft events designed to explore from where gratitude emanates, how it is expressed, the function it serves in public and spiritual life, and the ways in which human creativity has blossomed and shined when expressing gratitude. We also hope the community will be given a chance to express its own feelings of gratitude in participatory events aimed at strengthening our collective sense of place and belonging.

Click here to download theme prompts!

The phenomena we call “nature” includes plants, insects, animals, and everything living thing in between. Sometimes we call it Mother Nature, the environment, or wilderness.

But Nature (with a capital “N”) is the whole system of existence, arrangement, forces, and events not controlled by humankind. Let’s call that the Universe or Creation.

Fascinatingly, nature also refers to something – or someone’s – basic and inherent features. Their character, essence, or substance.

Whether exploring the literal aspects of nature such as earth, wind, fire, and water, or deeply philosophical or religious ideas about “human nature,” the theme of NATURE welcomes you to delve into the elements of life.

Explore topics tied to the natural world and its flora, fauna, and ecosystems. Or, engage with the world’s philosophies and religions to take a deep look at what makes us human. Examine or create art with or about nature; make music in harmony with the landscape; or tell stories out in the woods! Have fun with NATURE and consider it from a variety of perspectives.

Using the arts, humanities, and religion, Spirit & Place encourages you to explore the theme with a broad lens and to create moments of reflection, delight, and wonder for our Central Indiana community.

Download theme prompts by clicking here.

Learn what 2024 festival goers think about the NATURE theme. Click here.

Democracy is rooted in the idea of the “rule of the people” rather than the rule of the elite. In the United States, “the people”—albeit imperfectly— have traditionally shared a common creed. That is, a set of beliefs and ideals connected to values of freedom, liberty, and equality.

The United States will commemorate the 250^th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026. In planning for Spirit & Place’s theme, we learned the community is interested in exploring topics and values tied to American democracy. Especially if these explorations lead to deeper CONNECTIONS.

We hope event creators interested in celebrating and commemorating “America 250” will find a way to do so through the CONNECTIONS theme. How can we use this momentous anniversary to reflect on our history, unpack our democratic values, and forge a shared path forward? How might an exploration of democratic values help us be better and more connected citizens and neighbors?

For those who wish to explore ideas not connected to “America 250,” we hope you will use the arts, humanities, and/or religion to build and strengthen CONNECTIONS in our community! How might faith and religious practice help us connect to others? What artistic practices can we incorporate into our lives to help us feel meaningfully connected to each other? How might the arts, humanities, and religion work together to combat the social and mental health consequences of isolation and loneliness? How do institutional and social infrastructures bond or fracture connections?

To quote civil rights leader, lawyer, author, and educator, Valerie Kaur:

Wonder is our birthright. It comes easily in childhood—the feeling of watching  dust motes dancing in sunlight, or climbing a tree to touch the sky, or falling asleep  thinking about where the universe ends. If we are safe and nurtured enough to  develop our capacity to wonder, we start to wonder about the people in our lives,  too—their thoughts and experiences, their pain and joy, their wants and needs. We begin to sense that they are to themselves as vast and complex as we are to ourselves, their inner world as infinite as our own. In other words, we are seeing them as our equal. We are gaining information about how to love them.  

Wonder is the wellspring for love. . . .

How might the arts, humanities, and/or religion be used to tap into that “wellspring of love” through the theme of WONDER?

How has WONDER – not to mention curiosity, awe, fascination, and amazement – fueled human creativity and compassion? How does a sense of WONDER shape our approach to life’s big questions and help us navigate mystery, uncertainty, and ambiguity? How has a sense of WONDER shaped the world’s myths and sacred stories concerning the nature of the universe? Why is WONDER a crucial element of human growth and what would happen if we intentionally gave space and time to for communal “wonderment?”